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Little Flower senior named Phila.’s youth poet laureate
Andre’a Rhoads, Philadelphia’s new Youth Poet Laureate, says she wants to be “an advocate for peace, kindness, happiness and justice” through her writing. (Andre’a Rhoads/Free Library of Philadelphia)
By Gina Christian • Posted July 28, 2021
An archdiocesan high school student has been recognized for her way with words – and for her belief in the power of language to create positive change.
Last month, Andre’a Rhoads, a rising senior at Little Flower Catholic High School for Girls, was named Philadelphia’s Youth Poet Laureate for the 2021-2022 academic year. The role, administered by the Free Library of Philadelphia and the New York-based arts organization Urban Word, honors teens who demonstrate artistic success, leadership, community engagement and social impact.
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Our Lady of Šiluva (Archdiocese of Cincinnati/Holy Cross Lithuanian Roman Catholic Church)
By Gina Christian • Posted July 22, 2021
Amid religious and social divisions, a little-known Marian apparition offers fresh hope for healing, says a local Catholic – and he even wrote a hymn to spread the word.
While serving as music director at the former St. George Parish in Philadelphia, Joseph Pokorny wrote “Our Lady of Šiluva,” which commemorates a 17th-century visitation by Mary to a small village in Lithuania.
A statue of Our Lady of Šiluva at St. George (which closed and merged with St. John Paul II in 2019) so impressed Pokorny – who admits he’s “actually Austro-Hungarian” – that in addition to his hymn, he wrote an entire “musical cantata all about Lithuania.”
Portrait of pioneering Black priest installed in Cathedral
A portrait of Venerable Augustus Tolton, the first recognized African-American Roman Catholic priest, is now on display at the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul near the tomb of St. Katharine Drexel, who provided support for his pastoral mission in Chicago. (Gina Christian)
By Gina Christian • Posted July 23, 2021
A portrait of a pioneering Black priest and saint in the making has recently been installed in the Cathedral Basilica of SS. Peter and Paul, next to the saint who assisted him in his earthly mission.
Last month, Cathedral rector Father Dennis Gill announced that an image of Venerable Augustus Tolton would be placed near the tomb of St. Katharine Drexel, which is adjacent to the Drexel family altar. The news came during a June 26 Mass celebrated by Archbishop Nelson Pérez in honor of Father Tolton, the first widely recognized Black Roman Catholic priest in the United States.