Catholic Fire

 Pope Francis told families in the Philippines Friday that they should take time to rest and to pray together and to be examples of holiness.  On the second day of his five day trip to the Asian archipelago, Pope Francis told tens of thousands of people gathered for a meeting with families that the world “needs good and strong families” to overcome threats of poverty, materialism, destructive lifestyles, and those caused by separation due to migration. In his discourse, delivered at the “Mall of Asia Arena,” Manila’s principle sports arena, the Pope said “the Philippines needs holy and loving families to protect the beauty and truth of the family in God’s plan.” Below, please find the the full text of the Pope's adress (including his off-the cuff remarks in Spanish which were translated into English) Dear Families, Dear Friends in Christ,  I am grateful for your presence here this evening and for the witness of your love for Jesus and his Church.  I tha...

The Synod on the Family is still about six months away, but organizers are already hard at work. In November, the Vatican issued a 38-question survey to all bishops' conferences around the world-all 114 of them. At this point, organizers say, 84 percent have sent in their results. CARD. LORENZO BALDISSERI Secretary-General, Synod of Bishops "This is a record number. It's truly exceptional. In the past, or in other circumstances, it's never happened before. One week after January 31, we had already received 70 percent. For us, that was enough to start working, and to give us a base to put things together.” The purpose of the survey is to gather information on the modern day challenges families face and how the Church can address them. Everything from the knowledge Catholics have on Church doctrine to their country's laws and personal opinions on same sex unions. The Cardinal says the goal is for Catholics to express their views, arguments and plausibl...

October 25, 2013. (Romereports.com) Pope Francis proposed approaching “with respect and courage the families facing difficult situations,” as well as “marriages in crisis or those who are separated.” In the last gathering of the Pontifical Council for the Family, the Pope urged Christians to use their everyday life to show the “beauty of marriage and the Christian family.”   POPE FRANCIS “The family is where one learns to love, the natural center of human life. The family is made of faces, of people that love, that talk, that sacrifice for each other, and protect life, specially the most fragile, the weakest.” The Pope also asked parents to “waste time” with their children, so that they can realize that love is always free. The president of the Pontifical Council for the Family, Archbishop Vicenzo Paglia, gave Pope Francis this icon where the Holy Family appears along with with two old men. “This icon represents the relationship between generations.” Pope Francis was ...

Horror Story from Meet the Teacher Night . Too funny! You'll love it! H/T: Maureen Whitman