Catholic Fire

Beatified by Pope Pius XI in 1926, these eight Franciscan friars and three Maronite laymen were offered the choice of converting to Islam or suffering death in Damascus on July 9, 1860. Thousands of Maronite Christians had already been killed by the Druz in Southern Lebanon in that year and the Druz, an offshoot sect of Shiite Islam, had turned their attention to Damascus where they killed nearly two thousand more. When they had reached the Franciscan convent there, the superior, a spaniard named Fr. Emmanuel Ruiz, who had sheltered the Christians that lived around the convent inside the chapel, was threatened with death if he did not convert immediately. He refused and they cut him to pieces and killed the rest of his community and the three Maronites who, refusing to flee with the other Christians, chose to die rather than deny their faith.

Limit Break, a web series, reports: In this episode we meet Friar Didacus and Friar Gabriel, two brothers who skateboard and were called to religious life. The brothers skated for 7 years as teenagers, but felt their vocation was religious life. They were prepared to abandon their passion for skateboarding to live a life of Poverty, Chastity, and Obedience as Friars of the Immaculate. Six years after becoming Friars and having not skated, they were given obedience to obtain a skateboard and go to the skatepark once a week - to "preach the gospel at all times, when necessary, use words" as Saint Francis stated. Friar Gabriel explains that God has so many ways of using peoples talents to give Him glory. Skateboarding allows the Friars to help others see the compatibility of exercising the body as well as the soul. Friar Didacus reflects that if he had always tried to live in a state of grace growing up, he would have been far better at skating and enjoyed it much more- bec...

April 22, 2013. (Romereports.com) The Custodian of the Holy Land, Pierbattista Pizzaballa, sent an urgent message asking for emergency donations to help support Syrian families. The ongoing violence is escalating among rival groups, and already hundreds of thousands of people were forced to flee their homes. One year since the civil war started, Syrian families lack food or work because all industries have been destroyed. This past week, renewed fighting southwest of Damascus killed more than 550 people, mostly women and children. The Custodians of the Holy Land are active in many Syrian cities like Damascus, Aleppo, Latakia and Orontes. Inside the Franciscan convents, medical dispensaries have turned into shelters for anyone, without religious or ethnic affiliations. They've received Alawite and Sunni Muslims, Christians, as well as injured government and rebel troops. For this reason, the Custodians of the Holy Land ask for direct assistance to help keep up their chari...

Franciscans, founded in Palermo, Italy 1972. A renewal of the Capuchin charism, of contemplative prayer, radical joyful poverty, penance and evangelical preaching of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Living in poverty on the outskirts of Corleone and Naples, Italy and on the outskirts of Palermo, Sicily. Their main Friary is in Corleone, Sicily. (They also have missions in Columbia and Africa). MotherHouse (Write in Italian, French, Spanish or simple English) to: Frati Minori Rinnovati Eremo san Bernardo 90034 Corleone, Italy (Sicily ) ~ Via Catholiques .