Catholic Fire

We love you, Holy Father, and we are praying for you! Catholic World News - September 22, 2015 Bells tolled in Catholic churches across America on Tuesday afternoon, September 22, as Pope Francis arrived for his first-ever visit to the US. The papal flight touched down at Andrews Joint Base outside Washington, DC, shortly before 4 pm. The Pontiff was greeted by President Obama and his family, and-- after a brief informal meeting-- escorted to a Fiat wagon that would take him to the apostolic nunciature, where he will spend the night. There was no formal ceremony at the airport; neither the Pope nor the President made public remarks. An official welcome will be held at the White House on Wednesday morning. Pictures speak louder than words, so below I am sharing some videos of our Holy Father as he arrives in the USA. In the first video, Pope Francis, fresh off his trip to Cuba, arrives by airplane at Andrews Air Force Base outside of Washington on Tuesday to begin his f...

(Vatican Radio)  Pope Francis on Monday confirmed he will be attending the World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia next year. “I wish to confirm according to the wishes of the Lord, that in September of 2015, I will go to Philadelphia for the World Meeting of Families,” said Pope Francis.  “Thank you for your prayers with which you accompany my service to the Church. Bless you from my heart.” The Holy Father speaking at the beginning of a Colloquium on Complementarity of Man and Woman happening in Rome which was sponsored by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. The World Meeting of Families takes place September 22-27, 2015, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (USA), and has as its theme “Love is Our Mission: The Family fully alive.”

"It's a very big undertaking. Philadelphia has deep religious roots. And Pope Francis is very well loved both within and outside the Catholic Church in the United States.” Also present at the conference was the Riley family from Philadelphia who are involved in the preparations for the World Meeting of Families. They noted that the city is an appropriate meeting point for people of different cultures. PENELOPE RILEY Daughter "I go to Catholic school in Philadelphia and I think that everyone would love to come and visit and see all the different cultural differences there in comparison to Rome.” The theme of the World Meeting of Families, "Love is our mission: the family fully alive”,  will be at the center of several initiatives that will help prepare for the event. Among them is a catechesis on the family as well as the commissioning of a painting of the Holy Family. ARCH. CHARLES J. CHAPUT Archbishop of Philadelphia (USA) "It's exciting. We ...

This is the official icon of the World Meeting of Families, which means it will be present in all events taking place in this massive family gathering in Philadelphia next year. It was designed by American artist Neilson Carlin. It's unusual because it includes Jesus' grandparents: St. Joachim and St. Anna. The next World Meeting of Families will be held in September 2015. It's held every three years and thousands of people attend.  More than a million people gathered in Milan in 2012 and in Valencia in 2006. These figures, though, vary significantly if the Pope decides to join the gathering. Although it's not official yet, Pope Francis is expected to attend. In fact in mid September, the Archbishop of Philadelphia, Msgr. Charles Chaput will visit Rome and may return home with the Pope's personal confirmation.

A Pope and a family woman. They're the saints chosen as the patrons of the 8th World Meeting of Families in Philadelphia. The first is St. John Paul II, canonized on April 27, and the founder of these events. FR. SLAWOMIR ODER Postulator, Sainthood cause of John Paul II "He himself said he wanted to be remember, if the Church ever remembered him... he wanted to be remembered as the Pope of life and of family. He promoted a revaluation of the family as the place where a person develops humanely, and grows spiritually.” St. Gianna Beretta was a pediatrician and mother of four, who passed away in 1962. During her fourth pregnancy, doctors discovered a tumor in her uterus. She decided to delay surgery to remove it until after the birth of her child, but by then it was too late. Beretta is considered the patron saint of pregnant women. John Paul II canonized her on May 16, 1994. The 8th World Meeting of Families will take place from September 22-27, 2015. Although it...

February 4, 2013. (Romereports.com) This was the scene back in June, when about 850,000 people attended the World Meeting of Families in Milan. Now the Vatican is getting ready for the next big gathering in Philadelphia, where just as many, if not more are expected. MSGR. VINCENZO PAGLIA Pontifical Council for the Family, President “I think this meeting in Philadelphia will be a good way to help families, society, even politicians and those with roles in the cultural sector.” The gathering will be in September 2015. In fact, it will be the first one to take place in the U.S. Usually these events are attended by the Pope himself. During the press conference, Msgr. Paglia talked about the need to strengthen the family unit, through Christian values. He talked about power of a healthy family, but also about broken homes, delinquency rates among youths, gay marriage and extreme individualism.   MSGR. VINCENZO PAGLIA Pontifical Council for the Family, President ...

The official end of the Christmas season is this Sunday, the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. In this video, Fr. George Kovicki reflects on the Holy Family in Nazareth.