Catholic Fire

The Holy Father's prayer intentions for the month of September are: Universal Intention -   That opportunities for education and employment may increase for all young people. Evangelization Intention - That catechists may give witness by living in a way consistent with the faith they proclaim.

You have got to love it! It sure looks like Pope Francis did! One of the first things Pope Francis saw upon arriving in Manila, was unique choreography dance carried out by children and teenagers. The music was combined with a phrase in Spanish, which translates to 'Welcome Pope Francis.' The second song, had a more modern twist to it. Young women wearing white skirts and yellow tops, to represents the Vatican's flag colors, danced to techno music as Pope Francis greeted state authorities.

It wasn't a regular videochat. Pope Francis simultaneously talked to young people from five continents, all connected at once, thanks to the Internet. This unusual encounter took place during the presentation of 'Scholas.Social,' the first social network for schools. The education project backed by the Pope was launched in the Vatican. During their chat, the young students asked the Pope all types of questions. Cameron, from Australia, wanted to know how Scholas helps bringing people together. Pope Francis answered that sharing experiences is the best way to fight discrimination. Eyal, from Israel, told him that Jews, Muslims and Christians get along well at his school. He also invited him to visit the Holy Land again. But the Pope's best answer was to a Turkish boy who wondered about the future. POPE FRANCIS "I don't have that crystal ball that witches use to foresee the future. But I want to tell you  something... Do you want to know where the f...

Nearly 20,000 young people from Abruzzo and Molise welcomed Pope Francis at the sanctuary of Castelpetroso. The Pope expressed his concern with unemployment, an issue close to home for the massive group. POPE FRANCIS "It's sad to find youth in this particular situation. They do not study, because they cannot, they don't have the possibility. Nor do they work. And this is the challenge that as a community, we all need to overcome. We need to move forward to overcome this challenge. We cannot resign ourselves to losing an entire generation of youth without the full dignity of a job.” Pope Francis reminded them that, despite the crisis, youth remain brave before any challenges they face, they have hope, and are capable of expressing solidarity. The Pope asked them not to fall into the "throw-away culture,” and to make definitive choices, and to choose a suitable path, in order to give meaning to their futures. POPE FRANCIS "Suitable path, choose the way...

April 3, 2013. ( Romereports.com ) After a few days of rest from a busy Holy Week schedule, Pope Francis returned to the public eye with an inclusive message of the Resurrection, tasking women to become the messengers of faith and hope. Retelling the story of how a group of women were the first to find Christ's tomb empty, he highlighted the fact that instead of keeping the news of his Resurrection to themselves, they spread it. POPE FRANCIS “The first witnesses of the Resurrection are women. This is beautiful, and this is the mission of women, of mothers and grandmothers, to give witness to their children and grandchildren that Christ is Risen! Mothers go forward with this witness!” During his speech, he referred to that message of hope and faith that comes from the Resurrection, as mankind's greatest treasure, which must be shared with others. In addition to his outreach to women, he also called on the youth to do their part to spread faith and hope among their pe...

Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, the solemn dogma defined by Blessed Pope Pius IX in 1854. As Our Lady Immaculately Conceived is the patroness of the United States of America, this is a holy day of obligation in the United States. Through the centuries the Church has become ever more aware that Mary, "full of grace" through God, was redeemed from the moment of her conception. That is what the dogma of the Immaculate Conception confesses, as Blessed Pope Pius IX proclaimed on December 8, 1854: "The most Blessed Virgin Mary was, from the first moment of her conception, by a singular grace and privilege of almighty God and by virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, Saviour of the human race, preserved immune from all stain of original sin." ~ Catechism of the Catholic Church