Catholic Fire

Photo Image via Catholic Herald On Sunday, October 4, Pope Francis opened the long-awaited Synod on the Family at St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City. A solemn Mass was dedicated to the theme of the family in the modern world. Vatican Radio reports: The Pope said that the readings centred on three themes, “solitude, love between man and women, and the family.” The First Reading came from the book of Genesis – the Lord giving Adam a helpmate. Pope Francis, reflecting on Adam’s loneliness, likened it to the drama of solitude experienced by men and women today – especially the elderly, widows and widowers and those left by their spouses. He said that many today are lonely because they are misunderstood and unheard – referring particularly to migrants and refugees. The Holy Father went on to say that we experience “the paradox of a globalised world filled with luxurious mansions and skyscrapers, but a lessening of the warmth of homes and families.” He spoke of the growi...

1. Make a homemade Valentine for your loved one. Be sure to mention on your card some specific ways they are special to you, i.e., "You always laugh at my corny jokes" or "You always compliment me on my cooking even though boiling hot water is a challenge for me." 2. Write a love letter to your Valentine on pretty pink stationary and tell him/her exactly why you love him/her and what makes them special. 3. Prepare a special meal and get dressed up. Use your best china, candles, and your linen napkins. Take out your best wine or open a bottle of champagne, or favorite non-alcoholic drink. (Chill the glasses beforehand.) 4. Purchase one long-stemmed red rose for your partner and compose a love poem to accompany it. Present it in an envelope sealed with a red foil heart. 5. Take a walk together, hold hands, and reminisce about romantic times in the past - such as the day you first met and fell in love, your wedding day or another special time for the two of...

Thirteen married couples will speak on their experiences during the Synod. They come from various countries such as Australia, Italy, Chile, Rwanda, the Philippines and Brazil. Among the themes that the couples will discuss are the day to day struggles of a family, educating children and relationships. Ron and Mavis have already shared the experience of their 55 year marriage. MAVIS & ROMANO PIROLA "Most couples cohabitate before marriage and there's a whole difficult pastoral questions around the divorced and remarried. These are issues that hopefully will be discussed at the Synod.” To prevent broken marriages, one of the ingredients is a good preparation during the time of courtship. It is one of the issues that will be addressed during the Synod thanks to these experts. LUCIA & PEPPINO PETRARCA "It's about showing youth the value of the body and sexuality to help them understand that "forever” is not impossible. That the indissolubility...

One by one, the brides walked alongside their fathers, into St. Peter's Basilica...as the grooms waited for their soon to be wives. A total of 20 couples, all of them from Rome, were married by Pope Francis. POPE FRANCIS "It is a demanding journey, at times difficult, and at times turbulent, but such is life!” It's the first time in 14 years that a Pope has celebrated a public wedding ceremony in the Basilica. He said that even though there will be challenges, marriage is a gift and the foundation of society. "He reminded me of so many things that you tend to forget after being married for so long. It's a way to renew the enthusiasm and energy.” "It was beautiful ceremony!” Gaetano di Sangi is one of hundreds of guests, who made their way to Rome, to celebrate the big day with the newlyweds. His nephew was married and family flew in from New York. "We need the Pope to do these things in this period of moral and social decay.” Interes...

It was definitely a unique experience. With more than 12,000 engaged couples, Pope Francis gave them all some advice on what it takes to make a marriage work. First, using some symbolism, he said couples must be willing to become jewelers. POPE FRANCIS "Marriage is also a daily job. We could even say it's like craftsmanship. In a way it's like being a goldsmith, because a husband makes his wife more of a woman, and she in turn should make her husband a better man. Growing together in their humanity, as man and woman.” But unlike any other job, marriage is a life long commitment. But this shouldn't scare couples, said the Pope. It's something they work on together, day by day. POPE FRANCIS "Love is something that comes about. It's a reality that grows. As an example, we could even say that it's like building a home. You build a home together, not alone!” He then added you can't base a marriage on just feelings. Rather it must be base...

“Today marriage tends to be viewed as a form of mere emotional satisfaction that can be constructed in any way or modified at will. Unfortunately this vision also influences the mentality of Christians, promoting a tendency toward divorce or separation.” ~ Pope Francis, speaking to the Polish bishops last week, exercepted from  Pope: Marriage cannot be based simply on emotional satisfaction

Trenton, N.J., Jan 8, 2014 / 02:02 am (CNA/EWTN News).- A new survey shows an increase in likely U.S. voters who see marriage as a religious institution, with a majority now holding this view. Rasmussen Reports’ Dec. 22 national survey of 1,000 U.S. likely voters found that a majority – 53 percent of respondents – said marriage is a religious institution. This is an increase from 48 percent in October. Another 40 percent saw marriage as a civil institution, down from 45 percent in October. About 77 percent of respondents said they are married or have been at some point in their lives. This correlated to their views of the institution. About 57 percent of ever-married respondents said marriage is a religious institution, while the never-married tended to see it as a civil institution. A large majority of Republicans and a small majority of unaffiliated voters said marriage is a religious institution, while a small majority of Democrats said it is civil in nature. Men and res...

November 8, 2013. (Romereports.com) On Friday, Pope Francis talked about marriage annulments at the Vatican's Apostolic Palace, as he addressed the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura, which is the highest court in the Catholic Church and the department that ultimately oversees these type of cases.   POPE FRANCIS “Your task deals with facilitating the works of the Ecclesiastical Tribunal, which is called to adequately respond to faithful who turn towards the justice of the Church, expecting a just verdict.” As he spoke about marriage annulments, he specifically addressed the different roles of those involved, including people who request the annulment of marriage and those who defend its validity, also known as the 'Defender of the Bond.' POPE FRANCIS “It is therefore necessary that 'Defenders of the Bond' carry out their role efficiently, so that they may facilitate truth in their final verdict, which should favor the pastoral good of all parties...

November 5, 2013 (Romereports.com) At the request of Pope Francis, the Vatican is getting ready for an extraordinary synod of bishops, where the challenges faced by the family will be discussed.     ARCH. LORENZO BALDISSERI General Secretary of the Synod “The last document we cited on the family is the 'Familiaris Consortio' from 1981 so it's something from 32 years ago.”  The purpose is to evaluate the pastoral approach of the Church on topics like sexuality, marriage and the family . To prepare for this meeting, the Vatican released a preparatory document for the Synod of Bishops. It includes a questionnaire with 38 questions on modern day issues like, divorced and civilly remarried couples, same sex couples, co-habitation before marriage and couple's openness to life and children. Based on the questionnaire, the Vatican is expecting a detailed summary from bishops, religious orders and Catholic groups by the end of January. In fact the Bishops Conference ...

 This is short, but oh so sweet! I know you will love it! Rachel Balducci, Danielle Bean, and Carolee McGrath of CatholicTV's 'The Gist' answer this week's viewer question.

September 26, 2013. (Romereports.com) Back in 1983, Pope John Paul II authorized the Vatican to prepare a document that addressed the role of the family in modern society. After months of work, they came up with the Charter of the Rights of the Family.   Three decades later, the Pontifical Council for the Family is getting ready to mark the Charter's 30th anniversary, with a special presentation on how the document impacts women today. DR. HELEN ALVARÉ Professor of Family, Religion and Law (USA) “The Church has a credible witness in our charity, a credible witness in our words and a real balance between what women are actually demanding, between what they actually want, and between what women, children and the poor actually need.” The charter addresses individual rights like the freedom for a man and women to have a family through marriage, and to have children. But it also calls on societies to respect certain rights, like the protection of life from conception to natur...

Larry Swilling's wife of 57 years needs a kidney to survive... and he will stop at nothing until she gets one. He even walks around town every day, searching for a donor. We pray he finds one to save her life. This is what true love looks like.

Reverend Bill Owens “Gay activists are wrong to claim the mantle of the civil rights movement in their push to redefine marriage for all – the most important civil right related to marriage is the right of every child to a mother and father." ~  Civil Rights activist Reverend Bill Owens, who has joined with the National Organization for Marriage to promote and lead the March for Marriage occurring in Washington, D.C. next month.

January 28, 2013. (Romereports.com) Benedict XVI met with the members of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota, the highest appellate court for the Catholic Church. During his speech, he addressed the Year of Faith by talking about the relationship between faith and marriage. The Pope explained that the strength of a family is very closely tied to faith.   BENEDICT XVI “The current crisis of faith that affects various areas of the world, bearing with it a crisis of conjugal society, with all the suffering and discomfort that this bring upon the children.” The Pope explained that the lack of faith does not prevent a marriage from becoming valid, because the Church only requires that the union between husband and wife meets the traits of a “natural marriage.” Those traits are that it lasts for a lifetime, that it be open to life, and that they the good in each other. However, he also talked about the risks of having those traits of natural marriage severed by what he described as ...

The Archdiocese of Washington has submitted a letter to the District of Columbia’s Board of Election and Ethics in support of the Marriage Initiative of 2009. The initiative would define marriage as a union of a man and a woman. Auxiliary Bishop Barry C. Knestout, who is vicar general of the archdiocese, wrote on Tuesday to Errol R. Arthur, Chairman of the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics. Speaking on behalf of the archdiocese, Bishop Knestout expressed his support for the initiative, saying it would allow voters to ensure that the District continues to define marriage “as it always has been.” Noting that 580,000 Catholics live in the archdiocese, the bishop explained that Catholic teaching and a “long-standing commitment” to the common good compels the archdiocese to support the initiative. “Marriage simply recognizes a relationship that is fundamental to nature: the complementarity of man and woman. That relationship is not a creation of church or civil law,” he added. Read ...

Marriage is like a beautiful gilded bird cage. All the Little birds on the outside want to get in, while all the Little birds on the inside want to get out! This saying, by an author unknown to me, summarizes accurately the state of marriage today. Marriage is still an attractive and useful institution, and millions of couples each year begin the journey. At the same time, however, at least half of those who enter the “gilded bird cage” find themselves wanting to get out, their marriage ending in separation and divorce. Check out the rest of this wonderful article at CNA: Matrimony: Is it Still Holy? by Bishop Thomas J. Tobin .

LOS ANGELES – Mel Gibson's wife of 28 years filed for divorce Monday, citing irreconcilable differences. Robyn Gibson filed the petition, which offers no details of the breakup, in Los Angeles Superior Court. The couple have seven children, but only one under 18. Robyn Gibson has requested joint custody of their son who turns 10 on Tuesday. Details of how the couple's assets will be divided were not spelled out in the court filings. Robyn Gibson is seeking jewelry and earnings and assets she accrued after the couple separated, and a share of the money and assets Gibson, 53, has earned during his nearly three decades as a Hollywood hitmaker. She wants the actor-director to pay spousal support and her attorney's fees. The Gibsons released a joint statement Monday, seeking privacy. "Throughout our marriage and separation we have always strived to maintain the privacy and integrity of our family and will continue to do so," the statement read. The couple were married...

to get your inspirational story in for the new book. A Great Lenten Project Are you married? Are you Catholic? Do you have a devotion to the saints? Have you and your spouse or a family member experienced hope and healing as a result of prayer to a saint or saint(s)? This is your chance to evangelize and it makes for a wonderful Lenten project as well. I am looking for dramatic conversion stories as well as stories of trials and tribulations (for example, financial difficulties, addictions, the birth of a child with a medical problem) overcome or that you learned to cope with better through the intercession of a saint or saints and the grace of God to publish in a new book meant to inspire and encourage married couples. In order to be published: Your story must name a saint (or saints) who has (have) interceded for you. It must be at least 1800 words, but not more than 2000 words. Email your submission to me no later than March 15, 2009. jean.heimann@gmail.com