The theme this Christmastime in the Diocese of Brooklyn is the color red. That was evident when Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio and the faithful gathered under the Soldiers and Sailors Memorial Arch at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza on Dec. 5 for the annual lighting of a Christmas tree and blessing of a life-size nativity crèche. The...
Thursday of the first week of Advent Königstein, 5 December 2019 (Is 26:1-6; Ps 117; Mt 7:21, 24-27) The readings from today’s liturgy remind us that Advent is a time of trust, because God is coming to save us. The first reading tells us that “we have a strong city”, that it is the Lord...
On December 4, 25 Christian families in India’s Karnataka state were attacked by a mob of radical Hindu nationalists while preparing a plot of land to build a simple church. According to the church’s pastor, the Christian families have also had their home water supplies cut off for almost a week because they refused to...
At last, the new edition of the New Testament in Sango, the national language of the Central African Republic, is finished and ready for distribution! Fini Mbuki – “Good News“ – is the title on the red dust cover of the newly printed books. For many years before this, the old edition was unavailable and...
Amid deadly protests in Iraq, uprising in Lebanon and continued suffering in Syria, Catholic leaders of the Middle East called upon officials of their homelands to “ensure safety, peace, tranquillity and stability for their citizens.” Meeting in Cairo November 25-29, the Council of Catholic Patriarchs of the East addressed political, economic and social difficulties that...
As people across the globe marked “Black Friday”, others turned up for a “Red Friday”, to express their support and solidarity for the many people especially Christians who are persecuted, sometimes even to the point of shedding their blood on account of their faith. The launch of the report, “Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on...
Today, just like in the book of Acts, Christians are persecuted all over the world for their faith. Millions face imprisonment, loss of home and assets, physical torture, rape and even death as a result of their faith. Our Ecclesiastical Assistant, Rev. Mons. Professor Hector Scerri says: “the Acts of the Apostles is still being...
Father Kenneth Iwunna works as a missionary among the tribe of the Borana, traditionally a nomadic people, in a remote area of Ethiopia. For five years now, the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) has been supporting the pastoral work of his parish with annual donations of 5,000 euros. Father Kenneth Iwunna...
Below is an excerpt from the seventh chapter in Sierra-Leonean journalist and author Isha Sesay’s new book, “Beneath the Tamarind Tree,” the “first definitive account” of what took place on the ground following the abduction of 276 schoolgirls by Boko Haram in 2014. *** “We should burn these girls!” “No, let’s take them with us!” “Why not...
This Friday, 29th November 2019, Aid to the Church in Need (Malta) will play host to Mr. John Pontifex, a renowned UK Journalist and Head of Press & Information for Aid to the Church in Need (UK) who will be the Keynote Speaker at the Launch of ACN’s “Persecuted and Forgotten? A Report on Christians...
