Mary's Catholics

cc photo by Cristi Sebastian Photography on flickr Good news to all of us who are pro-life. Last February 3, 2014, Guttmacher Institute , an organization that works to advance reproductive health including abortion rights, and a former research arm of Planned Parenthood, reported on their site that " U.S. Abortion Rate Hits Lowest Level Since 1973 ". The all-time highest abortion rate in the U.S. was in 1981 with 29.3 abortions per 1,000 women, but in 2011, the abortion rate was 16.9 per 1,000 women aged 15-44, which was a drop of 13%. Guttmacher also reported that the number of abortion providers decreased by 4% and the number of abortion clinics dropped by 1%. There was no concrete reason for the decrease of the abortion rate, but it was believed that the 106 pro-life laws enacted in 2008 to 2011 with the majority of the laws went into effect in late 2011 had something to do with the decline of the abortion rate. I believe that this is the result of cons...

Just recently, Pope Francis announced the names of the new cardinals to be formally instated at an assembly of cardinals led by the Pope called Consistory on February 22, 2014, the Feast of the chair of St. Peter. The new cardinals: Archbishop Pietro Parolin - Italy Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri - Italy Archbishop-Bishop emeritus Gerhard Ludwig Müller - Germany Archbishop Beniamino Stella - Italy Archbishop Vincent Nichols - Great Britain Archbishop Leopoldo José Brenes - Nicaragua Archbishop Gérald Cyprien Lacroix - Canada Archbishop Jean-Pierre Kutwa - Ivory Coast Archbishop Orani Joäo Tempesta - Brazil Archbishop Gualtiero Bassetti - Italy Archbishop Mario Aurelio Poli - Argentina Archbishop Andrew Yeom Soo Jung - South Korea Archbishop Ricardo Ezzati Andrello - Chile Archbishop Philippe Nakellentuba Ouédraogo - Burkina Faso Archbishop Orlando B. Quevedo - Philippines Bishop Chibly Langiois - Haiti Archbishop Loris Francesco Capovilla - Italy...

My personal copy Last December 11, 2013, Time magazine named Pope Francis as the 2013 Person of the Year  (formerly Man of the Year). This is not the first time that a Supreme Pontiff was accorded with such honor. In 1962, Pope John XXIII was Time's Man of the Year , while Pope John Paul II was Time's Man of the Year  in 1994. Interestingly, Pope Francis is scheduled to canonize his two predecessors next year.  Why Time chose Pope Francis? According to Time, Pope Francis has quickly captured the world's attention in just nine months in office.      "And in a very short time, a vast, global, ecumenical audience has shown a hunger to follow him. For pulling the papacy out of the palace and into the streets, for committing the world's largest church to confronting its deepest needs and for balancing judgment with mercy, Pope Francis is TIME's 2013 Person of the Year."  - Nancy Gibbs, Time Aside from being Time's Person of the Year...

Pope Francis' Angelus message last Sunday, December 1, 2013 was a message of strong hope. He told the pilgrims at St. Peter's Square, that the day will come when nations will live in peace. He also told the pilgrims, "Let's put a bet on hope, on hope for peace, and peace will be possible." He also reminded the people that advent is a season that renews the horizon of hope. He cited the Blessed Virgin Mary as the model of spiritual attitude of hope. He explained, "Although she was just a simple girl, she carried in her heart the hope of God." I love this message of hope from the Pope. His message of hope is so timely. This is the kind of message that we need nowadays. Today, different countries around the world are beset by wars, political chaos, calamities and disasters. We are always tempted to lose hope. But let us not forget that even the Blessed Virgin Mary, who is the Mother of God, was not spared nor exempted from trials and sufferings dur...

The Catholic faith is still alive after super typhoon Haiyan/Yolanda hit the Philippines' Eastern Visayas Region. Last Sunday, November 17, 2013, many survivors flocked to the ruined churches in the affected areas in Tacloban, Leyte; Sta. Rita, Samar; Roxas City, Capiz just to name a few to attend holy mass, to pray for  strength and guidance, and to give thanks to God for their "second life".   Here are some of the words of faith from the survivors: "My faith is stronger than Yolanda." "Even the rains cannot stop me from thanking the Lord for saving me and my family." - Anita Carillo "We're now homeless. But I'm very thankful I was able to save the two most important people in my life, my grandsons." - Rosario Capidos "The Lord has strengthened our faith and made us stronger in order for us to survive and start off all over again." - Belen Curila "Despite what happened, we s...

Another calamity hit my beloved county, the Philippines once again. Just last month, October 15, 2013, Philippines' two islands - Cebu and Bohol - were hit by a 7.2 earthquake. And now, barely a month after the earthquake, on November 8, 2013, Friday, a super typhoon with an international name Haiyan  (Yolanda in the Philippines) hit the Philippines. The super storm with sustained winds of 315 kph (195 mph) and gusts as strong as 380 kph (235 mph) moved across the eastern Visayas wrecking more than ten municipalities. It is reportedly the strongest typhoon to hit land anywhere in the world in recorded history.  THE DIRECTION OF TYPHOON HAIYAN/YOLANDA cc photo from Wikimedia Commons The Holy Father, Pope Francis took to twitter to ask for prayers for the Philippines. As of this date, the death toll is estimated at more or less 1,200 but according to Yahoo News , it is feared that the dead could reach 10,000.  The devastation is indescribab...

On Sunday, October 20, 2013, after the Angelus prayer, Pope Francis invited the faithful to pray for the Philippines which have been struck by countless calamities, the latest of which is a 7.2 earthquake that struck the provinces of Bohol and Cebu last Tuesday, October 15, 2013 where more than one hundred people died. Location of the Earthquake cc Philippine map courtesy of Wikimedia Commons cc Bohol and Cebu map courtesy of Wikimedia Commons The pope told the pilgrims that gathered for his Sunday Angelus: "I want to express my closeness to the people of the Philippines who have been struck by a strong earthquake, and I invite you to pray for that dear Nation, which in recent days has suffered different calamities." These words from our beloved pope mean a lot to us here in Cebu. To my fellow Catholics, please pray for us that our faith in God will remain strong in spite of all the calamities that hit our country.