From The States

South Korean Church records decline in priestly vocation

Church officials in South Korea have asked for research and education plans as Catholics in the country experience a drop in priestly ordinations amid decreasing birth rate and religiosity. The number of newly ordained priests dropped to 87 in 2023 from 131 in 2011, a decrease of 35%, according to the Statistics of the Catholic Church in Korea. […]

Cardinal Grech urges Asian bishops to be ‘good listeners’

Asian Bishops and diocesan delegates gathered in Thailand have been urged to be “more attentive to the voices within the Church” as they begin discernment and discussions in the third phase of the synodal process for Asia. “Be more attentive to the voices within the Church, especially to those voices which agitate and also to […]

Sacred Hearts Fathers reach out to poor through blood donation

The Damien Social Development Institute managed by Sacred Hearts Fathers in the Odisha capital of Bhubaneswar has held a blood donation camp to help the poor. “Conducting voluntary blood donation camps on regular basis will increase the stock of blood units in blood banks which will save the lives of poor patients who have no […]

Mysore gets apostolic administrator after Vatican removes Bishop William

Archbishop Emeritus Bernard Moras taken over as the apostolic administrator of Mysore diocese after its bishop was “asked to go for leave” by the Vatican. According to a press release by the Public Relations Officer of the diocese, Archbishop Moras took charge January 7 at a ceremony held at St. Philomena’s Cathedral on in Mysore, […]

Nun who trains students for India’s largest cultural festival

Talents are God-given gifts, and nurturing them is a divine job, says Apostolic Carmel Sister Maria Gracia, who was among hundreds of Catholic women religious of different congregations preparing students for the latest version of India’s annual interschool cultural festival, which began in 1956. More than 14,000 students between the ages of 13 and 18 […]

Ursuline educators act to stem India’s student suicide trend

The global glow of the 2022 Christmas celebration – with its candles and shining trees, colorful Santas and flying reindeer, gifts and cakes – has faded. However, time cannot diminish the core message of Christmas: Human life is precious. Christmas is the most life-affirming “birthday party” human history has ever witnessed. The birth of Jesus […]

Filipino prelate appointed member of Vatican dicastery

Pope Francis has appointed Archbishop Jose Palma of Cebu as a member of the newly-established Dicastery for Culture and Education. “This symbolized the pope’s trust not only in the archbishop but in every Filipino,” Cebu Archdiocese said in a statement while announcing the appointment on Feb. 12.

Two new Catholic bishops appointed, one retires in India

Two bishops were appointed and one retired on February 4 in the Indian Catholic Church. Pope Francis appointed Father Wilbert Marwein as the bishop of Nongstoin, a diocese in the northern Indian state of Meghalaya, and Father James Shekhar as the bishop of Buxar diocese in Bihar. The Pope on the same day accepted the […]

Eviction-facing Indian Catholics to fight Muslim charity’s claims

Goans oppose tourism project near 16th century basilica