Mother Olga grew up in war-torn Iraq but found peace within the Catholic Church, establishing a new religious order to share Christ’s light with others.
Montse Alvarado, host of EWTN News In-Depth, recently spoke to the foundress of the Daughters of Mary of Nazareth about her childhood in war-torn Iraq, her steadfast devotion to Our Lady, and her community in Boston.
Originally a part of the Assyrian Church of the East, Mother Olga joined in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church on Sept. 8, 2005. She talked about what led to that moment in her faith, which happened around the time she was sent to the United States for school.
“I was really very drawn to the …strong devotion to the Blessed Mother and the Holy Eucharist,” she said. “I was really drawn to adoration, to the daily Communion, daily Mass, and all the beautiful devotions … when I got to learn about Our Lady of Guadalupe, Our Lady of Lourdes, [and] our Lady of Fatima.”
Study: Christianity may lose majority, plurality status in U.S. by 2070
If trends of the past 30 years continue for the next 50, Christianity will lose its majority status in the United States by 2070, according to a new demographic study by the Pew Research Centre.
If those trends, first identified in 1990, accelerate over the next half-century, Christianity will have fewer adherents than Americans who are not affiliated with any church, according to the study, “Modelling the Future of Religion in America,” released Sept. 13.
Even with the demographic modelling used by Pew, the numbers vary widely. Christians, put by Pew currently at 64% of the U.S. population, could slide to 54% — or plunge to 35% — by 2070.
By the same token, the religiously un-affiliated — called “nones” in some circles — currently at 29%, could rise to 34% of the population in the next half-century, or soar to 52%.
Pew used four different scenarios in making its projections. One was “no switching,” meaning that Americans would not switch from religious affiliation to disaffiliation, or vice versa. It counterpart was “steady switching,” in which 31% of Christians become unaffiliated, while 21% of the unaffiliated become Christian.
The other two models are “rising disaffiliation.” One model put limits on the share of Christians who leave the faith at 50%. The other model set no limits on disaffiliation.
Only the no-switching model, which Pew called “counterfactual,” allowed Christianity to retain its U.S. majority. The steady-switching scenario gave Christians a 46%-41% plurality. Under the rising-disaffiliation models, Christianity was relegated to minority status, with less than 40% of all Americans.
Pew did four alternative scenarios, in which every mother transmitted their faith to each of her children; if religious groups had equal birthrates; if immigration stopped after 2030; and if older Christians stopped switching from belief to unaffiliated status. Christianity would lose its majority status but retain plurality status through 2070 under all four scenarios.
“It is possible that events outside the study’s model — such as war, economic de-pression, climate crisis, changing immigration patterns or religious innovations — could reverse current religious switching trends, leading to a revival of Christianity in the United States,” the report said.
Italian missionary nun killed in Mozambique
Sister Maria De Coppi, a Comboni missionary sister, was murdered by Islamist terrorists on Tuesday in Mozambique, where she had served as a missionary for nearly 60 years. The attack in which Sister Maria de Coppi, 83, was shot and killed was carried out the night of Sept. 6 in Chipene. In the attack on the mission, which lasted five hours, the terrorists ransacked and burned the mission’s church, school, health center, dwellings, library, and vehicles. Damage at the Chipene mission in Mozambique following a Sept. 6 terrorist attack.
“They destroyed everything,” Bishop Alberto Vera of Nacala told the pontifical charity Aid to the Church in Need.
“The attackers broke open the tabernacle and vandalised part of the sacristy, looking for whatever they could find – probably money,” he added.
Mozambican president Filipe Nyusi said that “On the 6th of September, as a result of terrorist attacks, six citizens were beheaded, three kidnapped, six terrorists were captured and dozens of houses torched in the districts of Erati and Memba, Nampula province.”
Exiled priest explains why pope did not use strong words about persecution in Nicaragua
A Nicaraguan priest living in exile in the United States pointed out that although Pope Francis in his Aug. 21 Sunday Angelus did not speak about Nicaragua in the way that some expected him to, if he had used stronger words, the mobs of the dictatorship “would have stormed the churches that same Sunday.”
Father Rafael Bermúdez has been in exile in the United States since 2018, the year the Daniel Ortega regime increased its actions against the Catholic Church in retaliation for the statements that priests and bishops made about the crisis facing the country.
Plan to end Sikh-Christian ‘conversion’ rift in India
Representatives of different faiths in New Delhi have begun work to establish peace between Christian and Sikh minorities at loggerheads in Punjab over religious con-versions. The growing number of churches and churchgoers in the Sikh-majority state in north India has led to sporadic friction with Sikh religious organizations who accuse Christians of using forceful and fraudulent means of conversion.
A C Michael, convener of the Concerned Citizens Group in New Delhi said in a press note issued on Aug. 12 that the group at its recent meeting decided to meet Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, who is also the founder and leader of the Aam Adami Party (AAP) that rules Punjab.
The interreligious group “feels that the good offices of Mr. Kejriwal could play an important role in bringing about a much-needed peaceful atmosphere between two clashing groups as Mr. Kejriwal enjoys the goodwill of both communities,” Michael said. AAP’s Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had called the latest attack on a church “unfortunate” and assured he will not allow anybody to disturb the communal harmony in the state.
In the attack on Aug. 31, masked men had vandalized a church in Tarn Taran district, on the border with Pakistan, and set the pastor’s car on fire.
A day before the Tarn Taran incident, Giani Harpreet Singh, head of Akal Takht, one of the highest seats of power for the Sikhs, had condemned alleged forced con-versions by Christian groups and demanded a law against such activities.
Earlier, a group of armed Nihang Sikhs reportedly disrupted an event organized by Christians at a village in the Amritsar district on August 28.
The group in Delhi in their attempt to build peace brought together representatives of Christians, Sikhs, Hindus and Muslims to work out an action plan.
It also proposes to have Christians, both denominational and non-denominational groups, initiate a dialogue among themselves.
The group also has plans to visit Punjab for a dialogue with all affected people and to undertake a fact-finding mission to establish the truth behind the alleged religious conversions in the state.
Indian Catholics form human chain against Kerala port
Catholics in the southern Indian state of Kerala formed a 17-kilometre-long human chain to support an ongoing fishermen’s protest against a multi-billion dollar Vizhinjam port project.
The human chain along the Chellanam-Fort Kochi coastal corridor on Sept. 10 was a show of solidarity against the project, which is a “man-made disaster,” said Father Jacob G Palakkappilly, spokesman of the Kerala Catholic Bishop’s Council (KCBC).
Thousands of fishermen and their families including women and children have been protesting since July 20 demanding an immediate halt to work at the site of the Adani port at Vizhinjam, close to the state capital Thiruvananthapuram.
The Latin Archdiocese of Trivandrum is spearheading the protest as a majority of the fisher-men are Catholics and members of the archdiocese.
Archbishop Thomas J Netto in his latest pastoral letter appeal-ed to Catholics to expand the protest across Kerala as the state government refused to stop construction work.
The letter was read out in churches across the archdiocese during Sunday Mass on Sept.11.
The unholy nexus between the politicians and the corporate company led to legal clearance”
The protesting fishermen, their families, bishops, priests and nuns from the archdiocese, are not alone as the entire Catho-lic community in the state is with them,” Father Palakkappilly told on Sept. 12.
Chotanagpur Church to celebrate World Day of Migrants, Refugees
Distress migration from the east-central Indian region has prompted a Jesuit network to join the Latin rite bishops to organize programs to educate Church people about the exploitation of poor tribal people. A meeting organized by the Central Zone of the Migrants’ Assistance Information Network and the Commission for Migrants of Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) has observed that thousands of tribals leave villages in Jharkhand and Chotanagpur areas to work in cities and other states in the country.
Their migration saw an increase year because of agriculture failure because of a drought, said the organizers of the September 10 meeting at Manresa House, the Jesuit provincial house in Ranchi, the capital of Jharkhand state.
The meeting has decided to celebrate the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on September 25 in all parishes and religious congregations in the region to create awareness about the distressing migration of poor tribal people from the region.
The Vatican section of the Migrants and Refugees have been organizing the World Day of Migrants and Refugees on the last Sunday of September. The message of Pope Francis for this year’s World Day of Migrants and Refugees is “Building the Future with Migrants and Refugees.” In his message the Pope explains that people cannot think of building a future that is not inclusive.
“We are all called to commit ourselves to building a future based on a new global system that better responds to God’s plan, a world where everyone can live in peace and prosperity.”
Odisha Church commemorates Father Arul Doss’ martyrdom
The Catholic Church in Odisha has observed the 23rd anniversary of the martyrdom of Father Arul Doss.
Father Doss, a priest of Balasore diocese, was killed by Hindu radicals on Sept. 2, 1999, in a remote village parish in Mayurbhanj district of the eastern Indian state.
More than 3.000 people, along with 30 priests and some 50 nuns and brothers, from Balasore and neighboring dioceses paid homage to the martyr at Jambani village that comes under Bagdapha parish.
Archbishop John Barwa of Cuttack-Bhubaneswar, head of the Odisha Church, in his homily said the large gathering proved the famous saying of Tertullian, “The blood of the Martyr is the seed of the Church.”
Archbishop Barwa paying tribute to Fr Arul Doss The Di-vine Word prelate also reminded the faithful the Jesus was victo-rious against the evil one. “We as His followers also will be able to overcome all evils by remaining steadfast to our Lord. We will never be defeated as long as we are with and in the Lord. Let’s therefore continue to practice and express our faith boldly, freely and share our faith with others so that one day they also will know Christ the redeemer.”
Father Jadu Marandi, former vicar general of Balasore and the current parish priest hailed Father Doss as a champion of the poor, needy and underprivileged Ho people. “Father Arul Doss has become a medium of God’s abundance blessings for the people of Odisha,” he added.
Indian politician declines Magsaysay Award under party pressure
A Marxist politician in a southern Indian state has declined the prestigious Ramon Magsaysay Award for 2022 reportedly under party pressure.
The Ramon Magsaysay Award Foundation had selected K.K. Shailaja, former health minister of Kerala state, for the 64th Magsaysay award for her commitment and service towards ensuring an accessible public health system and effectively managing the Nipah and Covid-19 outbreaks in the state. The award, a prestigious international honour, is regarded as the Asian equivalent of the Nobel Prize. It is named after Ramon Magsaysay, the seventh president of Philippines president, who died in a plane crash in March 1957. If Shailaja had accepted the award, she would have become the first woman from Kerala to receive Magsaysay. Under her tenure as the health minister, Kerala had won global recognition for its effective handling of the Nipah outbreak and the Covid pandemic.
Japan’s ruling party concedes Unification Church ties
Around half of Japan’s ruling party law-makers have had dealings with the Unification Church, an official said on September 8, after the assassination of ex-premier Shinzo Abe heightened scrutiny of the religious organization also sometimes known as the Moonies.
The man suspected of shooting Abe dead in July allegedly targeted the former prime minister believing he was linked to the sect.
Liberal Democratic Party Secretary-General Toshimitsu Motegi said a probe found some lawmakers had accepted support for election campaigns from the church and its spin-off groups.
Other LDP lawmakers had attended meetings or paid fees to the organization, whose members are sometimes colloquially referred to as “Moonies” after Korean found-er Sun Myung Moon.
Of 379 elected LDP lawmakers, 179 “had some sort of links” with the Unification Church, Motegi told reporters.
“We take the results seriously. We honestly feel sorry, and we’ll make sure the party no longer has any relationship at all” with the church, he said.
Last week, Japan’s Prime Minister Fumio Kishida said LDP members must cut ties with the group, following controversial revelations of its links with a raft of Japanese politicians.
The Unification Church has condemned Abe’s murder and denied accusations of coer-cive fundraising tactics among its members, but Kishida’s government has seen its approval ratings drop in recent weeks as more de-tails have emerged.
“Nearly 90%” of LDP lawmakers that attended gatherings hosted by organizations linked to the church told the probe they were not aware of the hosts’ affiliation, Motegi said. “Our awareness was lacking, and that’s all the more reason that more efforts need to be made to raise awareness” of the issue, he added.