William Hemsworth's Blog, page 43

What Are the Eastern Catholic Churches?

The Catholic Church is a worldwide communion of Churches that shares a common faith and tradition, but also has diverse liturgical, theological, and spiritual expressions. Within the Catholic Church, there are 24 particular Churches, each with its own distinct liturgical and spiritual traditions. Of these, 23 are known as Eastern Catholic Churches, while the Latin […]

What Are the Eastern Catholic Churches?

Baltimore archbishop addresses clergy child abuse ahead of expected public report

Though a judge ruled the report confidential in December 2022, Baltimore Circuit Judge Robert Taylor Jr. issued an order that a redacted version of the report be released to the public. Neither Lori nor the archdiocese has opposed making the report public. In his Monday letter, Lori said he hopes “this public accounting” will “help to usher […]

Baltimore archbishop addresses clergy child abuse ahead of expected public report

Archbishop of Dubuque resigns

Details:  Pope Francis on Tuesday accepted the resignation of Archbishop Michael O. Jackels from the pastoral government of the Archdiocese of Dubuque, Iowa. An April 4 statement from the United States bishops’ conference said Jackels’ resignation was for health reasons. Bishop emeritus Richard E. Pates of Des Moines, Iowa, has been appointed apostolic administrator of the Archdiocese […]

Archbishop of Dubuque resigns

The Bible Teaches Apostolic Succession: Here’s the Proof

I want to talk about the concept of Apostolic Succession, which is the idea that the bishops of the Church can trace their authority back to the Apostles. Some may think that this idea is not found in the Bible, but in fact, the Bible itself supports the concept of Apostolic Succession. Here are a […]

The Bible Teaches Apostolic Succession: Here’s the Proof

New survey measures pandemic effect on religious attendance in US

A new survey from Pew Research Center is measuring how the pandemic affected attendance rates at religious services in the United States. One surprising takeaway from the study was that while in-person church attendance has yet to return to pre-pandemic levels, attendance is close to what it was when taking into account both in-person and […]

New survey measures pandemic effect on religious attendance in US

Make it an Active Holy Week

Holy Week is an amazing time of year. The liturgies are just so powerful. But there is a danger to all of the extra activities, and it’s an ironic one: it can lead us more in the past and into a passive faith. While the week is definitely about remembering the final days of Jesus […]

Make it an Active Holy Week

As the pope left the hospital, this happened

Delia Gallagher posted this on social media yesterday. As my friend Tony Rossi noted: “This is a more important theology lesson than anything you’ll read in a book written by someone with umpteen degrees.” Pope Francis, leaving Gemelli hospital, comforts & prays with a couple who just lost their daughter, Angelica, last night. pic.twitter.com/QzNcNj2UdT — […]

As the pope left the hospital, this happened

USCCB Respect Life: April Prayer Guide

April Prayer Guide           en español Pray Our Father, 3 Hail Marys, Glory Be Reflect Each year, on the Second Sunday of Easter, the Church celebrates the Sunday of Divine Mercy. In the 1930s, Jesus appeared to a humble Polish nun, St. Maria Faustina Kowalska. As Jesus continued to appear to St. Faustina, she recorded His […]

USCCB Respect Life: April Prayer Guide

3-Point Mass prep: The Old Testament texts fulfilled in Jesus

The Gospel for this Sunday, Palm Sunday, is Matthew 21:1-11 What prophecies were fulfilled in Jesus?    1.     A word of introduction   “In order that the Scripture might be fulfilled” – this expression is the key to understanding the oneness of the Old and New Testaments. What was foretold in the Old Testament was fulfilled in the person of Jesus Christ. Today’s Gospel gives many examples of this.  2.    Keywords  “Amen, I say to you, one of you will betray me.” (…) “He who has dipped his hand into the dish with me is the one who will betray me. (Mt 26: 21-23)  Thus, were fulfilled the words of Psalm 41:10 – “Even my trusted friend, who ate my bread, has raised his […]

3-Point Mass prep: The Old Testament texts fulfilled in Jesus

Hate crimes against Catholics in Canada rose 260% in 2021

Hate crimes aimed towards Canadian Catholics are on the rise, with new data showing an increase of 260% in 2021. While the majority of these are non-violent acts of aggression, the sharp increase in occurrences in comparison to the previous year has raised concerns that anti-Catholic sentiment is on the rise in Canada.  The report […]

Hate crimes against Catholics in Canada rose 260% in 2021