NEWS

Even if guests can’t physically give much, spiritually, they gift several Catholic apostolates with their presence and someone to serve in an extra special way at Christmastime.

MESA — It began as a backyard project; an idea to help needy families at Christmas provide gifts for their children.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Just as she did hundreds of years ago from a small hill in Tepeyac, Mexico, Mary accompanies the downtrodden and the lowly like a mother caring for her children.

Christmas came a bit early for the Missionaries of Charity who serve in the Diocese of Gallup, New Mexico, which has half of its territory in Arizona. And it wasn’t just a stocking-stuffer either.

With the backdrop of a culture widely in sexual ruins, dozens of faithful married couples chose to spend their Saturday afternoon at the Diocesan Pastoral Center Dec. 1 for an NFP Day of Renewal.

A colorful, artistic and quite musical celebration honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe, patroness of the diocese, sandwiched an outdoor Mass that nodded to Mary’s title born in Mexico nearly 500 years ago and her title mirroring the day’s notable feast, that of the Immaculate Conception.

Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted endorsed the establishment of a new diaconal formation cohort.

BEIRUT (CNS) — On a gloomy, rainy Saturday morning in Beirut, 92-year-old Julia enthusiastically greeted her visitors, Christian and Muslim youth, who had come to set up a Christmas tree in her modest apartment.

The daughter of a wealthy German manufacturer, 13-year-old Frances began running their household when her mother and older sister died.

HOUSTON (CNS) — Catholic and civic leaders in the Houston area recalled the late George H.W. Bush’s legacy as president, his history as a Houstonian and his faith as a Christian.