The following are some of the stories and columns that appeared only in the print and complete online editions of Arkansas Catholic. To read what you’re missing, subscribe today.
Middle East synod goal: New pastoral energy
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI opened the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East with a strong call to support the minority Christian population in the region, and said peace and protection of human rights were essential conditions for the Church’s survival there.
Panel looks at ways to help couples facing dire diagnoses
WASHINGTON (CNS) — When parents receive a prenatal diagnosis that their unborn child has a disability or a potentially lethal illness, they need the support of the church and the community more than ever, said a panel of medical and pastoral experts and several parents who have experienced that sad scenario.
Laity, sisters in Mercy Health Ministry foster Catholic identity
FORT SMITH — On Sept. 24, all three Arkansas hospitals in the Sisters of Mercy Health System — St. Joseph Mercy Health Center in Hot Springs, St. Edward Mercy Medical Center in Fort Smith and Mercy Medical Center in Rogers — celebrated Mercy Day, recognizing Catherine McAuley’s founding of the House of Mercy in 1827.
Making an ecumenical effort
“Home is where we start from.” T.S. Eliot wrote those words and they are true for all of us in terms of religion and our understanding of the particular denomination within which we were raised. (Seeds of Faith)
Be slow to judge when dealing with children who leave Church
Q. My daughter and her family have joined a nondenominational Christian congregation. She will be baptized there soon, as will her young children. What am I to do about attending the ceremony if I’m asked? (Question Corner, Seeds of Faith)
Catholic, Orthodox issue two ’unprecedented’ statements
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholic and Orthodox church representatives have offered their vision of what the unity of both churches might look like in two statements approved during a recent meeting at Georgetown University.
Supreme Court takes on speech, immigration, school cases
WASHINGTON (CNS) — The thorny question of whether the First Amendment protects the right to protest in a way that disrupts a family funeral is among the cases on this year’s Supreme Court docket.
Is it a dream, a nightmare or the reality of a calling?
You might recognize this line from this summer’s hit movie “Inception.” Cobb, the main character in this film, tries to implant an idea in a person’s subconscious during a dream, when the mind is most vulnerable; hence, the title “Inception.” I watched this movie two weeks or so before I was to give my vocation story in front of a couple hundred people. As I was reflecting on my calling, I could not help but ask myself, What if Msgr. Friend has carefully implanted this idea of priesthood into my subconscious? What if I am not really called to be a priest? He talked me into it! (Columns)
Tolerance: Where is the harmony?
Religious tolerance is apparently in short supply this week. Just look at the news headlines. (Editorial)
