The Arlington Catholic Herald

Pope calls pastors to be ‘missionaries of synodality’

By Cindy Wooden and Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis signed a letter on synodality in the presence of parish priests and urged them to be “missionaries of synodality,” said several of the priests present. Father Donald J. Planty Jr., pastor of St. Charles Church in Arlington, and one of the U.S. pastors at the meeting, said, “He told us, …

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5/4/24

Reading Time 3 min

Christ commands us to love

By Fr. Rich Miserendino

If one were to survey 50 random people with the question “What is the greatest love a person can experience?”, the common answer today would almost certainly be romantic love or some idea of marriage. And yet, in our Gospel today, Jesus gives us a different answer that might just turn our world upside down. …

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5/4/24

Reading Time 3 min

Mightier than the sword: Words are a Swiss Guard’s best weapon

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY — One of the oldest military corps in the world, the Pontifical Swiss Guard, has always armed itself with the best gear available in its 518 years of active service protecting the pope. From 16th-century armaments of halberds, longswords and cannons to modern-day automatic assault rifles, Glock pistols, tasers and pepper spray, the …

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5/3/24

Reading Time 4 min

Pope asks Catholic groups to help young people learn a trade, get a job

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY — As young people across the globe feel increasingly adrift and overlooked, Catholic religious orders and agencies must redouble their efforts to help young people stay in school, learn a trade and find a decent job, Pope Francis said. “Those who feel discarded can end up in forms of social disadvantage that are …

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5/3/24

Reading Time 3 min

Jordan’s king promises pope Christian holy sites will be protected

By Justin McLellan

VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis received assurances from Jordan’s King Abdullah II that Christian and Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem will be protected amid the Israel-Hamas war. The pope met with the king of Jordan — the Middle Eastern country that has the longest border with Israel — for 20 minutes at the Vatican May …

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5/3/24

Reading Time 2 min

Local

Catholic Charities helps refugee student settle into Woodbridge school

When diocesan Catholic Charities Migration and Refugee Services is asked to assist refugees coming to this country, its assistance doesn’t stop with the parents. Staff help children, who are sometimes bewildered or frightened, navigate new schools with the new faces, languages, rules and subjects. Diocesan Catholic Charities President and CEO Stephen Carattini joined MRS School …

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5/2/24

Reading Time 1 min

Hundreds celebrate a school anniversary and groundbreaking

Doing what others say is impossible is pretty special but beating the odds while wearing orange is even better. Such was the case for Father John P. Mosimann, pastor of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception Church in Fredericksburg, April 20. He donned a bright orange construction hat and made his gold-plated shovel eat dirt …

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5/2/24

Reading Time 3 min

Priests and high school students go head to head in soccer game

St. John Paul the Great High School in Potomac Shores hosted a friendly game of soccer April 18 between its students and Priests United, the team comprised of diocesan priests and seminarians. Father Nicholas Blank, parochial vicar of St. John the Evangelist Church in Warrenton, scored the first goal of the game but the priests …

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5/2/24

Reading Time 1 min

Columns

Christ commands us to love

By Fr. Richard Miserendino

A decade of St. John Paul II

By Msgr. Charles M. Mangan

The way to find happiness

By Sr. Constance Veit, LSP

Stop scrolling, start creating: a wake-up call for Catholics

By Christina Capecchi

National

Eucharistic procession to be held in Washington

5/2/24

Reading Time 1 min

Walk to Mary pilgrimage brings thousands to ‘grounds where Mary appeared’

5/2/24

Reading Time 3 min

Famed Catholic sculptor addresses Washington Legatus chapter

4/18/24

Reading Time 1 min

Baltimore archbishop attends bankruptcy hearing, listens to testimony from abuse victims

4/11/24

Reading Time 2 min

Baltimore archdiocese ministers to crew aboard ship involved with Key Bridge collapse

3/26/24

Reading Time 4 min

Popular

Global

Cardinal says church shouldn’t expect ‘miracle’ of peace in Holy Land

ROME — Sudden peace negotiations or an intervention by the United States will not deliver Israelis and Palestinians from the suffering caused by the war in Gaza, a Jerusalem-based cardinal said. As a result of the war, the rift between Israelis and Palestinians is “deeper than it has ever been,” Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, patriarch of …

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5/2/24

Reading Time 3 min

Religious formation must also be human, ongoing, pope says

VATICAN CITY — Seminarians and religious men and women need well-rounded formation throughout their lives, not only at the onset of their religious training, Pope Francis said. In his prayer intention for the month of May, released April 30 by the Pope’s Worldwide Prayer Network, the pope described each vocation as a “diamond in the …

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5/1/24

Reading Time 1 min

Fear is the great nemesis of faith, pope says at general audience

VATICAN CITY — The greatest enemy of faith is fear, Pope Francis said at his weekly general audience. That is why faith is the first gift “that must be welcomed and asked for daily, so that it may be renewed in us. It is seemingly a small gift, yet it is the essential one,” he …

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5/1/24

Reading Time 2 min

New photos reveal many sides of Padre Pio

VATICAN CITY — A foundation that promotes devotion to St. Pio of Pietrelcina, more widely known as Padre Pio, is making 10 never-before-seen photographs of the saint available to the devout for free. The images provide personal insight into the life, attitude and spirituality of 20th-century saint, said the photographer. Some photos show Padre Pio …

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4/29/24

Reading Time 2 min

Arts

Spring musical sells out

This year’s spring musical, “White Christmas,” at Seton School was a success. There were five performances before more than 430 seats, and every show was sold out, with a waiting list for the last two nights. Mary Kate Vander Woude, a former Seton student (’07), volunteered to direct the musical for her first time. She …

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5/2/24

Reading Time 3 min

Acclaimed tenor Andrea Bocelli says faith is believing in the power of good

For one brief moment at the outset of the coronavirus pandemic, the hopes of the world seemed concentrated on a single man standing alone outside the massive Duomo di Milano in Italy. Andrea Bocelli, one of the most acclaimed tenors of his time, kept his arms at his sides and remained motionless as his powerful …

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4/24/24

Reading Time 4 min

New film ‘Unsung Hero’ emphasizes the ‘power of family’

St. Teresa of Calcutta once said: “If you want to change the world, go home and love your family.” Her words appear at the end of the new movie “Unsung Hero,” which tells the true story of the Smallbone family, widely recognized in the music industry for brothers Luke and Joel Smallbone of the Grammy-award-winning …

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4/22/24

Reading Time 4 min

Easter

Russell Shaw

Easter redemption

4/4/24

Reading Time 3 min

Local

New Catholics welcomed at Easter Vigil

4/2/24

Reading Time 1 min

Local

Easter Mass at expo center

4/2/24

Reading Time 1 min

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Print Edition

Easter

Russell Shaw

Easter redemption

4/4/24

Reading Time 3 min

Local

New Catholics welcomed at Easter Vigil

4/2/24

Reading Time 1 min

Local

Easter Mass at expo center

4/2/24

Reading Time 1 min

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