Bishop Prays With Knights of Columbus
On Saturday morning, May 18, 2013, the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge led Morning Prayer at the annual convention of the North Carolina State Council of the Knights of Columbus. Approximately 500 Knights and their wives attended the event, which was held at the Sheraton Imperial Hotel in Durham.
In his remarks at the conclusion of prayer, the Bishop expressed profound gratitude to the Knights for all their charitable work and especially their support of religious liberty and freedom of conscience.
Read more.
Catechetical Institute Changes Name, Enhances Programs
For the last five years a program called the Catechetical Institute has trained Catholics in the Diocese of Raleigh to become certified catechists who teach the faith to others. The program will continue, but under a new name – Doorways to Formation in the Faith.
The title change, approved by the Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, was prompted by the Year of Faith and Pope Benedict XVI’s Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei, in which he wrote: “The ‘door to faith’ (Acts 14:27) is always open for us, ushering us into the life of communion with God and offering entry into His Church.”
Read more.
The Eucharist: Source of a Life of Faith
April, May and June of the Year of Faith focus on the third of the four pillars of the Catechism of the Catholic Church: Christian Morality. Living a Christian moral life is our response to God’s love and our cooperation with God’s plan in human history.
One of the most important components of that moral life is the Eucharist. Pope Benedict XVI declared the Year of Faith as a time to deepen the celebration of the faith, especially in the Eucharist, which is “the summit towards which the activity of the Church is directed…and also the source from which all its power flows” (14) Apostolic Letter, Porta Fidei.
Read more.
In Brazil, Pope to Meet Youth, Poor, Elite & Politicians
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis will meet slum-dwellers and powerful politicians, pay homage at a Marian shrine and celebrate with participants at World Youth Day when he visits Brazil in late July.
More than three-million Catholics from around the world, including 22 young adults from the Diocese of Raleigh, will converge on Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, for the five day event.
Read more.
2013 BAA Supports Social Outreach of the Diocese
The 2013 Bishop’s Annual Appeal (BAA) is underway with parishes in the Diocese conducting the campaign through May 19, 2013. The annual appeal supports more than 30 Diocesan ministries. One of the ministries is Catholic Charities, which has offices in the eight Deaneries of the Diocese. The social outreach agency of the Diocese operates with a staff of 52 in the eight regional offices and a volunteer force who gave more than 53,000 hours of service last year.
Read more.
NC Catholics May Issue Available Online
The May 2013 issue of the NC Catholics is now available online. The cover story, entitled “Joshua Proclaims the Message of the Cross,” features Joshua Lindsey and his family. Joshua, 30, has cerebral palsy but, like his mother, is a regular reader at Mass at St. Luke the Evangelist Church in Raleigh. Joshua and his family talk about the challenges and spiritual insights that have come with Joshua’s disability. In his monthly column, Bishop Burbidge writes about the example of Mary in trusting and saying yes to what God asks of us. The April Parish Ministry Profile highlights the Handmaids of the Blessed Sacrament, a group of girls age 10-18 at St. Catherine of Siena Parish in Wake Forest who are learning the "secrets" that were once passed on from generation to generation with regard to the care of altar linens and other items used during the Mass.
Read the May NC Catholics online