The Last Word

Deacon Mick Humbert of Guardian Angels in Oakdale is offering his bicycle and endurance for the 3,900 miles between Homer, Alaska, and his home in Oakdale to help guests at Hope for the Journey Home, the parish’s temporary shelter for homeless families.

Archbishop John Nienstedt concelebrated the canonization Mass April 27 for St. John Paul II and St. John XXIII with Pope Francis, Pope Benedict XVI and some 150 cardinals and 700 bishops from around the world. The Catholic Spirit interviewed the archbishop by phone the next day from Rome.

Mom writes about son Zach’s illness and death

Nearly every year, I feel as though I’m not doing enough to celebrate Lent. Other people seem to have profoundly meaningful Lenten experiences, while I usually arrive at Easter thinking, “I didn’t do much with those 40 days, did I?”

“Catholics in the United States should know that their generosity enables essential work of the Gospel, serving those in need without any thought of repayment.”

For the first 20 minutes of their 12-and-a-half-hour bus ride from upstate New York back to Manitowoc, Wisc. head coach Phil Budervic and five members of the Silver Lake College of the Holy Family men’s basketball team sat silent. It was a time for reflection, considering what they’d just been part of.

During his nine and a half months leading the Catholic Church, Pope Francis has demonstrated his skill at communicating the Gospel message in simple and direct language. At times, he also has demonstrated that actions speak louder than words. Below are some memorable papal quotes and photos from 2013.

"...there is something that has been bothering me ever since Francis became pope, and it’s on rather massive display in the Time article — namely, a tendency to distinguish radically between this lovely Franciscan emphasis on mercy and love for the poor and the apparently far-less-than-lovely emphasis on doctrine so characteristic of the papacies of John Paul II and Benedict XVI".