Catholic Youth Portal

Two twin brothers in Chile say that their mother’s determination in protecting them from abortion despite the advice of doctors helped to foster their vocations to the priesthood. “How can I not defend the God of life?” said Fr. Paulo Lizama. “This event strengthened my vocation and gave it a specific vitality, and therefore, I was able to give myself existentially to what I believe.” “I am convinced of what I believe, of what I am and of what I speak, clearly by the grace of God,” he said. Fr. Paulo and his identical twin brother, Fr. Felipe, were born in 1984 in the Chilean town of Lagunillas de Casablanca. Before discovering her pregnancy, their mother, Rosa Silva, had exposed herself to x-rays while performing her duties as a paramedic. Consequently, after confirming the pregnancy, her doctor conducted ultrasounds and informed her that he had seen “something strange” in the image. “The baby has three arms and its feet are sort of entangled. It also has two heads,” he ...

A hospital boat named the “Pope Francis” set sail this week in the Amazon River to bring medical care to rural populations. “ Just as Jesus, who appeared walking on water, calmed the storm and strengthened the faith of the disciples, this boat will bring spiritual comfort and calm to the worries of needy men and women, abandoned to their fate,” Pope Francis said in a letter sent to mark the ship’s launch in Belem, Brazil. “In addition to being a beautiful concrete gesture in view of the Synod of Bishops for Amazon, this river hospital is above all a response to the Lord's mandate, who continues to send His disciples to proclaim the Kingdom of God and to heal the sick,” the pope said, according to Vatican News. The hospital boat is the initiative of the Fraternity of Saint Francis of Assisi in the Providence of God in partnership with their local diocese and the Brazilian government. The Brazilian Franciscans were inspired to create the floating hospital wh...

This reminds me of the maxim that cautions us on the eminent consequences when people are not given a chance to dialogue on sensitive issues. Parishioners of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in the Archdiocese of Portland took their grievances to the next stage when they staged a protest against their Parish Priest during Mass. In an uploaded video, elderly parishioners dressed in white, carried signs into the assembly during the Eucharistic consecration, and attempting to shout down the priest, Fr. George Kuforiji, during the Mass. Other parishioners were shown looking visibly uncomfortable at the disturbance. The protests reportedly concern Fr. Kuforiji’s decision to remove unauthorized changes to the liturgy which had become common in the parish over previous years, and to take down a sign at the entrance to the church saying “Immigrants & Refugees welcome.” Surprisingly, Fr. Kuforiji, himself is a Nigerian immigrant who was ordained in 2015 and installed as pastor of St. F...