It’s been the week of Mary here at OSV News — not only was the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception this week, but our coverage also included:
- the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris and its first Mass since the 2019 fire;
- a new miracle being confirmed at the Marian apparition site in Lourdes, France;
- Mexico’s bishops calling for truce on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (and on Christmas);
- and a review of a spiritual classic about the human side of Mary, the Mother of God.
You can read more about these and other stories below, and on our website osvnews.com and on social media @OSVNews.
Megan Marley
Digital Editor
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With inaugural Mass, Notre Dame reveals ‘the Lord does not abandon his own’
Chilling rain and the “City of Lights” completely locked down due to high profile guests did not stop the crowds from arriving as close to Notre Dame Cathedral as possible for its inaugural Mass celebrated Dec. 8. The beloved Paris icon also opened its doors to the public for the first time after the devastating fire in 2019, with the second Mass that Sunday for Parisians and tourists. The first solemn Mass witnessed the consecration of the cathedral’s new bronze altar by Archbishop Laurent Ulrich of Paris, who invited all attendees to “participate in the joy of the believers here who give glory to God for having found their mother church.”
EDITORIAL: Notre Dame’s new fire
NOTRE DAME REOPENS: ‘Long live Notre Dame de Paris!’ Jubilation as iconic Catholic cathedral reopens
Lourdes confirms 71st miracle — the first for an English speaker; miracle occurred in 1926
The list of miracles that have taken place at the French Marian shrine in Lourdes now includes, for the first time, an English-speaking soldier-patient. Archbishop Malcolm McMahon of Liverpool, a seaside British city, officially announced on Dec. 8 that the 71st miracle had been granted to a British soldier, wounded during World War I.
ITALY: Nun accused of allegedly aiding mafia placed under house arrest
MEXICO: Mexican bishops urge truce as country celebrates feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe
NICARAGUA: For Catholics in Nicaragua, the year has been ‘tragic on every level’
RUSSIA: Churches against planned ban on church services in Russian apartment blocks
SOUTH SUDAN: Jesuit priest honored for pioneering peace efforts in South Sudan
SYRIA: With Assad’s fall, Syria’s papal nuncio prays for nation’s reconciliation, new prosperity
10 things to know about Jubilee 2025, the Holy Year that begins Dec. 24
Signs around the Eternal City declare “Roma si trasforma” — “Rome is transformed” as an explanation for the ubiquitous infrastructure projects underway, including the restoration of iconic sculptures and monuments, ahead of Jubilee 2025, a Holy Year that begins Christmas Eve. While the metropolis is seizing the opportunity for renewal, that is ultimately the jubilee’s expectation for the entire church.
JUBILEE AT HOME: 8 ways to celebrate Jubilee 2025 without leaving your diocese
No sanctuary? Trump reportedly plans to reverse policy, permit ICE arrests at churches
The incoming administration of President-elect Donald Trump plans to rescind a long-standing policy preventing Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents from making arrests at what are seen as sensitive locations, including houses of worship, schools, and hospitals, according to a report by NBC News.
ABORTION: Pro-life advocates grapple with Trump’s lack of clarity on abortion pills, next term’s policy
CABINET: Trump’s pro-union labor secretary pick surprises some, faces criticism on abortion
DEATH PENALTY: US bishops join pope, other groups urging Biden to commute 40 death sentences
MIGRATION: Senate hearing examines potential consequences of mass deportation program
Catholics parents and adult children navigate the sadness of estrangement
Familial strife has been around since the days of Adam and Eve. But today, it increasingly seems to manifest itself in family estrangement. Catholic families aren’t immune to the heartbreaking phenomenon.
New Cluny Institute aims to foster dialogue between academia, tech and religion
The Catholic University of America recently launched a new program that seeks to foster dialogue between academia, religion and the tech industry through hosting events, retreats and creating multimedia projects. Founder Luke Burgis, a former Wall Street entrepreneur, then seminarian, and now associate professor of business at Catholic University, sees first hand the lack of dialogue between leaders in religion, the tech industry and academia. “Everything seems very fragmented. Education is hyper-specialized. There’s a lot of great Catholic organizations and Catholic ministries, Christian ministries, but they often only involve other Christians,” Burgis told OSV News. “The Cluny institute allows us to encourage conversations and collaborations between people that normally might not engage with one another.”
PENNSYLVANIA: Family of suspected CEO killer ‘shocked and devastated,’ known for strong support of Jesuit education
TENNESSEE: A mother’s prayer leads her son to move from a military career to the priesthood
WASHINGTON D.C.: In times of division, Our Lady of Guadalupe calls all to unity in Christ, bishops say
When some priests steal, it’s often not due to financial pressure, say scholars
With several high-profile cases involving financial mismanagement by priests emerging in recent years, two researchers have found some surprising reasons behind clerical embezzlement — and, they told OVS News, financial pressure isn’t usually one of them, as their long-term data shows.
Surrendering emptiness in Advent
“SPIRITUAL CLASSICS REVISITED”: The classic book “The Reed of God” draws us to a fruitful meditation on the life of Mary this Advent season.
Amid Christmas and Jubilee preparations, prepare your hearts, pope says
With the city of Rome presenting a gauntlet of major roadworks and construction projects ahead of the opening of the Holy Year 2025, Pope Francis used the disruptions as an opportunity to encourage people to do some spiritual renovation before the jubilee. On a cloudy afternoon with the threat of rain Dec. 8, the feast of the Immaculate Conception, Pope Francis went to the center of Rome to continue the tradition of praying before a statue of Mary high atop a column near the Spanish Steps. At dawn that morning, Rome firefighters climbed nearly 90 feet using a truck and ladder to place a ring of white flowers on Mary’s outstretched arm and bouquets at her feet, continuing a Roman tradition that began in 1949.
CHRISTMAS: Thanking donors for Vatican creche, Christmas tree, pope prays for peace
CONSISTORY: New cardinals from 17 nations are called to build church unity, pope says
JUBILEE: Pope calls for end to foreign debt, death penalty ahead of Jubilee Year
VATICAN COURT: Court finds three guilty of misappropriating Sistine Chapel Choir funds
“Y2K” (A24)
Over-the-top bloodletting punctuates the constant vulgarity of this disaster-themed comedy, set on New Year’s Eve 1999, in which the technological breakdown of the title not only turns out to be real but transforms every machine in the world into a murderous anti-human predator. The OSV News classification is O — morally offensive. The Motion Picture Association rating is R — restricted.
