The biggest commandment is the commandment to love God. God has to be first in our lives, dear brothers and sisters. No one or nothing else. We need to ask ourselves every day: Is God really first in my life or is there something else that I have placed first? READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — Another Eastern Catholic man from the Cleveland area was ordained a Jesuit priest, after nearly a decade of Jesuit formation. Bishop Bohdan Danylo of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Eparchy of St. Josaphat ordained Father Andrij Hlabse at St. Josaphat Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in Parma July 15. READ MORE.

WARREN, Ohio — Byzantine Catholic Benedictine Sister Mary Martha Kacmarek celebrated her golden jubilee of monastic profession this past summer. Sister Mary Martha is a member of Queen of Heaven Monastery in Warren, Ohio. Metropolitan Archbishop William Skurla of Pittsburgh celebrated the Divine Liturgy of Thanksgiving for her 50 years of monastic profession at Sts. Peter and Paul Byzantine Catholic Parish June 24. Father Simeon Sibenik, pastor of the parish, concelebrated and preached the homily. Monsignor George Appleyard and Abbot Leo Schlosser also attended. READ MORE.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis is calling the presidents of every Catholic bishops’ conference in the world to Rome Feb. 21-24 to discuss the prevention of the abuse of minors and vulnerable adults. The Vatican made the announcement Sept. 12 after the pope and members of his Council of Cardinals wrapped up three days of meetings. The members present “extensively reflected together with the Holy Father on the matters of abuse” during their deliberations Sept. 10-12, the council said in a written communique. Cardinal Sean P. O’Malley of Boston, president of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, also updated those present with the commission’s ongoing efforts. READ MORE.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. — Members of the St. Macrina Guild of St. Basil the Great Parish celebrated their patron’s feast day July 15. Guild members participated in the Divine Liturgy, carrying the candles for the proclamation of the Gospel. After liturgy, a prayer to St. Macrina was read. Guild members received a flower of appreciation. The pastor, Father Mychail Rozmarynowycz, acknowledged the good works of the guild. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — The audited financial statements of the Eparchy of Parma for the fiscal year July 1, 2016-June, 30, 2017, indicate a net asset decrease and an increase in spending. In a letter dated Sept. 6, the eparchy’s CFO, Martin F. Kopmeyer, said the eparchy’s net assets decreased by $465,505 and spending increased by $138,419 from the previous year. In 2015-2016, the eparchy had reported an increase in net assets of $23,235. READ MORE.

WHITING, Ind. — The oldest Eastern Catholic parish in the state of Indiana celebrated the centennial of the laying of its cornerstone this summer. Civil authorities recognized the valuable contribution of St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Parish, proclaiming Aug. 15 “St. Mary Byzantine Catholic Church Day.” “The parish has contributed through Christian witness, charitable outreach and formation of members, both young and old, in service to the local community,” said Whiting Mayor Joseph M. Stahura in reading the official proclamation after the festal Vespers service, Aug. 14. More than 150 people attended, including past parishioners who returned to their home parish for the celebration. READ MORE.

CHICAGO — Horizons has turned 40 and is celebrating its growing communications apostolate with a one-month fundraising campaign. The campaign began Sept. 1 and will run until Sept. 30. In early 2018, Horizons was informed that there were not sufficient chancery funds to support the apostolate, due to general financial constraints. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — The total funds collected in the Eparchy of Parma’s 2017-2018 Annual Stewardship Appeal came up about $25,000 short of its $190,000 goal, due to the parish rebate system. The campaign collected a total of $188,886 before rebates. However, once the $22,139 in rebates were deducted from the funds collected, the campaign total for eparchial programming was only $166,747. READ MORE.

WARREN, Ohio — Byzantine Catholic Benedictine Sister Barbara Pavlik was appointed administrator of Queen of Heaven Monastery this past spring. Sister Mary Bratrovsky, prioress at Sacred Heart Monastery in Lisle, Illinois, made the appointment May 29. Sister Pavlik succeeds Sister Agnes Knapik, who served as administrator for five years. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — The start of the new pastoral year, Sept. 1, also means the start of Eastern Christian Formation programs for children in the parishes of the Eparchy of Parma. The catechetical year is launched with Catechetical Sunday. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has set Catechetical Sunday for Sept. 16, when catechists are called forth in their parishes across the country to be commissioned for this service to the community of faith. READ MORE.

OXFORD, England (CNS) — A 16-year-old peasant girl was beatified as a martyr in Slovakia, seven decades after she was shot in front of her family for resisting rape by a drunken Soviet soldier. Anna Kolaserova “embodies the faithful layperson living in their family, regularly receiving sacraments, praying the rosary and approaching God through good works,” Archbishop Bernard Bober of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Kosice, Slovakia, told Catholic News Service Aug. 21. READ MORE.

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — The 84th annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Perpetual Help took place Sept. 1-2 at Mount St. Macrina drew a large number of young families. Saturday’s activities began with matins, a procession with the Our Lady of Perpetual Help icon, Divine Liturgy celebrated by Bishop Kurt Burnette of Passaic, and a welcome by the Basilian provincial, Sister Ruth Plante. READ MORE.

We are gathered here with our Mother. We have all come to ask for her help, to ask her for support in our lives. She is a good mother, and she cannot but listen to our prayers. As a good mom, she needs to help us. For this reason, we have gathered from across the United States. It is not so easy to travel here to Uniontown. It takes sacrifice and even some suffering, but this, too, is part of the pilgrimage experience. Our sacrifices may include thirst, hunger, fatigue, bearing the hot sun. READ MORE.

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — Amid the flurry of activities and the full schedule planned for the annual Community Days in July at Mount St. Macrina, there is always time to celebrate. This summer four sisters joyfully marked significant milestones in their lives as Sisters of St. Basil. As the second-oldest member of the community, Sister Gertrude Martin, celebrated her diamond jubilee. Since Sister Gertrude resides at the Manor, the other sisters joined her there in a celebration on the Monday of Community Days. After singing two odes of the Akathist to Our Lady of Perpetual Help, a social was held in the Manor’s Oaks Dining Room where Sister Gertrude received the congratulations, gifts and well-wishes. READ MORE.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — On a foggy, soggy day at a Marian shrine in County Mayo, Pope Francis said he prayed before a statue of Our Lady of Knock for all those who suffered sexual and physical abuse by Catholic clergy or in Catholic-run institutions in Ireland. The pope was in Ireland for the World Meeting of Families, Aug. 21-26. “None of us can fail to be moved by the stories of young people who suffered abuse, were robbed of their innocence or who were taken from their mothers and left scarred by painful memories,” the pope said Aug. 26. READ MORE.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said he was “eager for an audience” with Pope Francis to gain his support for the bishops’ plan to respond to the clergy sexual abuse crisis. In an Aug. 27 statement, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston also said the questions raised by Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, former nuncio to the United States, in a letter published by two Catholic media outlets “deserve answers that are conclusive and based on evidence.” “Without those answers, innocent men may be tainted by false accusations and the guilty may be left to repeat the sins of the past,” the cardinal said. READ MORE.

BURTON, Ohio — The Eparchy of Parma welcomed a new subdeacon, ordained by a Vatican official during the annual pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Mariapoch, Aug. 18-19. Archbishop Cyril Vasil, SJ, secretary of the Congregation for the Eastern Churches, ordained seminarian Nathan Adams to the minor orders of reader, candle-bearer and sub-deacon prior to celebrating Great Vespers at the shrine, Aug. 18. READ MORE.

We might wonder today what is happening in the United States in these days following the most recent revelations regarding clergy sex abuse. It is necessary that each one of us — clergy and lay faithful — say sorry and do penance.  It is not enough to keep the apologies and the repentance for the cardinals and bishops that are implicated in the abuse — it is easy to tell somebody what to do — but we need to begin by reflecting on our own life.  READ MORE...

When my great-nephew was five-and-a-half years old, I praised him for being exceptionally well-behaved at his grandmother’s wake at the funeral home. I told him how good he was, and how proud we were of him. His response was, “You know, I get way too much appreciation.” In these days when it seems that negativity and competition are sometimes too evident, I wonder if there is such a positive as “too much appreciation.” I can’t imagine that we can ever be too grateful for the goodness in our lives, that which comes from God above and that which we extend to each other. READ MORE.