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.

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. — The priest who was attacked by an unknown assailant in the sacristy of St. Michael Byzantine Catholic Parish in Merrillville, Indiana, Aug. 20, was admitted to the hospital two days later, where he was recovering from the assault and resulting trauma Aug. 26. Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma shared an update on Father Basil Hutsko in a letter read at all weekend services throughout the eparchy, Aug. 25-26. 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.

UNIONTOWN, Pa. — The 84th annual pilgrimage in honor of Our Lady of Perpetual Help will be Sept. 1-2 at Mount St. Macrina. The theme is “Mary, Hope of All Generations.” “For 84 years, the pilgrimage has brought together generations of young and old to pray, sing and share in the many blessings of this holy time,” said Basilian Sister Ruth Plante, provincial superior. “Come, bring your joys, sorrows, concerns and fears to her, and find peace and comfort in her loving care.” READ MORE.

The feast of St. John the Baptist is a big feast for our eparchy. As you know, St. John the Forerunner is our patron saint. The Gospel reading today tells us about the beginning of the Forerunner’s life. We could say that the events surrounding his conception and birth were a little bit strange. They also reflected the signs and traditions in the Old Testament, in which unbelievers were punished. READ MORE.

LATROBE, Pa. — Spirits were high among participants at the 2018 Byzanteen Youth Rally as they learned about reaching out to others and making an impact on the world. About 90 Byzantine Catholic teens from across the United States gathered for the July 5-8 event, held on the St. Vincent College campus grounds. Benedictine Father Boniface Hicks of St. Vincent Archabbey was the rally’s keynote speaker. He spoke to the teens on the theme of the rally, “Who is My Neighbor?” inspired by Fred Rogers of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” fame, who was from Latrobe. READ MORE.

BRECKSVILLE, Ohio — When Karen (nee Zemba) Griffith was diagnosed with cancer, she was determined to do everything in her power to defeat it. During a visit with her niece in Oregon, they stopped to pray at the St. Peregrine Shrine located in the National Sanctuary of Our Sorrowful Mother in Portland. READ MORE.

PARMA, Ohio — One of the longest-standing parishes in the eparchy celebrated its 120th anniversary last month. St. John the Baptist Parish, whose church serves as the cathedral of the Eparchy of Parma, celebrated its 120th anniversary on the feast of its patron, June 24. Bishop Milan Lach, SJ, of Parma celebrated the Divine Liturgy, followed by the annual Tuscan Sunday Supper in the parish hall. The liturgy was moved to a later time to accommodate the luncheon and to add to the celebration. READ MORE.

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. —Parishioners of St. Basil the Great Parish and members of GCU Lodge 250 gathered for a Flag Day celebration June 10. After the morning Divine Liturgy, they gathered outside the church at the flagpole. Lodge President John P. Minarish opened the program by speaking about the symbolism of the U.S. flag. Father Mychail Rozmarynowycz, the pastor, spoke about the freedom enjoyed in the United States. Refreshments followed in the social hall. READ MORE.