peace Tag

SOUTH AFRICA, Sarah-Leah Pimentel On 15 February, Pope Francis announced that Friday 23 February would be a day of prayer and fasting for the resolution of the conflicts in South Sudan and the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).  — For many of us, these places are very far away and it is difficult to feel empathy for people we know nothing about. These are also places that the media often ignores.  I live in South Africa but even here, the main news channels rarely report on the raging conflictsRead More
DAY OF PRAYER AND FASTING FOR PEACE • After the prayer of the Angelus, on Sunday, 4 February, Pope Francis announced that “…Faced with the tragic prolonging of conflicts in various parts of the world, I invite all the faithful to join me in a Special Day of Prayer and Fasting for Peace on 23 February, the Friday of the First week of Lent. “We will offer it in particular for the populations of the Democratic Republic of Congo and South Sudan.” Both African countries are hit hard by civilRead More
POPE FRANCIS IN PERU, Manuel Huapaya • Just over a week ago, our dear Pope Francis concluded his visit to Chile and Peru. They were intense days of hard work for the Bishop of Rome, who arrived on our shores desiring peace, unity and hope for our people (Chile: “my peace I give you”; Peru: “united in hope.”) His arrival in Peru was a desire that grew stronger and stronger. On Thursday 18 January, we followed him on television, celebrating his last mass on Chilean soil, in Iquique and leavingRead More
POPE FRANCIS’ MESSAGE FOR WORLD COMMUNICATION DAY, by the editorial team • The feast of St. Francis de Sales, the patron saint of journalists, celebrated on 24 January, was also the day Pope Francis published his message for the 52nd World Communications Day. In his message, Francis spoke about “fake news” and “journalism for peace.” From the editorial team of schoenstatt.org, as part of its commitment to professional communication that is in solidarity with and at the service of a covenant culture, we not only want to share this message,Read More
PRAYING IN SOLIDARITY WITH POPE FRANCIS • As he often does after the Angelus, Pope Francis on Sunday, 28 January urged the Church to unite in prayer, this time especially for the victims of the recent attacks in Kabul, Afghanistan. “Yesterday from Afghanistan arrived the painful news of the terrible terrorist massacre carried out in the capital Kabul, with almost a hundred dead and numerous wounded. A few days ago another serious attack, still in Kabul, had sowed terror and death in a large hotel. How long will the AfghanRead More
COLOMBIA, Carlos Aranguren • On September 6 at 4:30 pm, Pope Francis will arrive in Colombia to begin a 4-day agenda of visits that include the cities of Bogotá, Villavicencio, Medellín and Cartagena. The Schoenstatt Youth from Bogotá will go with Sr. Amparo, their flags and t-shirts to Bolívar Square, where Francis will give a blessing from the Archbishop’s Palace, and then they will participate in the Eucharist that the Pope will celebrate in Simón Bolívar Park. There they will join a large group of the adult Branches also wearingRead More
COLOMBIA, Aica • This past Wednesday [3 August], the official hymn for Pope Francis visit to Colombia on 6-10 September was chosen. The winning song, called “Let us take the first step” (in keeping with the motto of the papal visit), was composed by Carlos Corvacho and performed by the United Catholic Musicians group, who competed with nine other finalists from around the country. More than 400 entries were received when the call was put out.  The jury consisted of singers Fanny Lu and Maía. The jury who elected it,Read More
BRASIL, Melissa Rossatti • Bags of cement, shovels, sand, bricks and many rosaries… Early in the morning, that was the scenario for those passing by the grounds of the future Schoenstatt Shrine in Caieiras, in Brazil’s state of Sao Paulo. During the last month, the Caieiras Schoenstatt Movement gathered every morning to offer the rosary as a family. The initiative was called “Heroic May” and the presence of the Family members at an early hour was guaranteed with loyalty and much prayer: 31 days of prayer and devotion in whichRead More
LET US PRAY WITH POPE FRANCIS – IN JUNE • “May the Spirit grant peace to the whole world. May He heal the wounds of war and of terrorism, which even this [Saturday] night, in London, struck innocent civilians: let us pray for the victims and their families.” With these words, Pope Francis asked the universal Church to unite their prayers for peace and for the victims of the attacks in London on the eve of Pentecost. Another #prayforLondon hashtag? As we remember Manchester, Paris, and Berlin, we run theRead More
POPE FRANCIS’ INITIATIVES • At the end yesterday’s General Audience, Pope Francis called everyone to unite themselves to the “one minute for peace” initiative, which will take place on Thursday 8 June at 1300, Roman time, and said that it recalls the meeting in the Vatican Gardens with then Israeli President Shimon Peres and Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas on 8 June 2014. “Tomorrow at 1300, several countries will renew the initiative: “One minute for peace.” This is a short moment of prayer on the anniversary of my meeting with deceasedRead More