All Saints Parish Homilies and News

Archbishop of New York Ronald Hicks joined a lawsuit against the state of New York over its new law on legalizing assisted suicide. The loving care of Catholic ✝️ religious sisters has surrounded dying New Yorkers for decades, but now, plaintiffs say a new law would force healthcare workers to take an active part in promoting assisted suicide. Aleteia previously reported that Bishop John O. Barres of the Diocese of Rockville Centre sued the state with Catholic Health of Long Island and four religious communities: the Carmelite Sisters for the Aged and Infirm, the Dominican Sisters of Hawthorne, the Missionary Sisters of St. Benedict, and the Little Sisters of the Poor. These sisters provide skilled nursing, dementia and palliative care, daily prayer, and loving presence so that no patient dies alone. New York legalized assisted suicide on February 6, 2026, when Governor Kathy Hochul signed the Medical Aid in Dying Act into law; it took effect August 5, 2026. The plaintiffs say it thr...

Pope Leo to Assisi Peace Meeting: 'May we be unarmed instruments of God's peace': In a video message sent to participants in the International Meeting for Peace in Assisi, Pope Leo XIV urges all participants to join him in being "unarmed instruments of the Lord's peace," stressing that "war can never be waged in the name of God." St. John Paul II established the International Meeting for Peace in Assisi in 1986, as an interreligious prayer service for peace during the Cold War. ‘There is no such thing as a holy war’: Pope Leo  Vatican News: By Deborah Castellano Lubov "War can never be waged in the name of God. For us believers, 'to fight in the name of religion means attacking religion itself.' There is  no such thing as a holy war: only peace is holy." Pope Leo XIV shared this powerful reminder in a video message he sent Tuesday to participants in the International Meeting in the Spirit of Assisi, organized by the Community of Sa...

My father was a Greek Catholic. In other words, his faith is recognized by Rome as one of the Eastern Rite Catholics. Russian is the official language for the Greek Catholic liturgies, although most who practice the faith are Ukrainians or Polish. They teach their faith through the sacred images preserved on beautiful religious icons.  These works of art are passed down through hundreds of years of worship. One of the most widely recognized icon is Our Lady of Perpetual Help.  My mother always had this icon in our house in Baltimore, Maryland. Our Lady of Perpetual Help feast day is celebrated on June 27, and novenas to honor her are often scheduled for the public during the weeks leading up to that date.  Recently, in a dream, I recall seeing this icon speaking to me. Of course, I recognized the familiar image. When I saw the icon, I called out, "Mary?", as though we were having a conversation.  She said, "Yes. But they do not recognize me. They do not know who I am...

April 15, 2019 I have a personal photo taken when we were in Paris but this one is copied from the Internet. Thank God this statue survived and I finally have confirmation about its condition. Notre Dame Cathedral is home to priceless relics saved from the flames Ever since the devastating Notre Dame Cathedral fire in Paris, I have repeatedly asked if the statue of Saint Joan of Arc had survived.  I have a personal photo taken of this statue, taken when we visited the Cathedral during one of our memorable visits to Paris.  Finally, I gave up and asked "AI", on Google.  I am very happy to learn this information. No other source has given me such a succinct and accurate reply. Yes, the marble statue of Saint Joan of Arc inside the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral survived the devastating fire of April 15, 2019.  While the historic wooden roof and central spire collapsed during the blaze, the interior stonework, vaulted arches, and major artworks—including the Joan of Arc ...

The intriguing date of Pope Leo’s surgery At 71years old, Pope Leo XIV certainly gave the impression of having boundless energy during his recent visit to France.  Echo report published in Aleteia by Cerith Gardiner Over four packed days, he celebrated Mass before enormous crowds, delivered speeches, met countless faithful, and somehow found the strength to keep smiling and greeting people who had waited hours for a glimpse of him -- and let's not forget, blessing something like a billion babies among the way! At Lourdes, he prayed at the grotto, spent time with sick pilgrims, celebrated Mass before some 150,000 people, and joined the torchlight procession. It was an exhausting schedule for anyone, let alone a man in his 70s. Yet barely two weeks later, on October 13, the Holy Father was undergoing surgery at Rome's Gemelli Hospital to remove a suspicious nodule from his lung, subsequently confirmed to be cancerous. The Vatican has not revealed exactly when Leo learned of his ...

By Colleen Dulle published in America, the Jesuit magazine. A Skeptic Visits Lourdes with Pope Leo Find today’s readings here “Although you have hidden these things from the wise and the learned you have revealed them to the childlike.” (Mt 11:25) I sat in the back of the plane during the pope’s return flight from France, listening to the (as it sounds to me) homey midwestern voice of the pope reflect, through crackling airline speakers, that he had experienced “almost miracles” at Lourdes. I felt my eyebrows raise. There is not much to see in Lourdes. The nature is breathtaking, sure—as we rolled into town past a smattering of people along the countryside highways, I marveled at the rolling Pyrenees growing deep blue and green against the orange sunset. A Missourian never gets used to mountains, I don’t think. At least I haven’t.  Lourdes, the town, though, is something else: Neon signs affixed to run-down grey buildings advertise shops where fluorescent lights glare against the p...