3+ week, 6+ day ago (337+ words) He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud'and mire; he set my feet'on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. " Psalm 40:2 He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire; he set my feet on a rock and gave me a firm place to stand. " Psalm 40:2 A compassionate volunteer was called a "guardian angel" for his heroic efforts. Jake Manna was installing solar panels at a job site when he joined an urgent search to find a missing five-year-old girl. While neighbors searched their garages and yards, Manna took a path that led him into a nearby wooded area where he spotted the girl waist-deep in a marsh. He waded carefully into the sticky mud to pull her out of her predicament and return her, damp but unharmed,…...

3+ day, 6+ hour ago (185+ words) MANILA, Philippines " The relic of newly canonized millennial saint Carlo Acutis, which arrived in the Philippines on Thursday, November 27, is set to make the rounds for an 18-day pilgrimage across 16 dioceses. On Friday, November 28, his relic, a portion of his heart, will stay at the Manila Cathedral in the morning and will arrive at the San Roque Cathedral in Caloocan City at 3 p.m., according to Friends of Blessed Carlo Acutis Philippines. The pilgrimage will end on December 15, when the relic will return to Italy. The relic tour is being organized by local bishops and the Friends of St. Carlo Acutis " Philippines, the group spearheading devotion to the millennial saint. Acutis was canonized as a saint on Sept. 7, 2025, alongside Dominican layman Pier Giorgio Frassati. He is known as the "first millennial saint." He died on Oct. 12, 2006, due to leukemia. Acutis is the…...

3+ week, 6+ day ago (290+ words) MANILA, Philippines " Seven Filipinos " including a priest tortured and slain by the Abu Sayyaf and four worshippers killed in the 2023 Marawi bombing " have been recognized by the Catholic Church as the country's "new martyrs" of the 21st century for their unwavering faith and sacrifices. A special commemoration for these new martyrs will be held on Nov. 9, the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica. Among those to be honored is Fr. Rhoel Gallardo of the Prelature of Isabela de Basilan who, along with several teachers and students of the Claret School of Tumahubong, was kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf extremists, held captive for 44 days and killed on May 3, 2000. From the Prelature of Marawi, the names of Junrey Taub Barbante, Janine Orcia Arenas, Evangeline Salces Aromin and Riza Ramos Daniel were also submitted. They were killed when an improvised explosive device planted…...

2+ week, 1+ day ago (425+ words) MANILA, Philippines " Several roads in Manila will be closed to motorists starting today when the Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) begins its three-day prayer rallies. Declared off-limit to vehicles are portions of roads surrounding Rizal Park and Quirino Grandstand where the prayer rally will be held: Bonifacio Drive, Roxas Boulevard, Katigbak Drive, South Drive, Independence Road, Kalaw Avenue, P. Burgos Avenue, Maria Orosa Street, Finance Road, Roundtable and Mabini Street. According to an advisory from the Manila Public Information Office, motorists can use Taft Avenue, other parts of P. Burgos Avenue, M.H. del Pilar Street, Roxas Boulevard service road, United Nations Avenue, Anda Circle and roads inside Intramuros as alternate routes. Trucks can use Quirino Avenue, Capulong Street, Yuseco Street and Lacson Avenue. The city government said portions of Recto Avenue and Legarda Street near Mendiola Bridge as well as Magallanes Drive near Liwasang…...

3+ week, 11+ hour ago (168+ words) MANILA, Philippines " The Archdiocese of Manila on Sunday called on schools, churches'and institutions to offer shelter to street-dwelling persons (PSDS) in Metro Manila and other areas currently under the impact of Super Typhoon Uwan (international name: Fung Wong). As of 5 p.m., Uwan is estimated to be at 110 kilometers north of Daet, Camarines Norte, or 150 kilometers east northeast of Infanta, Quezon. "The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Manila's MWP (Ministry with PSDS - Persons in Street-Dwelling Situations) is encouraging all schools, churches, institutions with any safe space that has [a] roof, restrooms, and clean water'that can cater to Persons in Street-Dwelling Situations/ PSDS," the Manila Archdiocese said in a social media post.' "Our dear brothers and sisters on the streets are in dire need of your help as the Super Typhoon Uwan approaches," it added. Those who can open their doors to evacuees may…...

3+ day, 6+ hour ago (186+ words) MANILA, Philippines " The relic of the newly canonized saint, Carlo Acutis, is expected to arrive in the country on Thursday, November 27. Acutis' relic, a portion of his heart, will have an 18-day pilgrimage across 16 dioceses in the Philippines. On November 28, his relic will stay at the Manila Cathedral in the morning and will arrive at the San Roque Cathedral in Caloocan City at 3 p.m., according to Friends of Blessed Carlo Acutis Philippines. The pilgrimage will end on December 15, when the relic will return to Italy. The relic tour is being organized by local bishops and the Friends of St. Carlo Acutis " Philippines, the group spearheading devotion to the millennial saint. Acutis was canonized as a saint on Sept. 7, 2025, alongside Dominican layman Pier Giorgio Frassati. He is known as the "first millennial saint." He died on Oct. 12, 2006, due to leukemia. Acutis is…...

2+ day, 5+ hour ago (148+ words) MANILA, Philippines " Vatican pro-prefect of the Dicastery for Evangelization Luis Antonio Cardinal Tagle'led the'symbolic opening of the 2nd Asian Mission Congress in Penang, Malaysia on Thursday. The four-day gathering, dubbed as "The Great Pilgrimage of Hope," is attended by 900 cardinals, bishops, religious and laypeople from more than 30 countries, with 140 from the Philippines joining the event that will run until Nov. 30. Outgoing Catholic Bishops" Conference of the Philippines president and Kalookan Archbishop Cardinal Pablo Virgilio David said Asia"s cultural and spiritual diversity calls the Church to a deeper practice of listening, dialogue and shared mission. "Asia is a vast mosaic of cultures, languages and religions. Yet in all this diversity, God is gently weaving us together into one family," David said. He expressed hope that the Church in the coming decade would center on walking more closely with communities, especially young…...

2+ week, 11+ hour ago (216+ words) VATICAN CITY,Holy See'Pope Leo XIV returned dozens of indigenous artifacts from the Vatican Museums to Canada on Saturday, honoring a demand made in 2022 to his predecessor, Francis. Catholic missionaries originally sent the 62 objects from Canada to Rome a century ago. The items, held in the ethnological collections in the Vatican Museums, were presented to the head of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) at an audience in the Apostolic Palace, the Vatican said. "His Holiness Pope Leo XIV desires that this gift represent a concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity," it said in English. It noted that the artefacts handed to CCCB head Pierre Goudreault "bear witness to the history of the encounter between faith and the cultures of the indigenous peoples." During a "penitential pilgrimage" across Canada in 2022, Pope Francis offered a historic apology to indigenous…...

4+ week, 1+ day ago (449+ words) As the country lights candles and dusts off gravestones this week, there's something poetic, if not painful, about remembering the dead while the sea itself seems to mourn. I Of souls, saints, and the sea As the country lights candles and dusts off gravestones this week, there's something poetic, if not painful, about remembering the dead while the sea itself seems to mourn. In Bais City, Negros Oriental, thousands of fish turned up lifeless on the shore after an ethanol leak spilled into the bay, suffocating marine life. It disrupted the fragile rhythm of coastal living in this serene province. The images are haunting as posted in this newspaper: fisherfolk hauling dead fish instead of fresh catch, the waters turning brackish, and livelihoods suddenly uncertain. It's All Saints' and All Souls' weekend, when Filipinos traditionally pause to honor the departed....

4+ week, 1+ day ago (629+ words) Filipinos always look forward to the start of November. It is the time of the year when, apart from Christmas and New Year, they can meet and be with their families for yet another happy reunion. This is the time of the year, too, that there are more living than the dead in cemeteries throughout the country. The living gather where their dearly departed are, they reminisce and remember the happy and sad moments together. Whether the dearly beloved are buried near or far away from the homes of the living members of the families, expect the long queue at terminals of those eager to be home with their dead and their liing families, relatives on these first two days of November! Some may have gone earlier or some may also have decided to visit their dead after November 1 and…...