East Texas Catholic

By Catholic News Service

Oklahoma National Guard soldiers and rescue workers dig through the rubble of Plaza Tower Elementary school May 21 after a devastating tornado ripped through Moore, Okla., the previous day. The tornado touched down outside Oklahoma City leaving a 20-mile path of death and destruction. (CNS photo/Sgt. 1st Class Kendall James, Oklahoma National Guard handout via Reuters)

OKLAHOMA CITY (CNS) — Even after the initial death toll was cut by more than half, the human and material devastation of a string of tornadoes that buffeted areas of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City May 19-20 was incalculable.

“Our first concern is for the victims who have lost their lives or loved ones and suffered injury or loss of property,” said a May 21 statement by Archbishop Paul S. Coakley of Oklahoma City.

“We are moved by the efforts of the first responders who have put their own lives on hold to help in this time of need. We owe them a debt of gratitude and assure them of our prayers,” Archbishop Coakley said.

St. Andrew the Apostle Church in Moore, an Oklahoma City suburb that bore the brunt of the EF-5 tornado that hit mid-afternoon May 20, was spared, although it had lost its telephone service in the wake of the twister. Archbishop Coakley told Catholic News Service in a May 21 telephone interview he was planning to visit the site at the conclusion of the interview, adding the church had also lost power and water.

Ordained to the priesthood in the Diocese of Wichita, Kan., Archbishop Coakley said he had been in Wichita attending to matters dealing with the estate of his recently deceased father when he got word of the first round of storms.

“I immediately returned, soon after the storms had gone through. But it was impossible to get into Moore. I-35 has been closed down,” Archbishop Coakley told CNS. “It was just utter chaos there. There was a lot of debris in the roads and utter gridlock.” He added the Our Lady of Guadalupe Youth Camp had suffered “some pretty severe structural damage” in the initial round of tornadoes May 19. Continue Reading »

By Catholic News Service

JOLIET, Ill. (CNS) — Five lawsuits were filed against the Diocese of Joliet May 15 alleging sexual abuse of minors by four priests and a lay teacher during the 1970s and 1980s.

A Chicago law firm filed the lawsuits in Will County Circuit Court on behalf of victims who said they were between the ages of 8 and 16 at the time.

The abuse is said to have taken place at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Monee, the former St. Charles Borremeo Seminary in Joliet, St. Dominic Catholic Church and St. Francis of Assisi Catholic Church in Bolingbrook and St. Mary Nativity School in Joliet. Continue Reading »

By Joan Kurkowski-Gillen
Catholic News Service

GRANBURY, Texas (CNS) — “Overwhelmed.” That’s how relief volunteer Julie Lyssy described the families who sought shelter inside St. Frances Cabrini’s Family Life Center after a tornado ravaged their neighborhoods May 15.

A rescue worker combs through debris May 16 after tornadoes swept through the town of Granbury, Texas, late May 15. At least six people were killed and about 100 injured as three tornadoes ripped through a stretch of Texas near the Dallas-Fort Worth area , destroying a number of homes, authorities said. (CNS photo/Richard Rodriguez, Reuters)

The deadly funnel cloud, one of several tornadoes that ripped through parts of north Texas, killed six, injured more than 100, left seven missing and destroyed more than 50 homes and trailers in the Rancho Brazos subdivision. Injuries and damage were also reported in the nearby Pecan Plantation community.

Many of the affected — including some of the deceased — are members of St. Frances Cabrini Parish, 35 miles southwest of Fort Worth.

“The 15 to 20 people who came here last night knew there was nothing else they could do,” said Lyssy, the church’s communications spokesperson, who coordinated emergency outreach efforts with her husband, Thomas. “As soon as they realized they were safe, everyone turned to prayer.”

Storm victims formed two circles inside the parish hall. One group recited the rosary in English and the other in Spanish. The church’s pastor, Msgr. Juan Rivero, spent the night comforting visitors and offering a blessing when asked. Continue Reading »

By Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis was scheduled to help the Pontifical Mission Societies of the United States broaden its reach around the world by unlocking a smartphone app.

During an audience with national directors of pontifical mission societies from around the world, the pope was set to launch the organization’s new Missio app from the Vatican May 17, sending news and content in eight languages.

News and information will be available in English, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Portuguese, Chinese and Arabic from Fides, the Vatican’s missionary news agency, and news.va. The app also includes videos from news.va and Catholic News Service. Continue Reading »

By Catholic News Service

ST. PAUL, Minn. (CNS) — The “full social and legal effects” of state lawmakers’ decision to legalize same-sex marriage “will begin to manifest themselves in the years ahead,” said the Minnesota Catholic Conference.

“Today the Minnesota Senate voted to redefine marriage in Minnesota. The outcome, though expected, is no less disappointing,” the conference said in a statement.

The state Senate in a 37-30 vote gave final approval May 13 to a same-sex marriage bill. The state House passed the measure May 9. Minnesota Gov. Mark Dayton said he would sign it May 14.

The law is to take effect Aug. 1, making Minnesota the 12th state to allow same-sex couples to marry. Earlier in May, Rhode Island and Delaware became the 10th and 11th states, respectively, to legalize same-sex marriage. Continue Reading »

By Catholic News Service

PHILADELPHIA (CNS) — A Philadelphia jury May 13 found Dr. Kermit Gosnell guilty of murder in the deaths of three babies born alive during abortions and acquitted him of a fourth similar charge. He also was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death by a drug overdose of a patient who had an abortion.

Gosnell, 72, was accused of snipping the spines of babies born alive during illegal late-term abortions. Pennsylvania law prohibits abortions after 24 weeks of gestation.

A few weeks earlier in the six-week trial, after the prosecution had rested its case, Judge Jeffrey Minehart of the Common Pleas Court, dismissed three other murder charges against Gosnell, saying they lacked evidence. Continue Reading »