Arkansas Catholic connects readers to their faith

Print, digital subscribers can read more commentary, news, inspirational stories

Published: December 28, 2016

Here are some of the stories you missed if you didn't read Arkansas Catholic's Dec. 24 issue. Some of the stories and columns in Arkansas Catholic appear only in the print and complete digital editions. To read what you're missing, subscribe today.

Pope Francis: Find time to stop, remember

VATICAN CITY -- Make time to get ready for what Christmas really is about — the child born in Bethlehem signaling that “God is with us,” Pope Francis said.

Mideast Christians suffer but keep faith strong

JERUSALEM -- Except for specific incidents in Egypt and one in Libya, Christians in the Middle East are suffering the same fate as their fellow citizens, Archbishop Pierbattista Pizzaballa, apostolic administrator of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, told media in response to a journalist’s question at his first Christmas news conference.

Honoring our Lady

Celebrations for Our Lady of Guadalupe began at St. Raphael Church in Springdale at 6 a.m. Saturday, Dec. 10. (Photo)

Advice: Make time for each other, especially at Christmas

DUBLIN -- People who work with married couples have urged them to make time for each other, especially during the often-stressful Christmas season.

Religious freedom bill signed into law

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- President Barack Obama Dec. 16 signed the Frank Wolf International Religious Freedom Act, approved by the House Dec. 13.

Retired judge for state supreme court dies in LR

Donald Louis Corbin, a retired associate justice of the Arkansas Supreme Court, died Dec. 12. He was 78. (Obituaries)

Pope denounces ‘homicidal madness’ in Berlin, Ankara

VATICAN CITY -- Expressing his condolences to victims and their families, Pope Francis called for an end to terrorism following a string of deadly attacks in Berlin and Ankara.

Retiring again: Hackett reflects on role as envoy to Vatican

VATICAN CITY -- Ken Hackett, the U.S. ambassador to the Holy See, is gearing up to try retirement for the second time. The retired president of Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ overseas aid agency, is leaving his ambassadorial post three years and three months after presenting his credentials to Pope Francis.

Colombian leaders discuss peace deal, pro and con, with pope

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis met with the current and former presidents of Colombia, two leading figures in the country at opposite sides of a controversial peace agreement that puts an end to a decades-long civil war.

Pope Francis sees God of surprises at work in his busy year of 2016

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis described 2016 as a “packed year,” one full of initiatives that helped Catholics “see and touch with their hands the fruits of the mercy of God.”

Bethlehem businesses finally hope for a merry Christmas

BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Even the Christmas decorations seem more cheerful this year in Bethlehem.

Cloistered nuns’ sweet harmonies are fruit of their faith

GOWER, Mo. -- Tucked away off a rocky road in Gower in rural Missouri, a small community of cloistered nuns north of Kansas City has just come out with a new Christmas album.

What is your favorite Christmas song and why?

“My favorite Christmas carol is ‘Angels We Have Heard on High.’ It is a great song because when Jesus was born all the angels in heaven sang and rejoiced because Jesus came to spread the Kingdom of God. It is my favorite because when ...” (Youthspeak, Seeds of Faith)

Do Catholics stand with Standing Rock?

When my friend Mike Poulin went with two Sisters of Mercy to pray with a group at the Standing Rock Sioux Camp (officially, the Oceti Sakowin Camp) near Cannon Ball, N.D., didn’t know what to expect. (Columns)

For 2017 let us be a world of open

The image of Jesus as a refugee being forced to leave Bethlehem and going with his parents to Egypt is even more powerful today than ever. (Editorial)