To the most Holy Mary, Eucharistic woman, we entrust the spiritual fruits of the Synod and the Year of the Eucharist. May she be the one to watch over the journey of the church and to teach us to grow in communion with the Lord Jesus to be witnesses of his love, where the secret of joy lies.
'I'm a Roman Catholic priest and I'm gay.'
With that confession, 63-year-old Karl Clemens became the first priest in Canada to openly declare his homosexuality.
Clemens - a priest for 33 years who retired from the Kingston diocese seven years ago - now lives in Toronto, calling Church Street in the city's gay village his parish.
'I don't have a parish,' Clemens told 360 Vision in a documentary that aired last night on VisionTV. 'My parish is the street - the highways, the byways, the bars.'
Clemens, who wears a priest's collar and says mass every day in his living room, said he is celibate.
Gaspar began his work by proclaiming "peace through the blood of the cross." He called people to reconciliation - to a restored right relationship with God and with God's people. In order to continue his mission of preaching missions and retreats, he gathered other diocesan priests together to spread the message beyond the city of Rome.
On August 15, 1815, he established the Missionaries of the Precious Blood, in Giano, Italy, where an abandoned monastery was given to the community in order to help it begin the work of proclaiming God's saving love through the precious blood of Jesus. Gaspar continued to bring men together to help build up his small community of preachers. Eventually the community would have both priests and brothers, who worked together to reach out to people who needed to hear some good news.
Gaspar was especially famous for his preaching to the bandits in the small towns of the Papal States. His preaching inspired many to turn away from lives of crime and brought hope to areas heavy with crime.
Gaspar died in Rome, December 28, 1837. He was declared a saint by Pope Pius XII, June 12, 1954. His feast is celebrated in the City of Rome and by members of the Missionaries of the Precious Blood on October 21 - the anniversary of the day he preached to the Archconfraternity of the Precious Blood for the first time.
A 93-year-old driver apparently suffering from
dementia fatally struck a pedestrian, then continued driving through a toll
booth with the man's body on his windshield, police said.
Ralph Parker of
Pinellas Park drove for 3 miles Wednesday night after striking the 52-year-old
pedestrian with his gold 2002 Chevrolet Malibu, severing the man's right leg,
police said.
The Florida Marlins today named Joe Girardi their manager for the 2006-2008
seasons. The announcement was made by Senior Vice President and General Manager
Larry Beinfest.
"I am extremely pleased to have Joe in our organization
and I look forward to his input as we start focusing on next year," said Marlins
owner Jeffrey Loria. "Joe was known as an intelligent player with great
leadership skills, and he will bring those traits to his new position. He is the
right man to lead our team and I'm proud that he will start what will be a long,
successful managerial career here in South Florida."
