Daniel N. DiNardo

Joseph Kurtz and Daniel DiNardo to lead US Catholics

Today, the US bishops gathered in Baltimore for the their annual meeting, elected Louisville Archbishop Joseph Edward Kurtz, 67. Kurtz has been a bishop for the last 14 years. He has been the VP of the US Conference of Catholic Bishops under the presidency of Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan whose 3 year term ended.

In 2010, the bishops elected Cardinal Dolan of New York as president after the bishops failed to have support Bishop Kicanas who was the VP of the Conference but was embroiled in controversy.

The bishops elected Galveston-Houston Cardinal Daniel Nicholas DiNardo, 64, to be the VP. He has been a bishop for 16 years and a cardinal for 6. The cardinal defeated Archbishop Charles J. Chaput of Philadelphia. With the election of Archbishop Kurtz to presidency of the USCCB the body of bishops returned to an earlier practice of electing a sitting vice president to the conference presidency.

Both Kurtz and DiNardo are well-regarded churchmen. This slate of leaders is not mind-blowing. What each man brings is good experience and competence and both have a congenial personality.

Kurtz has been the archbishop of Louisville since 2007. Daniel Cardinal DiNardo has led the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston since 2006; he was created a cardinal in 2007, the first from Texas. He is twice a coadjutor bishop, the only US bishop to be so distinguished.

The bishops also elected chairmen committees assuming their chairmanships at the conclusion of the meeting:

Bishop Arthur J. Serratelli of Paterson: Committee on Divine Worship
Archbishop George J. Lucas of Omaha: Committee on Education
Archbishop Bernard A. Hebda of Newark: Committee on Canonical Affairs and Church Governance
Bishop Mitchell T. Rozanski of Baltimore: Committee on Ecumenical and Interreligious Affairs
Archbishop Leonard P. Blair of Hartford: Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis
Bishop Oscar Cantú of Las Cruces: Committee on International Justice and Peace
Bishop Edward J. Burns of Juneau: Committee on Child and Youth Protection

Maronites remember founder, Saint Maron

1600 years is a long time. But the Church never forgets. She especially never forgets a sainted monk who called together others to live the Gospel and to pray. Maronite Church who traces her foundation to a monk is remembering his good work and his death of so long ago. Several celebrations around the US mark the anniversary.

Bishop Gregory J. Mansour celebrated the Divine Liturgy in honor of Saint Maron and prayed for peace in the Middle East at his cathedral, Our Lady of Lebanon, Brooklyn, NY.

Cardinal Leonardo Sandri, Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, presided at a celebration of the Liturgy in honor of Saint Maron and gave an address in which he reminded the Maronites to be custodians of the Christian gospel and tradition in the Middle East (and wherever they are. The celebration happened at the Maronite College in Rome.

Archbishop Henry J. Mansell recently presided at the Maronite Liturgy at Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Waterbury.

Bishop Earl Boyea of Lansing prays the Liturgy at Our Lady of Lebanon Church, Lansing, MI.

At the invitation of Chorbishop John Faris, His Eminence Daniel N. DiNardo with Bishop James Cunnigham of Syracuse presided during the Divine Liturgy at Saint Louis Gonzaga Church in Utica, NY.

A beautiful brief video “Saint Maron | 1600 years” is worth viewing even though it is narrated in Arabic.

March 4 Life

“An estimated 2
billion human beings have died through abortion in the last forty years alone.
This is something most people don’t realise and it needs to be emphasized,” says Joseph Meaney, Director of International Coordination at Human Life
International. In addition, Meaney pointed out: “its becoming increasingly
clear that the vast majority of Americans are against abortion on demand, and
over the years more pro-life justices have been appointed to the Court, but yet
the law itself and the court’s decision has not changed. The result is a
growing frustration among Americans that the will of the people is not being
respected.”

Today tens of thousands of people will march on Washington DC, to
mark this weekend’s anniversary of the 1973 Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision
that legalized abortion in the United States. Yesterday, Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo, Archbishop of Galveston-Houston, celebrated Mass for thousands in DC. Since 1973, more than 50 million
babies have been aborted, and 300K women developed breast cancer as a result of
having an abortion.