Ask about a dream trip and most 9-year-olds
would conjure up hopes of Disney World or any other thrilling escape. Not so for
Andrew Birlson. Andrew may be young but his dream has always been to meet the
pope. Thanks to a grant by the Make-A-Wish Foundation, the Birlson family,
parishioners at St. John the Evangelist, traveled to the Eternal City last
November for an audience with Pope Benedict XVI.
Andrew Birlson sits
with his mother, Theresa, as he describes his trip to the
Vatican and meeting with Pope Benedict XVI, Jan. 26. (Tim
Hunt photo)
MORE NEWS -
Information
is provided by the Catholic News Service
Organizers of the 2011 World Youth Day celebration
in Spain launched an English-language Web page
offering registration information, schedules and
social networks to help spread word about the event.
In dioceses throughout the nation,
parents' unemployment is high and student enrollment
in Catholic schools is down. But at St. Philomene
School in Sacramento, people aren't wringing their
hands. They're too busy making their Catholic school
work.
SPECIAL COLUMNIST Ben Ross is a seminarian of
the Diocese of Gary. His monthly column now appears in the Northwest Indiana
Catholic.His seventh story:
"Seminarian
traces call to priesthood to Marian devotion"can be found in the
January 17,
2010 print edition of the newspaper. He writes:
"As
we honor vocations this month and during the Year for Priests, I wish to
share my vocation story with you, but in a different way that I have ever
told it before. I will tell it from my spiritual journey in relation to God
and Mary. I felt the call to the priesthood from about the time I was 9
years old. Through the influence of my mother, I was introduced to Mary and
consecrated to her at this early age. I remember saying a "peace rosary" (a
devotion asked for by Our Lady of Medjugorje) and family consecration to her
every day before we went to school when I was about 10.
Subscribe now to read his story.Newspaper Home Delivery - Subscribe Today
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Fruit that will last
Light in a Dark Place
Ministry in Soup Kitchen
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OTHER INFORMATIONAL
>>Parish Information Area
Celebration YOU!
>>Silver and Golden Anniversary Tributes
Catholic YOUTH Recognition
>>Youth of the Month Nominations
Fill
out our form (click link below) and mail to us today. We will publish in our print edition.
Deadlines apply.
We
will recognize a Youth of the Month,someone in grades 7-11,
who makes himself or herself a witness of the Gospel.
Here’s an
opportunity to showcase a young person who lives their Catholic
faith in an upcoming print edition of the newspaper.
Click here for more details.
Monday, February 08, 2010 02:38 PM
