Faced with the realities of demographic shifts, fewer priests and changing attitudes of Catholic people, the six-county Catholic Diocese of Youngstown began developing a pastoral plan for parishes and schools in the fall of 2008. After many months of meetings seeking input from parishioners and clergy on parish and county levels, and after consultation with the diocesan Presbyteral Council and Deans, the process has moved forward to a plan for parish reconfiguration. That plan is expected to be announced in May by Bishop George V. Murry, S.J., bishop of Youngstown.

Consecrated men and women have fully committed themselves to seeking and living God’s will, and they call everyone to trust God “with the same freedom and the same confidence,” Bishop George Murry, S.J., said at the annual celebration of World Day for Consecrated Life, held Feb. 7 in St. Columba Cathedral.

NEW YORK (CNS) -- The prospect of being led through Lewis Carroll's looking-glass by director Tim Burton is liable to fill Catholic moviegoers with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. While eagerly anticipating how the talented Burton will render the world imagined in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" (1865) and "Through the Looking-Glass, And What Alice Found There" (1872), one also fears Burton might overwhelm Carroll's literary touchstones with his macabre sensibility.

Life is a journey of comings and goings, twists and turns. At times we’re on the path to our goals. At other times we couldn’t be further away. The labyrinth, an ancient prayer form, not only symbolizes that journey but also offers a place of meditation, insight and serenity. “The labyrinth is an archetype of the divine imprint. It symbolizes unity and wholeness and helps us achieve better balance spiritually, emotionally, physically,” said Humility of Mary Sister Therese Pavilonis, facilitator of labyrinth walks at Villa Maria Community Center, on the grounds of the motherhouse of the Sisters of the Humility of Mary, in Villa Maria, Pa. The grass labyrinth there was created in 1998.

Just before Christmas, a couple came to Catholic Charities because their water had been shut off. They were going across the street to a 24-hour convenience store to use the restroom, and bathing their two month-old daughter in the store’s sink. They became worried about taking the baby out in the cold during the harsh winter months ahead. Catholic Charities used funds from Keep the Kids Warm to get the family’s water turned back on.