The Spanish translation of the 3rd edition of the Roman Missal for use in the US has been approved and is in the process of being published. Regional workshops are now open for registration. Click on the link above for more information.

The first of two classes introducing Class VIII to the study of Philosophy. La primera de dos clases que introducen la VIII Clase al estudio de la Filosofía.

By Lindsay Steele The Catholic Messenger A mother in Malawi, Africa, was in despair. Her newborn son’s weight had dropped from 6 pounds to 3 pounds, despite her efforts to fortify him through breastfeeding. She feared for his life but wasn’t sure what to do. CRS Rice Bowl representatives in the area came to her aid, offering rations of supplemental infant formula. Three months later, the baby boy was thriving.

Our country’s determination to protect our southern border comes with tangible costs. We lose the talents, skills and dedicated labor of hundreds of thousands of productive immigrants. We lose their participation in our parishes — 40 percent of all growth in registered parishioners in Catholic parishes between 2005 and 2010 was from Hispanic or Latino/a Catholics, according to the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate. We lose their attendance in our schools and engagement in our neighborhoods. We lose their diversity, one of the most positive traits of these United States.

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger DAVENPORT — A police report detailing threats on the lives of a family from El Salvador is one of the documents on diocesan Immigration Counselor Gricelda Garnica’s desk. She is striving to assist the Illinois family to prevent the deportation of two of their loved ones — the wife of one of the siblings and the sister of the siblings, both of whom are undocumented.

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger FORT MADISON — Thirteen inmates rise from their chairs inside the Iowa State Penitentiary chapel and sing “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing” during an early Christmas Mass Dec. 20 with Bishop Thomas Zinkula. “The inmates obviously can’t leave the penitentiary to attend Mass at a church somewhere, so we, the Church, need to bring the Mass to them,” Bishop Zinkula says later.

By Anne Marie Amacher The Catholic Messenger DAVENPORT — Three weeks of visits to schools, orphanages, hospitals, clinics, a minor seminary and more were part of a needs assessment missionary trip to Africa for Pat Cannaday and Maribeth Green of Holy Family Parish. The two spoke to a group at the parish in late December about their trip earlier in the year to Tanzania, Africa. “Asante,” Cannaday told the group. “That is the Swahili word for thank you.”

As the 45th anniversary of the Roe v. Wade decision approaches, Catholics are encouraged to take part in “9 Days for Life,” a digital pilgrimage of prayer and action focused on cherishing the gift of every person’s life.

Members of Deacon Formation Class VIII practice their Spanish by singing! ¡Los miembros del VIII Clase de Formación de Diáconos practican su español cantando!

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger DAVENPORT — Forty-eight adults of different ages, backgrounds and interests listen as their instructor explains the goals for the second session of the Mottet Leadership Institute, being held at the Davenport Diocese’s headquarters. Participants hope this eight-week institute will equip them with the leadership skills necessary to foster positive change in their communities and organizations. Breaking out of their comfort zones is a first step.

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger The Diocese of Davenport/ Catholic Charities has been awarded a $10,000 one-year grant from the Amy Helpenstell Foundation Fund Advisory Committee to go towards an administrative assistant position in the Immigration Office. Immigration Counselors Gricelda Garnica and Karina Garnica received the award during a reception last month in Moline, Ill. Kent Ferris, director of Social Action and Catholic Charities for the Diocese of Davenport, expressed gratitude for the grant, which will buttress the work of the immigration counselors.

“Music Ministry: Spirituality and Skills for Choirs, Cantors, and Directors”

By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger Widad Akreyi was 8 years old, attending an all-girls school in northern Iraq, when a member of the ruling Ba’ath Party entered her classroom. He wanted all of the students to join the Ba’ath Party. She refused. “I said I didn’t want to join their party.” The shocked man instructed someone to write down her name. She will join the party, he said. But Widad again refused. “He became really, really angry. He used force against me,” Widad told a small group of students and professors at Augustana College in Rock Island, Ill.

November 19 (the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time) has been designated the World Day of the Poor by Pope Francis.

Pacem honoree speaks from the heart By Barb Arland-Fye The Catholic Messenger DAVENPORT — As a young child living in the Kurdistan region of Iraq, Widad Akreyi survived the Iraqi government’s offensive against the Kurds in the mid-1970s. That and other experiences of persecution convinced her to choose a path toward peace and justice, to which she has committed her life’s mission. Her selfless commitment to human rights for all inspired the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Coalition to select her as the 47th recipient of the award first given in 1964.

Widad Akreyi has a vision of what the future can look like in her home town of Aqrah in Iraqi Kurdistan. Akreyi’s vision is of a sovereign country that will encompass the historic lands of the Kurds and the minorities who live in peace with them. It is a vision of a place of safety for these people. It is a place that will give them a way to escape the genocides that have befallen those people, much as Israel has become a safe haven for the Jewish people. But it will take an involved world, and specifically an involved United States, and an involved Israel to get there, she said.

By Anne Marie Amacher The Catholic Messenger DAVENPORT — Nora Dvorak has devoted her life to helping those in need, both through work and volunteerism. October is Respect Life Month, which seeks to protect the dignity of the person from womb to tomb. For her selfless dedication to the dignity of all persons, Dvorak will receive the first “One Among Us” Award during the Pacem in Terris Peace and Freedom Award ceremony Oct. 22. The ceremony begins at 2 p.m. in St. Ambrose University’s Christ the King Chapel. All are welcome.

A Kurdish woman who was an eyewitness to Saddam Hussein's chemical attacks in 1988 and now lives in Norway has been named the 2017 winner of the Pacem in Terris Peace & Freedom Award, presented by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Davenport. Dr. Widad Akreyi, a social justice activist, joins previous recipients who include Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Mother Theresa and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. A special mass for Akreyi is planned for 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22., at Christ the King Chapel, St. Ambrose University, Davenport. Bishop Thomas Zinkula will preside, and Akreyi will present to accept the honor.