The Catholic Sun

In the wake of the Dec. 14 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn., Catholic education officials have primarily focused on providing administrators with the resources they need for teachers and parents to help students cope with the horrific tragedy.

It has only been about two months since The Little Church Store made its debut in the Arcadia neighborhood of East Phoenix. Located at 4747 E. Thomas Road, Suite B, the cozy, eclectic store boasts handcrafted items by Arizona artists.

The "sacramental sense" of a Catholic pastor's outreach after the horrific violence that took place at a Connecticut elementary school "has brought the Church to bear in the most intimate and powerful way," said the director of communications for the Diocese of Bridgeport, Conn.

DUBLIN (CNS) -- The Irish government has announced plans to legalize abortion in limited circumstances, but Minister for Health James Reilly insisted his plans will take "full account of the equal right to life of the unborn child."

Adam Lanza murdered his mother, forced his way into a school, and killed 20 children and six adults before killing himself. There was a depressing familiarity to it.

The Christmas season begins with the Dec. 24 evening vigil commemorating the birth of Christ and ends with the feast of the Baptism of the Lord, Jan. 13.

Students at Catholic schools around the Phoenix Diocese walked, jogged, read and computed their way toward fundraising goals last month. At St. Mary-Basha in Chandler, students took part in the fourth annual ‘Eaglethon’ Nov. 16, bringing in $106,000 which combined with sponsors’ gifts brought the total to $132,000.

Msgr. Robert Weiss, pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, was at Sandy Hook Elementary School almost immediately after the horrific shooting Dec. 14.

The Incarnation is a result of an incomprehensible love God has for each and every one of us, and we recite this belief when we pray the Nicene Creed: “and by the Holy Spirit was incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and became man.”

After 20 children and six adults were shot dead in Connecticut, Pope Benedict XVI offered his condolences and prayers, urging all to dedicate themselves to acts of peace in the face of such "senseless violence."