The church in the South: growing pains

In a feature article in its May edition, St. Anthony Messenger magazine reports that the church in the U.S. South has been blessed with amazing growth since 1966 due to a number of factors. But new members bring new challenges.

Retiring pastor recalls struggles for justice and peace

A priest well-known in the Diocese of Oakland, Calif., for his justice advocacy is retiring from active ministry this spring. The Catholic Voice in Oakland says Father Tony Valdivia presided over his last Holy Week at his parish, but neighborhood shootings at week’s end left a young parishioner dead and two others hospitalized, reminding him of how difficult the past year has been.