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News Digest

Issue of November 23 – December 6, 2008 The following items are condensed. For the complete articles, please read the print edition of The Catholic New World. To subscribe, call (312) 534-7777.

News Update

Cathedral open for daily Mass

Holy Name Cathedral is open for daily Masses again. The cathedral opened for daily Masses on Nov. 17, with its doors opening for private prayer or reflection each day from approximately 30 minutes prior to the first scheduled Mass at 6 a.m. until 7 p.m.

Weekend Masses, parish events and weddings have been held in the cathedral since late August, while restoration work and repairs to the structure have been ongoing since February, after a piece of decorative wood fell from the ceiling. Structural and safety repairs have been completed. A number of preventative measures are still in progress.

Holy Name Cathedral is located at 735 N. State St. Downtown

Guadalupe Mass

Auxiliary Bishop Gustavo Garcia- Siller will celebrate Mass in honor of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe at noon Dec. 12 on Federal Plaza, at Adams and Dearborn streets in Chicago.

The outdoor Mass is sponsored by the Archdiocese of Chicago's Office for Hispanic Catholics, the Respect Life Office and the Office for Peace and Justice, as well as the Pro-Life Action League and the Thomas More Society Pro-Life Law Center. Participants should dress warmly.

For information, call Ann or Corrina at the Pro-Life Action League at (773) 777-2900.

News Digest

Church must strengthen efforts to educate Catholics in politics, pontiff says

The Catholic Church must strengthen its efforts to educate and assist lay Catholics involved in politics so that the positions they hold and the policies they promote reflect the values of the faith they profess, Pope Benedict XVI said.

Meeting members of the Pontifical Council for the Laity Nov. 15, the pope emphasized the need to educate lay Catholics to play their proper role in building a world of justice, charity and protection of human rights.

Rising unemployment prompts more people to turn to Catholic Charities

Catholic Charities agencies across the country are finding that the nation's growing unemployment rate is one more factor in their efforts to provide food, clothing and shelter to those in need. In Michigan - where automobile giants General Motors, Ford and Chrysler are based - unemployment is a reality for thousands of people once employed in the car industry and for business owners hit hard by the collapsing economy.

Woman honored for work with immigrant parents

Stephanie Garza, 25, is the 2008 winner of the Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award given by the U.S. bishops' Campaign for Human Development. She was recognized for her work with immigrant parents in Chicago.

The 11th annual award, named for Cardinal Joseph Bernardin honors young Catholics who demonstrate leadership in fighting poverty and injustice in the United States through community-based efforts.