Historic Arizona chapel built by artist DeGrazia damaged in fire
TUCSON, Ariz. (CNS) — A historic Arizona chapel built by artist Ted DeGrazia was heavily damaged in a fire May 29. The blaze destroyed much of chapel’s roof and several murals by the late artist. A statement from DeGrazia’s Gallery in the Sun posted on its Facebook page May 30 said there was no information on the cause of the fire, which was under investigation. Sitting adjacent to the gallery, the tiny adobe Mission in the Sun is frequented by visitors each day. Some leave religious and personal mementos and written prayers on its adobe bricks. DeGrazia built the chapel in 1952 in honor of Southwest missionary Jesuit Father Eusebio Kino and dedicated it to Our Lady of Guadalupe, two inspirations for the artist. It is part of the gallery and other DeGrazia buildings preserved by the artist’s foundation. DeGrazia, who was raised Catholic but later described himself as not a churchgoing man, once said of his mission: “It’s not Catholic. It’s just an old chapel for anybody who wants to go in there whether Christian or non-Christian.”
Pope: Get a spiritual EKG to make sure heart pulsates with Holy Spirit
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Never speak, act or make a decision without first listening to the Holy Spirit, who moves, troubles and inspires the heart, Pope Francis advised. A cold and calculating heart that is closed to the Holy Spirit results in a faith that is “ideological,” he said May 29 during a morning Mass in the chapel of the Domus Sanctae Marthae. Knowing God and his commandments, and being good are not enough, the pope said. One must also receive God’s gift of the Holy Spirit and let him “trouble” the heart. If people were to get a “spiritual electrocardiogram,” the pope asked, would it be flatlined because the heart is hardened, unmoved and emotionless or would it be pulsating with the prompting and prods of the Spirit? A Christian cannot just listen to their head and calculated reason, he said. They must learn to listen and discern what the Holy Spirit is saying to their hearts, too, “because the Holy Spirit is the master of discernment.”
Paving the path to social change guides the life of young Indiana sister
WASHINGTON (CNS) — Sister Tracey Horan has learned that walking with people — accompaniment, as Pope Francis calls it — can make a difference in the world. She recalled learning the lesson time and again during her work as a community organizer with Indianapolis Congregation Action Network, or IndyCAN, as well as during her journey toward religious life. Sister Horan, 29, a second-year novice with the Sisters of Providence of St. Mary of the Woods in Indiana, said she has found that the people she works with in neighborhoods and 17 congregations around Indianapolis are the inspiration that fills her with hope in world beset by injustice. Beginning in August, she became immersed in IndyCAN’s Ticket to Opportunity campaign which ultimately saw voters pass a transit expansion that promoters said will create thousands of jobs and boost access to public transportation for people of color and those living in poverty. Her willingness to listen to people as they discover the power they hold to achieve social justice earned Sister Horan the 2017 Cardinal Bernardin New Leadership Award from the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, the U.S. bishops’ domestic anti-poverty and social justice program.