OM team in Hong Kong breaks cross-cultural ground, learning how to reach out to the ethnic minority, largely ignored by the Chinese population.

A group of fourteen OM volunteers recently started organising meetings for ten- to thirteen-year-olds in Mexico: the ‘Butterfly Club’. It´s a weekly gathering of thirty young girls in Hermosillo, Mexico. They come from a vulnerable environment with broken families that lack many basic resources.

Short-term participant uses Transform trip to confirm God’s call for long-term work in North Africa.

By offering a creative class for women, an OM worker finds ways to transform broken tiles into art and make relationships where she can share God’s truth.

Seventeen years after the Ship Ministry sailed into service, OM suffered the loss of Logos at sea. But partners around the world were adamant the work should continue, and gave generously to replace the vessel with something better.

In 1999, national bitterness and divisions were set aside on board Doulos, which facilitated an historic reconciliation after conflict in the Pacific islands.

Vatican City, May 5, 2020 / 11:00 am (CNA).- Pope Francis said that he has looked up to St. John Paul II throughout his priesthood in a book foreword he wrote ahead of the 100-year anniversary of the Polish pope’s birth. 

“St. John Paul II was a great witness of faith … Many times, in the course of my life as a priest and bishop I have looked to him, asking in my prayers for the gift of being faithful to the Gospel as he witnessed to us,” Pope Francis wrote in the forward of a recently published Italian book.

The book, “St. John Paul II: 100 Years. Words and images”, is being issued by the Vatican Publishing House to mark the centenary of Karol Wojtyła’s birth on May 18, 1920.

In his five-page foreword, Pope Francis wrote that St. John Paul II was “a great man of prayer who lived completely immersed in his time and constantly in contact with God, a sure guide for the Church in times of great change.”

“He was a great witness of mercy and throughout his pontificate he called us to this characteristic of God,” Francis said.

When Wojtyła became Pope John Paul II in 1978, a 41-year-old Fr. Jorge Mario Bergoglio was serving as the provincial superior of the Jesuits in Argentina. 

Pope John Paul II appointed Bergoglio an auxiliary bishop in 1992, elevating him to become Archbishop of Buenos Aires in 1998, and creating him a cardinal in 2001. Pope Francis canonized St. John Paul II in 2014.

“Fifteen years now separate us from his death,” Pope Francis said.

The pope pointed out that there are children and young people today who have not known or only have a vague memory of St. John Paul II.

“For this reason, on the centenary of his birth, it was right to remember this great holy witness of the faith that God has given to his Church and to humanity,” he said.

“I hope that this text will reach the hands of many, above all young people. Let us remember his faith. He is an example for us to live our witness today,” the pope said.

Pope Francis wrote that many may not realize how much St. John Paul II suffered in his life. He experienced the death of his mother, brother, and father by the age of 21, and then lived through World War II.

“The suffering that he experienced relying totally on the Lord forged him, and made even stronger the Christian faith in which he had been educated,” Francis said.

“St. John Paul suffered as pope. He suffered a terrible attack in 1981, offered his life, shed his blood for the Church. He testified that even in the difficult trial of disease, shared daily with God made man and crucified for our salvation, we can remain happy. We can remain ourselves,” he continued. 

Pope Francis also commented on John Paul II’s “great passion for the human person” and his openness to dialogue. 

Earlier this year, Pope Francis co-authored a book of reflections on the life of St. John Paul II entitled “St. John Paul the Great.” In this book, Pope Francis said he learned the importance of joy and mercy from the Polish pope.

“It is enough to look at his life” to see that John Paul II had “the smell of the sheep,” Francis said. “He was a pastor who loved people and the people returned it with an immense love.”

Vatican City, May 6, 2020 / 05:30 am (CNA).- The coronavirus crisis can be an opportunity to recenter work on the dignity of each person, Pope Francis said in an appeal at the end of his general audience broadcast on Wednesday. 

“On May 1, I received several messages about the world of work and its problems. I was particularly struck by that of the agricultural workers, among them many migrants, who work in the Italian countryside. Unfortunately, many are very harshly exploited,” Pope Francis said May 6.

“It is true that the current crisis affects everyone, but people's dignity must always be respected. That is why I add my voice to the appeal of these workers and of all exploited workers. May the crisis give us the opportunity to make the dignity of the person and of work the center of our concern,” he said. 

Amid fears of a food shortage, the Italian government is currently discussing whether to legalize some undocumented migrant workers. These workers are particularly vulnerable to exploitation with illegal contracts that can pay less than half of Italy’s minimum wage for the agricultural sector.

May 1 is recognized as Labor Day in Italy and many countries throughout Europe, however it is not an official holiday in the Vatican, which instead celebrates the feast of St. Joseph the Worker, established by Pope Pius XII in 1955.

On the feast day, the pope asked St. Joseph to help Catholics fight for dignified work. He prayed that “no one might be without work and all might be paid a just wage.”

Pope Francis said in his Wednesday audience that prayer is “a cry that comes for the heart of those who believe and entrust themselves to God.” The pope began a new cycle of weekly catechesis on May 6 focused on prayer. 

“Not only do Christians pray, they share the cry of prayer with all men and women. But the horizon can still be widened. Paul says that the whole creation ‘groans and suffers the pains of childbirth,’” he said, quoting St. Paul’s letter to the Romans.

“The Catechism states that ‘humility is the foundation of prayer,’” the pope said. “Prayer … comes from our precarious state, from our continuous thirst for God.”

Pope Francis focused his catechesis on the Gospel account of Bartimaeus, the blind beggar from Jericho.

Bartimaeus “uses the only weapon in his possession: his voice. He starts shouting: ‘Son of David, Jesus, have mercy on me,’” the pope explained.

“And Jesus listens to his cry. Bartimaeus' prayer touches his heart, the heart of God, and the doors of salvation are opened for him,” he said. “He recognizes in that poor, helpless, despised man, all the power of his faith, which attracts the mercy and power of God.”

“Stronger than any argument, there is a voice in the human heart that calls out. We all have this voice inside. A voice that comes out spontaneously, without anyone commanding it, a voice that questions the meaning of our journey down here, especially when we are in the dark: ‘Jesus, have mercy on me! Jesus, have mercy on me!’ This is a beautiful prayer,” Pope Francis said.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES:

Systems of care emphasize parent-delivered intervention for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Meanwhile, multiple studies document psychological distress within these parents. This pilot longitudinal randomized controlled trial compared the parent-implemented Early Start Denver Model (P-ESDM) to P-ESDM plus mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR) for parents. We evaluated changes in parent functioning during active treatment and at follow-up.

Acne vulgaris is an extraordinarily common skin condition in adolescents. The mainstays of acne treatment have remained largely unchanged over recent years. In the context of increasing antibiotic resistance worldwide, there is a global movement away from antibiotic monotherapy toward their more restrictive use. Classically reserved for nodulocystic acne, isotretinoin has become the drug of choice by dermatologists for moderate to severe acne. Given the virtually ubiquitous nature of acne in teenagers, there remains an appreciable need for novel therapies. In this article, we will cover the currently used acne treatments, evaluate the issues and data supporting their use, explore the issues of compliance and the mental health implications of acne care, and recommend directions for the field of acne management in adolescents in the years ahead.

Sent from OM Ireland, the Fitzgibbon family followed God's call on their lives to Russia and back.

On 1 July 350 teens and leaders poured into the University of Queensland, Australia, for five days of fun and discipleship.

Balboa, Panama :: Logos Hope's volunteers make an uplifting visit to a shelter for migrant men, testing their eyesight and handing out reading glasses.

Compiled by: Antigoni Markitani

Compiled by Antigoni Markitani

Compiled by: Antigoni Markitani

A Fin24 user wants to know whether paying off a car loan or credit card will make her credit score 'look better.'

IF there's one thing that online news proves without any shadow of uncertainty, it's that there's no knowing what will capture the popular imagination.

Try to make sense of this if you can. The other day, a fund-raising event for the Democratic presidential candidate Pete Buttigieg, who is gay, was disrupted by protesters. But they weren’t the kind of protesters you’d expect to get angry about a gay candidate. The protesters were gay themselves. It was a protest against a gay man staged by gays. It was gays against gays. It was pink on pink. It was confusing.

OM EAST responds to the need for Christian books in the Georgian language.

IRAQ’S prime ministerial merry-go-round continues to spin apace. Spy chief Mustafa al-Kadhimi, director of the country’s National Intelligence Service, is now the third prime minister designate this year, following the withdrawal of the two previous prospective candidates.

MULTI-PLATINUM-SELLING recording artiste Sean Paul dropped his latest track yesterday, one called Back It Up Deh, which was released on his own record label Dutty Rock Productions through ONEprm. 

Dear Editor,Late banker and philanthropist Dr Paul Chen-Young was a devoted son of the parish who contributed significantly to its development as he sought in both his business and philanthropic endeavours to better Clarendon.

RESEARCHERS have called for a two-track approach to easing lockdown which would strengthen protection for the most vulnerable but relax restrictions for the majority of the population.

THE people of Scotland have been offered a “light at the end of the tunnel” in the form of various potential relaxations to lockdown - but warned they will only get there if they double down on their compliance.

OM Director's Update from Lawrence Tong, International Director

“Enough is enough,” said one Edinburgh resident, about the scene of desolation in Princes Street Gardens. Following this year’s bigger-than-ever Christmas Market and Hogmanay celebrations, the mudbath left after the festive village was dismantled is disgraceful. I’m tempted to say it looks as if a herd of belted galloways has run amok, but that would be unfair. Cattle don’t make half as much midden as the city’s annual cash-cow.

HOLIDAYS may be temporarily on hold, but planning magical trips is still possible. Spontaneity shapes thrilling travel escapades, but there's also a case for careful, methodical planning. Often, the preparation – deciding on a route, reading up about a destination – can be just as enjoyable as the trip itself.

Bulgaria coach Luboslav Penev and his staff encouraged over 120 children taking part in a grassroots event in Sofia designed to increase participation in football and other sports.

Police have issued more than 140 fixed-penalty notices to people flouting coronavirus lockdown rules in Scotland in the week since new powers came into force.

SCOTLAND’S workers could stay put in rural communities in the post-lockdown world - boosting countryside economies and cutting commuter traffic, a Holyrood cabinet secretary has suggested.

Scotland needs to plant up to one billion trees to achieve the country’s ambitious climate change goals and help the economy recover from the coronavirus crisis, a group of environmental consultants have said.

Speak to anyone involved in Scottish football and they'll tell you that the current crop of Under-16 players coming through the academy systems are among the best they've seen.

WOULD you still celebrate a cup final win for your team if you knew for absolute certain the game had been rigged?

Cate Devine

The latest iPad Pro featuring 1TB of storage and cellular connectivity is on sale at Amazon for just $1,299.99. Models with less storage and just Wi-Fi are also marked down.

IT’S strange the different things people took away from Theresa May’s teary goodbye in Downing Street yesterday.

The Scottish Labour Party, I think it’s fair to say, hasn’t had a good decade.

In this country, where the dank, grim days of winter are as short as a resigned sigh, the onset of some decent, dry spring weather doesn’t half raise the morale. Well, it would if the coronavirus wasn’t lurking all over the parish.

WEEK two of the lockdown and I don't know about you, but I’m feeling a bit playful, so how about instead of a boring old wine column, we take a look at a drink that can be fun for all the family?

NICOLA Sturgeon has suggested the coronavirus lockdown in Scotland could end later than the one in England and that she might seek powers to close the Border.

Penn State Shenango's Upcycled Art Contest will be held in conjunction with the campus' annual Earth Fest on Saturday, April 4.

THE Through the Keyhole Pandemic Special has certainly given rise to some entertaining sights.

A FEW weeks ago, Wendy James was trending on Twitter. It’s been happening quite often over the last few months, a result of BBC Four’s repeats of Top of the Pops reaching 1988 and 1989, the years in which a pink-lipsticked, bra-flaunting James launched herself on the public consciousness as the brash, blonde frontwoman of Transvision Vamp.

WE start at the low point. “It’s hard doing music,” Jill O’Sullivan admits. “I love it. I feel compelled to sing and play and write. But I was thinking of quitting.”

To make up for lost opportunities for college admissions testing during the coronavirus crisis, the board plans to offer the test more often in the fall, including some test administrations during the school day.

The Scottish political world is holding its breath this weekend.

The Meadowbank Stadium was one of the shabbier landmarks in east Edinburgh until it was knocked down last year. A new one is rising from the ashes, looking like one of those massive cruise liners that appear in the Forth.