Saint Joseph Catholic Church

Pope injured his arm in a household fall on January 16—the second such accident in recent weeks.

The Vatican reported that the Pope’s right arm was badly bruised, but not broken. His arm was immobilized in a sling “as a precautionary measure.”

Pope Francis fell in his apartment at the Santa Marta residence, the Vatican disclosed. He had suffered a similar fall on December 7, when he stumbled into a nightstand, resulting in a visible bruise on his jaw.

The 88-year-old Pontiff regularly uses a walker at home. He moves around the Vatican in a wheelchair, due to the deteriorating condition of his knees.

The latest study of the clerical sex-abuse crisis in the US has found that American dioceses and religious orders have paid more than $5 billion to resolve abuse cases.

The study by the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate (CARA), covering abuse charges that have been filed in the past 20 years, puts the overall cost of the scandal a just over $5 billion, including legal fees.

The study finds that the number of sex-abuse complaints has dropped, with only 3% of the cases involving incidents that occurred after 2000. More than 90% of the cases covered in the study dated back to before 1989; in many such cases the alleged perpetrator was already deceased.

The CARA study confirmed that 80% of the abuse complaints involved male victims, with a vast majority (80%) involving adolescent or teenage boys.

Pope Francis has decided that lay Vatican employees with three or more children will receive a monthly bonus of €300, to be paid until the children are adults.

The Pope also has decided to lengthen the paid leave that employees are given when a child is born: from three days to five.

The allowances for children are a partial response to complaints from Vatican lay workers, who have said they are being asked to bear a disproportionate share of the Vatican’s cost-cutting efforts.

The Vatican’s Secretary of State said that Cuba’s decision to release over 500 prisoners at the start of the Jubilee Year is “a sign of great hope.”

Cardinal Pietro Parolin added that the decision of US President Joe Biden to commute the death sentences of 37 convicted felons was a welcome response to the Jubilee. Regarding the Cuban prisoner release, he told a Vatican News interviews: “It is significant that Havana authorities linked this decision directly to Pope Francis’ appeal.” Cuba began releasing prisoners immediately after Biden announced he would change the American designation of Cuba as a sponsor of terrorism.

Today is Wednesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time. The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Maurus (512-584), one of the first disciples of St. Benedict. In this son of a patrician Roman family, entrusted by his parents to the father of western monasticism, Benedictine tradition celebrates the perfect monk, and the model of childlike obedience. Many monasteries, particularly in France, adopted him as patron. He died about A.D. 580.

Today is Tuesday of the First Week in Ordinary Time. The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Felix of Nola (d. 255), priest. After his father‘s death, Felix sold off most of his property and possessions, gave the proceeds to the poor, and pursued his vocation as a priest. He was ordained by, and worked with Saint Maximus of Nola. During the persecution of the Emperor Decius, Felix was arrested and beaten for his faith, but was freed by an angel, and managed to hide with St. Maximus until the end of the persecution in 251. Although chosen as bishop of Nola, he declined the position and worked as a farmer the rest of his days, sharing his profits with those poorer than himself. The letters and poetry of Saint Paulinus of Nola is where we have most of the information regarding St. Felix.

Today the Church returns to Ordinary Time, the Monday of the First Week in Ordinary Time. The Church also celebrates the Optional Memorial of St. Hilary of Poitiers (310-367). Hilary was one of the great champions of the Catholic belief in the divinity of Christ. By his preaching, his treatise on the Trinity, his part in the Councils, his daring opposition to the Emperor Constantius, he showed himself a courageous apostle of the truth. He could not tolerate that the specious plea of safeguarding peace and unity should be allowed to dim the light of Gospel teaching. Bl. Pius IX proclaimed him a doctor of the Church.

Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Baptism of Our Lord. This feast brings to an end the season of Christmas. Ordinary Time lasts from the day after this feast to the Tuesday before Lent.

Today is Saturday of Christmas Time after Epiphany. We come to the end of the Christmas season. With the Church we continue our post-Epiphany thoughts. Tomorrow's Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is the last day of the Christmas season.

Today is Friday of Christmas Time after Epiphany. The Roman Martyrology commemorates St. Paul the Hermit (230-342). The West learned of the life of St. Paul from St. Jerome (+ 420); the book, which he devoted to the life of the first Christian hermit, charmed and instructed generations of the faithful and formed the inspiration of many artists. St. Paul is said to have died in 342, in a hermitage in the region of Thebes in Egypt after having received at the age of 113 a visit from St. Antony of Egypt.