Fires Consume Retreat House

A 17th-century gold altar from South America was among the irreplaceable treasures lost when a wildfire destroyed a Benedictine Anglican retreat center in California.

Zenit reported yesterday that, “The Montecito fire had the Mount Calvary Retreat House in Santa Barbara County in its path. The six men religious who lived in the center and other staff were evacuated on time and there were no injuries reported.”

However, the six brothers living at the house lost all of their possessions, and total damages caused by the blaze are estimated in the millions.

Southern California firefighters are finally making headway against the devastating wildfires that have hit the region, as weather conditions become more favorable, but the blazes have caused massive damage. The Los Angeles Times reports, “In all, 842 homes have been destroyed in the last several days, and more than 100 more damaged.”

— Tom McFeely

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne attends a German Synodal Way assembly on March 9, 2023.

Four German Bishops Resist Push to Install Permanent ‘Synodal Council’

Given the Vatican’s repeated interventions against the German process, the bishops said they would instead look to the Synod of Bishops in Rome. Meanwhile, on Monday, German diocesan bishops approved the statutes for a synodal committee; and there are reports that the synodal committee will meet again in June.

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis