Because suffering almost always imposes itself on us during life, and especially at the end of life, it can be helpful to reflect on the need to accept some personal suffering as we die, even as we recognize the importance of palliative steps and other comfort measures.

COLORADO SPRINGS. Sister Magdalena Krol, the General Superior of the Sisters of St. Francis of Perpetual Adoration from Olpe, Germany, spent Oct. 1-24 conducting a canonical visitation of St. Joseph Province with the Sisters at Mount Saint Francis.

COLORADO SPRINGS. “Mercy” was the theme of the evening Oct. 11, as the Catholic Outreach to Northern Ukraine (CONU) celebrated 25 years of ministry to the Catholic community of Northern Ukraine. The event at Holy Apostles Parish, which featured special guests from Ukraine, music, and sharing from the audience about receiving and giving mercy, both celebrated and challenged the people gathered to extend God’s love through acts of mercy towards their fellow men and women.

Hoy, solemnidad de Todos los Santos, alabamos y damos gracias a Dios por todos los santos hombres y mujeres de todo tiempo y lugar que ahora disfrutan de la plenitud de la vida y de la alegría con Dios en el cielo. Conocemos los nombres de algunos de estos santos porque han sido canonizados y elevados para que los imitemos y les tengamos devoción.  Podemos asumir con seguridad que hay muchos otros santos en el cielo cuyos nombres no conocemos, pero sin embargo los honramos en el Día de Todos los Santos.

It’s become a four-generation tradition to head south of the cities and take in a small-town celebration of fall. Our route winds between soaring bluffs and a shimmering lake. It feels like a narrow passageway, a tunnel back in time.

NEW YORK. The moral probing and feminist revisionism that characterized its 2014 predecessor are mostly absent from the routine follow-up “Maleficent: Mistress of Evil” (PG, Disney). So much so, that ethical straightforwardness makes its title seem somewhat misleading.

Today, the Solemnity of All Saints, we praise and thank God for all the holy men and women of every time and place who now enjoy the fullness of life and joy with God in heaven. 

We know the names of some of these saints because they have been canonized and lifted up for our emulation and devotion. We can safely assume that there are many other saints in heaven whose names we do not know, but we nevertheless honor them on All Saints’ Day.

WASHINGTON. A final report on the findings of an independent review of clergy abuse cases in Colorado’s three Catholic dioceses from 1950 to 2019 shows that 166 children were abused by 43 priests statewide. Released Oct. 23, the report found that at least 127 children were victimized by 22 priests in the Denver Archdiocese; at least 36 children were victimized by 19 priests in the Pueblo Diocese; and at least three children were victimized by two priests in the Colorado Springs Diocese. Nearly 90% of known incidents of abuse happened more than 40 years ago, and over 85% of those victims were abused in the 1960s and 1970s.