Lent is a journey of purification and penance, a movement that should bring one tearfully back to the loving arms of the merciful Father, Pope Francis said at an Ash Wednesday Mass that began with a procession on Rome's Aventine Hill.
In a Valentine's Day ceremony to create 20 new cardinals, Pope Francis offered a meditation on Christian love and, especially, what it means for those who guide and minister in the church.
Franciscan Friar of the Atonement Father Norman Boyd, who served at parishes in Bovina, Hereford and Dimmitt in the Diocese of Amarillo, passed away Feb. 10. He was 81 years old.
Deacon Floyd Ashley, who served as Executive Assistant to two Bishops during a 14-year career at the Diocesan Pastoral Center, passed away Feb. 11. He was 70 years old.