The 111th novena to Good St. Anne will be celebrated at St Anne of the Sunset Church in San Francisco, beginning July 18. A common question is why is a novena nine days? Novena means nine; so, to say I am going to pray a novena means nine of something – nine days, nine weeks, nine rosaries. But the question remains: Why nine?

The archdiocesan Restorative Justice Ministry has created two new support groups to expand outreach to incarcerated individuals and their families, including those detained on immigration matters.

Out of his and his wife’s inability to find resources “designed to take healthy couples and lead them more deeply into a shared encounter with Christ,” Chris Stravitsch decided to help fill that need. He is a co-founder of the St. John Paul II Foundation, offering “formation and education in the areas of life and family,” and its “Together in Holiness” program, dedicated to “forming spouses so that they can form their families.”

Father Raymund Reyes, vicar for clergy, on behalf of Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone, announced new appointments in the assignment cycle, and other changes in the presbyterate. Appointments are effective July 1, 2018, unless otherwise noted.

Sisters of Mercy who entered the community in Burlingame celebrate their years of religious life and service to the broader community on July 29 at a Jubilee Mass at the Mercy Convent Chapel in Burlingame.

More than 65 Catholics crowded into the rectory at Sts. Peter and Paul Church in San Francisco to hear firsthand stories of Christian persecution in Nigeria and Asia as the Archdiocese of San Francisco concluded Religious Freedom Week with prayer and discussion on the solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul June 29.

Representatives gather June 23 during the Region II encuentro held June 22-24 in Albany, New York. The process leading to the National Fifth Encuentro in Texas in the fall aims to identify and train 20,000 new Hispanic ministry leaders and urge all of the Catholic Church’s pastoral leaders, not just Hispanics, to strengthen their outreach to Hispanic youth and young adults. “This is the time to listen to young people.

On the 50th year anniversary of “Humanae Vitae,” let’s take a moment to consider the differences between NFP and contraception. Some people think they are essentially the same because both are used by couples who want to have sexual intercourse but who don’t want to have a baby. But it is not just the intention that determines the morality of an action – it is also the means used. How do these means differ?

VATICAN CITY – Defending the weak or hopeless and becoming a servant to those most in need is the best promotion one can ever receive, Pope Francis told new and old cardinals.

Here’s a moving testimonial to God’s surprising, unexpected, blessings: “I asked God for health that I might do great things, but I was given infirmity that I might do better things. I asked for riches that I might be happy, but I was given poverty that I might be wise.

There’s an axiom that says: Roman Catholics tend to adore Mary while Protestants and Evangelicals tend to ignore Mary. Neither is ideal.

Mary, the mother of Jesus, has been giving messages to six people since 1981 in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina. A message for the world is given on the 25th of the month. The message is peace, rosary, Mass, confession, fasting on Fridays.

Faithful disposing Many Catholics have religious articles, rosaries and missals among them, that are in bad shape or no longer wanted. It seems sacrilegious to toss them into the trash or recycle bin.

I have to agree with Laurie Joyce on her stance concerning women priests (Letters, June 21). When the church calls for a special devotion for priesthood vocations, I have to shake my head in disbelief. When the church needs priests, how can it refuse to recognize the one group of Catholics that would make good priests. I have heard all the excuses the church uses to defend the all-male priesthood.

Congratulations to Father Rolheiser for a very insightful article, “Stirring the Smoldering Ashes of Our Faith” (June 21).

The attorney general of the United States recently proclaimed, “I would cite you the Apostle Paul and his clear and wise command in Romans 13 to obey the laws of the government because God has ordained the government for his purposes.” The White House press secretary agreed, “It’s a moral policy to follow and enforce the law.”

The vacation season is an opportunity to escape TwitterWorld and do some serious reading. These books will help make your summer enjoyable, instructive, or both.

It has been a bad time for celebrity news, with several high-profile suicides bringing the difficult topic to the forefront of people’s minds, reawakening painful memories for those who have lost a friend or family member in similar circumstances.

A comprehensive 2015 scientific review found medical marijuana to be useful only for a small number of medical conditions. Writing in the Journal of the American Medical Association, an international team of researchers found scant evidence to support broad claims for the drug’s effectiveness.

Paulist Father George Roland Fitzgerald, a former pastor of Old St. Mary’s Cathedral in San Francisco, died June 20, at the rectory of Newman Hall/Holy Spirit Parish in Berkeley where he is also a former pastor. He was 86 years old.