Showing posts with label Las Vegas. Show all posts

Thursday, March 1, 2018

New Bishop for Las Vegas

US: Pope Names New Bishop of Las Vegas

Bishop George Leo Thomas of Helena, Montana

March 1, 2018ZENIT StaffCatholic Church

Bishop George Thomas

Pope Francis has named the Most Reverend George Leo Thomas as Bishop of Las Vegas, Nevada. At the same time, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Joseph A. Pepe, who has reached the age of mandatory retirement. Bishop Pepe has served as Bishop of Las Vegas for nearly 17 years.
Bishop Thomas has served as Bishop of Helena, Montana, for nearly 14 years. He will be installed as Bishop of Las Vegas on May 15, 2018. There are nearly 750,000 Catholics in the Diocese of Las Vegas, a Catholic population nearly 15 times the size of the Diocese of Helena.
George Leo Thomas was born in Anaconda, Montana, and raised in nearby Butte. He is a graduate of the Diocese of Helena’s Carroll College. His family relocated to Seattle, Wash., where he was ordained as a priest for the Archdiocese of Seattle on May 22, 1976.
During his tenure in the Archdiocese of Seattle, Father Thomas served in four different parishes, chaired Catholic Charities-Seattle and the Archdiocesan Housing Authority, and was night chaplain for King County Jail for 13 years. While in Seattle, Father Thomas served as Chancellor and Vicar General for three different Archbishops during a span of 17 years. He holds two Masters’ Degrees and a Ph.D. from the University of Washington.
He was appointed as Auxiliary Bishop of Seattle on November 19, 1999, and ordained Bishop on January 28, 2000. Bishop Thomas was appointed as Bishop of Helena on March 23, 2004, and installed on June 4 that same year.
Youth, young adult, and campus ministry flourished under Bishop Thomas’ leadership. He dedicated three new Churches, ordained 18 permanent deacons and 14 priests for the Diocese of Helena, and is distinguished for his pastoral presence to his priests and seminarians. He helped bring new vigor and visibility to the Guatemala Mission, with its Clinica Maxeña and Asunción School.
Bishop Thomas addressed the extraordinarily difficult clergy sexual abuse crisis through a unique model of pastoral care and mediation which was characterized by the Bankruptcy Judge as a “singular achievement” of the Judge’s 30 years on the bench.
In addition to serving on numerous boards and committees in the Diocese of Helena, Bishop Thomas is the Chancellor of Carroll College, a Board member of the Catholic Health Association and of the Catholic Extension Society of Chicago. He also is a member of the Board of Trustees at St. John Vianney Seminary in Denver, a Regent at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon, and a Board member of the Catholic Mutual Society of America. He is an honorary member of the Blackfeet Nation, a community he holds very dear to his heart.
“It is difficult to leave Montana,” Bishop Thomas said. “But, Pope Francis requests that each Bishop possess a generous missionary spirit. In light of the Holy Father’s request and with humble thanks for the confidence he places in me, I joyfully accept this appointment.”

Monday, October 2, 2017

US Bishops express condolences after Las Vegas massacre

US bishops join in prayer after Las Vegas shooting

October 2, 2017 CNA Daily News

Las Vegas, Nev., Oct 2, 2017 / 09:59 am (CNA/EWTN News).- On Monday, the U.S. Bishops’ Conference voiced grief over a mass shooting in Las Vegas, Nevada, which has been called the deadliest mass shooting in modern American history.
“My heart and my prayers, and those of my brother bishops and all the members of the Church, go out to the victims of this tragedy and to the city of Las Vegas,” said Cardinal Daniel N. DiNardo of Galveston-Houston, president of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, in an Oct. 2 statement.
Calling for prayer and care for those suffering, DiNardo offered a traditional Catholic prayer for the dead and asked protection from God for those who are suffering.
“In the end, the only response is to do good – for no matter what the darkness, it will never overcome the light,” the cardinal counseled.
DiNardo’s statements follow an Oct. 1 shooting during a concert at the three-day Route 91 Harvest festival in Las Vegas, Nevada. While details are still emerging, at least 50 people have died, and the Las Vegas Police Department reports that around 500 people have been hospitalized due to the shooting.
The sold-out concert was on the Las Vegas Strip, and thousands came to see acts including as Eric Church, Sam Hunt and Jason Aldean.
The shooter has been identified as 64-year-old Las Vegas local Stephen Paddock. According to the Associate Press, Paddock shot and killed himself in his hotel room as police tried to enter the room. Police are still investigating whether Paddock acted alone or with the help of accomplices

Pope Francis sends message on Las Vegas massacre

Pope Sends Telegram for Shooting in Las Vegas

‘Deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas, Pope Francis sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy’

October 2, 2017Deborah Castellano LubovPope and Holy See

‘Deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas, Pope Francis sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy.’

Pope Francis expressed this in his condolences to the loved ones and victims of those affected by the tragic shooting in Las Vegas last evening.

In the message sent today, Oct. 2, 2017, on the Pope’s behalf by Vatican Secretary of State, the Pope assures those suffering of his prayers, thanks those responding to the tragedy and commends the souls of those who died to the merciful love of almighty God.

During a concert at the Route 91 Harvest Festival, more than 50 lives were claimed and left some 500 others injured, marking the worst mass shooting in US history.

Below is the Vatican-provided text of the Holy Father’s telegram:

***

Pope Francis’ Message

The Most Reverend Joseph Anthony Pepe

Bishop of Las Vegas

Deeply saddened to learn of the shooting in Las Vegas, Pope Francis sends the assurance of his spiritual closeness to all those affected by this senseless tragedy. He commends the efforts of the police and emergency service personnel, and offers the promise of his prayers for the injured and for all who have died, entrusting them to the merciful love of Almighty God.

Cardinal Pietro Parolin

Secretary of State

[Original text: English]

© Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Unspeakable tragedy greets America on this Monday morning; God come to our aid, quickly

More than 50 dead, 200 wounded after man fires on outdoor concert in Las Vegas; motive unknown

By Sally Ho and Regina Garcia Cano - Associated Press - Updated: 7:16 a.m. on Monday, October 2, 2017

LAS VEGAS (AP) — A gunman perched high on the 32nd floor of a Las Vegas Strip casino unleashed a shower of bullets down on an outdoor country music festival below, killing at least 50 people and wounding more than 200 as tens of thousands of frantic concert-goers screamed and ran for their lives, officials said Monday. It was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history.
Country music star Jason Aldean was performing Sunday night at the end of the three-day Route 91 Harvest Festival when the gunman opened fire across the street from inside the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino. SWAT teams quickly descended on the concert and the casino, and officers used explosives to get into the hotel room where the suspect was inside, authorities said.
The gunman died at the scene and was identified by Clark County Sheriff Joseph Lombardo as Stephen Paddock. A motive as not immediately known.

SEE ALSO: Stephen Paddock, 64, identified as Las Vegas shooting suspect, killed by police

The Independent described Paddock as a 64-year-old white male.
Aldean was in the middle of a song when the shots came rapidly: Pop-pop-pop-pop. Video of the shooting then showed Aldean stopping and the crowd getting quiet as if they were unsure of what had just happened. The gunman paused and then fired another volley of muzzle flashes from the gold glass casino as more victims fell to the ground while others fled in panic. Some said they hid behind concession stands and other crawled under parked cars.
Kodiak Yazzie, 36, said the music stopped temporarily when the first shots began and the tune even started up again before the second round of pops sent the performers ducking for cover and fleeing the stage.

SEE ALSO: Trump responds to Las Vegas shooting, offers condolences

“It was the craziest stuff I’ve ever seen in my entire life,” Yazzie said. “You could hear that the noise was coming from west of us, from Mandalay Bay. You could see a flash- flash- flash- flash.”
Thousands in the crowd fled as the bullets ran rampant. Monique Dumas from British Columbia, Canada, said she was at the concert, six rows from the front of the stage when she thought she heard a bottle breaking, and then a burst of popping sounds that may have been fireworks. She said as she made her way out, it was “organized chaos” as everyone fled. “It took four to five minutes and all that time there was gunfire.”
In addition to Paddock, police said they located a woman who may have been his roommate — Marilou Danley, 62. Lombardo said they believe this was a “lone wolf” attack.
“It’s a devastating time,” Lombardo said.
Police shut down the usually busy Las Vegas Boulevard and authorities across the state and federal ranks converged onto the scene as dozens of ambulances ferried those struck by gunfire. Nearby Interstate 15 and flights at McCarran International Airport were also halted. Hospital emergency rooms were jammed with victims delivered by ambulance. Others loaded the wounded into their cars and drove them to hospitals.
Jose Baggett, 31, of Las Vegas, said he and a friend were in the lobby of the Luxor hotel-casino — directly north of the festival — when people began to run, almost like in a stampede. He said people were crying and as he and his friend started walking away minutes later, they encountered police checkpoints where officers were carrying shotguns and assault rifles.
“There were armored personnel vehicles, SWAT vehicles, ambulances, and at least a half-mile of police cars,” Baggett said.
Among those killed were two off-duty police officers who were attending the concert and two other on-duty officers were wounded, including one in critical condition, police said.
Hours after the shooting, Aldean posted on Instagram that he and his crew were safe and said the shooting was “beyond horrific.”
“It hurts my heart that this would happen to anyone who was just coming out to enjoy what should have been a fun night,” Aldean said.
The shooting at the sold-out Route 91 Harvest festival was the worst mass shooting in modern U.S. history. Forty-nine people were killed when a gunman opened fire at the Pulse nightclub in Orlando in June 2016.
Sunday’s shooting came more than four months after a suicide bombing at an Ariana Grande concert in Manchester, England, that killed 22 people. Almost 90 people were killed by gunmen inspired by Islamic State at the Bataclan concert hall in Paris during a performance by Eagles of Death Metal in November 2015

Thursday, December 10, 2015

Happened last weekend in Las Vegas; small example of coming Catholic persecution?

Parishioners Terrified as Men Interrupt Catholic Masses by Shouting Religious Messages — and It’s All on Video

Dec. 10, 2015 11:02am Billy Hallowell

Parishioners at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church in Las Vegas, Nevada, were reportedly terrified after men stormed into Mass last weekend and began disrupting a sermon by making proclamations about the pope, Jesus and other religious subject matter.
It’s a scene that has purportedly unfolded at a number of churches and at a local Catholic high school, leaving some congregants and residents who have witnessed these spectacles on edge, according to KTNV-TV.

But the interruptions have been entirely peaceful, despite the frustrations and uneasiness that they have caused.
The events appear to be organized group of evangelists known as Koosha Las Vegas — a cohort that includes ex-Muslims who have converted to Christianity, the outlet reported.
See video footage from one of these church encounters below:

During these impromptu interruptions, the street preachers pass out fliers and tell Catholic parishioners to “repent and turn to Jesus Christ,” that the “Pope is a Satan” and that statues of Mary, Jesus’ mother, are also satanic in nature.
“Stop worshipping to the idols. Idols are not going to save you,” one man is seen proclaiming during the Dec. 5 Mass at Our Lady of Las Vegas Catholic Church. “You need Jesus Christ.”
Koosha Las Vegas participants also end up posting video footage from some of these encounters to a YouTube page, according to KTNV-TV.

Police told the outlet that no arrests have been made in relation to the disturbances, as there have technically been no crimes committed. Authorities said that, though some parishioners were initially scared, there does not appear to be any terror-related threat.
That said, at least one crime expert told KTNV-TV that he believes that the men are guilty of a misdemeanor crime in Nevada known as “disturbing a religious meeting” and that he believes that they should be charged.
Additional videos posted to the Koosha Las Vegas YouTube page show that these Christians have also protested on the street and outside of an abortion clinic, among other locations.
One video shows participants clashing with a woman who appears to work for the aforementioned clinic. Watch at the 8:00 mark below:

(H/T: KTNV-TV)

abitadeacon