Pius XII was known for saving the lives of many Jews during World War II by hiding them in religious institutions throughout the world.

In John Paul’s case, the Vatican is reviewing a miracle wherein a French nun with Parkinson’s disease was cured with no medical explanation.  She claims that she prayed for the former Pontiff’s intercession in 2005.

Dr. Rentler guest-authors this narrative about his work:

In 1996 I made my first medical mission trip to Port-Au-Prince Haiti with my evangelical church. The sights, sounds and smells were overwhelming and I developed a pretty good case of Aristide’s Revenge while there. The roosters crowed all-night long and the sounds of the barking dogs and my grumbling stomach kept me up most of the night. The  poverty of this country was beyond anything I had ever seen or heard of and I felt completely useless not having  modern diagnostic equipment, a laboratory, electricity or clean running water . I looked out the window at the mountains of Haiti as we taxied away on our return to the states and thought “I will never come back here again.”

God has a way of changing our plans and making them His. Shortly after I returned home from my first trip God worked in my heart and I knew I had to go back to Haiti again. In two weeks from today, I will be returning to Port-Au-Prince Haiti for my 13^th trip in as many years with the support of St Joseph the Worker Parish in Orefield and Our Lady of Mount Carmel in Doylestown, PA.  We will be working in a Catholic parish, Sts. Simon and Jude, where we started a new medical mission last year. Five years ago my wife and I returned to the Catholic faith we were baptized into, but that is yet another story!  My wife joined me on one of the trips several years ago and as a result she obtained her LPN degree so she could work with me on future trips.  She will be making her fourth trip with me this November 14^th.

Haiti is the poorest nation in the Western Hemisphere.  Only a few hours from the richest nation in the world, the needs there  are tremendous. The majority of patients we see have never seen a doctor and just a few physicians have one very short week to provide the general medical needs of a parish of several hundred families, as well as others in the area who hear about the “blanc medikal” and hurriedly line up to get into the clinic.  Through the generous donations of multiple parishes and individuals we take about 1400 lbs of medications… equivalent to a small portable Rite Aid Pharmacy.

With the grace of God and good translators provided by a Catholic mission in PAP, we attempt to hear the multiple complaints of soft-spoken humble Haitians who have just a few minutes to tell us of their many maladies. There is a fair chance they are also complaining for other family members but we gladly give them as much medicine as we can to match the symptoms and findings we are presented with.

Despite the grinding poverty and the completely devastated countryside, the beauty of Haiti lies in its people and their tremendous faith in the God they trust to provide all their needs. I have always felt that I get much more out of going to Haiti than I could ever give and surely there is no other place in the world that one can be closer to Christ than in His poorest children.  “Whatsover you do for the least of these, that you do unto me.”

Would you join us on this mission by your prayers and offering up your sorrows and difficulties in union with Christ for the sake of his body, our brothers and sisters in Haiti?

Thank you and God bless you.

Russ Rentler, M.D.

The guide recommends 21 Catholic colleges in the United States, online and unique programs based on its evaluation of the strength of the schools’ Catholic identity.  Evaluations are based on four years of research and hundreds of interviews.

Each college or program is profiled on its academics, governance, spiritual life, student activities and residence life, a press release from the Cardinal Newman Society (CNS) says. A letter to families from each college president and information on financial aid packages have been added to the second edition’s profiles.

The guide also includes several essays to help families better understand their search for a strong Catholic college. Essay subjects include the state of Catholic higher ed, how to find God on a Catholic campus, and how to afford a Catholic education.

The full text of the Newman Guide can be found here.

Click here to read DeSales University’s profile from the Newman Guide.

The new translations will have a direct effect on Catholics’ spiritual, prayer and moral life.   Consider this excerpt from Liturgiam Authenticam, the instruction on the use of vernacular languages within the liturgical books of the Roman liturgy:

To find out more, visit the US Conference of Catholic Bishops website:  http://www.usccb.org/romanmissal/