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Yahoo
a day ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Vacant Columbus church finds new purpose as drop-in center for homeless youth
COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — A central Ohio church that has sat vacant since the Catholic Diocese of Columbus closed it in 2023 will soon become a new drop-in center for homeless youth. Star House, a Columbus nonprofit aiding youth who are experiencing homelessness, purchased the former St. Ladislas Church at 277 Reeb Ave. on July 9 for $1.17 million, Franklin County Auditor's Office records show. The church property will be renovated into Star House's second drop-in center, where youth will be provided a safe space with food, clothing, hygiene items, laundry facilities and showers. Now able to endorse political candidates, Ohio churches express interest in staying neutral St. Ladislas was among 15 churches marked for closure two years ago when the diocese moved to overhaul the structure of its parishes in response to shifting demographics, a dwindling priesthood, aging infrastructure and budgetary challenges. Watch a previous NBC4 report on the diocese's 2023 announcement in the video player above. The acquisition comes after Star House launched a $10 million fundraising campaign earlier this year, $7 million of which is being dedicated to the purchase and conversion of the 26,000-square-foot church. The effort recently got a boost from Columbus City Council, which voted on July 21 to grant $1 million to the organization for the new facility. 'Star House will be doing significant renovations to bring new life and purpose to that space, helping to serve the community once again, this time in a new and vital way,' Council President Shannon Hardin said during the meeting. 'This second site will expand their reach, increase capacity and make sure that even more youth in our community can be served.' Hardin said the contribution is a 'good strategic investment' given the property is across the street from the Reeb Center, home to several organizations that have partnered to serve the area. Together, the center and Star House 'will really have an impact for young people through our city's south side,' said Hardin. Without paper mill, toxic underground plume could rise and spread in Chillicothe Boasted as 'central Ohio's only 24/7/365 drop-in center,' Star House was founded in 2006 and operates its first location in Milo Grogan at 1220 Corrugated Way, near the Ohio Expo Center. There, youth also have access to therapy, case management, housing, transportation, healthcare, employment, education, addiction services, legal aid, government benefits, ID cards and more. The remaining $3 million of Star House's campaign is expected to benefit an infrastructure fund supporting ongoing operations. The organization also helps operate Carol Stewart Village, a former motel at 1567 W Broad St. that was transformed into an apartment complex with 62 studio units for young adults experiencing homelessness. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Solve the daily Crossword
BBC News
20-07-2025
- Health
- BBC News
University of Brighton nursing students to care for Lourdes pilgrims
Nursing students from Sussex will join a week-long pilgrimage to Lourdes, supporting people living with serious health needs and disabilities as part of a international year, between four and six million pilgrims visit Lourdes in south-west France, one of the world's most significant Catholic pilgrimage sites, many while living with illness, disability, or students from the University of Brighton will accompany The Catholic Diocese of Arundel and Brighton's pilgrimage, offering hands-on care to support more than 700 Ryan, from the university, said: "Opportunities like this offer students life-shaping experiences." The pilgrimage, taking place from 25-31 July, will be part of a new clinical placement for the university's nursing students. According to the university, the programme offers rare professional experience in delivering round-the-clock, holistic care to people with complex needs in a deeply personal, faith-based will support pilgrims with daily personal care, medical needs, and emotional support throughout the Hao, a third year nursing student, said: "As someone who isn't religious, I was curious to understand what this journey means to others."After the training day, I realised it's about belief, faith and hope – qualities that help people face life's biggest challenges. That resonated with me, reminding me of my own journey through nursing." Natalie Timmerman is one of the seven nurses travelling to Lourdes, said it was a "privilege'. "As nurses we provide holistic, person-centred care for our patients, that includes spirituality and emotional wellbeing alongside their physical wellbeing," she added. The initiative is part of a wider drive by the University of Brighton to diversify placement opportunities for health students. Alongside established NHS and community partnerships, the university is expanding its international placement offer – including programmes in Kenya and other Moon, chief nurse for the Arundel & Brighton Lourdes Pilgrimage, said: "Nursing on pilgrimage is a truly rewarding experience – offering care to those who might not otherwise be able to travel."
Sunday World
19-07-2025
- General
- Sunday World
Families locked in bitter row with church over building work at graveyard
Families who had to fight for their relatives' unmarked graves to be protected say they simply don't believe that there are no human remains within the area earmarked for expansion. Work has started to extend Milltown Cemetery, with the Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor promising that graves containing remains of thousands of infants will not impacted Siubhainin Ni Chutnneagam(sitting) and Toni Maguire have serious concerns over work at babies' graves in Milltown cemetery. Campaigner Ms Toni Maguire, a Archaeologist and Anthropologist has serious concerns about the resale of burial ground in Milltown, believed to be the final resting place of hundreds of babies. Work has started to extend Milltown Cemetery, with the Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor promising that graves containing remains of thousands of infants will not impacted Work has started to extend Milltown Cemetery, with the Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor promising the 'baby graves' section will remain intact and untouched. Siubhainin Ni Chutnneagam, has serious concerns over work being carried out close to the babies' graves in Milltown cemetery. The Catholic Church has betrayed families who were promised the Bog Meadows burials at a Belfast cemetery would never be disturbed, say campaigners. The Down and Connor diocese recently announced it had secured the future of the graveyard at Milltown Cemetery for the next 25 years by opening new plots. Families who had to fight for their relatives' unmarked graves to be protected say they simply don't believe that there are no human remains within the area earmarked for expansion. Forensic archaeologist Professor Toni Maguire played a key role in the six acres of Bog Meadows being returned to Church ownership in 2009 after it had been sold off to the Ulster Wildlife Trust. The sale sparked outrage as there are believed to be at least 11,000 people buried there, including infants who weren't baptised, adults who died by suicide and mass graves for the poor who couldn't afford a plot. Work has started to extend Milltown Cemetery, with the Catholic Diocese of Down and Connor promising that graves containing remains of thousands of infants will not impacted When the land was bought back, then Bishop Noel Treanor said the area was 'sacred ground' and would be untouched. But the Bog Meadows section of the cemetery is now set to be sold off as new graves after a review of Milltown's records and archaeological surveys, according to the diocese. However, Professor Maguire and some of the families say there are no records to review. Siubhainin Ni Chutnneagam, has serious concerns over work being carried out close to the babies' graves in Milltown cemetery. Today's News in 90 Seconds - July 19th 'Some of the old gravediggers who were there for 20 years told me they buried right out across that whole land but stopped making it regular graves and then there were just pits,' she says. 'They stopped recording in about 1986 because they were told no one is ever going to come looking for these babies. 'I have an affidavit from a man who grew up here who says you could have coffin-hopped from one end of it to the other.' She says human remains have already been disrespected. Siubhainin Ni Chutnneagam(sitting) and Toni Maguire have serious concerns over work at babies' graves in Milltown cemetery. While observing the massive earthworks in the Bog Meadows section of Milltown last year, Toni was present when a femur was unearthed. She was informed that it probably came from the clearing of poor graves further up the cemetery, which had been disinterred and dumped in the Bog Meadows in the 1970s. Toni also insisted that a car park was dug up when she discovered infant remains were underneath it. Many of the children were from Mother and Baby homes, which are now the subject of a public inquiry. 'Knowing all these burials were there they tarmacked over the top of it,' she said. 'When I came in and started looking I said, 'you are going to have to move this tarmac because the babies are underneath it. People are parking their car here when they're coming to look for their baby and I'm having to say 'the grave is where your car is parked'. That was 2009.' Bernadette Boyd sought Toni's help when she was looking for the remains of her sister Mary Ann Byrne, stillborn in 1961. Under the rules of the Catholic Church then she couldn't be buried in consecrated ground as she hadn't been baptised. In such circumstances families often buried their children in unmarked graves at the edge of the cemetery. 'Toni helped us find where she might be buried, but she could be six foot behind that, which is the area being dug up now,' says Bernadette. 'I can't understand how they can say there are definitely no remains there. When we started to look Milltown told us they couldn't help us as there were no records. 'Now they're saying the records are going to be digitised. Campaigner Ms Toni Maguire, a Archaeologist and Anthropologist has serious concerns about the resale of burial ground in Milltown, believed to be the final resting place of hundreds of babies. 'I think they know babies are buried there or they wouldn't keep saying they aren't. 'I'm confident there are human remains there, and mass graves as well.' She believes money is a motivating factor, as graves can be sold for up to £4,000. Belfast is also desperately short of space for graves, and in the 1980s it was reported that Milltown Cemetery was full. Campaigner Siubhainin Ní Chutnneagam has gone as far as the Vatican to plead the case for the Bog Meadows to be left alone. She says families like hers have been poorly treated by the diocese. 'They told families for years, like mine, your relatives are buried elsewhere and then by the time we discovered where our relatives were there they had sold 37 acres to the Ulster Wildlife Trust,' says 'There are thousands of remains of adults, children, all mass graves. Then rubbish was dumped on it for years when the Church sold it for landfill. There are still graves on some of this land. 'We know the majority of the remains are not on the spot where the grave is. I can't really tell because they have never produced a map.' Siubhainin knows that her great-grandfather is in a mass grave with 29 other remains, and her aunt and a cousin, who died as an infant are in a mass grave containing 429 remains. 'At the minute my relatives haven't been touched by the digger,' she says. 'At the start if they had just held their hands up when we discovered our families were in that land and said 'we're sorry we'll fix it all and put headstones up and leave it,' but it's all about the money.' Expert Toni says it's also not widely known that Milltown is a private cemetery where graves are leased, currently for 75 years. Alliance MLA Nuala McAllister, who believes three of her siblings are buried in unmarked graves in Milltown Cemetery, has introduced a Private Member's Bill calling for privately-run cemeteries to be subject to the same regulations as council-owned graveyards. Toni says she has concerns about her uncle's grave. 'My uncle is buried in one of the last graves in the old poor ground and I have real concerns that if they get away with this they are going to hit that next because every grave is worth up to £4,000 a time. 'Legally as the law stands today private cemetery status means any cemetery attached to any religious order has full control over who they bury, how they bury you, and what they do with your remains when your time is up.' In a statement, a spokesperson for the Diocese of Down and Connor says: 'The area now under development is part of a 6.3-acre site that was transferred back to diocesan ownership from Ulster Wildlife in 2009. 'Prior to any work beginning, three independent archaeological surveys and a review of burial records were carried out under licence from the Department for Communities. These confirm with certainty that no burials exist within the area now under development. All archaeological conditions have been fully met.'
RNZ News
18-07-2025
- RNZ News
Photo of person of interest in Avondale church fire released
A person of interest in the burning of a church in Avondale, July 2025. Photo: Supplied Police have released an image of a man they want to speak to in relation to a fire that significantly damaged a school's church in Auckland this week. The fire broke out at St Mary's Church on Great North Road in Avondale in the early hours of Monday morning. Police say they are seeking the public's help to identify a man captured on security cameras. Anyone with info was urged to call 105 and cite reference number 250714/2083, or call Crime Stoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111. General manager of the Catholic Diocese of Auckland James van Schie on Monday said he was "absolutely shocked and devastated". "The tragic loss of their beloved church is a great sadness for the Catholic community of St Mary's Avondale." A blaze gutted the church at Saint Mary's Catholic School in Avondale, Auckland. Photo: RNZ / Victor Waters He said the parish was established in 1921 and the church itself was rebuilt in the late 1950s. He also said at the time he was hopeful CCTV could help provide clues on the cause of the fire. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
CBS News
14-07-2025
- General
- CBS News
Bishop Mark Eckman to be installed as 13th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh
Bishop Mark Eckman will be installed as the 13th bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh on Monday, following the retirement of longtime former Bishop David Zubik. Bishop Eckman will have the authority and responsibility to govern and care for the Catholic Church in the six counties of the Diocese of Pittsburgh: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence and Washington, according to a news release from the diocese. Solemn vespers took place in Saint Paul Cathedral on Sunday afternoon ahead of Monday's Installation Mass. The Installation Mass is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. Those attending the service are asked to be seated by 1:30. The Most Reverend Nelson J. Perez, metropolitan Archbishop of Philadelphia, will preside. During the Mass, Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the apostolic nuncio who represents Pope Leo XIV in the United States, will present Bishop Eckman with the official decree, also known as the papal "bull" from Pope Leo XIV, declaring his appointment to Pittsburgh. Who is Bishop Mark Eckman? A South Hills native, Bishop Eckman is a longtime Pittsburgh pastor who has also served in several diocesan-level roles. He was ordained an auxiliary bishop in 2022 and assisted Bishop Zubik with pastoral care of the diocese. Pope Leo XIV appointed Bishop Eckman to succeed Bishop Zubik on June 4 due to Zubik reaching the mandatory retirement age of 75. "With a grateful and humble heart, I accept this appointment and ask for the prayers of all the faithful," Bishop Eckman said at the time of his appointment. "Together, we will continue the mission of Jesus Christ with hope."
