The role of Mary and St. John the Baptist are unique in the life of the Church as they were the first to encounter Christ and point to Him at all times during their lives.

The bishop offered a Mass Aug. 15, the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, at St. Joan of Arc Church in solidarity with those affected by the Aug. 10 earthquake in western Colombia

Bishop Manuel de Jesús Rodríguez presided at the 31st anniversary Mass for Notre Dame Mission in Fort Pierce Aug. 16 in honor of its patroness, Our Lady of the Assumption, in thanksgiving for its years of serving the community and ministering to Haitians in the area. The celebration included a children’s procession, liturgical dance and song.

The Catholic Church’s present teaching is clear: the death penalty is inadmissible because it attacks the inviolability and dignity of the human person. For this reason, the Church is firmly committed to its abolition throughout the world.