Tornadoes, Storms Blast Southern States; Thousands without Power in Tex.,Okla.,Mis.,Ark.

At least five people were killed as hundreds of thousands were without power after tornadoes and storms ripped through a handful of states in the South last week, the Christian Post website reports today (June 23, 2023).  

Perryton, a small town in the Texas Panhandle, was particularly hard-hit by a tornado that left three dead, injured dozens, and damaged at least 150 homes on June 15.

Meanwhile, storms left over 430,000 people without power in Oklahoma, Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi,and Arkansas since June 18, according to PowerOutage.us.

Women More Likely to Die after Heart Attack Than Men; Women Need More Monitoring after Cardiac Event Than Men

 New research shows that women may be more likely to die after a heart attack than men, the Health website reports today (June 22, 2023).

The findings suggest that women may need additional monitoring and check-ins after a cardiac event to remain well. 

Heart disease is the leading cause of death among women in the U.S. 

Synod Plan Calls for Church Diversity; Church Founded by Baptism,Brothers/Sisters in Christ

 Synod of Bishops assembly members will be asked to find ways to build community, encourage the contribution of every baptized person, and strengthen the Church's primary mission of Gospel-sharing , said the working document for the October gathering, the Catholic News website reports today (June 21, 2023).

"A synodal Church is founded on the recognition of a common dignity deriving from baptism, which makes all who receive its sons and daughters of God, and therefore brothers and sisters in Christ, inhabited by the one Spirit and sent to fulfill a common mission," said the Instrumentum Laboris, which was released by the Vatican on June 19.

The Synod of Bishops assembly members are scheduled to complete their work on the Synod in October 2023.

Climate Change Causes Dead Fish, Rotting Seaweed; Global Warming Is Now Ruining Many U.S. Beaches

As Americans flock to the beach this summer, they are often greeted with disconcerting news:Their destination might be smelly with dead fish or rotting seaweed -- and danger often lurks from rip currents and even shark attacks, the USA Today website reports today (June 20, 2023). 

In a global warming world, those problems are expected to get worse, experts say. 

"The climate is changing and it's changing drastically," said Todd Crowl, director of the Institute of Environment at Florida International University in Miami. "It is measurable and happening." 

Biden Speaks to Crowd of Labor Union Supporters; Tells Philly Crowd "Unions Built America--Not Wall St."

At his first political rally since announcing his re-election  campaign for president in April, Joe Biden told a crowd of labor union supporters in Philadelphia yesterday: "Wall Street didn't build America--you did," The Guardian website reports today (June 18, 2023).

"If the investment bankers of this country went on strike tomorrow, no one would notice," Biden said during a speech which alluded to his blue-collar childhood roots in Scranton, Penn.

Yesterday's rally was hosted by the AFL-CIO, a federation of 60 labor unions representing 12.5 million workers in the U.S.,  which has endorsed Biden for his re-election in 2024.  

US Bishops Embrace Hispanic Success; See More Hispanic Bishops, Priests, Deacons

 In the U.S. bishops' new 10-year national pastroral plan for Hispanic ministry success, Alejandro Aguilera-Titus envisions a U.S.  Catholic Church in 2033 alive with Hispanic participation and influence as both by lay and ordained leaders,  the Crux website reports today (June 17, 2023).

"My hope [in 10 years] would be a Church in which Hispanic/Latino Catholic leaders have a very strong presence in all aspects of the Church, Aguilera -Titus, the assistant director for Hispanic affairs of the U.S. Bishops' told Crux. 

"More bishops, more priests, more religious men and women, more deacons, more religious ministers, more children in Catholic schools, more teachers."