Sr. Gloria Cecilia Narváez Argoti, a nun from Columbia, was freed four years after being kidnapped by Islamists in Mali. Sr. Gloria, a member of the Congregation of the Franciscan Sisters of Mary Immaculate, was kidnapped in Karangasso, about 90 miles south of San, near the border with Burkina Faso, on Feb. 7, 2017. The kidnappers were going to take the youngest nun, but Sr. Gloria, who served 12 years before the kidnapping, reportedly volunteered to take her place. In October, after she was released, she received a blessing from Pope Francis at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome.
Murdered British lawmaker was Catholic, pro-life
British lawmaker Sir David Amess died Oct. 15 after suffering multiple stab wounds at a Methodist church in southeast England. Amess, 69, was a Member of Parliament since 1983 and a member of the Conservative party. He was Catholic, pro-life, and reportedly a strong supporter of Catholic education and animal welfare. Amess was holding a meeting with his constituents at Belfairs Methodist Church when the attack took place.
‘I offer the pain I’m going through’: Shot Catholic bishop-elect prays for purification of S Sudan diocese
Fr. Christian Carlassare, the Bishop-Elect of Rumbek, was shot in both legs when two armed men fired multiple bullets at him after breaking into his room at the priests’ residence at Holy Family Cathedral in Rumbek in the early hours of April 26. He was later airlifted to the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, for specialized treatment. He offered up his pain with the hope that God would purify his diocese in South Sudan.
Underground Catholic bishop dies in China
Bishop Andrea Han Jingtao, 99, a leader in the underground Catholic Church in China, died Dec. 30. Han was the underground Bishop of Siping. He was secretly appointed bishop of Siping in 1982, but his consecration could only happen in 1986. After being put under strict house surveillance in 1997, he continued to tend his flock under constant threat, convening secret gatherings and encouraging the laity to remain steadfast in faith and charity.
Catholic doctor honored for service during COVID-19 pandemic
Major Daniel E. O'Connell, MD, MPH, received this year’s Catholic Doctor of the Year Award for his response to the COVID-19 pandemic. A neurologist, O’Connell said his Catholic faith is integral to his medical career. O’Connell is also a medical officer in the U.S. Air Force Reserves, and, on April 4, 2020, he was asked to deploy within 24 hours to New York City, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. He served at Lincoln Hospital in the Bronx, which he said was the second-most hit hospital in the city at the time.
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The Hero Art Project connects artists with families of healthcare workers lost to COVID-19
More than 100 healthcare workers have been honored in The Hero Art Project, a digital portrait art exhibit recognizing healthcare workers whose lives were lost to the COVID-19 pandemic over the last two years. Portrait artists were selected by family members of the healthcare workers with the help of ARTHOUSE.NYC, a digital art gallery. The portraits have been displayed in a variety of digital settings over the last year, including in the windows of large buildings, on digital kiosks at bus stops, and on billboards in the “Big Screen Plaza” at 29th Street and Sixth Avenue in New York City.
Autumn Jones was a staff writer with Catholic News Agency through 2021. She is a graduate of Gonzaga University and the University of Colorado. She is based in Denver.
