Five Things to Remember on July 24

1. Cardinal Timothy Dolan, president of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, drew a standing ovation after speaking with young people at a catechetical session at World Youth Day July 24. Speaking about being patient with the time it takes to discern God’s will, Cardinal Dolan noted: "We like a microwave, God prefers a crockpot."

2. For World Youth Day, all Catholic News Service stories, videos and photos — quite good — are available online. The full texts  of Pope Francis’s  remarks — and eventually of all his talks — can be found on the Vatican website.

3. Some church collections suggest an improved economy and continuously generous Catholics. A look at the 2012 numbers, for example, show they were up from the previous year for the following collections: Catholic Campaign for Human Development, Church in Latin America, Church in Central and Eastern Europe, Catholic Home Missions, and Solidarity Fund for Church in Africa.

4. As it highlights its annual report, Catholic Relief Services (CRS) reports that donors provided a total of $196 million in private contributions. Carolyn Woo, CRS president, said “this allowed CRS to feed, care for, shelter, empower and protect poor children, women and men in 91 countries.” CRS’s interactive annual report can be found online.

5. God loves you.

(USCCB Photo/Matt Palmer)