National News
Help a neighbor, visit grandparents as part of Lent, pastor suggests
Father Dan Rupp, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church in Sioux City, Iowa, talks with sixth-graders Feb. 14 at Holy Cross School-Blessed Sacrament center about the upcoming Ash Wednesday observance.
Border bishops call for dignity regardless of ‘migration condition’
Catholic bishops whose dioceses are along the U.S.-Mexico border spoke of the "pain, the fear, and the anguish" they're seeing in immigrants and vowed to follow the example of the pope in building "bridges, rather than the walls of exclusion and exploitation."
For African-Americans, new history museum ‘tells our story’
The new museum, part of the Smithsonian Institution, has drawn about 750,000 visitors in the four months since it opened and is already one of the most popular attractions in Washington.
Rallies held nationwide call on Congress to defund Planned Parenthood
More than 15,000 people attended 229 rallies held in 45 states. Average attendance was around 75, but in some cities, crowds numbered as high as 600, according to a new release issued after the rallies.
Need for Catholic health care has never been greater, says cardinal
"In a totally secularized society, there is more than ever a hunger for the witness to the meaning of human life and human suffering which Catholic health care gives," said Cardinal Burke.
‘Radical hospitality’ drives founders of Houston food truck park to serve
Above a row of dozens of craft beer taps, a handwritten line from the Rule of St. Benedict declares a mission: "Hospites Tamquam Christus Siscipiantur." Translated from Latin, it says, "Greet others as if they were Christ,"
Bishop Cantu urges administration to pursue deeper nuclear arms cuts
The correspondence pressed the secretary of state to ensure that both countries build on the New START agreement, a pact negotiated in 2010 that calls for reducing their strategic arsenals.
Americans grow warmer toward religious groups, Pew study finds
While Americans still feel less positive about Muslims and atheists, those participating in a survey in January viewed people in those two religious groups more positively than in June 2014.
Convalidation ceremonies bring couples married civilly fully into church
In dioceses around the country, couples married civilly take part in such services to receive the sacrament of matrimony and be in full communion with the church.
People with mental health issues often seek out faith leaders for help
Religious leaders are the "trusted soldiers" people turn to when dealing with mental health issues, and their ability to identify God's presence in people's lives gives hope and strength to hurting members of the community.