National News
Family’s faith comes to head in Tridentine Brewing operation
Lifelong Catholic Trevor Alcorn's great-great-grandmother brewed beer in her bathtub in Chicago during Prohibition in the 1920s. Today his home-brew hobby is running professionally and with an eye to the saints, especially Blessed Karl of Austria.
Couple: Young Catholic adults need community, parish outreach
A young Pittsburgh couple, 24 and 23, are sharing their strong faith with their peers, one at a time, through activities and friendships. From this personal relationship emerges community, "and then they become interested in our Catholic way of life."
States, businesses, religious groups urge court to block vaccine mandate
The U.S. Supreme Court will hear legal challenges beginning Jan. 7 to the Biden administration's mandate, requiring vaccines or COVID-19 testing in businesses with at least 100 employees.
Supreme Court sends Texas abortion case to federal appeals court
The Dec. 16 order grants abortion providers' request to fast-track the case beyond the normal 25-day wait time, but the 5th Circuit, rather than the District Court judge who had tried to block the law, will hear the matter.
Pope Francis names Scranton, Pa., pastor to head Diocese of Gaylord, Mich.
Father Jeffrey J. Walsh, currently serving in Carbondale, Pa., was named the sixth shepherd of the midwestern diocese Dec. 21.
At year’s end, little change on the U.S. immigration front
Despite initial hopes for the Biden administration, immigration advocates remain frustrated and fearful regarding U.S. policy on millions fleeing violence and poverty.
Google pulling ads on abortion reversal and links to videos called ‘unjust’
Two dozen members of Congress recently sent a letter to Google CEO Sundar Pichai demanding the company restore online campaigns paid for by pro-life nonprofit Live Action.
FDA decision on medical abortion puts women’s lives, health at risk, says archbishop
The agency's Dec. 16 move to permanently lift requirements for in-person collection of mifepristone reflects "the abortion industry's pressure to loosen safety standards," said Baltimore Archbishop William Lori.
Catholic ministry to sailors also idling at Port of Los Angeles
Stella Maris Chapel at one of the world's busiest ports no longer serves dozens of maritime crews from cruise ships and awaiting freighters. Sailors remain on board due to the COVID pandemic and amidst the worldwide supply-chain backup.
New Pew study shows erosion of religion in America
While the survey comparing religious identity since 2007 showed the number of Catholics as a percentage of the U.S. population holding steady, Protestants dropped, "nones" rose and the practice of daily prayer declined.