National News
Despite blindness, woman loves life, walks with Mary
For the past 40 years, Wisconsin resident Pat Boerschinger has been legally blind. And while she cannot see, her faith in God and devotion to Mary guide her every step.
Dallas bishop asks pope to convene synod to discuss clergy abuse
Bishop Edward J. Burns has asked Pope Francis for an extraordinary synod to address issues in the latest Catholic clergy sex abuse crisis, including "abuse of power, clericalism, accountability and the understanding of transparency in the church."
Another study puts Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria deaths in the thousands
Few believed the initial official figures that said 64 people died in Puerto Rico as a result of Hurricane Maria in September 2017, a stunningly low statistic that officials released shortly after what is considered one of the island's worst natural disasters on record.
International religious freedom report cites 28 nations falling short
The report included seven recommendations for the Trump administration, and eight for Congress, to more fully advocate for religious freedom worldwide.
Cardinal Wuerl’s letter to priests expresses ‘anguish’ for suffering
In an Aug. 30 letter to priests in the archdiocese, Washington Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl asked for "forgiveness for my errors in judgment (and) for my inadequacies."
Clergy lead prayers for healing from abuse scandal in Illinois, N.J.
Scheduled to respond to a Pennsylvania grand jury report that hundreds of priests were accused of the sexual abuse of children and seminarians, the prayer service drew people from throughout the diocese for exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, prayer, song and reflection.
San Juan Archdiocese files for bankruptcy over teacher pensions
Civil officials on the island territory embargoed $4.7 million from various archdiocesan accounts after retired teachers from the archdiocese's school filed a lawsuit seeking their pensions.
Bishop echoes pope: The poor’s plight is ‘the Gospel, pure and simple’
Bishop Frank J. Dewane said the recent economic news may not "give an entirely accurate account of the daily lives and struggles of working people, those who are still without work, or the underemployed struggling with low wages."
After 50 years, draft board protesters insist what they did was right
Fifty years ago in an act of civil disobedience, Bob Graf and 13 of his friends broke into nine neighboring draft boards, grabbed thousands of 1-A records of men about to be called up, doused them in homemade napalm in a nearby park and set them afire.
Iowa guest house helps women get back on their feet after prison
Clare Guest House began as an initiative of the Sioux City Multicultural Neighborhood Project, a ministry authorized by the Sisters of St. Francis of Dubuque, Iowa, in 1998.