National News
Priest recovers from assault, asks for prayers for robber who harmed him
The priest, who goes by "Friar Ed," was assaulted by a teenager while walking in his St. Louis neighborhood the afternoon of Feb. 2. He'll face some surgery for a fractured bone.
Catholic Charities agencies eye layoffs over uncertainty on refugees
Even as President Trump's temporary ban on certain refugees remains on hold, Catholic Charities USA says 700 church workers' resettlement jobs are at risk. The organization is raising funds to save the jobs in 80 dioceses.
Bills for assisted suicide, same-sex marriage arise in Alaska
Despite a 2001 state court decision denying a right to doctor-prescribed suicide, Alaska legislators are mulling whether the state should be the seventh to permit the practice. Opponents agree with the church's teaching that life "is not ours to dispose of."
Catholics wait: Where’s the exec order on religious freedom?
Talk of President Donald Trump possibly signing an executive order on religious freedom has been replaced with talk about what happened to it and what a final version, if there is one, will look like. It should have 5 key points, the bishops suggest.
NCEA leader says school choice support can help Catholic parents
"This could be a huge opportunity for parents wanting to choose the right school for their children," Thomas Burnford, NCEA president, told participants at the Archdiocese of San Francisco's annual high school teachers' consortium.
With nation divided, Rev. King’s words still resonate, say church leaders
"Dr. King's message of tolerance, human dignity and peace is just as meaningful and necessary today as it was in the 1950s and 1960s," said a Houston-area deacon. Reflecting on the actions of a peacemaker is important in a time of unrest.
Congress urged to pass conscience protections for health care providers
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore have urged the House and Senate to past the Conscience Protection Act of 2017.
Arizona mother deported from U.S. taken in by shelter just across border
U.S. Immigration agents arrested and deported Garcia de Rayos after she arrived at the Immigration and Customs Enforcement office in Phoenix Feb. 8 for a mandatory check-in.
Couple donates Ethiopian religious manuscripts to Catholic University
The collection includes more than 215 Islamic manuscripts, 125 Christian manuscripts, and 350 so-called "magic" scrolls with prayers to protect the owner or reader from particular illnesses.
Immigrant teacher fears new barriers for children she serves
"A couple of parents that I've met with this week have mentioned that they're afraid of what's going to happen to their children if (the parents) were to be deported," said Maria Dominguez.