National News
Newtown pastor, parish Knights of Columbus council receive recognition
SAN ANTONIO (CNS) -- The pastor of St. Rose of Lima Church in Newtown, Conn., and the parish's Knights of Columbus Council were honored Aug. 6 with a new award from the Knights of Columbus at the order's 131st supreme convention in San Antonio.
Several Nashville Dominicans mark transitions along vocational path
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (CNS) -- The Dominican Sisters of St. Cecilia Congregation celebrated a series of transitions in their Nashville-based community as several women made their final profession of vows or their first profession of vows, and still others entered the novitiate.
Basilica decree for church a ‘proud moment’ for Diocese of Raleigh
WILMINGTON, N.C. (CNS) -- The Vatican has recognized the history of St. Mary Catholic Church in Wilmington and its prominent place in the Catholic community and the wider community by designating it a basilica.
Suspended priest sentenced to eight years in prison for molesting teen
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (CNS) -- A suspended Sacramento priest was sentenced Aug 2 to eight years in a California state prison for pleading no contest a month earlier to charges that he molested a girl when she was 13.
Madagascar archbishops confirm no contraceptives in CRS programs
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Two Madagascar archbishops confirmed in talks with leading U.S. church leaders that Catholic Relief Services is not providing or facilitating access to contraceptives and abortifacients in its health care programs in their archdioceses.
Senate confirms Hackett, retired CRS leader, as ambassador to Vatican
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Ken Hackett, retired president of Catholic Relief Services, received Senate confirmation Aug. 1 as U.S. ambassador to the Vatican.
Pro-lifers hope North Carolina law leads to day when all choose life
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (CNS) -- A new law that tightens regulations on North Carolina's 16 abortion clinics, bans abortions based on the child's gender, and expands conscience protections for health care providers is to go into effect Oct. 1. Signed into law by Republican Gov. Pat McCrory July 29, the legislation requires the state's Department of Health and Human Services to adopt procedures making abortion clinics conform to similar safety standards as outpatient surgery centers -- the first regulatory overhaul for abortion clinics since 1994.
This ‘bike gang’ aims to serve community, spread Catholic faith, values
TULSA, Okla. (CNS) -- Members of the Knights on Bikes adamantly make it clear that they are not a "bike gang." While they proudly wear a vest with a patch, they claim no territory like a traditional motorcycle club. Instead, as an extension of the larger ministry of the Knights of Columbus, the group is a family friendly organization that seeks to serve the Catholic Church and the community through a common interest in riding motorcycles.
Liturgical reform movement started centuries ago, says scholar
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- For those who think the movement to reform Catholic liturgical practices started sometime early in the 20th century, Jesuit Father John Baldovin suggested looking back earlier in time. A lot earlier. Like, say, 1786.
Local World Youth Day events offer solidarity with pilgrims in Rio
CHICAGO HEIGHTS, Ill. (CNS) -- Hundreds of teens came together at a Catholic high school in Chicago Heights to pray, to learn about their faith and to be in solidarity with young people from around the world who came together at the same time with Pope Francis at World Youth Day in Rio de Janeiro.