News
Religious leaders pledge to protect persecuted Middle East Christians
WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Close to 200 ordained and lay religious leaders have signed a pledge to commit themselves and the United States to protect Christians in Iraq, Syria and Egypt, who they say are being persecuted for their faith.
Bring Gospel to all, beginning with those who struggle most, pope says
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Bringing the Gospel to people of different cultures and viewpoints requires discernment, but most of all it requires evangelizers who have encountered Christ and want to share his love with all, Pope Francis said.
25 years a happy priest, and it all started with a question
“Could you be a priest?” a high school teacher asked. Father Christopher Redcay said yes, and now the pastor of St. Patrick Parish in Malvern looks back on his vocation, his priestly ministry – and how to call new vocations “off the bench” to be a priest.
Nigerian church groups organize prayers for missing schoolgirls
LAGOS, Nigeria (CNS) -- Religious groups in Nigeria's northeastern Borno state have organized prayer sessions and other activities to support the rescue of kidnapped schoolgirls.
The calling, the denial, and how the rosary led to priesthood
Deacon Bob Gross heard God calling him to be a priest. So he prayed the rosary as a way to quiet the interior voice, but instead it calmed him and helped him accept the call. Learn Gross’s story in this fifth of six profiles on the men to be ordained priests May 17.
Hope and hard work: Vatican’s Philly priest trusts in Christian unity
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- The issues dividing Christian communities have changed over the past 50 years but Msgr. Gregory Fairbanks, a Philadelphia archdiocesan priest working at the Vatican, is confident that Christian unity is possible. For him, "the healing of memory" makes the difference.
Marriage March ready to make statement in Washington
The march on June 19, in the style of the annual March for Life, aims to support traditional marriage through public witness.
When you pray, speak from the heart and ask God for help, pope advises
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Never forget to pray, even while commuting, taking a walk or when waiting in line, Pope Francis said during his weekly audience May 7. And don't just stick to prayers memorized from childhood, but include heartfelt requests and pleas for help, advice and guidance, he said.
Mater Dei School to hold May procession, crowning of Mary
The regional Catholic school in Lansdale will host the procession from the school and a prayer service honoring the Blessed Mother at nearby St. Stanislaus Church May 15.
Needs for ministry to Hispanics loom as large as their population
CHESTNUT HILL, Mass. (CNS) --- Training of pastoral leaders and provision of most other resources for Hispanic ministry aren't keeping up with the fast-approaching time when Hispanics will make up the majority of Catholics in the United States, according to a new report.