WASHINGTON – Although nearly three-quarters of American Catholics say they are somewhat or very familiar with church teachings on marriage, many mistakenly believe that a non-Catholic spouse must promise to raise the couple’s children as Catholic and that church teaching accepts divorce in cases of marital infidelity.Read More

LOURDES, France – Mary did not seek devotion from St. Bernadette Soubirous and Catholics but instead sought devotion to Jesus and the Eucharist, said Bishop Jacques Perrier of Tarbes and Lourdes.Read More

It’s not often seminarians are treated like rock stars, with the crowd drumming their feet on the bleachers and applauding. But at Mount 2008 in Emmitsburg on Feb. 10, that was the appreciative response from more than 1,600 high school students and chaperones when the seminarians were acknowledged at the closing Mass of the weekend...Read More

When parishioners in the Archdiocese of Baltimore drop donations in the basket for the second collection Feb. 16 and 17, their dollars will help Catholic Relief Services address humanitarian emergency needs – big and small, domestic and abroad.Read More

For many years, James Ulmer has given something up for Lent. Whether it was candy, soda, alcohol or chocolate, the 56-year-old parishioner of St. Katharine Drexel in Frederick always made it through the traditional 40-day penitential season without reneging on his sacrificial pledges – although he admitted that going without chocolate “almost killed” him.Read More

Ann Veilleux isn’t worried about her size 16 clothing going out of style. That’s because soon, the 50-year-old nurse will be buying smaller sizes. As recently as July, Mrs. Veilleux was a size 28 and her 5-foot-1-inch frame carried a body mass index of 47. A BMI of 40 is one of the criteria for...Read More

WASHINGTON – When President George W. Bush gave his State of the Union address Jan. 28, he briefly mentioned something Catholics know all too well: Their inner-city schools are closing.Read More

VATICAN CITY – Inadvertently or not, Pope Benedict XVI allowed reporters to get a taste of a Lenten experience he recommended to the priests of the Diocese of Rome, “fasting from words and images.”Read More