It was a first in Monsignor James M. Barker’s 29 years of priesthood. When he showed up for 5:30 p.m. Mass Dec.19 at St. Ignatius in Hickory, the pastor was the only one there.Read More

VATICAN CITY – The loving, tender images of Mary breast-feeding the baby Jesus need an artistic and spiritual rehabilitation, said the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano.Read More

OMAHA, Neb. – Amid a crowd of friends, family, Boy Scouts and Boy Scout leaders, Bryan and Arnell Petrzilka leaned over and kissed their 13-year-old son, Ben, whose body lay in a casket at Mary Our Queen Church in Omaha.Read More

NEW YORK – The rapid growth and cultural diversity of Latino Catholics makes tremendous demands on the Catholic Church at the same time it enriches and revitalizes the church community, according to speakers at a forum on “Becoming Latino: The Transformation of U.S. Catholicism.”Read More

VATICAN CITY – Welcoming Cuba’s new ambassador to the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI once again criticized the U.S. economic embargo against the country, but also called on the Cuban government to expand religious freedom on the island.Read More

The myth is, of course, that we are glad it’s over for a while. We can’t let our friends realize that we really do enjoy it, including learning the subject matter for itself alone. We tell ourselves that all this is necessary for a job or a career; but deep down we love it.Read More

Kathy Stoner looked at the grounds of the St. Mary’s Spiritual Center and Historic Site and couldn’t help but be struck by the magnitude of the date June 15. “It’s going to be huge,” Ms. Stoner said of the groundbreaking for a new visitors’ center that will mark the 200th anniversary of the dedication of...Read More

BHOPAL, India – About 100 Christians from various denominations lit candles and observed two minutes of silent prayer to remember victims and survivors of the world’s worst industrial tragedy.Read More