MARIAZELL, Austria – Inspired by a small wooden statue of Mary and the child Jesus, Pope Benedict XVI appealed on behalf of the world’s suffering children, including the poor, the orphaned and those forced to fight in wars. The pope spoke during Mass Sept. 8 for some 30,000 pilgrims at the Austrian shrine of Mariazell,...Read More

WILMINGTON, Del. – The Diocese of Wilmington will eliminate 19 full-time and three part-time positions as it cuts operating expenses and prepares to pay more than $77.4 million to survivors of sexual abuse by priests.Read More

VIENNA, Austria – Before an audience of Austrian political leaders and international diplomats, Pope Benedict XVI urged Europe to not to jettison its Christian values – especially when it comes to the rights of the unborn and the dying. The pope made the remarks Sept. 7 in an ornate reception hall of Vienna’s Hofburg Palace,...Read More

More than 1,000 are expected for the annual Archdiocesan Youth and Young Adult Pilgrimage in Baltimore April 16. A special invitation is extended to young adults 18-35 to join their high school counterparts in the four-mile walk, billed as “Jesus – Way, Truth & Life.”Read More

APPLETON, Wis. – A Catholic schoolteacher who claimed she was illegally fired in 2004 for undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments dropped her discrimination suit Aug. 27 following a settlement in which the terms were not disclosed.Read More

I am struggling with a moral quandary when it comes to “stink bugs.” My humble, cluttered room at the rectory seems to be a magnet for these strange creatures. As many as five or six a day may buzz around me, or the lights, or simply walk across my floor. Kind friends have suggested that...Read More

If you see a giant nun looming in front of you, you’re not having flashbacks to your Catholic school days. The larger-than-life photographic cutouts of the Sisters of Mercy, posted on street corners by Mercy Medical Center, Baltimore, are helping hospital visitors find their way to the Saratoga Street parking garage.Read More

PHILADELPHIA – As a lay teacher, three priests and a former priest of the Philadelphia Archdiocese prepared for arraignment on charges of sexually abusing or failing to protect children, Cardinal Justin Rigali placed two retired priests on administrative leave pending a more thorough investigation.Read More