WASHINGTON – As committed Catholics, Timothy and Dawn Smith respect Vatican pronouncements, but recent statements about frozen embryo adoption from church officials have bewildered the Fitzwilliam, N.H., parents of three children who came into the world through this process.Read More

NORTHBROOK, Ill. – Our Lady of the Brook Church in Northbrook took on a slightly different sound in September, as prayers were sung in Hebrew and the shofar sounded. The parish hosted the Northbrook-based Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue’s high holy days services in its worship space, after working through archdiocesan channels to get permission.Read More

COLLEGEVILLE, Minn. – Two months after resigning as president of St. John’s University so he could focus on his treatment of malignant melanoma, Benedictine Brother Dietrich Reinhart died Dec. 29 at age 59.Read More

Swift, certain and sure was the reaction to the installation of Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien. Those attending were inspired by the celebratory event and the 3,800-word homily. When asked what most moved him, Gov. Martin O’Malley said, “His humility and his commitment and his passion for serving the people of the church.”Read More

VATICAN CITY – If the church wants to reach young people today, it must avoid the temptation to “fudge” on core Catholic beliefs in an effort to make them more agreeable to contemporary tastes, a Vatican official said.Read More

Pope Benedict XVI has accepted the resignation of Bishop Victor H. Balke of Crookston, Minn., and appointed as his successor Monsignor Michael J. Hoeppner, vicar general of the Diocese of Winona, Minn.Read More

VATICAN CITY – The discoveries of science and astronomy can help people better appreciate the wonders of God’s creation, Pope Benedict XVI said.Read More

If Catholics hope to find greater unity with Christians of other denominations, they need to embrace a sense charity and reconciliation when reaching out to other believers, according to one of the world’s leading experts in ecumenism.Read More