When Our Lady of Good Counsel parishioner Mary Rossbach received a nurse’s kit for Christmas decades ago, she couldn’t have known that she would one day build a lifelong career out of it.Read More

APARECIDA, Brazil – Saying “it’s five minutes to midnight” for the Amazon, a bishop from Brazil made an impassioned plea for all the countries of the world to join forces to stop the destruction of the rain forest. German-born Bishop Erwin Krautler of Xingu, in northern Para state, said during a press conference May 19...Read More

Archbishop O’Brien wrote (CR, April 23) of the “powerful witness of the Church’s consistent pro-life voice” because the legislature passed a law restricting the application of the death penalty. I do not see the law coming from a powerful pro-life witness, but rather see the legislature extending some professional courtesy to murderers on death row....Read More

CUMBERLAND – Surrounded by colorful dangling rosaries, intricate crucifixes, scapulars, prayer books and all manner of saintly figurines, Betty Dyer rested a hand on a glass countertop and surveyed her diverse inventory. “It’s a lovely space,” said Ms. Dyer, one of the volunteer coordinators of the Catholic gift shop at Ss. Peter and Paul in...Read More

WASHINGTON – Saying that the president of the University of Notre Dame has offered “a flawed justification” for the decision to invite President Barack Obama to speak and receive an honorary degree at commencement, the local bishop urged action to “heal the terrible breach which has taken place between Notre Dame and the church.”Read More

WASHINGTON – As the Senate prepared to open two weeks of debate on immigration reform legislation in mid-May despite lacking a bill around which to shape the discussion, Catholic and other immigration advocates were troubled by some of the proposals they had heard. After no viable bill seemed to be on the horizon despite months...Read More

JERUSALEM – Less than three weeks before Pope Benedict XVI’s pilgrimage to Israel and the Palestinian territories, many issues remained unresolved.Read More

SAO PAULO, Brazil – Pope Benedict XVI encouraged Brazilian bishops to resist attacks on marriage and the family, seek out fallen-away Catholics and defend the rights and dignity of the poor. In a lengthy speech May 11, the pope laid out guidelines for what he termed a “methodical evangelization aimed at personal and communal fidelity...Read More