DODGE CITY, Kan. – With his church believed to be destroyed by a powerful tornado and his parishioners “scattered to the four winds,” Father Gregory LeBlanc, pastor of St. Joseph Parish in Greensburg, spent part of May 6 visiting the displaced in local shelters. “St. Joseph Church seems to have been one of the structures...Read More

According to athletic director Mary Ella Marion, Mercy High School, Baltimore, is always looking to add a new sport to their athletic program. So with 20-plus students showing an interest in golf last fall, Marion took the ball and ran with it, now adding a 10th sport to their program.Read More

VATICAN CITY – The Vatican signaled its support for the international meeting on Iraq that took place in Egypt in early May, and Iraq’s Chaldean bishops asked participating countries to do more to end violence and protect Christians in the country. After former Iranian President Mohammad Khatami met Pope Benedict XVI May 4, the Vatican...Read More

WASHINGTON - Past studies have shown that those who attend religious services at least weekly tend to live longer and healthier lives. Now, new research indicates that frequent churchgoers also face those additional years with more optimism and greater social support than other people.Read More

LONDON –The Catholic Church must do more to dispel “mistaken prejudices” about its attitudes to people with HIV/AIDS, said a Scottish archbishop. “It needs to be said again and again that the Catholic Church is committed to those works of mercy in the field of HIV/AIDS,” said Archbishop Mario Conti of Glasgow, Scotland. The archbishop...Read More

Ten members of a formerly Episcopal order of nuns made history Nov. 1 when Archbishop Edwin F. O’Brien received their religious community into the Catholic Church as a diocesan priory.Read More

LONDON – Catholic bishops from four continents are appealing to leaders of the world’s richest countries to honor their commitments to combat extreme poverty. The eight church leaders met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair April 30 and were scheduled to meet with government leaders in Germany and Italy before meeting with Pope Benedict XVI.Read More

DUBLIN – Ireland will close its Embassy to the Holy See in what has been described by officials as a cost-saving measure.Read More