ROME – Catholics need solid preaching about Jesus, the cross and the church, and not “feel-good” spiritual advice that demands no sacrifice, said U.S. Archbishop Timothy M. Dolan of Milwaukee. Preaching well means challenging people’s complacency and, like Christ, occasionally “shaking things up,” Archbishop Dolan said in Rome Jan. 14. That cannot happen if preachers...Read More

PITTSBURGH – Father Patrick Rager, who as a newly ordained priest of the Pittsburgh Diocese served just two years in a parish assignment before a devastating illness forced him into a wheelchair and eventual paralysis, died July 20 at age 50.Read More

Father John E. Hurley has a vision for the Archdiocese of Baltimore’s newly formed Department of Evangelization that is quickly taking shape.Read More

Hundreds of Baltimore black Catholics were urged to celebrate the life of slain civil-rights leader Martin Luther King Jr. by bridging the racial divide that continues to create tension among all of God’s children. “This is an annual reminder of the racial division in our community,” said Father Donald A. Sterling, pastor of New All...Read More

WASHINGTON (CNS) – A church aid worker in Darfur said 2006 was tough for humanitarian workers but noted that the United States and United Nations have increased their efforts in the western Sudanese region. Mark Snyder, head of the North Sudan program for Catholic Relief Services, the U.S. bishops’ international aid and development agency, said...Read More

Father Patrick Peyton, a Holy Cross priest whose popular radio and television programs promoted family prayer, is a step closer to sainthood.Read More

WASHINGTON – A University of Illinois faculty committee is reviewing the dismissal of a Catholic adjunct professor of religion after a student complained about the instructor’s explanation of the church’s teaching that homosexual acts are morally wrong.Read More

The piano Jeff Bunn has been using for music instruction at Our Lady of Mount Carmel High School in Middle River has seen better days. Now more than 35 years old, the well-used instrument is out of tune and long overdue for retirement. That’s why Mr. Bunn couldn’t be more elated that not one, but...Read More