WASHINGTON – Five years after the devastating effects of Hurricanes Rita and Katrina, rebuilding efforts are still very much a work in progress. Many, but not all, Gulf Coast residents have returned and although many homes and buildings have been rebuilt, more still needs to be done.Read More
VATICAN CITY – Cardinal Bernardin Gantin, a pioneering church figure for Africa and an influential voice at the Vatican for more than 30 years, died in Paris May 13 at the age of 86.Read More
At the feet of the Statue of Liberty a famous series of lines from a sonnet penned in 1883 by the poet Emma Lazarus can be found. Words that spoken from the lips of “Lady Liberty” were directed at nations in far off lands across the Atlantic Ocean throughout the European continent and reaching as...Read More
VATICAN CITY – God can work miracles, including the miracle of Christian unity, Pope Benedict XVI told the Armenian Orthodox patriarch and 18 bishops.Read More
VATICAN CITY – The United States has a duty to leave behind peace, not chaos, when troops are finally withdrawn from Iraq, said an Iraqi bishop.Read More
It turned out to be quite a humorous moment. I was speaking with one of the holy deacons (The good that deacons do for the people of God is inestimable. But that’s another topic for another article).Read More
After a beautiful May Procession May 2, St. Agnes School’s May Queen, Bridget Boland, sat quietly in the third pew of the Catonsville church and looked up at the statue of the Blessed Virgin Mary with reverence and love.Read More
FAQUA, West Bank – You won’t find one dripping faucet in all of the northern West Bank village of Faqua, joked village council head Amar Abu Farha with the trademark black humor Palestinians have developed over the years.Read More
WASHINGTON – Don’t like what you see on TV? Pick your poison. One kind of poison is the unwelcome stuff that’s sent through the airwaves (or public rights-of-way, thanks to cable) with offensive or objectionable content that you, the viewer, never asked for in the first place.Read More
Mass ends with the Concluding Rites, which consists of announcements, the priest’s greeting and blessing, the dismissal, and the kissing of the altar by the priest. These are not merely incidentals that can be ignored. They are an important part of the transition from the Mass back into our lives.Read More
Midway through his U.S. visit, Pope Benedict XVI told Catholic college and university presidents that using a Catholic campus as a platform to teach something that contradicts the church’s teaching is an abuse of academic freedom. Commenting on that remark, Father Thomas Reese, S.J., offered an interesting slant. “In a sense, he’s exercising his own...Read More