St. Basil the Great was born in 329 in what is now Turkey. He was such a successful speaker that he feared he would lose his piety. Therefore, he gave away his money and things to become a priest and monk. The bishop and archbishop of Caesarea founded monasteries; he also made rules for monks...Read More

Today is the solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. She was the mother of Jesus and the wife of St. Joseph. The title, Mother of God, was used by St. Elizabeth when Mary visited her before the birth of Jesus.Read More

"It is true that the church in Africa is thriving," Cardinal Turkson said. "But we also have had a certain type of catechesis that is not too deep. Traditional cultures and values are not too radically transformed by the values of the Gospel. We need a more deeply rooted experience of conversion."Read More

Hundreds of people marched through the troubled, poverty-stricken streets of west Baltimore Dec. 9 to celebrate the life of controversial Catholic peace activist Philip Francis Berrigan.Read More

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (CNS) -- A memorial wall with the names of 68,000 people killed in South Africa's violent past is a necessary reminder that freedom can't be taken for granted, said a church official. "At the park one faces this solid and impenetrable monument that represents what we need freedom from," said Holy...Read More

ASUNCION, Paraguay (CNS) -- The Vatican warned an inactive Catholic bishop that he faces suspension from the priesthood if he pursues his goal of winning opposition support to run for the Paraguayan presidency. On its Web site, the Paraguayan bishops' conference posted the warning, signed Dec. 20 by Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, prefect of the...Read More

Cardinal William H. Keeler is asking Gov.-elect Martin J. O’Malley to provide budgetary support for programs benefiting nonpublic schools and women in crisis pregnancies. In a Dec. 12 letter, Cardinal Keeler urged the new governor to increase funding for a program providing nonreligious textbooks and technology for students in nonpublic schools. The allocation for the...Read More

VILLANOVA, Pa. (CNS) -- More than four out of five U.S. dioceses have experienced embezzlement or other misuse of parish funds within the past five years, but only two-fifths have formal written fraud policies, two Villanova University researchers said. Villanova business school professors Robert West and Charles Zech reported that according to a national survey...Read More