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NEW ORLEANS – With an intense thunderstorm providing eerie sound effects, Archbishop Alfred C. Hughes of New Orleans told hundreds gathered at St. Louis Cathedral Aug. 29 in commemoration of the second anniversary of Hurricane Katrina to persevere in their faith despite the pitfalls of a painfully slow recovery.

APPLETON, Wis. – A Catholic schoolteacher who claimed she was illegally fired in 2004 for undergoing in vitro fertilization treatments dropped her discrimination suit Aug. 27 following a settlement in which the terms were not disclosed.

Pastoral musicians have toiled, unsung and alone, without the camaraderie found in workshops and archdiocesan groups.

PITTSBURGH – At age 95, Joseph Martinelli is a regular at daily Mass at St. Colman Parish in Turtle Creek. In the parish bulletin he’s listed as pastoral assistant, just hinting at the many roles he fills.

VATICAN CITY – The sky was no longer the limit when a Rome travel agency started offering specially chartered flights exclusively for globe-trotting pilgrims.

WASHINGTON – After decades of being the behind-the-scenes – and consistently off-the-record – point man for the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops in lobbying on Capitol Hill, Frank Monahan seemed simultaneously tantalized by and wary at the prospect of talking openly with a reporter about the work he did for 36 years.

Andy Witte, the head boys cross country and boys and girls track and field coach at Archbishop Spalding High School recently traveled to Africa to cross yet another marathon off his list of “things to do.”

MAYWOOD, Ill. – About 10 years ago, Holly Becker’s future appeared bright. At 24, she had just graduated from college, moved out of her parents’ home and taken a job in sales and marketing. But then something went terribly wrong.

ST. LOUIS – “Bible Road: Signs of Faith in the American Landscape” visually captures what happens when America’s love of commercialism intersects with its deep-rooted Judeo-Christian faith.

Since officially becoming Transfiguration Catholic Community in 2004, the southwest Baltimore parish has held Mass in all three of its churches. Beginning in January, members of the parish will attend regular Mass only at St. Jerome at Scott and Hamburg streets, and future uses for St. Martin and St. Peter the Apostle remain uncertain.

VATICAN CITY – Pope Benedict XVI makes his first papal visit to Austria in early September, a three-day mission to strengthen the faith and its public impact in one of Europe’s traditionally Catholic countries.