2012 articles
Pope baptizes 16 infants in the Sistine Chapel on feast of the Baptism of Our Lord and reminds parents and godparents of the need for their faith witness.
Pope Benedict XVI used his Sunday Angelus address to remind Christians of the joy of being “children of God,” courtesy of baptism. “God is the origin of the existence of every creature [ more... ]Ten years after abuse scandal, Boston cardinal reflects on its impact
"Our church will never forget the clergy sexual abuse crisis," said Cardinal Sean P. O'Malley of Boston in a document marking the 10th anniversary of the abuse scandal that first rocked the archdiocese in [ more... ]Pope explains why Eucharist is greatest prayer
Pope Benedict XVI continued his series of reflections on prayer at his Jan. 11 general audience by explaining why the Eucharist stands at “the apex” of all Christian prayers. “By [ more... ]Making the old new: Vatican encourages a recovery of 'apologetics'
In the Catholic Church, it's true that everything old can be new again, and the Vatican wants one of those things to be the art of "apologetics" -- dusted off and updated to respond to new [ more... ]Ecumenism today and the expectation of its fulfilment
“To work tirelessly to rebuild the full and visible unity of all Christ's followers”. This is the “impelling duty” of the successor of Peter. Already in this first Message after his election [ more... ]The Catechism in Hebrew
How do you write “Trinity” in Hebrew? And “Immaculate Conception”? The problem is not the mere translation of the words but the context in which Christian truths are presented. Hebrew culture [ more... ]Catholic Quarterback Philip Rivers Passes On the Faith
Coming off a disappointing 2011 NFL campaign, San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers is wasting no time to prepare for next season. The Chargers won four of their first five games last season, but finished [ more... ]HHS ABC Rule: Anybody But Catholics Has Religious Freedom
Health and Human Services’ recent attacks on freedom of religion show it is deaf to religious sensibilities. Even the Administration’s resounding defeat on January 11—when the U.S. Supreme Court [ more... ]Silence is key ingredient to meaningful communication, pope says
Amid the deluge of information and nonstop chatter in today's media, the church needs to help people find safe havens of silence, Pope Benedict XVI said. Far from being the enemy of calm and quiet, social media [ more... ]Video Statement - U.S. Bishops Vow to Fight HHS Edict
The Catholic bishops of the United States called “literally unconscionable” a decision by the Obama Administration to continue to demand that sterilization, abortifacients and contraception be included in [ more... ]Why We Need A Catholic Press
A number of recent events have made it abundantly clear that we need a healthy and robust Catholic press. There are many examples that point out this need. Here are a few: The three-year [ more... ]Historic parish reaches out to visitors in town for Super Bowl events
A historic Indianapolis church is in the center of festivities surrounding the Feb. 5 Super Bowl XLVI at Lucas Oil Stadium. St. John the Evangelist Parish, founded 175 years ago when Indianapolis was a small town [ more... ]Confession Is a Celebration of God's Mercy
Why Do Catholics Go To Confession? The Gospels provide numerous examples of Jesus’ mission to forgive sins. While only God can forgive sins, the Church is his instrument of forgiveness on earth. On [ more... ]Creating cardinals: Ceremony features something old, new, borrowed, red
Something old, something new, something borrowed and something red will be part of the mix Feb. 18 when Pope Benedict XVI creates new cardinals. The general format of the consistory has been maintained, but the ceremony [ more... ]Doctors wonder how federal mandate will affect practice of medicine
Whether they are just starting out or nearing the end of their careers, Catholics who want to practice medicine in conformity with the church's teachings wonder how a new federal regulation requiring health plans to [ more... ]God's love overcomes the misery of illness, Pope teaches
Faith in the love of Jesus Christ can overcome the suffering of long-term illness, Pope Benedict XVI said in his Sunday Angelus address Feb. 5. Just as Jesus faced the devil “with the power of love that was [ more... ]Vatican astronomer says Big Bang theory in tune with creation history
The director of the Vatican Observatory said that the Church is open to the scientific theory that the world began from a cosmic explosion billions of years ago. “The Big Bang is not in contradiction [ more... ]Critics anticipate Supreme Court hearing after anti-Prop. 8 ruling
Critics found the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals’ Feb. 7 ruling against the constitutionality of California’s Proposition 8 to be “absurd” but not surprising. “This decision [ more... ]Pope Reminds Catholics to Grow in Charity this Lent
The Catholic Church must demonstrate the power of love and show the limitations of an individualistic worldview, Pope Benedict XVI taught in a Lenten message released two weeks before Ash Wednesday. In the [ more... ]160-Plus Bishops Speak Out Against HHS Mandate
The Obama administration has misled the public about the meaning of its new contraception coverage requirement, according to a fact sheet released by the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. Health and [ more... ]USCCB president says he is skeptical Obama wants compromise on HHS regs
Cardinal-designate Timothy M. Dolan of New York said he is "a little skeptical" that the Obama administration wants to find a compromise on the requirement that health plans for most religious employers cover [ more... ]Center for child protection unveiled at Rome conference
An international symposium addressing clerical sex abuse concluded on Feb. 9 with the announcement of a new internet-based Center for Child Protection. “If the Church is now once again taking on its [ more... ]Lent marks renewed effort to bring Catholics back to church
Just as they have during the season of Advent in recent years, some U.S. dioceses make concerted efforts at Lent to invite Catholics who have stopped going to church back into the fold. Some dioceses have reported [ more... ]Our Lady of Lourdes
The Feast of Our Lady of Lourdes is celebrated February 11. The Church also celebrates the World Day of the Sick each year on this day. In 1858, in the grotto of Massabielle, near Lourdes in southern [ more... ]Good books that foster spiritual reflection
Here are presented four new books that could help in that task: John Grondelski recommends A Year With the Angels by Mike Aquilina; Father C. John McCloskey recommends Surrender: The Life-Changing Power of [ more... ]Lent is time to help others spiritually, materially, pope says
In his Lenten message, Pope Benedict XVI called on the faithful to be concerned for one another and "not to remain isolated and indifferent" to the fate of others. Materialism and a sense of [ more... ]Catholic press combining old, new forms of media to educate, evangelize
The Catholic press in the United States and Canada is working to fulfill its mission of informing, educating and evangelizing Catholics by continuing to publish strong print publications while increasing their use of [ more... ]Despite what some commentators and politicians think, Church teaching on abortion and contraception has remained unchanged
The recent indignity by which the Obama administration wants to mandate everyone, including all Catholic institutions or their insurers, to pay for contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs, has raised [ more... ]Meet the 22 Cardinals-designate
Archbishop Edwin Frederick O’Brien - Pro-Grand Master of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem Edwin Frederick O’Brien was born on April 8, 1939 in the Bronx, [ more... ]Priest defends pro-life movement with secular philosophy
Author and philosopher Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., released a new book that defends the pro-life stance with secular principles and argues for a fresh approach to the abortion debate. “The pro-life [ more... ]Seven obstacles to the New Evangelization
Although it’s been nearly 30 years since the Catholic Church began calling for a New Evangelization, many Catholics are only now coming to understand that call is for them, not just priests and religious. Many more have [ more... ]Catholic health care pioneers knew mission, money both crucial
The women religious who were the pioneers and founders of Catholic health care understood that "to have the mission you had to have the money" and mastered the balancing act between religious values and financial [ more... ]'Realism is back,' says sculptor of cathedral statues
The statues that will dominate the east and west transepts of the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Wichita are taking shape. Sculptor Rip Caswell, who works from his studio in Troutdale, Ore., was [ more... ]Journey to the Foot of the Cross: 10 Things to Remember for Lent
Bishop David L. Ricken of Green Bay, Wisconsin, chairman of the Committee on Evangelization and Catechesis of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB), offers “10 Things to Remember for Lent” as the [ more... ]Contraceptive mandate diminishes liberty
"It's about the tea," British newspapers proclaimed in 1774 as Parliament passed a bill to close Boston Harbor until the citizens of Massachusetts reimbursed the East India Company for the tea that had been thrown [ more... ]Catholic press uses variety of ways to reach Spanish-speaking Catholics
Catholic communicators around the country are working hard to reach out to Spanish-speaking Catholics, who are becoming an ever larger percentage of the Catholic population. Many dioceses incorporate some [ more... ]Papal preacher’s homily themes for Lent 2012
The Preacher to the Papal Household has revealed the topics for the four homilies he will preach to Pope Benedict XVI during Lent. “Every time we will be at the school of one of the ‘four great [ more... ]Restructuring of Catholic Healthcare West
The restructuring of Catholic Healthcare West "is consistent with Catholic moral and doctrinal teachings," and "the sponsors and their Catholic hospitals are, therefore, free to participate in it," [ more... ]Noisy world is enemy of prayer, says Pope Benedict
The constant noise that accompanies modern life is an enemy of God’s word being heard in prayer, Pope Benedict XVI said. “Interior and exterior silence are necessary in order to hear that [ more... ]Catholics in archdiocese ready to give long-term aid to tornado victims
Tammy Becht and her family sought shelter in the basement of their Floyd County home March 2 when tornadoes ravaged small towns across southern Indiana. About an hour later, she began seeing the devastation [ more... ]Vatican astronomer: Science one of the best ways to know God
The astronomer for the Vatican Observatory, Brother Guy Consolmagno, S.J., says that his study of the universe through science has helped him better understand the person of Christ. Despite people often [ more... ]Vatican commission affirms scripture as 'soul of theology'
Catholic theology can be judged by its fidelity to Biblical revelation, the Vatican's International Theological Commission affirmed March 8 in a new document on the role of theologians. “Theology in [ more... ]Programs help college-age Catholics stay strong in their prayer life and faith formation
It’s a common fear among Catholic parents getting ready to send their sons and daughters to college: Will their offspring stop practicing the faith while away at school? While a 2010 report [ more... ]Rise in tech use by congregations mirrors that in society, survey shows
The rise in congregations' use of technology over the past decade mirrors its use in the wider society, according to the results of a survey released March 14. Email usage by congregations, gauged at 22 percent in [ more... ]Catholicism offers love lessons contraception fails to teach
Proponents of the recent Health and Human Services contraceptive coverage mandate often criticize Catholic teachings. Yet how many have truly considered the reasons behind our opposition to artificial birth control? [ more... ]The cross - icon of supreme love
At an early time in the ancient world, the two intersecting lines that form a cross became a symbol of the sun, of fire and of life. The most common crosses in pre-Christian cultures were the crux gammata (or swastika), a symbol [ more... ]Awaken consciences
This month, the head of the U.S. bishops’ religious liberty committee said the bishops have not given up hope of progress in talks with the White House over its threatened abortifacient/sterilization/contraception [ more... ]Archbishop Romero's message resonates with new generation of Catholics
Each spring, the doors of the small church near Candler, close to Asheville in North Carolina, are flung open to let in the burgeoning number of congregants. Seats fill fast on or around March 24, said Edith [ more... ]Praise the Lord with gratitude
Christians should welcome Jesus by laying down their lives for him in the same way the people of Jerusalem once laid down their coats and palm branches, Pope Benedict XVI said in his Palm Sunday homily. [ more... ]Public testimonies of faith powerfully underscore a central theme of Easter: the joy of new birth into divine life
Every year, tens of thousands of people around the country enter the Catholic Church at Easter. Some are catechumens, or people not yet baptized, who receive the sacraments of initiation — baptism, confirmation [ more... ]Meaning of fasting
Question: A number of my co-workers who are not Catholic decided this year to give up certain foods for Lent. They asked me about the meaning of Lenten fasting, and I was embarrassed that I was not able to offer much of an [ more... ]Soon the Pope will name San Francisco's next Archbishop
The naming of a new bishop for a Catholic diocese or archdiocese is a rigorous process designed to ensure the best match for the job. The process is now under way in the selection of the ninth archbishop for the [ more... ]Can business lead to holiness? Promoting virtue in the executive suite
In an effort to help businesses stay strong and healthy, and avoid the occupational hazards of greed, overwork and exploitation, the Vatican's justice and peace council has released a handbook for business educators [ more... ]Love is stronger than hate. The Pope's Homily - Easter Vigil
Dear Brothers and Sisters, Easter is the feast of the new creation. Jesus is risen and dies no more. He has opened the door to a new life, one that no longer knows illness and death. He has taken mankind up into God [ more... ]Christ's resurrection changed the world, pope says at Easter
Light and darkness, truth and lies, hope and despair are in a constant battle in the world, but with his death and resurrection Jesus conquered sin and death for all time, Pope Benedict XVI said on Easter. "If Jesus is [ more... ]Church Finds Teaching Moment in Controversy
Could there possibly be a silver lining in the federal contraception mandate controversy? For all the institutional disruption, political spin and vitriol generated by the mandate’s supporters, who [ more... ]US trending against religious liberty
In an exclusive interview on his new eBook “A Heart on Fire,” Archbishop Charles J. Chaput says the recent contraception mandate points to a “pattern” of attacks on religious liberty in the U.S. [ more... ]Holy Mass is encounter with risen Jesus, Pope says
Holy Mass is more than a historical re-enactment, Pope Benedict XVI said on April 15, Divine Mercy Sunday. “Christian worship is not just a commemoration of past events, or even a particular mystical, interior [ more... ]A look at the life and 50-year priestly career of Archbishop George Niederauer
Following his ordination in 1962, young Father George Niederauer had begun his first assignment, at Our Lady of the Assumption Parish in Claremont, when the Archdiocese of Los Angeles began to map his future: He would [ more... ]Secularism in America: Growing movement raises concerns
One graduate student at a prestigious Catholic university, and she also is proud to call herself an atheist. The pride Arianne Gasser of Canton, Ohio, has in her atheist status is part of what inspired her to [ more... ]Eucharist is the cure for restless, modern culture
Bishop William S. Skylstad, a former president of the U.S. bishops' conference, believes that the Eucharist is the solution for today's anxious and frenetic society. “There’s a sort of [ more... ]NY Times writer defends Church teachings in online series
New York Times writer Ross Douthat has defended Catholic theological and moral teachings, in a series of articles explaining how the Church is not “fundamentalist” but simply “orthodox.” [ more... ]Pope says quest for peace must also be quest for truth
The quest for justice and peace will bear fruit only if it's also a quest for the truth about the human person, created by God and "endowed with intelligence and freedom, capable of knowing and loving," Pope Benedict [ more... ]Welcoming estranged Catholics back into the fold
Patty Howser thought she could never return to the Catholic Church. As a young woman, Howser, a baptized Catholic, married outside the Church. That marriage ended in divorce, and she later married [ more... ]Closeness to God gives strength to withstand everything, pope says
The church's first martyr found the strength to face his accusers because of his close relationship with God, Pope Benedict XVI said. St. Stephen, who was accused of blasphemy and stoned to death, upheld the faith and gave [ more... ]Cardinal Dolan: Obama's 'gay marriage' support undermines society
Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan is charging President Barack Obama with undermining the “very cornerstone of society” by supporting “gay marriage.” Cardinal Dolan, president of the U.S. [ more... ]Well-formed faith makes dialogue with opponents easier
The recent call for the resignation of top officials at the Pontifical Academy for Life stems from some members' concern that inviting speakers who oppose church teaching in their scientific practice confuses the faithful and [ more... ]San Diego Baseball Camp Has Christ at Its Center
Mike Sweeney’s Catholic Baseball Camp, to be held July 24-26 at Cathedral Catholic High School in San Diego, is not your average baseball camp. In addition to the customary fielding, hitting and base-running, this camp [ more... ]The Four Marian Dogmas
The Four Marian Dogmas
There are four dogmas stating Mary's personal relationship with God and her role in human salvation . 1) Divine Motherhood Mary's divine motherhood was proclaimed at the Council of [ more... ]USCCB attorneys foresee legal action against ‘unjust and unlawful’ HHS mandate
Attorneys for the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reiterated that the HHS mandate “accommodation” offered to some religious employers is morally objectionable. Responding [ more... ]Physician's Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment: Helpful or a New Threat?
A patient in a nursing home or hospital is increasingly likely to be asked to sign a form with a benign-sounding name: Physician’s Order for Life-Sustaining Treatment. A brightly colored document [ more... ]
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