Two high-schoolers, St. Theresa alumni raise $25K for Catholic education

Childhood friends Katie Coury and Greg Abbott bypassed typical summer teen jobs to produce a play to benefit Catholic education.

House OKs bill to aid genocide victims; Senate urged to act quickly on it

WASHINGTON (CNS) — The co-authors of a House bill that will provide humanitarian aid to Christians and other religious groups suffering at the hands of Islamic State militants praised the June 6 House passage of the measure and urged the Senate to quickly act on it.

Bishop ordains three young men to the priesthood

MESA — The Holy Spirit poured out extra gifts for the Diocese of Phoenix on Pentecost weekend: three new priests.

Pence addresses religious freedom at National Catholic Prayer Breakfast

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Vice President Mike Pence and other speakers addressed securing religious liberty and protecting the sanctity of human life both in the United States and worldwide, particularly in the Middle East, at the 13th annual National Catholic Prayer Breakfast in Washington June 6.

Pentecost is celebration of unity in diversity, pope says

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Holy Spirit continues to give Christians different gifts and to call them to share those gifts with each other in a community marked by forgiveness and “unity in diversity,” Pope Francis said on Pentecost.

John Nahrgang ordained a deacon, one step closer to priesthood

In his final minutes as a lay Catholic, seminarian John Nahrgang smiled in anticipation of the big moment. That would come immediately following the proclamation of the Gospel at the May 28 televised and livestreamed Mass at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral, when a chair was placed at the foot of the altar and Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted ordained Nahrgang — a convert to Catholicism — a deacon.

Bishops urge Trump to honor Paris climate pact to protect the planet

The United States has an obligation to honor the Paris climate agreement to protect "our people and our planet" and "mitigate the worst impacts of climate change," said the chairman of the U.S. bishops' Committee on International Justice and Peace.

Former André House director and Holy Cross priest named bishop for Florida diocese

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope Francis has named Holy Cross Father William A. Wack, a former director of André House, to be the bishop of Pensacola-Tallahassee.

Catholic Charities showcases programs at inaugural breakfast

When Dr. Zlata Kovacevic arrived in the United States 20 years ago from Bosnia with her two daughters, she had nothing. Her husband, who had immigrated a year earlier, had died just the day before. It was a representative from Catholic Charities who met them at the airport and helped them resettle.

Pope, President Trump speak of hopes for peace

Pope Francis and U.S. President Donald Trump spent 30 minutes speaking privately in the library of the Apostolic Palace May 24, and as the president left, he told the pope, "I won't forget what you said."