Nuns help debrief stressed typhoon victims arriving in Manila
The grandstand of Villamor Air Base was buzzing with teams of workers trying to help people displaced by the super typhoon that struck the central Philippines 10 days earlier. That was where some local nuns stepped in.
Elementary, high school students salute veterans
Two Catholic elementary schools and two high schools were among those who organized tributes for veterans and active duty military personnel in honor of Veterans Day.
Pope says purported visions of Mary can lead people away from God
Purported visions of Mary, if taken in the wrong spirit, can sow confusion and distance people from the Gospel, Pope Francis said. Curiosities distance people "from the Gospel, from the Holy Spirit, from peace and hope, from God's glory and God's beauty," the pope said Nov. 14 during a homily at morning Mass in the Vatican guesthouse, where he lives.
Bishops send ‘special message’ reiterating objections to HHS mandate
In a "special message" released Nov. 13, the U.S. bishops reiterated their objections to the Affordable Care Act's requirement that employee insurance include contraceptive coverage and said they remain "united in our resolve to resist this heavy burden and protect our religious freedom."
Local Catholics respond to crisis in Philippines in wake of typhoon
Just days after 200-mile-an-hour winds and the enormous storm surge of Super Typhoon Haiyan devastated the Philippines, Catholics in Arizona reached out to offer prayerful and financial support.
1st Way’s new building a place ‘of great beauty’
Bob Bevers never used to have a stance on right-to-life issues. “I never really gave it much thought — it was a battle that I wasn’t involved in,” Bevers said.
Confession renews grace of baptism, pope says at audience
With baptism, Christians are cleansed of sin, but the sacrament doesn't wash away human weakness nor the obligation to ask forgiveness when they make mistakes, Pope Francis said.
Caritas Philippines leader calls typhoon devastation ‘unimaginable’
The devastation brought on by Super Typhoon Haiyan is on a scale so big it is "unimaginable," said Jesuit Father Edwin Gariguez, head of Caritas in the Philippines.
Blue Mass honors emergency personnel including 23 line-of-duty losses
Active and retired police officers and firefighters joined fellow colleagues, families of the fallen, Bishop Thomas J. Olmsted and Bishop Eduardo A. Nevares in praying for one another during the annual Blue Mass Nov. 7 at Ss. Simon and Jude Cathedral. The liturgy is one of thanksgiving for all emergency personnel from the “911” dispatcher to the corrections officer.
Bishops OK plan to address pornography in new statement
The U.S. bishops Nov. 12 approved the development of a pastoral statement on the dangers pornography poses to family life that would serve as a teaching tool for church leaders.
