The Catholic Sun

Among the iconic images of the 9/11 tragedy, photographs of policemen and firefighters stand out: The first responders were entering the doomed World Trade Center as most everyone else was filing out.

Ankara and Istanbul were gray and cold, at least compared to Rome, during Pope Francis' Nov. 28-30 visit to Turkey. And the general reception, outside of the pope's official meetings, was hardly warmer.

Dwarfed by the grown-ups holding banners and signs around her, Ruby Arizabal clutched a doll in one hand and a candle in the other. "I've come here," she told Catholic News Service, "because the planet is sad." The 6-year-old was one of the youngest participants in an interfaith candlelight march and prayer vigil on the eve of the U.N. climate summit, which will run from Dec. 1 to 12 in this city of 9 million people that sprawls across Peru's coastal desert.

Shoppers at Paradise Valley Mall can find Christmas gifts straight from Bethlehem at a temporary kiosk plus Catholic books, coffee and other gift items as anew store that the owner hopes becomes permanent.

St. Mary's High School students have taken the idea of a canned food drive to the extreme.

Thousands of people lined up early Thanksgiving morning at a McDonald’s in South Phoenix to enjoy an event that’s become a tradition.

Lisa Natham, a single mom with a 28-year-old autistic son, was struggling to work and maintain her health. In addition to caring for her son's needs, she also suffered from both lupus and asthma, so she often caught pneumonia and eventually became too sick to work.

Valley students are used to the occasional dust storm, but not one that's free of wind and full of color.

The four weeks preceding the birth of Christ sanctify time and space in the hearts and homes of the faithful through a spirit of joyful anticipation marked by prayer.

Pope Francis said he would "never close the door" on dialogue with the Islamic State in an effort to bring peace to a region of the world suffering from violence and persecution.