As the first communicants of St. Joseph Catholic Church traverse the aisles of the sanctuary to receive the Blessed Sacrament for the first time, their faces often glow with the joy of the sacramental moment. Christie McGee, who as the Richardson parish’s director of children and family ministry has witnessed this heartening scene many times, said that the faces of the communicant’s parents also radiate jubilance in that moment — but all too often, the parents remain a step removed from the sacrament itself.
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Catholicism has waned in Latin America over the past decade, with more individuals foregoing religious affiliation — although belief in God remains “high across the region,” according to a new report.
In a sudden development in a case that has lingered in the courts for nearly a decade, the state of New York has given up on trying to enforce an insurance regulation that would have forced Catholic and other religious organizations to pay for abortions.
As atrocities against civilians surge globally, the Vatican’s top diplomat to the United Nations stressed the crucial need for both prevention and accountability — and the vital roles of individual nations and the global community in those tasks.
People of faith and goodwill need to take time to acknowledge the needs and suffering of those around them and be moved by love and compassion to offer others concrete help, Pope Leo XIV said.
Ahead of the French Senate debate on the “assisted dying” bill Jan. 20, French bishops reaffirmed their opposition to the projected law, saying, “We do not care for life by giving death.”
Approval, public consensus, and visibility are often given undue importance in modern society, shaping how people think, behave, and even understand themselves, Pope Leo XIV warned in his Jan. 18 Angelus address. That focus, he warned, can lead to personal suffering, social division, and relationships that are fragile and ultimately disappointing.
I recently enjoyed a wonderful apocalyptic novel, “Lord of the World,” by the British author and priest, Robert Hugh Benson. I was excited to read this book because I learned that recent popes (such as Benedict XVI, Francis, and Leo XIV) have spoken about it as a prophetic reflection of our times.
While crowding against the railings of St. Peter’s Square during a Dec. 31 blessing of the Vatican’s Nativity scene, students of Mary Immaculate Catholic School began to take up the tune of “Hark! The Herald Angels Sing.” As they raised the hymn, the students were greatly surprised to discover the addition of a new voice: that of Pope Leo XIV, who had paused in his rounds to join in the festive song.
In a jubilant celebration of the gift of life, hundreds of north Texans are expected to gather in Dallas Jan. 17 for the Catholic Pro-Life Community’s annual North Texas Youth Rally and Bilingual Pro-Life Mass.