The Holy Land’s sacred sites overflow with tourists in normal times, but with war in Gaza, most airlines have canceled flights to the region. The streets of the Old City of Jerusalem are deserted with merchant’s stalls shuttered. Yet for two Catholic peace activists from the United States, it was the perfect time to visit.
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As part of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception’s continuing celebration marking 100 years of worship at “Mary’s House,” as it’s often called, Washington Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory offered a Mass of thanksgiving for all the priests who were ordained or otherwise connected to the church.
The U.S. bishops’ Subcommittee on Hispanic Affairs conducted a survey of dioceses and archdioceses in the country’s 14 episcopal regions and released its results Aug. 21. The survey shows how Hispanic ministry has taken off across the country and that in most dioceses, there is a parish-based pastoral response to Hispanic Catholics.
Scott Kieffer, the director of discipleship for St. Joseph the Worker Catholic Community in Maple Grove, Minnesota, is 26 lakes away from completing his endeavor to pray a rosary in the 250 to 300 lakes in the Twin Cities urban metro area.
Catholics in Connecticut are working to help those impacted by what one lawmaker described as “historic, unprecedented flooding” Aug. 18-19 that took two lives and forced hundreds to flee for safety.
With Los Angeles set to host the Summer Olympics and Paralympics in 2028, the Catholic Church in the U.S. is “in the quad” — a four-year-period of training between the global competitions — to hone its evangelization game.
If there is one place in the world where it’s worth spending the Aug. 15 feast of the Assumption at least once in a lifetime, it’s the Marian shrine of Lourdes. The national pilgrimage to Lourdes is currently underway — Aug. 12 to 16, attracting a record number of pilgrims.
Marina Frattaroli describes herself as the National Eucharistic Revival’s “first convert,” after a related social media post led her to a website describing the church’s teaching on Jesus’ true presence in the Eucharist. Now she’s spending most of her waking hours with the Eucharist as one of the National Eucharistic Pilgrimage’s 30 perpetual pilgrims, who set out from points in California, Connecticut, Texas and Minnesota to meet at the National Eucharistic Congress in Indianapolis July 17-21.
Catholic bishops in Malawi mourned the loss of the country’s vice president, a devout Catholic, who died June 10 in a tragic plane crash.
Saulos Chilima, 51, died alongside nine others, including the former first lady Shanil Dzimbiri, aboard a military aircraft.
While many Catholics around the world rejoiced upon hearing the news that Pope Francis had approved a second miracle attributed to Blessed Carlo Acutis, none was happier than his mother, Antonia Salzano.