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Global
By Justin McLellan
VATICAN CITY — More than half a million pilgrims crossed the threshold of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica in the first two weeks after Pope Francis opened it. From Dec. 24, when the pope inaugurated the Holy Year, to Jan. 7, the Vatican said, 545,532 people from around the world have made the […]
National
By Matt McDonald
Cardinal Robert McElroy, the new archbishop of Washington, D.C., says he wishes success for President-elect Donald Trump’s incoming administration but that he’ll be watching closely to see how Trump deals with immigrants who are in the country without legal status. “The Catholic Church teaches that a country has the right to control its borders. And […]
Pope Francis
By Cindy Wooden
VATICAN CITY — Pope Francis has appointed Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla to be the first woman to lead a Vatican dicastery, naming her prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life. The 59-year-old Italian sister had served as secretary of the dicastery since October 2023. In […]
Pope Francis
By Justin McLellan
VATICAN CITY — In a troubled world, the birth of Christ reveals God’s unwavering determination to draw all people to himself and illuminate even the darkest corners, Pope Francis said. Despite being born into a world “where there is a great need for light, for hope and a need for peace, a world where people […]
National
Pope Francis
By Hannah Brockhaus
Pope Francis appointed Cardinal Robert W. McElroy, bishop of San Diego, to lead the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C., the Vatican announced Jan. 6. The 70-year-old cardinal, who holds doctorates in moral theology from the Pontifical Gregorian University and in political science from Stanford, succeeds Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory, 77, whose age-related resignation was simultaneously accepted […]
Local
By Jim Hale
When he opened the “Holy Door” to the Basilica of St. Peter on Christmas Eve, Pope Francis initiated the Holy Year 2025 — a jubilee year for the universal church with an exhortation for all Catholics to grow spiritually as “pilgrims of hope.” Parishioners throughout the diocese responded by filling the Cathedral of St. Thomas […]
National
By Kate Quiñones
Goodbyes were bittersweet as young adults, families, religious, priests and others prepared to leave the youth conference that drew more than 17,000 attendees — some Catholic, others exploring their faith. The SEEK conference, held at the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City Jan. 1-5, is much more than a retreat according to clergy […]
Local
Most Reverend Michael F. Burbidge, Bishop of Arlington, has announced the following clergy appointment. Reverend Michael S. Murray, O.S.F.S. — from Administrator to Pastor at Saint John Neumann Parish in Reston, effective January 2, 2025.
Pope Francis
By Carol Glatz
VATICAN CITY — When Catholics come to Rome for the Holy Year, their journey should have the specific goal of encountering and listening to Jesus, Pope Francis said. With a jubilee, the destination is the Holy Door, which “represents Jesus Christ, his mystery of salvation, which allows us to enter into the new life, free […]
Local
By John and Lauren McCormack
On the morning of Dec. 24, 2023, we were holding hands while attending Mass at John’s parents’ parish in Madison, Wis. The Gospel reading that morning, the fourth Sunday of Advent, was the Annunciation — when the angel Gabriel announced to Mary that she would conceive a child by the Holy Spirit: “the child to […]
