Browsing News Entries

Supreme Court says California can’t hide student transgender identities from parents

Keeping student “transitions” secret likely violates the First Amendment rights of parents, the high court said.

U.S. drug czar prays before image of Our Lady of Guadalupe in Mexico

In Mexico for a meeting with security officials regarding combatting drug trafficking, U.S. drug czar Sara Carter visited the shrine of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Pope Leo XIV promulgates new statutes for Pontifical Academy for Life

The new statues introduce the new role of “supporters” who, while not academics, identify with the academy’s mission and “contribute to the advancement of its academic activities.”

Jeff Cavins, Father Mike Schmitz awarded Pillar Award by Museum of the Bible

Jeff Cavins and Father Mike Schmitz are the first Catholics to receive the Pillar Award for Narrative given by the Museum of the Bible.

How Czech Catholics are crowdfunding their priests’ salaries

As state contributions wind down toward a 2030 cutoff, the Archdiocese of Olomouc is turning to crowdfunding, investments, and parish co-responsibility to keep its priests paid.

The Catholic Relief Services Collection Reveals Christ’s Love to Vulnerable at Home and Abroad

WASHINGTON - On the weekend of March 14-15, Catholics in many dioceses across the United States will be asked to help some of the most poor and vulnerable people. The U.S. bishops’ annual Catholic Relief Services Collection helps those in need in the United States and worldwide by benefiting six agencies and offices affiliated with the Catholic Church, including the U.S. bishops’ flagship international relief and development agency, Catholic Relief Services. Gifts are also accepted online at https://www.igivecatholic.org/story/USCCB-CRS.

“The Church in the United States was built on ministry among immigrants. We help all who are marginalized, including victims of war and disaster overseas. The Catholic Relief Services Collection combines all these kinds of assistance,” said Bishop Daniel H. Mueggenborg of Reno, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on National Collections. “Our Lord tells us to love our neighbors – those we know, those we don’t and those we think are very different from us. The Catholic Relief Services Collection is one way that we show that love. Today it is more vital than ever.”

Of nearly $13.5 million distributed from The Catholic Relief Services Collection in 2024, nearly $8 million went to Catholic Relief Services for international relief and development efforts in places affected by war and natural disaster.

The other recipients are:

  • The Catholic Legal Immigration Network (CLINIC): Provides training and support to a dedicated network of more than 400 Catholic and community-based immigration law providers in 49 states.
  • USCCB Secretariat of Migration (formerly the Department of Migration and Refugee Services): Assists dioceses in carrying out their ministries to newcomers, publishes educational resources, and promotes policies that affirm the life and dignity of immigrants and refugees.
  • Two initiatives of the USCCB Secretariat of Cultural Diversity in the Church: pastoral ministries to migrant workers, travelers, and seafarers through its Subcommittee on the Pastoral Care of Migrants, Refugees, and Travelers, and its Subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Island Affairs, which helps the Church address the unique pastoral needs across many boundaries of language and tradition.
  • USCCB Secretariat of Justice and Peace: Engages in advocacy on behalf of the poor around the world and works with policymakers and government officials to end violent international conflicts through its International Justice and Peace program.
  • Holy Father’s Relief Fund: Helps Pope Leo XIV rush aid to areas of the world in crisis.

“Together, these agencies help victims of war and natural disaster, support sustainable economic development overseas, advocate for international peace and human rights, help refugees and immigrants in the United States to obtain legal support, offer pastoral support to a wide variety of people who migrate for work and build cross-cultural understanding,” Bishop Mueggenborg said.

For more information on The Catholic Relief Services Collection please visit www.usccb.org/catholic-relief.

### 

Catholic Church in Spain creates department for relations with Islam

Spain’s growing Muslim population has led that country’s bishops’ conference to address concurrent pastoral challenges.

ChosenCon 2026: ‘This is the Comic-Con of the Bible’

Roughly 5,000 fans recently filled the Charlotte Convention Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, for ChosenCon.

Reverse migration: Catholic shelters in Mexico serve repatriated migrants and foreigners who remain

While migration into Mexico from the south and from Mexico to the U.S. has significantly decreased, it hasn’t completely stopped, and challenges still remain for Catholic migrant shelters there.

American Catholics launch crowdfunding effort to gift Pope Leo XIV papal tiara

A nonprofit hopes to generate enough small donations to construct a papal tiara for Pope Leo XIV as a gift from American Catholics.