Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Church

While many are wrapping up Christmas celebrations on December 25, Catholics continue to celebrate and rejoice until the feast of the Epiphany on January 6 — or even until the Feast of the Presentation (Candlemas) on February 2.  Then it’s back to the humdrum of ordinary life. Much of the world is just focused on Read More…

Louisiana’s little known “extra” holiday season

The North American country is known for being a global leader in suicide deaths. [...]

From misuse to abuse, the time of blind giving to a bishop's Annual Appeal is over.

Educators need to entice reading, and kicking the classics to the curb won’t help.

Cardinal Matteo Zuppi, president of the Italian Bishops Conference (the CEI), boldly entered the debate over assisted suicide in Italy in advance of a bill seeking to regulate and possibly expand access, set to reach the Senate this month. The bill follows on the heels of two regions, Tuscany and Sardinia, regulating assisted suicide in Read More…

Cardinal Zuppi enters fraught Italian debate over assisted suicide

“[T]he service of honor certainly requires a particular code of ethics, but even more so a solid faith,” Leo XIV told the staff of the Pontifical Household, the entity that assists the pope in his daily life within the Apostolic Palace. As he is set to move in to his apartments there soon, he praised Read More…

Leo XIV thanks the “Pontifical Family” in unusual audience

The death penalty was carried out against Frank Walls only a week before Christmas in 2025. Among an increasing number of executions in Florida and nationwide, his case highlights the Church’s advocacy work for life and against the death penalty. In a recent webinar with Catholic Mobilizing Network, Maria di Liberato explained that she represented Read More…

A pre-Christmas execution in Florida raises questions

Many grandparents delight in doting on their grandchildren — from bedtime stories to bundled-up walks in the park. But according to a new report, there may be a deeper benefit to that loving involvement than just warm memories. A study reported by Tony Dokoupil for CBS News suggests that grandparents who actively help care for Read More…

The surprising brain benefit of helping with grandchildren

For the first Lent of his pontificate, Leo XIV has chosen the Norwegian Trappist monk Bishop Erik Varden of Trondheim to preach the spiritual exercises to the Roman Curia. The Prefecture of the Papal Household announced the appointment on February 4, 2026. It’s customary for the pontiff to bring in an outside preacher to lead Read More…

Bishop Erik Varden of Norway to preach Pope’s Lenten retreat

Joseph Pearce is the author of numerous books, including biographies of G.K. Chesterton, J.R.R. Tolkien, Oscar Wilde, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, William Shakespeare, and more, and is the editor of the Ignatius Critical Editions series. He has written books about literature, including Literature: What [...]