Last month, as Rozita Gerhardt helped Afghan refugees complete their asylum applications, she thought of her mother, who years ago fled Iran, and how this was just the first step of what will be a lifelong process.
National News
Court Blocks Vaccine Mandate for Businesses, Allows it for Health Workers
The Supreme Court in a 6-3 decision Jan. 13 blocked a rule by the Biden administration that would have required employees at large businesses to show proof of a COVID-19 vaccination or wear masks and get tested each week for the coronavirus.
USCCB Invites Catholics to Take Part in ‘9 Days for Life’ Jan. 19-27
The 10th annual “9 Days for Life” novena, sponsored by the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities, takes place this year from Jan. 19 to Jan. 27.
‘Trust the Science,’ but do not Idolize it, Says Vatican Astronomer
Those who are stubbornly skeptical of science and those who eagerly embrace science as infallible both have a dangerous misunderstanding of the nature of science, a U.S. Jesuit astronomer said.
Update: New Jersey Catholic Bishops Decry Passage of Expansive new Abortion Law
In a joint statement Jan. 11, New Jersey’s Catholic bishops unequivocally condemned the Freedom of Reproductive Choice Act, an expansive abortion bill they said was passed with extraordinary haste by the state Senate and General Assembly a day earlier.
Pope Francis Hails as Heroes Parents who Risk Everything for Their Kids
With so many problems and challenges in the world, especially worsened by the pandemic, people can find strength and guidance in St. Joseph, Pope Francis said.
Catholic Items Hold Their own at New York Public Library Exhibit
One of the most progressive items at a New York Public Library exhibit, perhaps overlooked by visitors heading for pop culture gems such as the hand-painted ballet slipper designed by Coco Chanel and an Andy Warhol oil painting of a Studio 54 ticket inscribed to Truman Capote, belongs to a nun.
Astronaut Talks With Catholic School Students While Orbiting Earth
Crisscrossing above the Seattle region at approximately 17,000 mph aboard the International Space Station, NASA astronaut Mark Vande Hei took live questions from students at Seattle Nativity School.
Dioceses Without A Bishop Press On With Their Synod Consultations
When Bishop Robert Brennan invited the Diocese of Columbus to an initiative to shape the diocese’s future in early 2021, two things hadn’t happened yet: His appointment to the Diocese of Brooklyn in the fall, and the start of the diocesan phase of the Synod on Synodality.
Bishop Brennan Calls For More Focus On Week of Prayer for Christian Unity
Catholics in the Diocese of Brooklyn have an opportunity to join this prayer for solidarity among Christian denominations during the international Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, Jan. 18-25.