Parishes across the state of Texas have canceled Ash Wednesday Masses amid a winter storm that’s left over three million people without power and brought record low temperatures all week.
National News
Bishop Healy Vaulted From Slavery to Servant of God
James Augustine Healy in 1875 became the first bishop of African-American heritage in the U.S. He was the son of an Irish cotton planter father and a mixed-race mother who was a slave. This family from Georgia also produced two other priests, two nuns, a hardware dealer, and a famous ship captain.
Democrats, Republicans React to Trump’s Second Acquittal; Former President Promises Movement Has ‘Just Begun’
Democrats and Republicans are speaking out about the verdict and what lies ahead after former President Donald Trump was acquitted on an impeachment charge on Feb. 13.
Biden Revives White House Office for Faith-Based Organizations
Responding to requests from religious communities and organizations, U.S. President Joe Biden signed an executive order Feb.14 to reestablish a White House Office of Faith-based and Neighborhood Partnerships created under the Bush administration and revamped during the Obama years.
Former President Trump Acquitted in Second Impeachment Trial
In a 57-to-43 vote, the U.S. Senate acquitted former President Donald Trump on an impeachment charge of inciting an insurrection last month. This is the second time Trump has been acquitted in an impeachment trial.
Panel Addresses Healing After Strife and How Catholics Can Move Forward
A Catholic panel analyzing a path forward during moments of strife or of social sin said the only way to move ahead as a society toward healing is to recognize the damage done to a person or communities, to lay the truth out for everyone to see.
Catholic Agencies Prepare for Influx of Migrants at Texas-Mexico Border
Two Catholic organizations in southern Texas are prepared to provide humanitarian relief to a combined 400 migrants a day, with the expectation that U.S. Customs and Border Protection will release more migrants as soon as next week.
Black Religious Orders Broke Racial Barriers in the U.S.
When it comes to the earliest orders of Black Catholic religious sisters in the United States, Shannen Dee Williams wants people to recognize the perseverance, struggle, and commitment to God they put forth to make religious life possible for Black women and girls in the United States — something she considers overlooked.
General Dispensation From Sunday Mass in Detroit Archdiocese Expires March 13
Citing the “essential and central nature of the eucharistic sacrifice” in the life of the Catholic Church, Detroit Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron Feb. 9 announced the general dispensation from Sunday Mass for Catholics in the Archdiocese of Detroit will expire March 13.
Catholic Leaders Urge TPS for Central Americans, Aid for Storm-Ravaged Nations
Two U.S. bishops’ committee chairmen and the head of Catholics Relief Services asked the Biden administration Feb. 10 to grant Temporary Protected Status for 18 months to foreign nationals from Central America in the United States and to provide aid to their hurricane-ravaged countries.