Growing up in St. Louis, Susanna Spencer loved her family’s Advent tradition of adorning a Jesse Tree with Old Testament symbols leading to Christ’s birth.
National News
DC Archdiocese Sues Transit Over Ad Refusal
The Archdiocese of Washington has filed suit in federal court over the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority’s advertising guidelines after the transit system rejected an Advent and Christmas advertisement.
Baker Case Will Be Next Test for Religious Liberty
Archbishop William Lori, former head of the U.S. bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, believes the case will have grave implications for the future of religious freedom.
Catholic HS Teacher Inspired Meghan Markle’s Outreach
Maria Pollia, a theology teacher at Immaculate Heart High School in Los Angeles, Calif., didn’t have to rack her brain to remember former student Meghan Markle, the actress recently engaged to Prince Harry.
Bishop DiMarzio Joins Nationwide Campaign to Protect DREAMers
Brooklyn Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio, along with Catholic bishops from across the country, is taking part in the #iMarch campaign, a national day of action for immigration reform, on Wednesday, Dec. 6.
Iraqi Christians Tell United Nations: Christian Presence is Key to Regional Stability
In the midst of the U.S. bishops’ “Solidarity in Suffering” campaign, designed as a Week of Awareness and Education for Persecuted Christians, leaders from Iraq on Thursday urged the United Nations and the international community to recognize Christians as key to stabilizing the Middle East.
New Bilingual Video Series to Support Youth Leaders Who ‘Accompany’ Teens
The Office of Faith Formation and Discipleship of the Archdiocese of Atlanta, Ga., has launched the first video training series based on the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) framework for youth ministry.
Little Sisters of Poor Headed Back to Court
The Little Sisters of the Poor are heading back to court to defend themselves against lawsuits by the states of California and Pennsylvania to take away the Little Sisters’ religious exemption from the new Health and Human Services rule.
US Bishops Think Senate Tax Proposal Would Hurt Families
The chair of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development likes some of the provisions of the Senate’s tax bill, but those likes are dwarfed by items that he said run afoul of Catholic teaching.
He’s Been Collecting Rosaries for Decades
Travelers who happen upon a regional museum in Washington state are frequently surprised to find there the largest collection of rosaries in the world – according to no less an authority than “Ripley’s Believe It or Not.”