The Texas Supreme Court Nov. 15 denied a state House committee’s attempt to delay the execution of a man convicted of murder in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, after lawmakers questioned the evidence behind his conviction.
National News
Bishop Seitz Calls for Human-Centered Immigration Discussions Post-Election
While Bishop Mark Seitz has said that he doesn’t want to “get ahead” of President-elect Donald Trump in criticizing potential immigration policies, he has also acknowledged an increased level of concern for the undocumented immigrants already in the United States.
In Separate Addresses on Synod, Eucharistic Revival, Church Leaders Emphasize Work That Lies Ahead
In separate addresses to the American bishops, Cardinal Christophe Pierre and Archbishop Timothy Broglio spoke on two major Church events of the past year — the Synod of Bishops on Synodality and the National Eucharistic Revival — and the need to keep each alive.
USCCB Sets Outreach as Priority for Next 4 Years
During the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops 2024 fall general assembly, a new mission directive emphasizing outreach to the religiously unaffiliated, those who have disaffiliated, and young people was established to guide the USCCB’s work through 2028.
Biden Meets with Trump, His Predecessor and Successor, at White House
President Joe Biden welcomed President-elect Donald Trump to the White House Nov. 13 for an Oval Office visit, a ritual part of the U.S. tradition of a peaceful transfer of power between presidents, and one that Trump declined four years earlier.
Jazz Pianist’s Long, Winding Road Brought Her to the Faith
During a trip to Europe in 1953, accomplished 20th-century jazz pianist and composer Mary Lou Williams was exhausted,
emotionally drained, and facing financial peril when a friend took her to a small church in France where she began to pray.
As Deanna Witkowski explains in her 2021 biography of Williams, titled “Music for the Soul,” that’s where the musician’s spiritual journey and conversion to Catholicism began.
On Presidential Election Result, American Bishops Emphasize Longtime Pastoral Priorities
Commenting on the election of former President Donald Trump to serve a second term, Bishop Michael Burbidge of Arlington offered a reminder that no matter who occupies the White House, the Church’s advocacy and priorities will not change.
Nuncio, USCCB President Reflect on Eucharistic Congress, Synodality, Duty to Proclaim Gospel
The public session of the fall plenary assembly of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops opened Nov. 12 with remarks from Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the U.S. Archdiocese for the Military Services, USCCB president, and Cardinal Christophe Pierre, the papal nuncio to the U.S.
Federal Judge Strikes Down Biden Program Shielding Undocumented Spouses from Deportation
A federal judge in Texas on Nov. 7 struck down a Biden administration program to protect from deportation and provide a path to U.S. citizenship for hundreds of thousands of undocumented immigrants living in the country who are married to U.S. citizens.
After Hurricanes Comes the Hard Part for Displaced Floridians
The 2024 hurricane season is nearly over and the media have largely moved on from the story.