IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy of Gertrudejane Holliday Stone By Jo Ann Zuniga HOUSTON (CNS) — Gertrudejane Holliday Stone, a parishioner at St. Mary of the Purification Church in Houston, was a Freedom Rider even before the term was coined. In an interview during Black History Month, the octogenarian recalled when she …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tom Tracy By Tom Tracy FREEPORT, Grand Bahama (CNS) — In response to the most damaging storm in the modern history of the Bahamas, a regional office of Caritas International has moved forward in its two-year commitment to promote housing refurbishment and mental wellness in the islands. Category …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Life Savers By Sydney Clark WASHINGTON (CNS) — As a new Lenten season begins, Father Jorge Obregon from Houston is encouraging young Latino Catholics to participate in a new spiritual campaign titled Life Savers. "I hope this can get to as many Spanish-speaking people starting in Spain and …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Vatican Media By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Confronting and not giving in to bitterness helps priests realize that they are not all-powerful beings but sinners who have been forgiven and called by God, Pope Francis said. Bitterness is "a subtle enemy" that hides and "robs …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Remo Casilli, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis did not attend a traditional penitential service with priests of the Diocese of Rome due to a mild cold, the Vatican said. In a statement Feb. 27, Matteo Bruni, director of the Vatican press office, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves ROME (CNS) — Ashes not only symbolize humanity’s frail mortality but are also a reminder of God’s infinite love of people, whom he created from dust, Pope Francis said. While men and women are just "dust in the universe" compared to the …

By WASHINGTON (CNS) — By blocking two pro-life bills from going to the floor of the U.S. Senate for a vote, senators "failed to advance two critical human rights reforms that most Americans strongly support," the chairman of the U.S. bishops’ pro-life committee said late Feb. 25. Earlier that day, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Lent is a time to remove all distractions and bitterness from one’s life in order to better hear God and those who suffer silently and need help, Pope Francis said. "It is the right time to turn off the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Melissa Moon, Detroit Catholic By Michael Stechschulte DETROIT (CNS) — There’s no such thing as the perfect Catholic family. Days of joy, celebration and happiness can be followed by challenges, heartbreak and, at times, chaos brought on by contemporary hectic lifestyles. At their best, however, Father Stephen Pullis, …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Paul Haring By Carol Glatz VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The Pontifical Academy for Life has invited the leaders of Microsoft and IBM — two of the world’s leading developers of AI software — to sign a charter calling for an ethical framework and guidelines for the field of …