St. Phillip Neri said, “The best preparation for prayer is to read the lives of the saints … quietly and with recollection a little at a time. And to pause whenever you feel your heart touched with devotion.” Word on Fire’s new collection of sermons, commentaries, biographies, and other writings …

Early Years Dennis Marian Schnurr was born in Sheldon, IA, on June 21, 1948 and grew up in Hospers, IA. He studied for the priesthood at the North American College and the Gregorian University, both in Rome, and was ordained a priest for the Diocese of Sioux City on July …

Celestine is a saint who will always be remembered for the unique manner in which he was elected Pope, for his spectacular incompetence in that office, and for the distinction of being the first pontiff ever to have resigned. Pietro di Murrone was born in born 1215 in the Neapolitan province …

Pope Leo XIV presides at the Mass of Inauguration of his Petrine Ministry in Saint Peter’s Square, and invites the Church to walk together along the path of God’s love and remain united in one family. By Vatican News Greeting over 200,000 pilgrims, leaders from around the world, and representatives …

Explore the traditions of this joyous time in pictures This article first appeared online in May 2018. Tradition of the first blessing Waiting to receive a blessing from a new priest is a longstanding ordination day tradition. After Mass, the new priests are greeted by their former seminary classmates, who …

Deacon Adam Lewis is well aware of the mystery in his vocational story. Preparing for his ordination to the priesthood on May 17 with Deacon Kevin LeMelle, Deacon Lewis noted wryly, “There are people who have been in seminary longer than I’ve been Catholic.” Raised in a Christian household, Lewis …

I know my pastor well, for a parishioner. My husband and I were friends with him years before he came to our church. Father Anthony’s sense of humor is clever; he keeps a clean house and an even cleaner office; he’s grounded and compassionate; and he’s a movie buff with …

Great joy accompanies sharing beauty. Brother John Boissy, OFM, discovered this as he combined his Franciscan brother vocation with his woodworking ministry. Brother John planned to be an architect, but with his first set of power tools, he crafted a bookshelf and shoe cabinet for his parents and fell in …

The Eucharist is more than a sacrament—it is a source of strength amid life’s greatest challenges. For parents raising children with special needs, the Church can be a refuge and a reminder that no one walks alone. Cincinnati resident Laura Nanista knows this well, as she strives to navigate the …