By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Nov 4, 2025 / 04:00 am St. Charles Borromeo, whose feast day the Catholic Church celebrates Nov. 4, was a cardinal and a prominent teacher of the Catholic faith. He generously donated much of his considerable wealth to charity and sacrificed his own health to help …

Woodworking has run through the Otmar family line for more than five generations. For Josef Otmar V, however, the craft became more than a trade—it is a vocation, one that serves the Church by creating sacred spaces for Eucharistic worship. Otmar’s journey into woodworking began early, when he entered an …

Origins and Mission Serra Club International is a lay apostolate of the Catholic Church that aims to promote vocations and foster a culture of vocation awareness. Named after Saint Junípero Serra, the Spanish missionary who founded several missions in California during the 18th century, Serra clubs worldwide embody his spirit …

Like many parents of young children, I prepare for Christmas in the weeks—or even months—before its arrival by keeping a list of my family’s wants and needs that can be wrapped and placed under the Christmas tree. The significant time and energy invested to meet the day’s material expectations often …

As we enter Advent, a season of preparation and hope, then joyfully celebrate the birth of Christ, the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains offers us a prayerful and beautiful setting to mark these liturgical seasons. “Everything about the liturgy at the Cathedral Basilica during our Advent and Christmas …

Catholics engage with their faith in bodily and material ways—not just genuflecting, kneeling, and making the sign of the cross but thumbing rosary beads, collecting holy cards, and praying before statues and artwork. Unlike members of some non-Catholic faith traditions, Catholics have long fostered a kind of tactile piety. But …

We do not hear much about the “last things” anymore. Death, judgment, heaven, and hell are often passed over. We hear even less about that state that many will experience before heaven, which is called purgatory. This purification after death has been a consistent part of Catholic teaching for hundreds …

The commemoration of all the faithful departed is celebrated by the Church on November 2, or, if this falls on a Sunday or a solemnity, the feast is celebrated on November 3. The Office of the Dead must be recited by the clergy on this day, and all the Masses …

Advent Reflection for November 30 – The First Sunday of Advent Readings: Isaiah 2:1-5, Psalm 122: 1-2, 3-4, 4-5, 6-7, 8-9,Romans 13:11-14, Matthew 24: 37-44 Today is the First Sunday of Advent… a new beginning. In the coming weeks, the rhythm of nature around us will remind us of some …

By Walter Sánchez Silva Vatican City, Nov 1, 2025 / 08:45 am Pope Leo XIV has declared St. John Henry Newman a Doctor of the Church, recognizing the English cardinal and theologian—one of the most influential converts from Anglicanism—as a towering figure of faith and intellect in modern Catholicism. The declaration …