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 …

By Jimmy Akin National Catholic Register, May 13, 2025 / 04:00 am May 13 is the optional memorial of Our Lady of Fátima, arguably the most prominent approved apparition of the 20th century. It became famous the world over, particularly for its three-part “secret.” Here are nine things to know about …

A Mother’s Love There are times when only a mother’s love Can understand our tears, Can soothe our disappoints And calm all of our fears. There are times when only a mother’s love Can share the joy we feel When something we’ve dreamed about Quite suddenly is real. There are …

I remember the moment I realized my mother was a person. It’s a strange thing to say; but prior to my twenties, my mom more closely resembled a resource. I could turn to her with my needs, confident she would have the solution. As a mother, she gave; and as …

By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, May 9, 2025 / 06:00 am On May 8, Cardinal Robert Francis Prevost was elected Pope Leo XIV by the College of Cardinals as the 266th successor of St. Peter, making him the 267th pope and the first from the United States. Here are 14 …