By Courtney Mares Loreto, Italy, Dec 10, 2025 / 04:00 am What do Galileo, Mozart, Descartes, Cervantes, and St. Thérèse of Lisieux have in common? They all traveled hundreds of miles to step inside the Virgin Mary’s house, which is preserved inside a basilica in the small Italian town of Loreto. …

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 …

Three years ago, I was blessed with the opportunity to make a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. While in Bethlehem, I was deeply moved by a reflection on Luke’s Gospel. Standing in the fields where the shepherds once stood, I imagined myself alongside those shepherds, encountering the angels. As I …

In honor of Saint Nicholas, here’s two videos about the life of this Saint from Catholic.org, and the longer video entitled History of real Saint Nicholas:

American actor Chris Pratt is currently filming a documentary on the Vatican Necropolis. Produced by Vatican Media, the Fabric of St Peter, and AF Films, it will be released in 2026 for the 400th anniversary of the inauguration and dedication of the Basilica. Vatican News Filming is currently underway in …

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, Dec 6, 2021 / 06:00 am St. Nicholas, whose feast day is celebrated on Dec. 6, is well known as possibly the real-life inspiration for the beloved Christmas character of Santa Claus. Not a lot is known about the historical Nicholas, who was bishop of …

By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Dec 18, 2024 / 06:00 am After years of excavation work, the leader of an archeological expedition at the Church of St. Nicholas in Demre, Turkey, announced this week that her team has found a sarcophagus that may contain the body of St. Nick — a discovery that could …

Hope is a funny thing. Most people think of it like a wish… “I hope the traffic isn’t bad.” “I hope the Bengals win.” “I hope it doesn’t rain.” But real Christian hope isn’t a feeling or a wish. It’s a conviction. St. Augustine once said that hope has two …

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 …