By Kate Quiñones CNA Staff, Dec 19, 2024 / 14:25 pm The U.S. bishops on Tuesday designated the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., as a special pilgrimage site for the 2025 Jubilee Year. A jubilee is a special holy year of grace and pilgrimage that happens …

By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Dec 19, 2024 / 10:55 am An online presentation Tuesday sponsored by the National Eucharistic Revival explored the question of how Catholics can use technology for good, inspired by the life of soon-to-be-saint Carlo Acutis. Acutis, a young Italian who died in 2006, is due to be canonized …

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 …

By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, Dec 7, 2024 / 07:00 am This year, the solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, which is a holy day of obligation, falls on the Second Sunday of Advent. So, are Catholics obligated to go to Mass twice? The answer is yes. The solemnity of the …

By Kate Quiñones CNA Staff, Nov 1, 2024 / 09:45 am The Vatican has clarified that Catholics in the United States must still attend Mass on holy days of obligation even when they are transferred to Mondays or Saturdays, correcting a long-standing practice in the U.S. Church. In its complementary norms, the …

By Madalaine Elhabbal Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 2, 2024 / 16:15 pm As the Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris prepares to reopen on Dec. 7, U.S. bishops are calling on local American churches to show their solidarity with the Church’s “eldest daughter.” Five years ago, a devastating fire broke out across …

By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, Nov 30, 2024 / 04:08 am As we prepare for the birth of Christ during Advent, it can be easy to get lost in the hustle and bustle of the season. But as calendars get filled up and preparations are made, here are four resources to …

By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, Nov 28, 2024 / 06:00 am November is National Black Catholic History Month in the United States, a time to honor the history, heritage, and contributions of Black Catholics across the nation. The National Black Catholic Clergy Caucus (NBCCC) first established Black Catholic History Month …

The Advent wreath is made of four candles and a circle of branches. Before the first candle is lighted, the household gathers for this blessing. The blessing of an Advent Wreath takes place on the First Sunday of Advent or on the evening before the First Sunday of Advent. When …

By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Nov 21, 2024 / 16:20 pm Two bottles of rare bourbon signed by Pope Francis are projected to net up to $20,000 for several Kentucky charities. Father Jim Sichko, a priest in the Diocese of Lexington, Kentucky, and a papal Missionary of Mercy, told CNA that the …