Throwback Thursday: History of a Holy Door

The Cathedral of St. Peter in Chains in downtown Cincinnati was first built in the 1840s, but the massive bronze doors presently serving as the Holy Door for the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy were installed in 1957. Today’s Throwback Thursday is a photo of former Cincinnati Archbishop Karl J. …
Catholic leaders reflect on life, work of EWTN founder Mother Angelica
IMAGE: CNS By WASHINGTON (CNS) — Mother Angelica “reflected the Gospel commission to go forth and make disciples of all nations” said Archbishop Joseph E. Kurtz of Louisville, Kentucky, president of the U.S. bishops’ conference. “Like the best evangelists, she used the communications tools of her time to make this …
Archbishop finds visiting children injured in bombing ‘truly difficult’
IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Aid to the Ch By Simon Caldwell MANCHESTER, England (CNS) — Archbishop Sebastian Shaw of Lahore, Pakistan, said he was grief stricken while visiting hospitalized child victims of an Easter bomb attack in a city park. Speaking with the pontifical foundation Aid to the Church in Need …
God is greater than our sins, pope says at general audience
IMAGE: CNS/Paul Haring By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The power of God’s forgiveness “is greater than our sins,” Pope Francis said. Christians have “the certainty that he will never abandon us,” the pope said at his weekly general audience in St. Peter’s Square March 30. “If you …
Q&A: What ever happened to purgatory?

Dear Father: What happened to Purgatory? Haven’t heard about it for decades. Did it go away? What are the past and current teachings of the church on the subject? Dear Reader: Thank you for your question. Purgatory is still very much a part of church teaching. In paragraphs 1030-1032 of …
Father Endres to take over ‘A Question of Faith’ column for CT

Father David Endres, PhD., recently appointed Dean of the Athenaeum and Mount St. Mary’s Seminary, will write a regular column for The Catholic Telegraph beginning with the July 2016 edition of the newspaper. In addition to his administrative position at the seminary, Father Endres is an Assistant Professor of Church History …
Supreme Court seeks details on alternative contraceptive coverage
IMAGE: CNS photo/Jim Lo Scalzo, EPA By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — Less than a week after the Supreme Court heard oral arguments about the Affordable Care Act’s contraceptive requirement, the court released an order requesting that additional briefs be submitted showing if and how contraceptive insurance coverage could be …
Poland, U.S. working to ensure safety of World Youth Day pilgrims
IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy WYD By Dennis Sadowski WASHINGTON (CNS) — World Youth Day organizers in the United States and Poland remain in touch with diplomatic and security officials in their respective countries to ensure that pilgrims will remain safe during the festival of faith in late July. Security is expected …
Survivor of Brussels terror attack writes letter of hope to unborn baby

BRUSSELS, Belgium — “…I just want to tell you that life is a wonderful thing, and the world is really full of remarkable people.” So starts a letter written by one of the survivors of the bomb attacks at the Brussels Zaventem international airport last week, according to CNN. The author of the …
Hospice nurse teaches how to be present for dying

Two key seconds bracket everyone’s life. They are the alpha and the omega of an individual’s existence. When hospice nurse and administrator Kim Vesey addresses groups about impending death, she ties it to the defining seconds of our being. “The title of my presentation is ‘First Breath — Final Breath.’ …