Columbus Diocese to close 15 churches; bishop calls for stronger Catholic engagement

By Kevin J. Jones Denver Newsroom, May 26, 2023 / 15:40 pm Ohio’s Catholic Diocese of Columbus will close 15 churches as part of a parish reorganization and merger plan, but Bishop Earl K. Fernandes emphasized new possibilities for growth, especially if lay Catholics take on more responsibility for the Church’s …
Here’s when Easter officially ends

By Katie Yoder Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 27, 2023 / 06:00 am Catholics recognize Easter — when Jesus Christ rose from the dead after sacrificing his life for all of humanity — as the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after the spring equinox. But, as it turns …
Morticians mystified by Sister Wilhelmina’s body: ‘Something special going on there’

By Joe Bukuras, Shannon Mullen CNA Newsroom, May 26, 2023 / 13:45 pm Expert morticians are scratching their heads at the recently exhumed body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, a Benedictine nun who died in 2019 and now appears to be in an unexpected state of preservation. The reactions come a week after the …
What is incorruptibility? Here’s what you need to know

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, May 25, 2023 / 09:33 am Catholic pilgrims are descending on a Benedictine monastery in rural Missouri after a seemingly incredible discovery. The body of Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, the African American foundress of the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles, appears to be in an …
Who was Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, whose body is now the center of attention in Missouri?

By Kelsey Wicks Denver, Colo., May 24, 2023 / 15:45 pm When the Benedictine Sisters of Mary, Queen of the Apostles exhumed the body of their foundress Sister Wilhelmina Lancaster, OSB, on May 18, they found the unexpected: Four years after her death and burial in a simple wooden coffin, her …
Obituary: Reverend John E. Porter

Reverend John E. Porter passed away on May 22, 2023, in Englewood, Ohio. He was born on April 4, 1930 in Dayton, Ohio, and baptized at Our Lady of Mercy Parish in Dayton. He did his preparatory studies at St. Gregory Seminary, Cincinnati, and studied theology at Mount St. Mary’s …
LA Dodgers reverse course, will honor anti-Catholic drag group at Pride Night game

By Shannon Mullen Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 23, 2023 / 00:01 am Catholic leaders reacted with disgust Monday night after the Los Angeles Dodgers re-invited the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence to be an honoree at the team’s LGBTQ+ Pride Night game on June 16 despite the drag group’s mockery of the …
Pope Francis appoints Pennsylvania priest to lead Diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan

By Hannah Brockhaus Rome Newsroom, May 23, 2023 / 04:50 am Pope Francis on Tuesday appointed Erie, Pennsylvania, priest Monsignor Edward M. Lohse to lead the Diocese of Kalamazoo, Michigan. Lohse, 61, succeeds Bishop Paul J. Bradley, 77, whose resignation was accepted by Pope Francis on May 23. Bradley will continue …
St Juliana of Liege

R Recipe: Corpus Christi Liège Waffles St. Juliana of Liège was a 12th century nun born near Liège, Belgium, who became the catalyst for establishing the feast of Corpus Christi. To celebrate this great feast in the Church, these traditional waffles honor the birthplace of the mystic saint, whose devotion …
A surfing saint? Pope Francis recognizes the heroic virtue of Guido Schäffer

By Courtney Mares Vatican City, May 22, 2023 / 11:15 am The Catholic Church is one step closer to canonizing a surfing saint. Pope Francis recognized the heroic virtue of Brazil’s “Surfer Angel” Guido Schäffer in a decree issued by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints on Saturday. Schäffer was …