Obituary: Deacon Willard “Bill” Brunsman
Deacon Willard “Bill” Brunsman, a deacon of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, died on September 28, 2025 at the age of 89. Deacon Brunsman was ordained September 26, 1976 by Archbishop Joseph Bernardin. He served the Archdiocese as a permanent deacon for forty-nine years. Upon ordination, he was assigned to St. …
Louis Armstrong was Right
One of my favorite songs of all time is “What a Wonderful World” by Louis Armstrong. The melody, the lyrics, and that distinct voice really conjure up beautiful images in my mind. It’s a peaceful song, and every time I hear it, I’m reminded of all the gifts the world …
A Return to the Sacraments
by Marybeth Sproull It’s common to see a squirming child during Mass and to smile. Perhaps you offer a prayer for the parents doing their best to corral the child’s energy. Some children outgrow their Mass wiggles, but some retain for life that inability to focus or sit still. It’s …
Book Review: Sigrid Undset’s trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter
Two of the most intriguing women characters in all of world literature are the eponymous protagonists of Leo Tolstoy’s novel Anna Karenina (1878) and Sigrid Undset’s trilogy Kristin Lavransdatter (1920, ’21, and ’22). Both novels deal with similar themes: Christian faith, wealthy families, stormy marriages, and the cultural and social …
How to pray the St. Thérèse of Lisieux novena
By Francesca Pollio Fenton CNA Staff, Oct 1, 2025 / 05:00 am The Catholic Church celebrates the feast of St. Thérèse of Lisieux, also known as the Little Flower, on Oct. 1. Born to Zelie and Louis Martin in 1873 — both canonized saints — Thérèse was the youngest of five siblings. …
Faith Family and the Future of School Choice
In June 2025, a Franklin County judge ruled Ohio’s EdChoice Scholarship program unconstitutional. The program had expanded statewide in 2023 and remains in place during the appeals process, but the decision introduced uncertainty for families and schools across the archdiocese that rely on the scholarship. This past May, Kent Halaby …
Judge dismisses lawsuit seeking to block $5 million state grant to Catholic trade school
By Daniel Payne CNA Staff, Sep 30, 2025 / 12:56 pm A West Virginia circuit court judge has tossed out a lawsuit aiming to block a state government agency from providing a $5 million grant to an Ohio Catholic trade school. Judge Richard Lindsay said in the Sept. 25 ruling that the seven-figure …
Pope Leo XIV restores custom of Christmas Day Mass
By Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Sep 30, 2025 / 12:26 pm Pope Leo XIV will celebrate Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Christmas Day morning, Dec. 25 — a custom dating to the pontificate of St. John Paul II. The Vatican announced Tuesday Pope Leo’s Mass schedule for Nov. 1 through …
Are modern Bible translations always better? A Catholic linguist praises St. Jerome’s Vulgate
By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Sep 30, 2025 / 04:00 am Most people know that St. Jerome — whose feast day the Catholic Church celebrates on Sept. 30 — is famous for translating the entire Bible into Latin in the fourth century A.D., creating a widely read edition later known as the Vulgate. …
Shooting at LDS church in Michigan prompts Catholic solidarity, prayers
By Amira Abuzeid CNA Staff, Sep 29, 2025 / 21:45 pm Multiple U.S. Catholic bishops offered prayers and expressed their solidarity after a gunman attacked a Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS) chapel in Grand Blanc, Michigan, on Sept. 28, killing four people, injuring eight, and setting the building on …
