Is Christmas simply a re-imagining of ancient pagan celebrations?

by Mary Farrow Denver Newsroom, Dec 13, 2020 / 04:58 am MT (CNA).- ‘Tis the season to be jolly, and, perhaps, to have one’s social media inundated with memes about Christmas being nothing more than a co-opted pagan holiday – maybe a winter solstice celebration – repurposed and baptized by …
DC archdiocese sues over Christmas Mass restrictions

CNA Staff, Dec 12, 2020 / 10:00 am MT (CNA).- The Archdiocese of Washington is suing the District of Columbia over restrictions on public worship during the coronavirus pandemic. The lawsuit was filed Friday in U.S. District Court of the District of Columbia. “From the start of the pandemic,” the …
The Final Word: Helping those who suffer during Christmas Time

Caroling. Festive parties. Charming decorations. Cookies. Gift-exchanges. The message is all around us: We should be happy because it’s Christmas. Indeed, to be anything other than effusively joyful means running the risk of being labeled a scrooge. So, no matter what is going on in our lives – or in …
US Supreme Court: government agents violating religious liberty liable for monetary damages

By Kevin J. Jones Denver Newsroom, Dec 11, 2020 / 05:02 pm MT (CNA).- Three Muslims who claim the FBI wrongly pressured them into becoming informants on Muslim communities may seek monetary damages as part of their lawsuit under a federal religious freedom law, the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled …
Why in-person worship matters

by Matt Hadro Washington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 11, 2020 / 02:00 pm MT (CNA).- After Virginia’s governor appeared to suggest that church attendance is immaterial to the act of worship, one theologian says that Catholics see worship differently. On Thursday, Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) asked religious leaders to consider …
LIVE! Marco Panuccio presents O Holy Night, Friday, December 11, 8:00 p.m. EDT

Marco Panuccio presents O Holy Night, live broadcast from the Cathedral Basilica of St. Peter in Chains in Cincinnati
Only frequent church attendees avoided downward mental health trend in 2020

CNA Staff, Dec 11, 2020 / 12:09 am MT (CNA).- Americans who attend religious services weekly are the only demographic group appearing to show improved mental health in 2020, despite the stresses of the coronavirus pandemic and other events, says a new survey. The survey otherwise shows significant self-reported mental …
PRECIOUS BLOOD SISTER REFLECTS ON 40 YEARS: Sister Karen Elliot, C.PP.S., Leads a Legacy of Hope Throughout Ohio

by Regan Meyer For Sister Karen Elliott, C.PP.S., everything in her life was pointing towards religious life; it just took God’s hand to give her the final push. Born to a cradle Catholic mother and convert father in Dayton, Sister Elliott spent her childhood attending Masses every Sunday and listening …
Retirement fund for Religious: For those who have given a lifetime

Like Br. Marcel, Br. Gabe, and Sr. Laura, some 30,000 senior Catholic sisters, brothers and religious order priests have spent their lives doing the Lord’s work. Most served for little or no pay, and now their religious communities do not have enough retirement savings. Your gift to the Retirement Fund …
Pope Francis to offer Midnight Mass at 7:30pm

by Hannah Brockhaus Vatican City, Dec 10, 2020 / 10:00 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis’ Midnight Mass will begin at 7:30 p.m. this year, as the Italian government extends a national curfew through the Christmas season. The pope’s traditional celebration of Christmas “Mass during the Night,” which takes place at …