Citing timing, SCOTUS declines to allow in-person learning to resume in Kentucky

CNA Staff, Dec 18, 2020 / 05:01 pm MT (CNA).- The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a Kentucky Christian school’s plea to reopen for in-person learning, upholding a health order from the governor that barred in-person K-12 education in most areas until January. Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear’s Nov. 18 executive …
December 19 – Blessed Pope Urban V

Blessed Pope Urban V was born Guillaume de Grimoard at Grisac in Languedoc, 1310. He studied canon law and theology in Avignon and became a Benedictine monk. He was named abbot of his monastery in 1352, and served as a papal diplomat and was eventually sent as an ambassador to …
Pope Francis names new bishop for Diocese of Greensburg

Vatican City, Dec 18, 2020 / 05:05 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis appointed Friday a new bishop of Greensburg, Pennsylvania. The pope named Msgr. Larry J. Kulick Dec. 18 as the sixth bishop of the diocese founded in 1951. Kulick, a 54-year-old canon lawyer, has served as diocesan administrator since …
As Christmas nears, Catholic priest sees ‘signs of hope’ at COVID hospital in Rome

by Hannah Brockhaus Rome, Italy, Dec 18, 2020 / 04:00 am MT (CNA).- A Catholic chaplain at a COVID hospital in Rome said he has seen many reasons for hope this Advent, especially in the dedication of medical workers who give their all to save the lives of coronavirus patients. …
Tim Nealeigh: North Star’s Traveling St. Nick

by Susie Bergman “The most important thing I want to share is that I do not have an agenda. I am not out to get rid of Santa Claus!” Tim Nealeigh is a humorous and delightful man on a historically important mission. That mission spans decades of his life, yet …
Pope Francis calls for ‘culture of care’ in 2021 World Peace Day message

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, Dec 17, 2020 / 06:05 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis appealed for a “culture of care” in his message for the 2021 World Day of Peace released Thursday. “The culture of care … calls for a common, supportive and inclusive commitment to protecting and promoting …
Shine On: The Giver of Gifts

Johnny had always wanted to help when his Uncle Mike dressed up as Santa and delivered gifts to kids in need before Christmas. His family collected gift lists from a local hospital or homeless shelter, then they’d get their neighbors or school families to donate gifts. And then, Uncle Mike …
Bishop Flores affirms COVID vaccines are ‘morally permissible’

CNA Staff, Dec 16, 2020 / 12:30 pm MT (CNA).- Bishop Daniel Flores has released a pastoral letter reaffirming the morality of Catholics receiving the coronavirus vaccines. Flores, the Bishop of Brownsville, Texas, was elected by the other American bishops last month to serve as the next chair of the …
Today’s Video: The Unpleasant Ancestors of Christmas

Tamar, Judah, Solomon, and company are not exactly the ideal ancestors of the King of Kings; but in this video, Father Mike Schmitz shows how God can write straight with crooked lines, even when the line happens to be Jesus’ bloodline.
Pope Francis: ‘Those who pray never turn their backs on the world’

Vatican City, Dec 16, 2020 / 04:30 am MT (CNA).- People who pray for others are like God’s antennas, Pope Francis said at the general audience Wednesday. In his address Dec. 16, the pope insisted that those who seek solitude and silence to intercede for others are not evading reality. …