Father Mike Schmitz: Lent is about transformation, but that transformation will be incomplete if we make it about ourselves. Instead of aiming for self-mastery alone this Lent, what is the key to living this Lent for others? Discipline is great, but there’s a step after that: being generous. Asking God …

Catholics in China We pray that the Church in China may persevere in its faithfulness to the Gospel and grow in unity.  

Father Casey Cole OFM looks at Letting Go in this Lenten Study. If you want to follow Jesus, the first thing that you are going to need to let go of is yourself. Leave behind your delusions of grandeur, denial of your own goodness, and false selves, and be the …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Tyler Orsburn By Carol Zimmermann WASHINGTON (CNS) — During a Feb. 27 congressional hearing about the status of the nation’s refugee program, Auxiliary Bishop Mario E. Dorsonville of Washington quoted someone who is not frequently mentioned on Capitol Hill: Pope Francis. "Today I am here to echo the …

IMAGE: CNS By Laura Ann Phillips PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CNS) — On Feb. 26, 1970, 200 angry youths stormed the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain, draped its statues in black cloth and criticized the church on its failure to challenge race and class imbalances in …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Laura Ann Phillips By Laura Ann Phillips PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CNS) — On Feb. 26, 1970, 200 angry youths stormed the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Port of Spain, draped its statues in black cloth and criticized the church on its failure to challenge race and …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life By Cindy Wooden VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Organizations, Catholic or not, led by a charismatic leader who is followed uncritically and commands or demands control over members are at risk for cases of physical, sexual and psychological abuse, said Jesuit Father …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Yves Herman, Reuters By Junno Arocho Esteves VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The use of artificial intelligence in science and medicine must be guided by ethical standards that place humanity and the pursuit of the common good first, Pope Francis said. "The ethical development of algorithms — ‘algor-ethics’ — …

IMAGE: CNS photo/Rosanna Aguilera, San Angelo Standard-Times via Reuters By Donis Tracy BOSTON (CNS) — The extra day we get approximately once every four years is a way to adapt the calendar year to the astronomical year. But did you know the present system of calculating the leap years was …

IMAGE: CNS photo/courtesy of Gertrudejane Holliday Stone By Jo Ann Zuniga HOUSTON (CNS) — Gertrudejane Holliday Stone, a parishioner at St. Mary of the Purification Church in Houston, was a Freedom Rider even before the term was coined. In an interview during Black History Month, the octogenarian recalled when she …