St. Phillip Neri said, “The best preparation for prayer is to read the lives of the saints … quietly and with recollection a little at a time. And to pause whenever you feel your heart touched with devotion.” Word on Fire’s new collection of sermons, commentaries, biographies, and other writings …

By Jonah McKeown St. Louis, Mo., May 19, 2025 / 16:07 pm A mile-wide tornado tore through the northern part of St. Louis on Friday, causing over $1.6 billion in damage and leaving at least five people dead, including a woman who was killed when the steeple of a Christian church …

Join us live from St. Peter’s Square for the historic Eucharistic Celebration for the Start of the Petrine Ministry of the Bishop of Rome, Pope Leo XIV. At the end of the Mass the Holy Father will pray the Regina Caeli prayer.

The celebration marking the official beginning of Pope Leo XIV’s pontificate on May 18 is a solemn liturgy. The rite highlights the bond with the Apostle Peter and his martyrdom, which nurtured the nascent Church of Rome, and the significance of the “Petrine” episcopal insignia conferred upon the Pope: the …

I know my pastor well, for a parishioner. My husband and I were friends with him years before he came to our church. Father Anthony’s sense of humor is clever; he keeps a clean house and an even cleaner office; he’s grounded and compassionate; and he’s a movie buff with …

Great joy accompanies sharing beauty. Brother John Boissy, OFM, discovered this as he combined his Franciscan brother vocation with his woodworking ministry. Brother John planned to be an architect, but with his first set of power tools, he crafted a bookshelf and shoe cabinet for his parents and fell in …

The Eucharist is more than a sacrament—it is a source of strength amid life’s greatest challenges. For parents raising children with special needs, the Church can be a refuge and a reminder that no one walks alone. Cincinnati resident Laura Nanista knows this well, as she strives to navigate the …

By Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re Rome Newsroom, May 7, 2025 / 04:43 am Cardinal Giovanni Battista Re, dean of the College of Cardinals, delivered this homily at the “Pro Eligendo Romano Pontifice” (For the Election of the Roman Pontiff) Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on May 7, 2025, just hours before …

Editors Note: Here’s an article about First Communion that’s both timely and informative from 2009 ARCHDIOCESE — With first Communion season upon us, children will be soon be donning their finery for the joyous event as parents plan festive family gatherings to celebrate. But there is more to the occasion …

The diaconate is a distinct ministry in the Church, with two forms: transitional and permanent. Transitional deacons are seminarians preparing for the priesthood, serving in this role before priestly ordination. Permanent deacons will remain deacons for life. Many are married and have careers, balancing their ministry with family and professional …