Church News & Info 
General Church news and information related to Benedictine community or teachings
The strange tale of 5,000 relics finding a home in a Pittsburgh chapel
Pittsburgh, Pa., Dec 26, 2015 / 04:47 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- Nestled in a sleepy neighborhood in the hills rising over Pittsburgh lies a small chapel. Inside St. Anthony’s Chapel lies a piece from the Crown of Thorns, a tooth of St. Anthony of Padua, and more than 5,000 other verified relics, or remains, of saints… Read More ›
If you struggle with porn, the Church can help, US bishops say
Washington D.C., Dec 28, 2015 / 06:03 am (CNA).- For the first time, the U.S. bishops issued a pastoral letter this year specifically addressing the global crisis of pornography, looking at how the industry is affecting the parishioners in their pews and what the Church can do to offer mercy, healing, and hope to recovering… Read More ›
What Kind of Astronomical Marvel was the Star of Bethlehem?
And was it even a star? A biblical scholar investigates the mysterious object that guided the Magi to Jesus. Generations of Christians have helped ring in the Christmas season by singing John Henry Hopkins Jr.’s 1857 carol, “We Three Kings,” with its evocative chorus: Star of wonder, star of night Star with royal beauty bright… Read More ›
Muslims shield Christians when Al-Shabaab attacks bus in Kenya
CNN:Their M.O. is a tried and terrifying one: Launch a raid, single out Christians, and then spray them with bullets. But when Al-Shabaab militants ambushed a bus Monday, things didn’t go according to plan. A group of Kenyan Muslims shielded the Christian passengers and told the attackers they were prepared to die together. The Muslim… Read More ›
How does God show mercy to us? Through the Church
Vatican City, Dec 16, 2015 / 10:05 am (CNA/EWTN News).- The Church is the “living sign” of God’s love and mercy in the world, Pope Francis said during his Wednesday general audience. He reflected on the universality of communion as demonstrated by the global scale of the Jubilee of Mercy. “May this ecclesial communion become… Read More ›
When is a Door Not Just a Door? When It’s a “Holy Door”
What is a Holy Door? A Porta Sancta (Holy Door) is a special door in a cathedral or basilica that is only opened during Jubilee Years. Traditionally,the Holy Door is the one in St. Peter’s Basilica. Following a Jubilee Year, it is sealed with brick and mortar and not opened until the next Jubilee Year…. Read More ›
When John Paul II prophesied an apocalypse
Many are those who look askance at mentions of anything dramatic or “apocalyptic,” and who disdain discussion of spiritual warfare. Focus on the positive, they say — and we should: though not to the neglect, as is now the case, especially among those who feature themselves as cerebral, of the spiritual dynamic. As Father Christopher… Read More ›
St. Peter’s Holy Door Prepared for Dec. 8
Rome, November 18, 2015 (ZENIT.org) Staff Reporter: As the Jubilee of Mercy nears, the Holy Door of St. Peter’s is being prepared. Tuesday afternoon at 6.30 p.m. the ceremony was held for the “Recognitio” of the Holy Door of St. Peter’s Basilica. After a prayer by the cardinal archpriest Angelo Comastri, who led the procession of the… Read More ›
Origins of Halloween
We’ve all heard the allegations. Halloween is a pagan rite dating back to some pre-Christian festival among the Celtic Druids that escaped Church suppression. Even today modern pagans and witches continue to celebrate this ancient festival. If you let your kids go trick-or-treating, they will be worshiping the devil and pagan gods. Nothing could be… Read More ›
Pope Francis: Praise For Dorothy Day And Thomas Merton
NPR: He praised one as a man of prayer, the other for her “passion for justice.” But many Americans might need a reminder about two of the people Pope Francis discussed in Congress on Thursday: philosopher Thomas Merton and activist Dorothy Day. The two Catholics were mentioned alongside two other, more famous names: Abraham Lincoln… Read More ›