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Nellie Organ — affectionately known as “Little Nellie” — was a 4-year-old child from Cork, Ireland, whose piety and closeness to God led in part to the lowering of the age at which children could receive their first holy Communion. In 1910, a decree was promulgated by the Sacred Congregation of the Discipline of the…
A young man from Manchester, England, who “committed himself totally to God” could one day be included among the ranks of Sts. Carlo Acutis and Pier Giorgio Frassati as calls continue for him to be named a saint. Pedro Ballester died on Jan. 13, 2018, at the age of 21 of bone cancer after a…
Here is a roundup of world news you may have missed this past week: Zambia bishops instruct clergy and faithful to stay out of partisan politics Catholic bishops in Zambia issued a pastoral letter this past week telling priests to refrain from engaging in party politics as preparations for the country’s August presidential and general…
Cuba’s bishops are scheduled to travel to Rome later this month to meet with Vatican dicasteries and present Pope Leo XIV with a report on the state of the dioceses on the island. In a message that will be read at Masses this weekend, the bishops will announce that they have been “called to Rome…
Colorado Springs Bishop James Golka will lead the Archdiocese of Denver after Archbishop Samuel Aquila steps down from the post, the Vatican announced on Feb. 7. Aquila — who at 75 has reached the customary retirement age for prelates — has led the Colorado archdiocese since 2012, when he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. He…
Two legislative efforts to limit Canada’s medical aid in dying (MAID) framework converged Thursday, with Conservative member of Parliament (MP) Garnett Genuis announcing a bill focused on MAID coercion and the Catholic bishops supporting legislation to prohibit assisted dying for mental illness. Genuis introduced a private member’s bill Feb. 5 that would amend the Criminal…
The 81st anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau, a place more synonymous with depravity than probably any other corner of the earth, was marked in January. Amid the horrors of World War II, there were sunbeams of Christian heroism. One few have heard of is the Polish Jesuit martyr Father Adam Sztark (1907–1942), who used…
After retiring in 2021, Patrick McBee began subbing as an aide at local schools in Morgan County, West Virginia. He quickly realized that many children did not have the appropriate clothes to keep them warm during the winter months. Unable to wear their coats during the school day due to security reasons, McBee had an…
Colorado Springs Bishop James Golka will lead the Archdiocese of Denver after Archbishop Samuel Aquila steps down from the post, the Vatican announced on Feb. 7. Aquila — who at 75 has reached the customary retirement age for prelates — has led the Colorado archdiocese since 2012, when he was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI. He…
St. John Henry Newman, proclaimed a doctor of the Church by Pope Leo XIV in November 2025, has been added to the General Roman Calendar, establishing his optional memorial on Oct. 9. Since Pope Francis canonized Newman in 2019, the English saint — a convert and a pivotal figure in Catholic thought — has been…
