The Maronite Church is entering a week of prayer, celebration, and preparation ahead of the beatification of Patriarch Elias Hoyek, a defining figure in both Maronite and Lebanese history. Celebrations will include the screening of the film “Patriarch Elias, God Provides,” a solemn beatification Mass on Saturday in Diman, the transfer of the new blessed’s…

A Catholic art studio is beginning to blossom in an unexpected place. Cappella Studio in Atlantic City, New Jersey, aspires to be a light in the darkness of the city, reaching out to those on the periphery and centering the art on the good, true, and beautiful. “Atlantic City exists at the edge of the…

United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk demanded that the Nicaraguan regime provide information on the whereabouts and condition of Bishop Abelardo Mata, who has been subjected to enforced disappearance since late June. “I am concerned by reports of repression against the Catholic Church and other religious denominations, including the lack of official…

Sister Leticia Ugboaja, the Catholic nun and nurse who was briefly detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents in south Texas in June, made her first public remarks after what she described as weeks of “stress, anxiety, and fear.” At a July 23 press conference, she said she is still afraid of what may…

The Archdiocese of Caracas has presented a report on the Church’s response following the double earthquake that struck Venezuela a month ago. At a July 22 press conference, Archbishop Raúl Biord noted that the Church “has responded promptly” to the task of assisting those most affected. More than 5,000 people died in the tragedy, according…