The strange tale of 5,000 relics finding a home in a Pittsburgh chapel

Dec 26, 2015 - 04:47 pm .- 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 from around the world.

Let God's forgiveness heal your heart, Pope Francis says after Christmas

Dec 26, 2015 - 09:01 am .- For Pope Francis, the path forward from Christmas can be found in the martyrdom of St. Stephen, especially in his transforming forgiveness of his persecutors.

A gruesome accident, a powerful faith – one Catholic couple's story

Dec 26, 2015 - 07:14 am .- It was a cold December day in Nebraska, and Ashley Stevens was riding in a car with four other women.

Only God can overcome 'monstrous' evil in the world, Pope says on Christmas

Dec 25, 2015 - 08:38 am .- In his annual Christmas “Urbi et Orbi” blessing Pope Francis prayed for all those affected by violence, conflict and poverty throughout the world, asking that they rejoice in salvation offered by the birth of Christ.

Christmas joy is the antidote to skepticism, Pope Francis says

Dec 24, 2015 - 02:26 pm .- The joy we receive from Christ’s birth has the power to counteract doubt and indifference, in a world that is “merciless to the sinner and lenient to the sin,” Pope Francis said during Midnight Mass for Christmas.

A 'most powerful woman' – National Geographic's major hat tip to the Virgin Mary

Dec 23, 2015 - 06:02 pm .- Our Lady. Blessed Mother. Virgin Mary. Queen of Peace. Theotokos. Handmaid of the Lord. Mother Mary.

Dating apps and the death of romance

Dec 23, 2015 - 07:14 am .- This September's issue of Vanity Fair contains a pretty disheartening prediction for single people: the “dating apocalypse,” brought on by wildly popular dating apps like “Tinder,” is upon us.  

Beauty in suffering: How one woman is fighting the stigma of therapy

Dec 22, 2015 - 04:59 pm .- Maura Byrne was terrified to go to therapy for the first time.

The beheading of 21 Egyptian Christians was 'just the beginning'

Dec 22, 2015 - 12:02 pm .- While the days of the Muslim Brotherhood are over, one expert says the February murder of 21 Egyptian Coptic Christians by ISIS has opened the door to an even wider persecution – one that's gaining steam under new forms of Islamic authoritarianism.

Priest who died on the Titanic could be on path to sainthood

Dec 22, 2015 - 05:26 am .- When the Titanic began to sink on April 15, 1912, Father Thomas Byles had two opportunities to board a lifeboat.

A chat with millennial Catholic artist Luke Spehar

Dec 21, 2015 - 05:45 pm .- Luke Spehar was an aspiring musician with a girlfriend when he couldn’t shake the feeling that God was calling him to enter the seminary and consider the priesthood.

Religion will only keep growing in the future – and here's why

Dec 21, 2015 - 12:02 pm .- The numbers of people without a religious affiliation are increasing in some countries. But some demographers project that the global population will be more religious, not less, for one simple reason: religious believers tend to have more babies.

Compassion vs. security: What to do with Syrian refugees?

Dec 21, 2015 - 06:33 am .- As the U.S. plans to increase its intake of Syrian refugees to 10,000 next year, Americans – including Catholics – are trying to balance national security concerns with compassion for the refugees. 

'Drinking with the Saints' – book encourages Catholic fellowship, good spirits

Dec 20, 2015 - 03:17 pm .- “I should like a great lake of beer for the King of Kings. I should like the angels of Heaven to be drinking it through time eternal.”

Why choose celibacy? A gay Catholic speaks out

Dec 20, 2015 - 10:32 am .- More than 10 years ago, Joseph Prever found himself scouring the internet for anything that might help him: he was gay, Catholic, and confused. Resources were scarce for a man struggling with homosexuality and trying to remain faithful to the Church’s teaching.

Pope Francis: let's feel the wonder of meeting Jesus Christ, 'the great gift of God'

Dec 20, 2015 - 09:46 am .- Ahead of Christmas, Pope Francis spoke on the surprise of God and his great gift in sending Jesus Christ to save mankind.

How one skeptical scientist came to believe the Shroud of Turin

Dec 19, 2015 - 03:39 pm .- The Shroud of Turin has different meanings for many people: some see it as an object of veneration, others a forgery, still others a medieval curiosity. For one Jewish scientist, however, the evidence has led him to see it as a meeting point between science and faith.

Pope Francis meets with railroad workers--and reminds them of God's mercy

Dec 19, 2015 - 03:11 pm .- Pope Francis on Saturday addressed rail workers, remembering the hard and sometimes deadly work that built the railways of Italy. He invited them all to embrace God’s “medicine of mercy” in the Catholic Church’s year of Mercy.

Want to find God? Seek him in the most needy, Pope Francis says

Dec 19, 2015 - 11:44 am .- Speaking at a Rome homeless shelter, Pope Francis has said the humility of Jesus Christ’s birth shows that mankind can find God in poverty.

What does it look like to be gay – and a practicing Catholic?

Dec 19, 2015 - 10:27 am .- More than 10 years ago, Joseph Prever found himself scouring the internet for anything that might help him: he was gay, Catholic, and confused. Resources were scarce for a man struggling with homosexuality and trying to remain faithful to the Church’s teaching.