By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — The Catholic Church cannot call itself church if it is a “closed caste” where the sick, the wounded and sinners are shunned, Pope Francis told the 20 new cardinals he created. “The way of the church is precisely to leave her …

By Elise Harris CNA/EWTN News  Pope Francis offered his Tuesday morning Mass for the repose of the souls of the 21 Egyptian Christians killed by ISIS militants, praying that man learn to reject his evil temptations, and choose what is good. The Pope Feb. 17 prayed for “our brother Copts, …

By Steve Trosley The Catholic Telegraph  Maybe your family has been charged with an urn containing the ashes of great-uncle Louis or grandma Helen. For a time, perhaps they rested on the mantle or in a china cabinet. After a while, they were reverently moved to a storage closet or …

The following letter from The Most Reverend Dennis M. Schnurr, Archbishop of Cincinnati, is dated Feb. 15, 2015 and will also appear in the March 2015 print edition of The Catholic Telegraph. The complete letter is reprinted here: February 15, 2015 My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, Grace and …

By Carol Glatz & Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — Cardinals meeting at the Vatican discussed better ways to balance the responsibilities of local bishops and of the Roman Curia, said the Vatican spokesman. A recurring theme in the cardinals’ Feb. 12-13 meeting was “what is it that …

Staff Report  The Lay Pastoral Ministry Program (LPMP) will open two new satellite locations to accommodate students interested in taking classes beginning in August 2015: the Daniel E. Pilarczyk Center on Needmore Road in Dayton and St. Ignatius Parish on Cincinnati’s west side. (Continue reading below for Catholic news from …

By Lise Alves Catholic News Service SAO PAULO — In the 10 years since U.S.-born Sister Dorothy Stang was killed by ranchers in the Amazon, the risks have not decreased, said one of the coordinators of the Brazilian bishops’ Pastoral Land Commission. Antonio Canuto, one of the commission’s coordinators, said although the …

Staff Report  The usual tone of Throwback Thursday stories tends to be lighthearted, but today’s post is a somber one. Many in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati and around the world mark today as the 10th anniversary of Sister of Notre Dame de Namur Dorothy Stang’s assassination. Sister Dortothy, a native of Dayton, …

By Ann Schneible CNA/EWTN News  Two years to the day since Pope Benedict XVI told the world of his historic decision to step down from the papal office, those impacted by his pontificate say that his legacy is still burning bright. “Pope Benedict’s legacy is really very massive,” said Archbishop …

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — A homily at Mass is not a mini catechism class, the Vatican says in a new document on homilies, but it is an opportunity to explain church teaching using the Scripture readings and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. “In the …