By Richard Szczepanowski Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — Making an impassioned plea at the end of his Feb. 18 Ash Wednesday Mass at the Cathedral of St. Matthew the Apostle, Cardinal Donald W. Wuerl of Washington urged Catholics to offer prayers and speak out for Christians being persecuted throughout …

By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Don’t use peer pressure, greed or laziness as an excuse to chase after false gods and become a wildly successful failure, Pope Francis said. Slow down, reflect and choose the path that takes you closer to God and your loved …

Staff Report If the weather kept you away from attending an Ash Wednesday Mass this morning or early afternoon, fear not. Below are the Ash Wednesday Mass times we have on file from 4:30 p.m. to 5:45 p.m. If your parish isn’t listed here, check out the Mass Calendar HERE …

Staff Report Father Earl Fernandes, Assistant Professor of Moral Theology at Mount St. Mary’s Seminary of the West in Cincinnati and columnist for The Catholic Telegraph will appear on the Bill Cunningham Show on 700 WLW radio today, Ash Wednesday, at 12:30 p.m.

By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph  Franciscan Media, a Cincinnati-based company that encompasses the St. Anthony Messenger magazine, Servant Books and AmericanCatholic.org laid off more than 20 employees on Feb. 12. Father Dan Kroger, CEO of Franciscan Media, confirmed the layoffs Tuesday, Feb. 17 but added that the company’s services would not …

By Matthew Hadro CNA/EWTN News  Washington D.C. — A vast Bible museum is currently under construction in Washington, D.C. and has had strong support since its beginning phases from the Vatican, officials for the project revealed last week. “When we introduced the Museum of the Bible, the first place we …

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 …