By Catholic News Service  WASHINGTON — House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, announced Feb. 5 that Pope Francis will address a joint meeting of Congress Sept. 24. The pontiff’s “historic visit” would make him the “first leader of the Holy See to address a joint meeting of Congress,” Boehner said in …

A Mass of Christian Burial for Sister of St. Francis Laurencia Listerman was celebrated Nov. 25, 2014, in the motherhouse chapel of the Sisters of St. Francis, Oldenburg, Ind. Sister Laurencia, 101, died Nov. 20. A native of St. Bernard, Sister Laurencia entered the community on Sept. 7, 1931, and …

Staff Report The Throwback Thursday team apologizes in advance for being a bit self-referential, but today’s posting comes in the first week of Catholic Press Month. As the official Catholic newspaper of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, The Catholic Telegraph has been the main Catholic press in this region for nearly …

By Elise Harris CNA/EWTN News The Vatican has organized the first-ever international day of prayer and reflection against human trafficking, in hopes that the world will join forces in putting this “plague” to an end. “Our awareness must expand and extend to the very depths of this evil and its …

Staff Report Archbishop of Cincinnati Dennis M. Schnurr has joined with the Religious Alliance Against Pornography in urging pastors of the Archdiocese’s parishes to warn the faithful about the objectionable content of the movie “Fifty Shades of Grey.”

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service  VATICAN CITY — After decades of debate within the church, Pope Francis formally recognized that Salvadoran Archbishop Oscar Romero was killed “in hatred of the faith” and not for purely political reasons. Pope Francis signed the decree Feb. 3, recognizing as martyrdom the March …

Dear Father: I’m a “southerner” as far as the Archdiocese of Cincinnati is concerned and at a recent visit to a northern area parish I observed an unfamiliar custom. The faithful receiving communion often knelt before the priest and received on the tongue. What does the church say about this …

CNA/EWTN News ATLANTA, Ga. — On Wednesday, Feb. 4, the Eleventh Circuit Court of Appeals in Atlanta will hear oral arguments in a case brought by EWTN Global Catholic Network against the federal contraception mandate. “EWTN looks forward to being able to make our case against the government’s contraceptive services …

Staff Report From 7-9 p.m. on Tuesday, March 3, every parish in the Archdiocese of Cincinnati will be open for quiet prayer and the opportunity for the Sacrament of Confession. The event, called “The Light is ON For You” is the sophomore run for an initiative the archdiocese began last year. …

By Valerie Schmalz Catholic News Service  SAN FRANCISCO — California legislators have introduced assisted suicide legislation modeled on Oregon’s assisted suicide law, energized by the heartbreaking story of Brittany Maynard, a young woman with brain cancer, who moved from the San Francisco Bay Area to Oregon to end her own …