By Walt Schaefer Missionaries, the Cincinnati Reds, the Venezuelan Air Force. A number of improbable things came together in 1990 to create Davey Concepción Field in Barquisimeto, Venezuela. • Cincinnatian Mike Gable, his wife, Kathy, and their four young sons had been assigned to serve as lay Maryknoll missioners in …

The 1988 film Bull Durham opens with a voiceover by a main character, Annie Savoy, rhapsodizing about the beauty of baseball. “I believe in the church of baseball,” Annie begins, followed by a rather dubious inventory of gurus and other religions she has tried to follow. After a brief soliloquy …

Shine On | Dominick Albano A few years ago, I was to lead a parish mission at a church in California, and before the first night began, I slipped into a pew at the front of the sanctuary to pray. The church was empty. Quiet. Still. When I finished praying, …

The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to announce the incarnation of Christ. Here are eight things to know and share about the event and how we celebrate it. Save this story The Annunciation by Fra Angelico. | Credit: Public domain via Wikimedia Commons By Jimmy Akin March 25, 2026 at 4:00 …

Question of Faith | Fr. David Endres Q: Why does the Church oppose in vitro fertilization? Aren’t all children gifts from God? Openness to children is an essential part of marriage and family life. The Church recognizes children as gifts and affirms couples’ desire to conceive. It is understandable that …

The Irish-born priest is revered for his revolutionary approach to caring for impoverished boys at the group home he founded in Omaha, Nebraska. Father Edward Flanagan with baseball players at Boys Town. | Credit: Photo courtesy of the Father Flanagan League By Hannah Brockhaus March 23, 2026 at 8:20 AM ET …

by Kenneth Craycraft Near the end of his novel, Brighton Rock, Graham Greene details a conversation between an old priest and one of the main characters of the novel, a young woman named Rose. The interchange takes place after the sudden, violent death of another character, Pinky, whose life had …

How Fathers Team Helps Men Unite Work and Prayer by Kary Ellen Berger To be a Catholic father today is to live at the intersection of faith, family, and responsibility. It is a calling shaped by prayer and presence, providing and protecting, and learning how to love well in the …

A traditional, religious Easter (Pascha) basket is assembled by lining a wicker basket with a white, often embroidered, cloth to hold foods blessed for Easter Sunday. It features paska bread, eggs (pysanky), butter (often lamb-shaped), meats (sausage/ham), cheese, salt, horseradish, and a white candle, covered in cloth. Prepare the Basket …

Church Fathers | Father Jacob Lindle “On the day which is called Sunday we have a common assembly … and the memoirs of the Apostles or the writings of the Prophets are read. … Then, when the reader has finished, the president of the assembly verbally admonishes and invites all …