CNA Staff, May 28, 2020 / 04:17 pm MT (CNA).- This summer, the Diocese of Pittsburgh will initiate another round of mergers, bringing its current 152 parishes down to 106. While the consolidation is difficult, Pittsburgh Bishop David Zubik said, it will allow the Church to more effectively carry out …

by Courtney Mares Vatican City, May 27, 2020 / 05:40 am MT (CNA).- Fr. Michael McGivney, an American priest soon to be beatified, died amid a 19th-century pandemic which may have been caused by a coronavirus. Fr. McGivney founded the largest world’s largest Catholic fraternal service organization, the Knights of …

by Matt Hadro Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 27, 2020 / 10:35 am MT (CNA).- After California relaxed public health restrictions on churches on Monday, the nation’s largest diocese announced its plan on Tuesday to resume public Masses. In a two-step plan for parishes to reopen and offer the sacraments, the …

by Christine Rousselle Washington, D.C. Newsroom, May 27, 2020 / 12:00 pm MT (CNA). An executive order issued Tuesday in Maryland’s Howard County outlines public health rules under which churches may reopen. The order prohibits the distribution and consumption of any food or drink as part of any religious service, …

CNA Staff, May 27, 2020 / 12:09 am MT (CNA).- The current drop in the number of people in the United States identifying with a religion may not be permanent, but it is in some ways unprecedented, according to a new research study aiming to quantify the drop in religiosity …

CNA Staff, May 27, 2020 / 09:19 am MT (CNA).- Bishop George Murry of Youngstown, Ohio has submitted his resignation to Pope Francis, due to a recurrence of leukemia, the diocese has announced. The bishop is 71 years old, four years younger than standard retirement age for bishops. In April …

Vatican City, May 27, 2020 / 04:55 am MT (CNA).- Pope Francis approved a miracle attributed to the intercession of Fr. Michael J. McGivney Wednesday, paving the way for the beatification of the founder of the Knights of Columbus. During a May 26 meeting with Cardinal Angelo Becciu, the prefect …

CNA Staff, May 26, 2020 / 03:52 pm MT (CNA).- As Congress considers additional COVID relief efforts in the coming weeks, it should focus especially on the needs of the poor and vulnerable, said the head of the U.S. bishops’ Committee on Domestic Justice and Human Development. “As Congress turns …

CNA Staff, May 26, 2020 / 09:00 am MT (CNA).- Churches in California can begin holding services again at a limited capacity, the state announced on Monday. The California health department ruled that, subject to the approval of local authorities, churches in the state can begin reopening along with in-store …

CNA Staff, May 26, 2020 / 08:00 am MT (CNA).- A record number of people left the Church in the German Archdiocese of Munich and Freising last year, a local statistical office said Tuesday. The Munich statistical office told CNA Deutsch, CNA’s German-language news partner, May 26 that 10,744 Catholics …