By Steve Trosley The Catholic Telegraph Families and communities have various ways of celebrating with some having roots in their ethnic heritage and others having roots in habit. Some of our friends in the archdiocese sent the following notes on their personal celebrations for your entertainment at this special time …

By Eileen Connelly, OSU The Catholic Telegraph In the century since St. Anthony of Padua Parish was founded, there have been many changes in the surrounding East Dayton neighborhood. What has remained constant is the parish’s reason for being — spreading the Gospel of Jesus, administering the sacraments and exercising …

By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph Just 17 years after the then-Diocese of Cincinnati was created by Pope Pius VII, the residents of Fort Loramie finally got their own parish. Catholic roots in the area go back as far as 1749 when a group of French explorers passed through, but …

By Lisa Biedenbach For The Catholic Telegraph When couples vow “I do” on their wedding day, they probably don’t think long about the phrase “in sickness and in health.” For most couples, the commitment to stick by a spouse “in sickness” often doesn’t kick in until late in a marriage. …

Staff Report Anymore, the culture would have you believe that the Christmas season begins immediately after Halloween. Stores are decked out in red and green with well-trimmed artificial trees long before the First Sunday of Advent even rolls around. Certainly some tasks, like Christmas shopping, must take place before Dec. …

Dear Father: Is it okay for someone to have umbilical blood saved from a live birth to use in stem cell research or attempts to find a cure for diseases like MS? Dear Reader: The answer to your question is “yes.”

By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph Some retail outlets began playing Christmas music this year the day after Halloween to remind customers that the shopping days before Christmas were dwindling. Time is running out, they say, to get great last-minute deals on this year’s Tickle-Me-Elmo, ZhuZhu Pet or whatever fad …

Staff Report As a monthly publication, the December issue of The Catholic Telegraph serves both as an Advent and Christmas edition of the paper. With that in mind, readers will find a seven-page Advent & Christmas section.