“The outlook wasn’t brilliant for the Mudville nine that day: The score stood four to two, with but one inning more to play.” Just about any baseball fan or English major is familiar with those famous lines from the Ernest Lawrence Thayer poem Casey at the Bat. The poem resonated …

This story is exclusive web content from The Catholic Telegraph Xavier University announced Wednesday that one of its athletic dreams was coming true. The school, along with Butler and Creighton, will join Georgetown, Villanova, Marquette, St. John’s, Providence, Seton Hall and DePaul in a reformulated Big East. Learn more about …

By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph ROME — The first black smoke billowed from the chimney of the Sistine Chapel at 7:41 Rome time (2:41 EDT). Less than 20 minutes later Father Ryan Ruiz, a Cincinnati priest studying in Rome, took the time to speak with The Catholic Telegraph about …

Staff Report The Catholic Telegraph  By nature, all conclaves are historic. They tie the Church in a clear and visible way to the apostolic succession of the previous popes. In a spiritual way, they are events in which the guidance of the Holy Spirit is assured. Most conclaves have taken …

By Greg Hartman & John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph  The conclave starts Tuesday, and a more detailed schedule of the events has become available. Here is a guide to what happens now, before, during and after the conclave. All times listed are Rome local time with Eastern Daylight Time listed …

By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph  The resignation of His Holiness Benedict XVI, Pope Emeritus, from the office of the papacy may go down as one of the biggest media events of 2013. Many newspapers, radio stations and television channels devoted time and resources to covering everything from Benedict’s last …

By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph On Friday, March 1, The Catholic Telegraph sent out it’s 1000th tweet. The Catholic Telegraph joined Twitter in March of 2009, sending its first tweet on March 4. The first tweet was simple; “First Tweet … hello everybody.” The @CathTelegraph account preceded the current …

By John Stegeman The Catholic Telegraph UPDATE: Superintendent Jim Rigg confirmed that St. James of the Valley in Wyoming, Ohio was closed Friday, Feb. 22 for the same reason as St. Joseph in Over the Rhine— illness. Officials from St. James of the Valley could not be reached for further …

In response to Pope Benedict XVI’s resignation announcement Monday, I give my take on the Paul Harvey classic speech “So God made a farmer” as used in the Ram Truck Super Bowl commercial.   So God made a Pope And some time considerably after the 8th day, God looked down on …

From the Greater Catholic League to Xavier and Dayton universities’ athletic programs, sports are a major part of life for people in this archdiocese. The appeal of athletics is not limited to Catholics, of course, but our faith allows us to view competition in special way. Sports fans have been …