Father Isaac Hecker: Father of American evangelization April 4, 2026By Russell Shaw OSV News Filed Under: America's 250th anniversary, Commentary, Evangelization His great goal was the conversion of Protestant America to Catholicism, something he was convinced could happen. After all, he said, in the United States “true religion will find a reception it has in vain looked for elsewhere.”
Easter evidence: Why Jesus’ resurrection is trusted as true April 4, 2026By Sister Anna Marie McGuan OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Easter Because of the evidence of the empty tomb and the encounters of the risen Jesus with the women, the apostles and disciples, and St. Paul, the Church has always believed and preached the resurrection of Jesus from the dead. It is the moment that definitively changed human history forever.
Easter or Resurrection Day? The origins of the holiday’s English name April 3, 2026By Monsignor Charles E. Pope OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Easter Easter is plainly the solemn feast celebrating the resurrection of Christ. It is fine to say Happy Easter. The origin of the word “Easter” is complex.
Letter to those entering the Church April 3, 2026By Archbishop William E. Lori Catholic Review Filed Under: Charity in Truth, Commentary, Easter, From the Archbishop A most joyful day in my ministry as your bishop is the First Sunday of Lent when we celebrate the Rite of Election. It is a beautiful moment when the Cathedral of Mary Our Queen is filled to overflowing with those of you entering the Church, together with your godparents, sponsors, parish priests, catechists and friends.
Proclaiming Easter joy in digital spaces April 2, 2026By Sister Hosea Rupprecht OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Easter In a world filled with inauthentic social media posts, why not inundate those platforms with authentic Easter joy? If you fasted from social media for Lent, return with a purpose.
Consider feet. Actually, consider your own feet. April 1, 2026By Effie Caldarola OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Lent This sudden spring awareness of feet coincides with our liturgical tradition: the washing of the feet on Holy Thursday. This powerful liturgical moment imitates the example rooted in John 13, when, at the Last Supper Jesus washes his disciples’ feet.
Via Crucis, 2026 April 1, 2026By George Weigel Syndicated Columnist Filed Under: Commentary, The Catholic Difference The Way of the Cross — and the third, seventh, and ninth stations in particular — has been an especially appropriate Lenten devotion this year. Every day, it seems, some new craziness erupts in the world, the country, or the Church. Every time we think we see rays of hope and possibility, we take another fall.
The truth about how early Christians celebrated Easter April 1, 2026By James L. Papandrea OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Easter, Lent In the early Church, the feast day of the Resurrection of the Lord was simply called Passover, or some translation of that word, as it still is to this day in most languages of the world. This is where we get the word “paschal” in the Paschal Mystery. That just means, “the Passover Mystery.”
Question Corner: Why did Jesus descend into hell if he was sinless? April 1, 2026By Jenna Marie Cooper OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Question Corner After his death on the cross, Jesus descended into the “hell” that was simply the netherworld in order to free the dead who had sought to love and honor God despite the original sin that bound them, in order that Jesus might bring them into the fullness of life
The slow work March 30, 2026By Rita Buettner Catholic Review Filed Under: Commentary, The Domestic Church As much as we want to keep trying to fix a problem, maybe this is the time to hand it over to God. We can place whatever is troubling us into his hands, trusting that he will walk with us, moving mountains we cannot move and preparing us for the next step on our journey.
Five ways to observe the Triduum like the early Christians March 30, 2026By James L. Papandrea OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Easter What we call “Easter” is not only for the moment, as if it can just come and go like any other weekend. It’s about the past, present and future.
Good Friday adoration: Jesus kisses us from the cross March 30, 2026By Father Romanus Cessario OSV News Filed Under: Commentary, Lent From the cross, the Innocent One, the Lamb without blemish, embraces his own suffering, mystical body. Wherever sin runs deep in our souls, Jesus heals it.
