Stressing openness and mercy, Francis’ emphasis has been on welcoming everyone into the church, and if a mess is made along the way, so be it.

Of the approximately 1,800 minor basilicas in the world, the United States is home to 93, most recently the Basilica of St. Andrew in Roanoke, Va., which received its designation in September 2023.

To sustain authentic spiritual revival, our hearts must be like Christ’s.

I am going to be more than a little interested to see how the graduating class of 2024 turns out, but in my mind, theirs may be our Resilient Generation.

These days, it can be expensive to run a Catholic school, but at the same time Catholic education should be accessible to those who are striving to raise their children in the faith.

These heroes will never be memorialized by a John Williams composition. But their courage was nonetheless just as moving – and as indicative of the nobility of which human beings are capable – as that of any Olympic athlete.

What a wonder that our infinitely loving and all-powerful God is ready to encounter us, whether as Father, Son, or Holy Spirit.

While the universal Synod may continue to discuss the possibility of ordaining women to the diaconate, Pope Francis’ clear and emphatic statement to Norah O’Donnell renders that discussion moot.

How wonderful it is to realize that what seems impossible might actually be possible—whether through divine intervention or by picking up the pieces every day and taking another step on the journey of life.

Father Michael J. McGivney was just one more of that band of hardworking Irish-American priests who spent themselves building up the church in America in the latter years of the 19th century. But in one truly extraordinary respect, he was unique: