Even though a pilgrimage peak is some months away, the shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes celebrated its wintery feast day Feb. 11 with a number of pilgrims who flocked to the French holy site on the anniversary of the first apparition of the Blessed Virgin to St. Bernadette Soubirous in 1858.

Pope Francis has added the feast day of St. Teresa of Kolkata, a “beacon of hope” and an example of loving service to the poorest of the poor, to the General Roman Calendar so that her “Optional Memorial shall be celebrated by all on 5 September every year.”

Pope Francis has urged U.S. Catholics and people of goodwill to not give in to “narratives” that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to migrants and refugees.

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Archbishop Allen H. Vigneron, 76, from the pastoral governance of the Archdiocese of Detroit and has appointed Bishop Edward J. Weisenburger of Tucson, Ariz., as his successor.

Efforts to repeal the death penalty have been introduced in two Republican-led states, with some lawmakers citing their Catholic faith as a factor in their opposition to capital punishment. The efforts come even as President Donald Trump has moved to expand the use of the practice.

Cardinal Joseph W. Tobin of Newark, N.J., announced he has engaged a law firm to investigate whether the current president of Seton Hall University, Msgr. Joseph R. Reilly, “acted appropriately” regarding disgraced former cardinal Theodore McCarrick.

A large urban setting with ample family-friendly attractions will likely host the next National Eucharistic Congress in 2029, following a series of regional events beginning next year.

When Virginia Halas McCaskey died Feb. 6 at age 102, a nonstop flood of remembrance and gratitude enveloped the sports world and social media.

Marches and Masses in more than 30 African countries were organized Feb. 8 to raise voices against human trafficking, marking the feast day of St. Josephine Bakhita, and kicking off a Jubilee Year campaign “Restoring Hope in Africa: A Jubilee Call to End Human Trafficking.”

After two federal judges in two days blocked the Trump administration’s attempt to rescind birthright citizenship, a third federal judge followed suit on Feb. 10.