At 92, Sister Demetria Smith is the embodiment of gentleness and joy.

The dogmatic constitution from the Second Vatican Council, entitled “Lumen Gentium,” promulgated 60 years ago on Nov. 21, 1964, sets forth the nature and mission of the church.

Hosted by the Catholic Racial Justice Coalition, or CRJC, and Gichitwaa Kateri in Minneapolis, the event drew members of Native American communities, local Catholics, members of the local Twin Cities community, and leaders within the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis to pray, to acknowledge harm caused by Native boarding schools, to learn and to celebrate the vitality of Native cultures.

In vitro fertilization is a topic that received significant national attention during the past election season as candidates made it a policy issue. A costly, but widely accepted option in society for conceiving children through artificial means, IVF also involves significant moral and ethical concerns.

Miraculously missed by burning beams falling from the roof on April 15, 2019, and waiting for five years to make it back to Notre Dame Cathedral, the 14th-century statue of the Virgin of Paris made it back home Nov. 15, accompanied by thousands of Parisians praying, singing and lighting candles as they walked their Virgin to Paris’ most iconic church, restored after the fire.

The Texas Supreme Court Nov. 15 denied a state House committee’s attempt to delay the execution of a man convicted of murder in the 2002 death of his 2-year-old daughter, after lawmakers questioned the evidence behind his conviction.

Efforts to apply a 2024 Vatican document on human dignity to an American context and its “a radical emphasis on individual autonomy” are underway within three committees of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

This coming Nov. 20 will mark “Red Wednesday,” a commemoration held annually by Aid to the Church in Need to highlight the fact that today one in seven Christians face extreme hostility, violence and repression because of their faith in Christ. In some countries, the observance is being extended throughout the week and is called a “Red Week.”

Wherever U.S. soldiers are deployed, Catholic chaplains faithfully serve the spiritual needs of the men giving their lives in service to the United States.

Ahead of World Day of the Poor, observed in the church Nov. 17, French bishops gave a green light to open the sainthood cause for a married couple who gave up their noble and rich life to care for the sick and poor.