With his appointment as new archbishop of Washington Jan. 6, Cardinal Robert W. McElroy’s term in the nation’s capital will begin shortly after President-elect Donald Trump begins his second stint in the White House, possibly creating flashpoints between the pair during their time in the nation’s capital over immigration and a host of other issues.

A religious sister who befriended Billy the Kid, calmed a lynch mob and testified against human trafficking is one step closer to canonization.

A young Catholic family in New York state is crediting their newborn baby’s apparent healing in the womb from a potentially fatal diagnosis to the intercession of Charlene Marie Richard, a devout Catholic girl who died of leukemia in Louisiana — and is now on the path to possible sainthood.

Hours after Cardinal Robert W. McElroy of San Diego was announced Jan. 6 as the new archbishop of Washington, the prelate praised his new archdiocese as “truly sacramental in the rich diversity of its traditions and perspectives.”

The excitement in the air was palpable as more than 17,000 Catholics descended on the Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City Jan. 1-5 for SEEK25.

Thousands of college students, gathered in the nation’s capital Jan. 3 and pondered these questions as part of an evening of reflection and eucharistic adoration at the Fellowship of Catholic University Students’ 2025 SEEK conference.

During the Holy Year 2025, Catholics are called not only to grow in the virtue of hope, but also to share it with others, said U.S. Cardinal James M. Harvey, archpriest of Rome’s Basilica of St. Paul Outside the Walls.

In a troubled world, the birth of Christ reveals God’s unwavering determination to draw all people to himself and illuminate even the darkest corners, Pope Francis said.

Just as the star over Bethlehem called to and welcomed everyone to encounter the newborn Jesus, God today calls on the faithful to welcome everyone, creating safe, open spaces to find warmth and shelter, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis has appointed Consolata Missionary Sister Simona Brambilla to be the first woman to lead a Vatican dicastery, naming her prefect of the Dicastery for the Institutes of Consecrated Life and the Societies of Apostolic Life.