In “Befriending St. Joseph: Finding Faith, Hope and Courage in the Seven Sorrows Devotion” (Ave Maria Press, 2022), Deacon Greg Kandra was challenged to find a way to speak of — and perhaps for — this saint of silence.

The pro-life movement in post-Dobbs America requires robust support for health care and social service programs to accompany parents who choose life, some clergy, legislators and advocates told OSV News — including efforts to expand Medicaid coverage for postpartum mothers.

At the end of their first meeting, three members of the preparatory commission for the assembly of the Synod of Bishops said they know some Catholics have very high expectations for the process while others have intense anxiety.

Thousands of Ukrainians who fled their nation in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022 can now apply to extend their stay in the U.S. by one year.

South Carolina lawmakers introduced a bill that if passed, could subject women who undergo abortions to the same punishments as those for murder in the state, including the death penalty.

President Joe Biden announced March 14 he would sign an executive order aiming to increase the number of background checks on prospective gun buyers, as well as measures to promote red flag laws and the secure storage of firearms.

Places that serve as “oases of encounter” are needed today so that visitors can be inspired to live wisely and well, Pope Francis told representatives of a Buddhist organization.

Planning an ecumenical prayer vigil for the Catholic Church’s Synod of Bishops and making a commitment to participating in it is an expression of “an ecumenism of solidarity,” said the Rev. Anne-Laure Danet, ecumenical officer for the French Protestant Federation.

The aesthetic and artistic elements surrounding the liturgy must foster prayer and a sense of communion, Pope Francis said.

Being an apostle does not mean climbing up the church’s hierarchy to look down on others but humbling oneself in a spirit of service, Pope Francis said.