Chapter 4 of the Book of Exodus contains one of the strangest passages in all of Sacred Scripture. Verses 18-26 describe how Moses, living in exile in the land of Midian, goes to his father-in-law Jethro to request permission to return to his own people back in Egypt. Jethro consents, and so Moses sets off together with his wife, Zipporah, and their sons.

Pope Francis has addressed a warm and affectionate letter to parish priests throughout the Church. The letter, written on the occasion of a meeting of parish priests in Rome as part of the synodal process, attempts three things — to repair the damage done by the exclusion of parish priests from the synodal assembly last October...

Pope Francis has appointed Vermont priest John McDermott as the bishop of the Diocese of Burlington in that state, the Vatican announced Monday. The Burlington bishopric was previously headed by Bishop Christopher Coyne, whom Pope Francis named as coadjutor archbishop of Hartford, Connecticut, last year and who on May 1 took over as archbishop there.

The Great Lakes were a massive graveyard for ships lost at sea for centuries. Sailboats have slipped into storms, never to be seen again. Steamers have rocked in the waves. Even massive freighters have sunk to the sea floor.

At the Last Supper, Jesus told his apostles, “I have called you friends ...” He calls them friends and he does not lie; what Jesus speaks is true. And then he tells them, “You are my friends if you do what I command you.” But what if we, or they, do not do what Christ commands? Does the Lord remain a friend towards us even when we are not being a friend towards him?

Discover the untold story of Catholic Priests in Nicaragua, facing adversities and government opposition in their efforts to bring the Gospel to their people. Despite Nicaragua's deep-rooted Catholicism, priests and bishops find themselves targets of persecution and religious constraints. Through this interview, you can step into their world with Fr. Robert Havens from the CANELA Foundation as he unveils the struggles they face...

The solemnity of the Ascension comes 40 days after the “main event” of Easter. This might be why it has the sense of being somewhat of an afterthought to the Paschal Mystery. In addition, in the Church’s post-Vatican II liturgical calendar, the Ascension has been reduced from its status of an octave to a single day, which might also have caused the faithful’s appreciation of it to wane a bit...

Last Epiphany, my wife and I had our annual debate over whether to take down the Christmas tree. She has a weird dislike of finding pine needles on the floor. I don’t understand it. She invokes the tradition of Christmas lasting through Epiphany. I argue that grace overflows the traditional rules, and that keeping up the Christmas tree beautifully symbolizes that truth...

High above the city of Nagasaki, I walk a Way of the Cross in the steps of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who founded a monastery here in 1931. The lush mountainous area is marked by a grotto reminiscent of Lourdes, built by the Polish Franciscan saint to honor the Blessed Mother and sanctify the place where he lived for five years, until called back to Poland.

Ethan Hawke’s Wildcat opens, very nearly, with a familiar scenario: a dispiriting encounter between a young artist with an exacting creative vision and a conventional corporate gatekeeper with a checklist approach to what sells. The scene depicts a real-life exchange between 24-year-old Mary Flannery O’Connor (played by Maya Hawke, the director’s daughter) and her editor at Holt Rinehart regarding her unfinished novel Wise Blood...