Two major medical groups have backed limitations on certain types of medical or surgical gender reassignment procedures for minors who identify as transgender.
From the Gospel for the Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A: You are the light of the world. A city set on a mountain cannot be hidden. Nor do they light a lamp and then put it under a bushel basket; it is set on a lampstand, where it gives light to all in … Read more
Pope Leo XIV will not travel to the United States in 2026, the director of the Holy See Press Office, Matteo Bruni, said Sunday, denying circulating reports that the pontiff might make an apostolic trip to his native country. A U.S. visit had been anticipated by some American Catholics ahead of the country’s 250th anniversary … Read more
The Roman Martyrology commemorates Blessed Pius IX (1792-1878), who reigned as pope from 1846-1878. He was the last pope to hold temporal power for the Papal States, before they were reformed. He defined the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on December 8, 1854 and celebrated the First Vatican Council from … Read more
As the Church marks the 12th World Day of Prayer and Awareness against Human Trafficking, Pope Leo XIV renewed what he called the Church’s “urgent call” to end a crime that “gravely wounds human dignity” and undermines authentic peace. The annual day of prayer is observed on Feb. 8, the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, … Read more
Cuba’s bishops are scheduled to travel to Rome later this month to meet with Vatican dicasteries and present Pope Leo XIV with a report on the state of the dioceses on the island. In a message that will be read at Masses this weekend, the bishops will announce that they have been “called to Rome … Read more
St. Thorlak of Iceland Feast date: Dec 23 The Scandinavian island nation of Iceland celebrates its national patron, St. Thorlak Thorhallsson, on Dec. 23. Although Iceland’s national assembly declared him a saint in 1198, only five years after his death, this “unofficial” canonization did not become an official part of the Church’s liturgical calendar until … Read more
Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary Feast date: Nov 21 The Feast of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, celebrated annually on November 21st, commemorates the presentation of the Blessed Virgin as a child by her parents in the Temple in Jerusalem. Before Mary’s birth, her parents received a heavenly message … Read more
