Q: If the church’s new year begins on the first Sunday of Advent, then why is the secular New Year’s Day (Jan. 1) a holy day ...

It’s fair to say that Advent calendars are having a bit of a moment. Their origins date back to 19th-century Germany, where devout Protestants would mark each day of Advent by burning a candle or ...

Receiving a chalk blessing at the doorway or decorating wooden boats instead of Christmas trees may seem unfamiliar to many outside the region. Yet across Eastern and Central Europe, Christmas is ...

The church has given us many wonderful preachers and prophets. It has also been home to countless monks and hermits. What ...

Christmas greetings and blessings, as well as wishes for a Happy New Year, were several sentiments expressed by Cleveland’s elected officials as 2025 draws to a close. Cleveland Mayor Kevin Brooks, ...

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday highlighted four virtues of St. Joseph — “piety and charity, mercy and trust” — as guides for ...

Pope Leo XIV on Sunday highlighted four virtues of St. Joseph — “piety and charity, mercy and trust” — as guides for Catholics in the final days of Advent.

Pilgrims hold up statues of the infant Jesus to be blessed during Pope Leo XIV’s Sunday Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square Dec. 21, 2025. (Credit: Vatican Media.) Listen ROME – Pope Leo XIV Sunday ...

“Deck the halls with boughs of holly…’tis the season to be jolly.” What? Can it really be that Christmas is next week?! I look at the calendar and marvel at how quickly this month has gone by. This ...