November is Black Catholic History Month, which was designated to celebrate the long history and proud heritage of Black Catholics by the National Black Clergy Caucus on July 24, 1990.
National & World News
Survey: Catholics aware of church’s social teaching but hear little on it in parishes, dioceses
(OSV News) — Catholic social teaching has widely been described as “the church’s best kept secret.” A recent report indicates that may still be the case, and that efforts to spread it may be thwarted by a reduction in diocesan positions dedicated to social action.
At synod prayer service, pope calls for immigration reform with a heart
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Taking to heart the lesson of the parable of the good Samaritan is the key to assisting the millions of migrants and refugees forced to travel far from their homelands and often exploited along the way, Pope Francis said.
Amid Israel-Hamas war, interfaith solidarity more important than ever, say experts
(OSV News) — Two experts in Muslim-Christian relations told OSV News that preserving dialogue amid the Israel-Hamas war comes down to recognizing what is really at issue — and what is really at stake.
Synod looks at Catholics’ shared mission, but also exclusion of women
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — The life of women in the Catholic Church “is full of scars” and alternating experiences of being encouraged or rejected, the president of Latin America’s religious superiors told members of the assembly of the Synod of Bishops.
‘I feel your pain,’ archbishop tells survivors of Cameroon landslide
YAOUNDÉ, Cameroon (OSV News) — Archbishop Jean Mbarga of Yaoundé offered “compassion and solidarity” to the families of those affected by the Oct. 8 landslide in the Mbankolo neighborhood of the capital city that claimed at least 27 lives with over 50 injured in the disaster.
New initiative cultivates ministerial leadership roles within U.S. Catholic Hispanic population
BOSTON (OSV News) — Throughout the last few years, Hispanics Catholics have been recognized as the largest growing population in the U.S. Catholic Church — accounting for nearly 71% of the growth of the Catholic population in the United States since 1960. The Pew Research Center estimates that there are 63.7 million Hispanics living in the United States, about 31 million of them self-identify as Roman Catholic.
Two U.S bishops launch National Catholic Mental Health Campaign and novena amid crisis
(OSV News) — Two U.S. bishops have launched the National Catholic Mental Health Campaign, amid a global crisis in mental health and a decline in mental health resources in the U.S.
Testimonies give insight into how Synod on Synodality can realize pope’s vision for church
(OSV News) — The global Synod on Synodality has been two years in the making, but even as the synod’s universal stage in Rome is underway, the synod’s public discussions are revealing how this process is starting to free the church to realize the vision of a missionary church Pope Francis advanced at the very beginning of his pontificate with the publication of “Evangelii Gaudium.”
Israeli families missing loved ones wait for proof of life; patriarch appeals for prayer, fasting
JERUSALEM (OSV News) — Just before the children in her kindergarten class went on vacation for the Jewish Sukkot Festival, Romina Shvalb, 42, a kindergarten teacher in the quiet Israeli kibbutz of Nir Oz near the Gaza border, had baked challah — the braided sweet bread Jews traditionally eat on the Sabbath and holidays — with the children.