VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Praising those who help the sick and praying for those who are sick, Pope Francis called on Christians to practice what they preach, including by guaranteeing equal access to health care for all people.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — A joint statement from two U.S. bishops who head different committees of the U.S. bishops called for an end to the federal use of the death penalty as “long past time.”

As a senior in high school, Kat Joyce knew she wanted to become a teacher. Now, halfway through her first-year teaching, Joyce leads her second-grade class at Christ The King Catholic School in prayer every day. Those prayers are the cornerstone that led to her vocation as a Catholic school teacher.

Catholic Schools Week, the annual celebration of what makes Catholic education special, will begin Sunday, Jan. 31 and end Saturday, Feb. 6. Nationally, schools observe the celebration week with Masses, open houses and other activities for students, families, parishioners and community members.

When COVID-19 created a flood of concerns for organizers of the “In The Father’s Footsteps” Oklahoma Catholic Men’s Conference, Jim Beckman registered a plea.

The second of three priest brothers, Charles Albert Van Hulse was born Aug. 16, 1874, in Sint-Jan-in-Eremo, Belgium. His two brothers, Joseph and Theophile, also were missionaries to Oklahoma. All three served with fervor and excellence and are viewed as ecclesiastical royalty in the annuls of the history of the Church in Oklahoma.

The Bishop McGuinness Catholic High School pom team, coached and choreographed by Jamie Lane, was crowned the 2020 Class 5A Jazz Division Title winners. The team competed virtually at the Oklahoma State Dance Team Directors' Association annual competition on Dec. 12.

Years ago, I remember hearing about a football coach who ran off the sidelines to tackle an opposing player as he was returning a kickoff. Western New England College’s Jim Brown had eluded every other Fairfield University player and was on his way to a field-length touchdown run.

Every Jan. 6 in the Latin American tradition, not only is the liturgical feast of the Epiphany celebrated, but so is the coming of the Magi. Jokingly, in Mexico, it is said that on Dec. 12, a festival that lasts almost a month called Guadalupe-Reyes begins. That is, it begins on the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe (Dec. 12) and ends on the day of the Three Kings (Jan. 6).

“The Adaptive Teacher: Faith-Based Strategies to Reach and Teach Learners with Disabilities” is a great resource for learning how to maximize the effectiveness of teaching students with learning disabilities.

WASHINGTON – Catholics across the country are encouraged to observe a nationwide prayer vigil from Thursday, Jan. 28 to Friday, Jan. 29, marking the 48th anniversary of the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1973 Roe v. Wade and Doe v. Bolton decisions legalizing abortion through nine months of pregnancy. Since those decisions, over 60 million abortions have been performed legally in the United States.

WASHINGTON (CNS) — Catholics, although they make up about 20% of the U.S. population, remain at 30% of the new Congress, according to a Jan. 4 report issued by the Pew Research Center.