The Catholic Spirit

14/02/2025

The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Washington on behalf of groups ranging from Baptist to Jewish to Methodist, argues the new policy sparked fear of ICE raids both in their own congregations and in the populations they serve, lowering attendance at worship services and curtailing their ability to serve the less fortunate.

More than two dozen Christian and Jewish groups filed a lawsuit Feb. 11 in federal court to challenge a Trump administration policy that rescinded long-standing restrictions on Immigration and…

13/02/2025

The “overarching objective” of tax collection and government spending “should be to cultivate a public finance framework that is not only effective but also serves as a catalyst for solidarity and development,” Cardinal Pietro Parolin told participants in a workshop sponsored by the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences Feb. 13.

Individuals and corporations have a moral obligation to pay their fair share of taxes, and wealthy nations have an obligation to use that money to help their poorer citizens and provide aid to…

13/02/2025

Eighth-grade students at St. John the Baptist Catholic School and Preschool - Savage, MN got a lesson in how to fillet fish by Father Ben Little, the pastor of St. John the Baptist Catholic Church - Savage, MN. He filleted crappies he caught and then let students try it. The session was part of an elective program for middle-school students called Kids in the Kitchen. Helping with the program is Mike Vawracz, food service director at the school.

13/02/2025

Father Ben Little, pastor of St. John the Baptist in Savage, fillets fish he caught during a demonstration for eighth grade students in the Kids in the Kitchen program at St. John the Baptist Catholic School in Savage.

13/02/2025

There is also a great need to secure and safeguard a place for “proper human control over the choices made by artificial intelligence programs,” he said in a written message to French President Emmanuel Macron, who was co-hosting with India’s Prime Minister Narendra Modi the “Artificial Intelligence Action Summit” in Paris Feb. 10-11.

Ways must be found to ensure artificial intelligence benefits everyone and protects the environment, given the high amounts of energy consumed by data centers, Pope Francis told leaders at a global…

13/02/2025

On Feb. 11, the Vatican’s Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments published a decree announcing that the feast day of St. Teresa of Kolkata has been added to the General Roman Calendar, with her optional memorial to be celebrated by the church each year on Sept. 5.

The leader of the nation's Catholic bishops has commended Pope Francis' move to extend to the universal Catholic Church the feast of a beloved saint and "contemporary witness" of faith.

12/02/2025

As part of its suspension of foreign aid, the administration has moved to shutter the agency, which was established in 1961 by President John F. Kennedy following the signing of the Foreign Assistance Act.

Catholic Relief Services and Caritas agencies throughout the world are warning that the Trump administration's freezing of the U.S. Aid for International Development -- which has provided major…

12/02/2025

Those were among the recommendations that a panel of lay and religious offered during the 2025 Legatus annual summit for Catholic business men and women Feb. 6-9 at the Ritz-Carlton in Naples. Some 700 people attended the three-day national gathering.

Prayers and fasting, Eucharistic adoration and getting back to the basics of the Catholic faith are some of the ways the laity can encourage priestly and religious vocations in 2025.

11/02/2025

In addition to daily connection, periodic spiritual retreats can deepen one’s relationship with him tremendously. Most parishes offer Advent and Lenten mini retreats that can be perfect opportunities to step away from our busy lives and draw inward. To hear the voice of God, we must silence the chaos of competing noises for a period. To know God more deeply, we must first clean out the competing clutter in our minds. Spiritual retreats invite us into the inner sanctuary of our heart, veiled from the world, where loving intimacy can take place.

Time alone with our Lord is essential to intimacy with him. In addition to daily connection, periodic spiritual retreats can deepen one’s relationship with him tremendously. Most parishes offer…

11/02/2025

“I recognize your valuable efforts, dear brother bishops of the United States, as you work closely with migrants and refugees, proclaiming Jesus Christ and promoting fundamental human rights,” he said in a letter to the U.S. bishops published by the Vatican Feb. 11.

Pope Francis has urged U.S. Catholics and people of goodwill to not give in to "narratives" that discriminate against and cause unnecessary suffering to migrants and refugees.

10/02/2025

Married couples were featured at a Mass celebrating World Marriage Day Feb. 9 at the University of St. Thomas in St. Paul. The Mass at the UST chapel was sponsored by the Campus Ministry - University of St. Thomas. One couple, Stan and Julie Steuter, got married in the chapel just more than 50 years ago and was setting foot inside the chapel for the first time since their wedding date: Nov. 15, 1975. A Dominican priest, Father Austin Litke of Catholic Studies at the University of St. Thomas, was the Mass celebrant.

09/02/2025

We can highlight events in our lives that were transformative, and maybe we can reflect on how God was working through those moments, and whether we answered God’s call at that point. We might find that many times, when we have not stepped up to the plate, it was because of our own feelings of inadequacy. We either felt lethargic in our spirituality or we felt that we were not gifted enough, or we felt that we were too morally bankrupt to think how God could possibly have called us. There might be times that God was calling us, but we were too oblivious to notice because we either didn’t care or we had an agenda that was contrary to God’s will.

The longer I live, the more I find that life is filled with times of transformation that call us to conversion.

08/02/2025

Yet enjoyable humor and a touch of romance do increase the appeal of the otherwise frenetic actioner “Love Hurts” (Universal). A barrage of obscenities in the script, as well as fleeting forays into visual grisliness, are less welcome elements.

A Valentine's Day-themed martial arts movie? It seems an unlikely recipe.

07/02/2025

Early in his career, Sanislo painted stage scenery, but much of his experience came through life-size portrait painting. Sanislo has been involved in efforts to renovate the Church of Epiphany in C**n Rapids, including the sanctuary where Sanislo is painting five murals as part of the installation.

Creativity can be considered an act of worship; to artist Mark Sanislo, a parishioner of Epiphany in C**n Rapids, glorifying God comes through the stroke of a paintbrush. Sanislo said that reflection…

07/02/2025

“Sadly, our nation’s immigration system is broken,” the bishops stated, with elected officials in both major political parties failing to “rise above political calculation and collaborate on a solution rooted in respect for migrants and the common good of the nation.”

Archbishop Bernard Hebda and Auxiliary Bishops Michael Izen and Kevin Kenney, of the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis, and five other Catholic bishops who are members of the Minnesota Catholic…

07/02/2025

Spurlock fled her home of 40 years with her dog, a Bible and her late husband’s ashes before the blaze devoured her entire neighborhood in Altadena, home to a historically significant Black community.

As a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church's gospel choir, Trena Spurlock has sung the hymn "My Help" countless times.

07/02/2025

"As my final reflection in this privileged column, it is for me a fitting metaphor that “mining the ore” is to discover in the past a deeper understanding of events that teach new lessons for the present and for the future."

Above the main entrance to the Archdiocesan Catholic Center in St. Paul are the words, “Minnesota Mining and Manufacturing.” This historic building, built in 1939, served for decades as the global…