The action that the Holy Spirit carries out, in guiding the Church and within each of us, was the theme chosen by Pope Francis for his catechesis in today's general audience, with Pentecost drawing near.

VATICAN CITY (VIS) – Eastertide, which culminates with the Solemnity of Pentecost when the Church relives the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, is the perfect time of the Holy Spirit,” the Pope explained to the 75,000 persons present in St. Peter's Square to attend his Wednesday general audience.

CCD students from St. Mary Mission in Robstown released several blue balloons up into the gray sky on the morning of April 28. The event concluded National Child Abuse Awareness Month in honor of all children who die of abuse every year. All CCD students from pre-kinder to High School gathered outside of the small mission church for a prayer led by their pastor, Father Anthony Blount, before they released the balloons.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis called for an end to slave labor and human trafficking as well as greater efforts to create dignified work for more people.

Pope Francis dedicated the catechesis of his Wednesday, April 24, general audience to three Gospel texts that help us to enter into the mystery of one of the truths professed in the Creed: that Jesus “will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead”. The three texts are: the parable of the 10 virgins; the parable of the talents; and the final judgment. They all form part of Jesus' teaching on the end of time in the Gospel of St. Matthew.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – The meaning of the Ascension, the event culminating Jesus' earthly life, was the central theme of Pope Francis' catechesis during the Wednesday, April 17, general audience celebrated in St. Peter's Square and attended by more than 50,000 people.

Sunday, April 15, Pope Francis presided over Mass at Saint Paul Outside-the-Walls on his first visit to that basilica as Bishop of Rome. Concelebrating with the Holy Father were Cardinal James Michael Harvey, archpriest of the basilica, and Abbot Edmund Power, O.S.B., of the St. Paul Outside-the-Walls Abbey.

WASHINGTON—A statement by Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the U.S. Bishops’ Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, expressed “deep gratitude” and “solidarity and appreciation” for litigants challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) mandate, which forces employers to pay for contraceptive services even over their religious and moral objections. The statement was issued April 8.

Vatican City (VIS) – The Holy Father dedicated his catechesis of this Wednesday's general audience to the salvific importance of Jesus' resurrection.

Vatican City (VIS) – The Resurrection, the heart of the Christian message, and the two ways it is announced—profession of faith and narration—were the themes with which Pope Francis returned to the catechesis for the Year of Faith in this morning's general audience.

On February 8-9, 2013, the Corpus Christi Diocese Cursillo Movement hosted a Region 8 Cursillo Encounter. This was the first time our diocese hosted a Region 8 encounter. (Read more here.)

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- Eleven Republican members of Congress filed a brief supporting conscience provisions in one lawsuit fighting the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services' contraceptive mandate.

WASHINGTON—Congress should incorporate two provisions that strengthen conscience protection in any proposed funding bills in the weeks ahead, said Archbishop William Lori of Baltimore in a February 15 letter to Congress. Both provisions were part of the House draft of the Labor/HHS appropriations bill.

VATICAN CITY (VIS) – Pope Benedict XVI dedicated the catechesis of his weekly General Audience to the season of Lent, which began that day, Feb. 13. "Forty days," he said, "that prepare us for the celebration of Easter. It is a time of particular commitment in our spiritual journey…Forty days was also the period that Jesus spent in the desert before beginning his public life, when he was tempted by the devil."

ERIE, Pa. (CNS) -- Erie Bishop Lawrence T. Persico said he was disappointed a federal judge dismissed the diocese's case against the federal contraceptive mandate as premature but also said he found encouragement in the decision.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia Jan. 25 dismissed a lawsuit filed against the federal contraceptive mandate by the Archdiocese of Washington and its co-plaintiffs, saying the case is premature in light of the government's "promises to amend the mandate."

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – The first and most fundamental definition that the Creed teaches us about God is that He is the Almighty Father. This was the theme of Pope Benedict XVI's Wednesday catechesis during his Jan. 30 general audience held in the Paul VI Audience Hall.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- In an administrative move reaffirming his efforts to promote a Catholic revival in the West and greater adherence to traditional church teaching, Pope Benedict XVI has reassigned responsibility among Vatican offices for the religious education of laypeople and future priests.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - "I believe in one God," the first article of the profession of faith that accompanies our lives as believers, was the theme of Pope Benedict XVI's catechesis during his general audience on Wednesday, Jan. 23.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – Pope Benedict XVI dedicated his Wednesday catechesis on Jan. 9's general audience to the meaning of the word Incarnation, "a term," the pope said, "that has resounded many times in our churches over these past days, expressing the reality that we celebrate at Christmas: the Son of God become man, as we say in the Creed."

Angela Hiracheta, a parishioner of Immaculate Conception Parish in Taft, makes her profession of faith on Nov. 21, 2012 upon her entrance and acceptance with the Sister Servants of the Holy Spirit of Perpetual Adoration, also known as the Pink Sisters. She will do her novitiate in St. Louis, Missouri at the Mount Grace Convent.

WASHINGTON—National Migration Week will be observed in dioceses around the country Jan. 6-12. This year’s theme, “We are Strangers No Longer: Our Journey of Hope Continues,” includes a postcard campaign that calls for comprehensive immigration reform.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - During the catechesis of the first general audience of 2013, which was celebrated in the Paul VI Hall with over 7,000 people in attendance, the Holy Father addressed the theme of Christ's birth, "something so radically new that it was capable of changing the course of history,” and Jesus' origin.

On Dec. 21 the Holy Father received the cardinals and members of the Roman Curia and the Governorate of Vatican City State for the traditional exchange of Christmas and New Year greetings. Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals, greeted the pope in the name of those present.

The faith of Mary in the light of the mystery of the Annunciation was the theme of Pope Benedict XVI's catechesis during the last general audience of 2012, celebrated in the Vatican's Paul VI Hall on Wednesday, Dec. 19.

Tom Monaghan, the founder and former owner of Domino's Pizza, is suing the federal government over a controversial mandate that requires him to violate his Catholic faith in his business decisions.

In the first federal appellate-level hearing on a lawsuit challenging the HHS contraceptive mandate Dec. 14, spirited sparring between judges and attorneys marked proceedings that went twice their scheduled length.

BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CNS) -- A U.S. District Court judge has ruled that a lawsuit challenging the federal contraceptive mandate filed by the Archdiocese of New York and two other Catholic entities can move forward.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - God's "benevolent plan" for mankind, which begins St. Paul's Letter to the Ephesians, was the theme of the Holy Father's catechesis at today's general audience. The great hymn that the apostle Paul raised to God "introduces us to living in the time of Advent, in the context of the Year of Faith. The theme of this hymn of praise is God's plan for mankind, defined in terms of joy, stupefaction and thankfulness...of mercy and love,” the pope said.

SAO PAULO (CNS) -- World Youth Day organizers have chosen a spot in Rio de Janeiro's Guaratiba neighborhood, nearly 60 miles from the city center, for the vigil and closing Mass July 27-28.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) - "As the Year of Faith progresses we carry in our hearts the hope of rediscovering our joy at believing and our enthusiasm for communicating the truth of faith to all,” Pope Benedict XVI said in his catechesis during his general audience on Nov. 21. “This leads us to discover that our encounter with God brings value to, perfects and elevates that which is true, good and beautiful in mankind,” said the.

The faith, its meaning and significance in the modern world, were the main themes of Benedict XVI's catechesis during his weekly general audience held Oct. 24 in St. Peter's Square.

On Oct. 3, the Diocese of Corpus Christi broke ground the new St. Thomas Aquinas Newman Catholic Center at Texas A&M-Kingsville. The center, 300-seat chapel and 278-room dormitory is expected to open in August 2013.

Pope Benedict XVI appeared at the window of his study overlooking St. Peter's Square to greet participants in a torchlight procession organized by Italian Catholic Action (ACI) and the diocese of Rome to mark the opening of the Year of Faith and the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Vatican Council II.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- To the enthusiastic reception of an audience of John Carroll Society members Sept. 10, New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan traced the historic origins of U.S. religious freedom in light of a current battle with the government over those rights.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- In a dozen courts around the country, attorneys representing more than 40 Catholic dioceses or institutions have filed briefs arguing against the federal government's call to dismiss lawsuits against its contraceptive mandate.

MIAMI (CNS) -- Hispanic business leaders from across the country were repeatedly called to "be different from the world around us" during the seventh annual meeting of CALL -- the Catholic Association of Latino Leaders -- held Aug. 24-26 in Miami.

PEORIA, Ill. (CNA) - The Catholic Diocese of Peoria, Ill. on Thursday filed a lawsuit against the HHS mandate, charging that it requires an “intrusive government investigation” to determine whether the diocese is exempt from the controversial federal rule.

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the provision of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act that offers free contraception to women on employer health care plans goes into effect, though many religious institutions have a one-year reprieve.

WASHINGTON D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) - Two U.S. representatives have introduced a bill to stop the federal government from taxing religious employers that decline to cover contraception and abortion-causing drugs in their health plans.

DENVER, (CNA/EWTN News) - Critics who accuse the U.S. bishops of “partisanship” have misunderstood their motives by viewing religious questions in secular terms, supporters of the Catholic hierarchy say.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – Pope Benedict XVI said during the general audience on June 27, the Letter to the Philippians is in some way St. Paul's "spiritual last will and testament."

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – On June 26, Pope Benedict XVI named Archbishop Augustine Di Noia, O.P., to the post of vice president of the Pontifical Commission 'Ecclesia Dei'. The appointment of a high-ranking prelate to this position is a sign of the Holy Father’s pastoral solicitude for traditionalist Catholics in communion with the Holy See and his strong desire for the reconciliation of those traditionalist communities not in union with the See of Peter.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – On June 25, the Holy See released the document Pastoral Guidelines for Fostering Vocations to Priestly Ministry.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – On July 21 at the Vatican, Archbishop Rino Fisichella and Msgr. Graham Bell, respectively president and under secretary of the Pontifical Council for Promoting New Evangelization announced the “Year of Faith,” which is due to last from Oct. 11-Nov. 24, 2013. Archbishop Fisichella also presented the Web site and logo of the Year of Faith, and outlined the calendar of events due to take place in Rome during that period.

ATLANTA—The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) reaffirmed by a unanimous voice vote on June 13 a recent statement of the USCCB Administrative Committee regarding the HHS mandate.

Part one of this article elaborated on how attacks to religious freedom take many forms, sometimes violent sometimes subtle. We also saw how our Founding Fathers sought to achieve a delicate balance by protecting certain freedoms, as foundational and how religious believers are part of American civil society. In part two, we will see examples of a gradual erosion of religious liberties in this country that have led religious people of many faiths to raise their voice against injustice and discrimination.

People sometimes ask why the U.S. Catholic bishops are making such a fuss about religious freedom these days. After all, some say, churches are not being bombed and people are not being jailed just because they profess a particular faith.

VATICAN CITY (VIS) – On June 3, almost half a million people attended the "Celebration of Witnesses" at Bresso Park in Milan, Italy, one of events of the seventh World Meeting of Families. The Holy Father participated in the celebration, answering questions put to him by various families on subjects which included the economic crisis, the position of divorced people in the Church and the indissolubility of marriage.

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) regulation that forces employers, including Catholic institutions, to pay, directly or indirectly, for insurance for sterilization and contraceptives, including abortion-inducing drugs, stands as a religious liberty crisis. Scholars see it as the continuation of struggles faced by people of faith throughout the nation’s history.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- All Americans, whatever their faith or political party, should stand united in defense of religious liberty, said speakers at the recent National Religious Freedom Conference in Washington.

WASHINGTON D.C. (CNA) - Despite gaining the support of more than half of the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill to prohibit abortions based on the sex of the unborn child was defeated on May 31.

DENVER (CNA/EWTN News) - Denver's newly-appointed archbishop says the federal contraception mandate is the result of a larger push to remove religion from the public sphere.

WASHINGTON (CNS) -- The image of the American family is changing and increasingly that means a family doesn't include a father figure.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – Speaking with the participants in the 64th general assembly of the Italian Episcopal Conference, Holy Father delivered an address focusing on the challenges of the new evangelization in a society increasingly distanced from God.

On Thursday, May 24, 12 leaders representing America's diverse faith community, including Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, will join together in Washington, D.C., at the 2012 National Religious Freedom Conference, as part of the American Religious Freedom Program.

A Catholic university in Ohio said Tuesday it is being forced to end a student health insurance program over the Obama administration's contraception mandate and costs associated with other provisions of the health care overhaul.

CHICAGO (CNA/EWTN News) - Legatus, a national organization of leading Catholic business CEOs and professional leaders, filed a federal lawsuit against the HHS mandate that requires insurance coverage for contraception and sterilization.

VATICAN CITY (VIS) - The question of religious education and the formation in the faith of the next generation of Catholics in the United States was the theme of the Holy Father's remarks to prelates from the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (Regions X-XIII) who just completed their five-yearly "ad limina" visit.

MIAMI (CNA) - Efforts to restrict religious liberty break with American traditions and seek to “delegitimize” the Catholic Church’s participation in public debate, said Archbishop Thomas G. Wenski of Miami.

WASHINGTON D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) - The leader of the Knights of Columbus called for strong Catholic witnesses to defend religious liberty before a gathering of roughly 1,000 members of the faith in Washington, D.C.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Meeting a group of major U.S. donors to Catholic charitable works, Pope Benedict XVI asked them to pray "for the freedom of Christians to proclaim the Gospel and bring its light to the urgent moral issues of our time."

SAN ANTONIO, Texas – Catholic Life Insurance is offering two seminarian scholarships to college graduates enrolled or who will enroll in the fall in a Catholic Seminary. The application deadline for the Msgr. Albert G. Henkes and the Msgr. Lawrence J. Stuebben Seminarian Scholarships is June 15.

Washington D.C. (CNA/EWTN News) - A recent study of men and women who professed perpetual vows in 2011 shows that new members of religious orders are younger and more educated than those in the past.

VATICAN CITY, (VIS) – On April 2, the Holy Father received in audience 5,000 young people from the archdiocese of Madrid, Spain, accompanied by their archbishop Cardinal Antonio Maria Rouco Varela. They are currently on a pilgrimage to Rome to thank the Pope for his trip to Spain during last August's World Youth Day.

Bishop Robert E. Guglielmone of the Diocese of Charleston hands the Book of the Word to Omar Garza, a seminarian for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, as he installed him into the ministry of lector.