The Arlington Catholic Herald

The Basilica of St. Mary opens museum

By Carlos Briceño

The Basilica of St. Mary in Alexandria held a grand opening Sept. 15 of its new parish museum, as parishioners were able to check out the rich history of Virginia’s oldest Catholic parish after all Sunday Masses.

9/19/24

Reading Time 3 min

Mass for Military and First Responders

Special to the Catholic Herald

Members of the U.S. armed forces, law enforcement, Knights of Columbus and Arlington diocesan clergy, including Bishop Emeritus Paul S. Loverde, gathered for a Mass for Military and First Responders Sept. 8 at St. Leo the Great Church in Fairfax, followed by a reception.

9/19/24

Reading Time 1 min

Coat of arms: 50 years strong

By Mary Brodeur

What exactly is a coat of arms? The armorial achievement, as it is known in heraldic terms, dates back to medieval times as a way of establishing identity in battle. A coat of arms is composed of an escutcheon (shield) with designs (charges) employed to designate allegiance.

9/19/24

Reading Time 2 min

Vatican sees spiritual value of Medjugorje, doesn’t judge it supernatural

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY — With some prudence, Catholics can benefit spiritually from the messages and spiritual practices associated with the alleged apparitions of Mary in Medjugorje, Bosnia-Herzegovina, said the Vatican Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.

9/19/24

Reading Time 4 min

Church leaders have been studying Medjugorje phenomenon for decades

By Cindy Wooden

VATICAN CITY — Recognizing the spiritual value of devotions connected to Medjugorje, but not ruling on the authenticity of the alleged apparitions or alleged messages from Mary, the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith also noted that church officials have issued a "series of divergent opinions" about the phenomenon over the past four decades.

9/19/24

Reading Time 5 min

Local

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Family chooses Christendom College for ‘counter-cultural education’

“How can you attend college and not lose your faith?” One look at the news is all it takes to see that this question only becomes more relevant with each passing day. According to a survey performed by Barna Research in 2018, roughly 70 percent of high school students who enter college as professing Christians will leave with little to no faith — a distressing statistic, and one that plagues faithful Catholic families across the country.

9/19/24

Reading Time 4 min

Mary Washington’s Catholic Campus Ministry welcomes new students

Freshmen outreach and Welcome Week are big parts of each year for the Catholic Campus Ministry at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg.

9/19/24

Reading Time 1 min

Shenandoah University’s growing Catholic ministry hosts first welcome week events

The budding Catholic Campus Ministry at Shenandoah University fired up the grill and hosted lawn games, raffles and Sunday Mass to open the fall academic semester last month in Winchester.

9/19/24

Reading Time 1 min

Columns

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Combating restlessness

By Elizabeth Foss

Supreme Court preview

By Russell Shaw

The glory of Ordinary Time

By Lucia A. Silecchia

The ‘way’ is the way of the cross

By Fr. Steven Oetjen

National

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NASA mission researchers proves existence of global energy field

9/19/24

Reading Time 3 min

Catholic U professor awarded $5 million government grant to end HIV

9/19/24

Reading Time 2 min

March for Life announces ‘longtime marcher’ as new president

9/16/24

Reading Time 4 min

‘Harsh realities’: Diocese of Buffalo announces final list of parish mergers, closures

9/13/24

Reading Time 3 min

Michigan college ministry welcomes freshmen with holy water

9/9/24

Reading Time 4 min

Global

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‘Old pope’ thanks God for his four-nation trip to Asia and the Pacific

VATICAN CITY — The 87-year-old Pope Francis publicly thanked God for allowing him "to do as an old pope what I would have liked to do as a young Jesuit," and that is to travel to Asia to preach the Gospel.

9/18/24

Reading Time 3 min

Both U.S. presidential candidates espouse anti-life views, pope says

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM SINGAPORE — Asked what a U.S. Catholic given a choice between voting for a person who supports abortion or one who supports closing borders and deporting migrants, Pope Francis said one must choose "the lesser evil."

9/17/24

Reading Time 4 min

Pope Francis urges release of Hamas hostages, end of conflict in Israel and Palestine

During his Sept. 15 Angelus, Pope Francis appealed for the release of the remaining Hamas hostages as he remembered 23-year-old American Hersh Goldberg-Polin and five others whose bodies were recovered by Israeli military in Gaza last month.

9/16/24

Reading Time 3 min

Pope thrives, hits main themes of his pontificate during Asia-Pacific trip

ABOARD THE PAPAL FLIGHT FROM SINGAPORE — The 87-year-old Pope Francis not only survived the longest trip of his pontificate, but he drew energy from the crowds who came to see him, and he seemed to enjoy his 12-day visit to Asia and the Pacific.

9/13/24

Reading Time 4 min

Arts

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Exhibit features Nigerian interpretation of Stations of the Cross

A unique series of the Stations of the Cross, originally made for St. Paul’s Catholic Cathedral in Lagos, Nigeria, is now on display at Washington’s National Museum of African Art, a branch of the Smithsonian Institution.

9/19/24

Reading Time 3 min