Hundreds of Catholic faithful gathered April 18 at Dinajpur Cathedral in Bangladesh to take part in the annual Way of the Cross, organized and performed by the youth of the parish to commemorate Christ's suffering.
Good Friday, NCR's Michael Sean Winters writes, reminds us that Jesus did not only confront injustice and sin but death itself, and he did all this on our behalf.
We have all experienced loss and grief and death. Why is it so easy to take Jesus' crucifixion for granted? How should we acknowledge his sacrifice during this Holy Week?
The pontiff met with about 70 inmates, along with the prison workers and chaplains, for about 30 minutes, according to a statement released by the Holy See Press Office.
This Lent, a new version of a Catholic devotion seeks to acknowledge the traumas experienced by Native people, including those inflicted by the Catholic Church, and to offer spiritual reflections on both suffering and healing.
Slashing lifesaving aid, writes Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, shows the world "that we are not a reliable partner defined by its compassion, but an unreliable one defined by cruelty and indifference."
Holy Week immerses us into the sacred pattern of reality itself. It mirrors our life: a journey marked by love, loss, waiting, surrender and — by grace — resurrection. And what carries us through this journey? Prayer.
Today, evil seems so present that the faithful cry out with Jesus, "My God, why have you abandoned us?" In his account of Jesus' passion, Luke invites us to enter into the scene to learn what Jesus teaches his disciples.
About 80 people, from both sides of the border, showed up April 5 for the Via Crucis procession that flowed through the city street running parallel to the border wall in Nogales, Mexico — all to pay tribute to migrants.
View from the Vatican: From Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday, there are six major liturgies, all of which normally involve the pope. This year, can Pope Francis take part without jeopardizing his recovery?
Scripture for Life: As we move toward Holy Week, these readings invite us to approach the mysteries with eyes ready to perceive God's love working through everything — even the worst events imaginable.
"These quesadillas are easy to make, but it is one of those meals that makes everything feel a little better," writes Sr. Helga Leija, columns editor for Global Sisters Report. "And it will taste like a Mexican mom made it for you."
While Brazil's bishops work to spread the message of ecological conversion, traditionalist Catholic groups have called for a boycott of their campaign, saying the bishops want to "substitute the spirit of Lent" with a focus on integral ecology.
Scripture for Life: Being reconciled to the God of compassion is bound to have a transformative effect on the one who is reconciled, That person will not only be a messenger of reconciliation, but also the embodiment of it.
Spring cleaning is a chance for households to bring order to mess and "unburden" themselves of clutter. But it comes at a cost. Can we tidy our own lives without negatively impacting other people and the planet?
The same day Pope Francis was discharged from Rome's Gemelli hospital after a five-week stay for treatment for double pneumonia, a group of Vatican doctors took their Lenten alms initiative a step further and helped provide medical care to a group of migrants.
What do these readings offer us as we reach the halfway stage of our Lenten journey? First, they warn us against judging others, reminding us that nobody deserves the life God gives us and that God is never the source of suffering.
NCR digital editor John Grosso shares a favorite meatless meal for Lent: cacio e pepe, one of the "four horsemen" of Roman pasta. Three ingredients and 30 minutes make for a unique, delicious challenge.
Now is not a time to deny that it is dark, says Sr. Christine Schenk. It is a time to lean on God's own Spirit to help us figure out which candle is ours to light.
Scripture for Life: In these first two weeks of Lent, we've begun a new stage of our Holy Year pilgrimage. We've seen human frailty and the glory of what humanity can become.
NCR executive editor James V. Grimaldi came up with a Guinness lentil stew made with the famous Irish stout. He thinks that seems right for the weekend. And if you're in the D.C. area, he has a March 15 party invite for you.
Cardinal McElroy was the principal celebrant and homilist and distributed ashes during the Ash Wednesday Mass. It was his first public Mass in the archdiocese since Pope Francis appointed him Jan. 6 to succeed the retiring archbishop of Washington, Cardinal Wilton D. Gregory. Cardinal McElroy will be installed March 11.
As Lent began on Ash Wednesday (March 5), Catholic women frustrated over being disenfranchised by the church despite promises of greater recognition are going on strike, withholding numerous services and ministries to their Catholic parishes, schools and universities.
While Pope Francis remained hospitalized at Rome's Gemelli Hospital, Italian Cardinal Angelo De Donatis celebrated the Ash Wednesday Mass in his place at the Basilica of Santa Sabina, March 5 in Rome.
At the start of the Lenten season, the pope greeted Catholics in Brazil and praised the country's bishops for their continued support of the annual Fraternity Campaign, which is dedicated this year to "Fraternity and Integral Ecology."
The small cardboard boxes have long supported Catholic Relief Services' hunger relief programs. This year, Trump's foreign federal aid freeze leaves CRS in dire straits and grassroots support all the more important.
Jesus' counsel is especially wise if we are going to help our society overcome the intense polarization that afflicts it. It is so easy to list the many faults and failures of those whose politics are not like our own.
This Lent NCR staff will share recipes for their favorite meatless meals. Managing editor Stephanie Yeagle's stir-fry recipe is quick and easy, with space for swapping out ingredients with whatever you have on hand.
Listen: Daniel, Heidi, and David look at the GOP's recent attacks on Medicaid, and join their prayers with the world for the health of Pope Francis. Heidi interviews NCR's Shannon Evans about Lenten spirituality.
Pope Francis urged Christians to examine their consciences in Lent by comparing their daily lives to the hardships faced by migrants, calling it a way to grow in empathy and discover God's call to compassion.
If, like me, you're worried about the increasing environmental threats from use of artificial intelligence, I have a proposal: Let's give up needless and frivolous AI for the 40 days of Lent.
