Nigerian Christians pray in the grotto of the Church of Nativity on Christmas Eve in Bethlehem, West Bank. CNS photo/Debbie Hill ...read more

Ukrainian Catholic Bishop Paul P. Chomnycky of Stamford, Conn., anoints a woman with holy oil after celebrating a Divine Liturgy marking the feast of the Nativity at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church in New York. The parish follows the tradition of the church in Ukraine and celebrates Christmas according to the Julian calendar. CNS photo/Gregory ...read more

“What does Christmas mean to you?” This is a common question posed during the Advent season, and one that evokes in many of us fond memories and feelings of gratitude. This week, as we celebrate the 50th anniversary of the close of the Second Vatican Council, similar feelings have pervaded me. Many thoughtful and inspiring ...read more

New York Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan blesses an inmate as he celebrates Christmas Eve Mass at Rikers Island correctional facility in New York Dec. 24, 2013. CNS photo/Lucas Jackson, Reuters ...read more

Families displaced by violence take shelter at the Don Bosco Catholic youth center in Bangui, Central African Republic, Christmas Day, 2013. CNS photo/Andrea Campeanu, Reuters ...read more

Devotees take part in a pre-dawn Mass, locally called “Misa de Gallo,” before Christmas at a church in Manila, Philippines, Dec. 16. The pre-dawn Mass is one of the most popular traditions among Filipinos during the Christmas season. CNS photo/Erik De Castro, Reuters ...read more

Iraqis re-enact the Nativity at Ainkawa refugee camp near Irbil, Iraq, Dec. 19, 2014. Christmas bells did not ring in Mosul and Christian villages last year for the first time in 1,600 years. CNS photo/Sahar Mansour ...read more

In this Advent series, Deacon Pedro learns from Judaism as he prepares for the coming of the Messiah. In the second week, Deacon Pedro and Rabbi Aaron Flanzraich explore the significance of and difference between signs and symbols in Judaism. ...read more

Last week, I explained how asking a simple question like how we should care for the environment led us to ask many more other questions, from looking through the creation narrative in the Book of Genesis, to discovering that our desire to learn about created things begins with a sense of wonder. Sr. Damien Marie ...read more

If someone asked you to tell them the Christmas story as it’s told in the Gospels, how would you tell it?  What would you include?  What would you emphasize?  How accurate would your retelling be? The common image of the Christmas story that we have in our minds comes from traditional nativity scenes.  We see ...read more