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

A Christmas tree is illuminated in the Old Town Square on the eve of St. Nicholas Day in Prague Dec. 5, 2012. St. Nicholas Day marks the start of Christmas for the Czech people. CNS photo/David W Cerny, Reuters ...read more

Choir members sing carols in front of a figure of Christ during Christmas Eve Mass at a Catholic church in Shenyang, China. CNS photo/Sheng Li, Reuters ...read more

A woman and a girl stand outside their home Dec. 4, 2013 under a sign that says “Merry Christmas” in Spanish in a poor neighborhood of Tegucigalpa, Honduras. CNS photo/Jorge Cabrera, Reuters ...read more

People pack into the popular Christkindlmarkt to shop and see the Christmas illuminations in Vienna’s Rathauspark. Vienna is known for its outdoor Christmas markets with handcrafted Christmas ornaments, which are popular destinations for locals and tourists during Advent. CNS photo/Chaz Muth ...read more

Pakistani Christian boys decorate a Christmas tree on the roof of their house in Islamabad, Pakistan. I love images, and as the saying goes, a picture tells a thousand words.  My hope is that over the next couple of weeks our mini-blog series called,  This is Christmas will speak volumes about God’s presence in our ...read more

While we celebrate Pope Francis’ historic visit to Uganda today, I thought I’d share with you this classic image of Pope John Paul II during his apostolic visit to Uganda in 1993. Wonderful, isn’t it? During the 26 and a half years of his pontificate, John Paul II was a pilgrim to 129 different countries ...read more

Retired New Orleans Archbishop Philip M. Hannan is pictured during a helicopter tour of areas stricken by Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Archbishop Hannan was a World War II paratroop chaplain who befriended and secretly counseled John F. Kennedy during and after his historic run for the White House as the first U.S. Catholic president. CNS ...read more

  Cheridan Sanders learns how Sr. Catherine Martin, O. Carm discovers her life-long love for art through an unwitting contribution to her father’s artwork. The best part of my job? The people. I love meeting the people who make up this beautiful reality we call the Church. There are so many stories to share and ...read more

  As part of my research into the life of Venerable Henriette Delille, founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family, I recently attended aa unique Mass at St. Augustine’s Church – the place where Henriette Delille and Juliette Gaudin pledged to live in community; thus founding the Congregation of the Sisters of the Holy ...read more