Brenda Méndez, director of programs for Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos in Texistepeque, El Salvador, talks about her time working with New York City Archbishop-elect Ronald Hicks on Jan. 19, 2025, in Texistepeque, with photos of him in the background. Hicks spent five years in El Salvador as the organization's regional director for Central America. Méndez said that he arrived at the site to listen and to support staff. (NCR photo/Rhina Guidos)

Friends in El Salvador treasure their bond with 'Padre Ron,' NYC's next archbishop

News

Staff and the young people who found a home and a family at Nuestros Pequeños Hermanos have kept their ties with Archbishop-elect Ronald Hicks, who once lived and worked with them in tiny Texistepeque, El Salvador.

The Latest

Is church unity worth a Latin Mass?

Thomas Reese, Religion News Service

At dueling National Prayer Breakfasts, a religious debate over Trump's immigration policy

Jack Jenkins, Religion News Service

Pope, an avid athlete, extols physical and spiritual benefits of sport in Olympic message

Nicole Winfield, Associated Press

Editors' Choice

Bishop Mark J. Seitz of El Paso, Texas, greets a Salvadoran migrant in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico, June 27, 2019, who was deported after crossing the Paso del Norte international border from El Paso. (OSV News/Reuters/Jose Luis Gonzalez)

In Focus

Q&A with Bishop Seitz: Immigration crackdown shows 'total disregard' for human rights

"People are suffering, and the effects of that suffering will have an impact on our country too, for many years to come," Bishop Mark Seitz told NCR in an interview at his office in El Paso.

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Most Read Stories

Seminarians and priests walk in procession to the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Aug. 21, 2025. The men were among about 8,000 people who joined a pilgrimage sponsored by the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, which exists in an "irregular" state of communion with the wider Catholic Church. (CNS/Cindy Wooden)

#1
Traditionalist Catholic society announces bishop consecrations in defiance of Rome

The superior general of the Society of St. Pius X "publicly announced his decision to entrust the bishops of the Society with the task of proceeding with new episcopal consecrations" on July 1, according to a statement released by the order.

ByJustin McLellan
Pope Leo XIV speaks to visitors in St. Peter's Square at the Vatican as they gather to pray the Angelus prayer Jan. 11, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. The pope prays the Sunday Angelus from the penultimate third-floor window of the Apostolic Palace. (CNS/Vatican Media)
Vatican News

#2
Pope Leo to move into converted suite in Apostolic Palace

The pontiff will live in a newly prepared space above the traditional papal apartment, created from former staff and guest quarters and set to include a small chapel and a workout area.

ByJustin McLellan
Pope Leo XIV blesses the faithful following a Mass marking the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the Vatican celebration of the 30th World Day for Consecrated Life in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 2, 2026. (OSV News/Reuters/Vincenzo Livieri)

#3
Pope Leo pulls back from the press in messaging shift

Pope Leo XIV's pullback from directly engaging with the press on the global news cycle raises questions about how the Holy See will position its voice on the world stage.

ByJustin McLellan

#4
Catholics must decide if they serve Donald Trump or the Gospel

#5
McElroy: Catholic colleges, universities must help restore 'order of grace' to nation, world

#6
In Brazil, images go viral after priest interrupts Eucharist to comfort crying elderly man

Opinion

Yakima Bishop Joseph Tyson: Not all can be martyrs like Pretti and Good. But we can be witnesses.

Guest Voices

The whole church should embrace Cardinal Fernández's call for humility

NCR Voices
A rosary is draped over a cross as people gather by a makeshift memorial in Minneapolis Jan. 8, 2026, at the scene of the fatal shooting of Renee Nicole Good by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent. (OSV News/Reuters/Tim Evans)

Dispatch from Minneapolis: Fellow Catholics, don't look away

Guest Voices

"Whether ICE comes to occupy another of our cities or not, faithful Catholics ought to take a cue from the work of faith leaders and community organizers in Minneapolis," writes Meredith McKay.

With assisted suicide law, Illinois surrenders to culture of death

Guest Voices

Catherine O'Hara always gave something back. May she rest in peace.

Guest Voices
Letters to the Editor

Your letters: Cardinal Tobin, the bishops and Christian witness

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the editor: NCR readers respond to stories about Cardinal Joseph Tobin's remarks about ICE and the sinfulness of willful ignorance.

Vatican

Pope, an avid athlete, extols physical and spiritual benefits of sport in Olympic message

In a message entitled "Life in Abundance" issued on the same day as the Milan Cortina opening ceremony, Pope Leo XIV traced the history of Christian philosophers and popes who had identified sports and leisure activity as beneficial for both physical and spiritual development.

Pope Leo XIV blesses the faithful following a Mass marking the feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the Vatican celebration of the 30th World Day for Consecrated Life in St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Feb. 2, 2026. (OSV News/Reuters/Vincenzo Livieri)

Pope Leo pulls back from the press in messaging shift

Pope Leo XIV's pullback from directly engaging with the press on the global news cycle raises questions about how the Holy See will position its voice on the world stage.

ByJustin McLellan
Pope Leo XIV talks to pilgrims and visitors during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Jan. 28, 2026. (CNS photo/Lola Gomez)
Vatican News

Pope warns against 'new arms race' as U.S.-Russia nuclear treaty nears expiration

As nuclear limits between the United States and Russia are set to lapse, Pope Leo XIV cautioned against the "logic of fear and distrust" that has come to dominate international relations.

ByJustin McLellan
Seminarians and priests walk in procession to the Holy Door of St. Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Aug. 21, 2025. The men were among about 8,000 people who joined a pilgrimage sponsored by the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X, which exists in an "irregular" state of communion with the wider Catholic Church. (CNS/Cindy Wooden)

Traditionalist Catholic society announces bishop consecrations in defiance of Rome

The superior general of the Society of St. Pius X "publicly announced his decision to entrust the bishops of the Society with the task of proceeding with new episcopal consecrations" on July 1, according to a statement released by the order.

ByJustin McLellan

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Algeria's fragile Catholic community could play host to Pope Leo XIV in historic first visit

Pope Leo laments rising US-Cuba tensions, calls for 'sincere' dialogue

'Peru holds a special place in my heart,' pope tells Peruvian bishops, surprises them at lunch

EarthBeat

Troy Hernandez, an environmental justice activist with Pilsen Environmental Rights and Reform Organization shows a piece of lead pipe obtained from his residence during his home renovation, April 9, 2021, in Chicago's Pilsen neighborhood. (AP/Shafkat Anowar)

Chicago Christian leaders urge rapid replacement of state's toxic lead water pipes

Ecumenism Metro Chicago, a coalition of Chicago Christian leaders, is calling on federal and state lawmakers to "make every effort to replace all the lead water pipes in Illinois as quickly as possible."

Students at the University of Notre Dame built St. Olaf Chapel out of snow and ice on the campus' North Quad over six days at the end of January and the beginning of February 2026. (University of Notre Dame/Michael Caterina)

At Notre Dame, student-built ice chapel draws 2,000 to snowy outdoor Mass

Some 2,000 members of the Notre Dame community gathered in subfreezing temperatures to celebrate a candlelit Mass at St. Olaf Chapel, a student-constructed fleeting house of worship made from snow, ice and faith.

ByBrian Roewe
Members of the Metro New York Catholic Climate Movement plant a tree in remembrance of Pope Francis at the Shrine of St. Frances Xavier Cabrini in northern Manhattan. The visit was part of the Pilgrimages of Hope for Creation organized across the U.S. to mark the Jubilee Year in 2025. (Nancy Lorence)

NY Catholics hope new archbishop Hicks will continue Laudato Si' efforts

In Joliet, Illinois, Bishop Ronald Hicks oversaw a number of efforts to embed ecological concern deeper into Catholic life, including joining the Vatican's premier initiative to live out Pope Francis' call to care for God's creation.

ByBrian Roewe
A young man works in a classroom setting. He is seated amid tables and chairs, with a dry erase board behind him. (Unsplash/Jeswin Thomas)
Guest Voices

'Why is this my problem?': A Jesuit guide to teach high schoolers about eco-citizenship

"If information alone cannot cultivate eco-citizenship, then teachers must rethink their approach," writes Russell Fiorella.

ByRussell Fiorella

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Presentation Sisters in Zambia enhance public health with clean water

Istanbul's 'sea snot' is a test case for ecological sin

US 'abandoning its moral responsibility' with exit from bedrock climate treaty, Catholic groups say

Culture

In "The Testament of Ann Lee" Lewis Pullman plays William, the brother of Ann Lee (played by Amanda Seyfried), founder of the Shaker movement. (Searchlight Pictures)

Lewis Pullman on spirituality and cinema in 'The Testament of Ann Lee'

Lewis Pullman from "The Testament of Ann Lee" spoke with NCR about spirituality and cinema, character development, and faith and self-doubt in the creative process.

People stand around black coffin that has row of flowers on top.
Book Reviews

'Liturgies of the Wild' makes the case for myth

In a new book, mythographer Martin Shaw says humans need stories that reflect back to us the challenges we know we must face. 

ByEric Clayton
Left: Pope Leo XIV leads his weekly general audience in the Paul VI Audience Hall at the Vatican Jan. 28, 2026. Right: U.S. comedian and writer Stephen Colbert speaks with reporters in the Lapidary Gallery of the Apostolic Palace, after meeting Pope Francis during an audience June 14, 2024. (CNS photos/Lola Gomez)

Can Colbert get Pope Leo on late night TV?

During a guest appearance on "Late Night with Seth Meyers" Jan. 27, America's second most famous Catholic revealed two secrets: the date of his final show and the interview he hopes to land before that time comes.

ByShannon Evans

New stained-glass designs for Notre Dame now on display amid ongoing debate

The models for six new contemporary stained-glass windows planned for Notre Dame Cathedral are now on public display in Paris following months of intense national debate.

ByOSV News

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT

Tia Noelle Pratt's 'Black and Catholic' puts a neglected community at the forefront

New novel 'Canticle' centers a woman's experience of God

'Just Like Selma' hymn project aims to help churches recall King, mark Black History Month

From inside a car, Indonesia's rainy season is evident on the road on the island of Flores. (GSR photo/Chris Herlinger)

In a dispiriting global moment, sisters' work is a salve

For GSR correspondent Chris Herlinger, traveling outside the U.S. during these past weeks of highly charged turmoil was strange. But the work of sisters in Indonesia and Minnesota gave him hope.

Painted stones with colorful fish and the messages "Make the world a better place" and "Follow your heart" (Unsplash/Simon Ray)
Columns

Through our everyday lives, we can be love and hope in a world in need

What we do every day — the small insignificant things that seem like nothing — matters to somebody. We don't need to wait until our funeral to realize the impact our presence has on those around us.

ByJennifer Wilson
Sr. Ranit Pallassery, a member of the Missionaries of Jesus in the Diocese of Jalandhar, India, accused Bishop Franco Mulakkal of Jalandhar of repeated rape. He was acquitted of the charges. Ranit recently spoke about her experiences to Asianet, a Malayalam language TV channel in Kerala, southwestern India. (Courtesy of Ranit Pallassery)

Q&A with Sr. Ranit Pallassery, who is appealing a verdict acquitting a bishop of raping her

The Indian nun said she went public because of the court decision and a lack of support from the church. 

BySaji Thomas
The Kerala Government Secretariat in the Indian state's capital city, Thiruvananthapuram. The Kerala government has decided to allow pensions for unmarried women above the age of 50, including those living in religious institutions. (Wikimedia Commons/Syed Shiyaz Mirza)

Catholic Church debates nuns' new access to Indian state's social security

The Kerala government has decided to allow pensions for unmarried women over 50, including those in religious institutions. Some say the move sets an important precedent in India. Others dismiss it as a political stunt.

By

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Find joy in being called to daily witness to God's presence