Catholic News Service

Based on responses to a questionnaire sent to all U.S. dioceses, the Center for Applied Research in the Apostolate estimates there are about 19,000 deacons in the United States today. The number, though, is dropping, mirroring trends seen in religious life and the priesthood for the past half-century.

Ahead of a May 30 ecumenical prayer service to recall the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921, Bishop David A. Konderla said it was important "to pause and reflect on how such an unspeakable horror could take place so that we can avoid any such evil in our own day."

Bishops in Baltimore and Washington announced June 2 they would lift the dispensation of the Sunday and holy day Mass obligation that was granted at the beginning of the pandemic in March 2020.

The recent arrest of a Vatican-approved bishop, priests and seminarians in north-central China came as a shocking development, if not surprising, as religious persecution in the communist-led country has continued to intensify under President Xi Jinping.

"Even if our prayers were only mutterings, if they were compromised by a wavering faith, we must never stop trusting in him," the pope said June 2 during his weekly general audience.

"This present moment invites a bold response from the church, grounded in the spirit and in fidelity to the Gospel," said Bishop Seitz. "No more than we can close our eyes to the evil of abortion, can we close our eyes to the suffering of our immigrant brothers and sisters and the disregard for their human rights."

Pope Francis offered his condolences and prayers after the death of Cardinal Cornelius Sim of Brunei, who had been created a cardinal only six months earlier.

Bishop Barber was not injured but was very shaken up. The Oakland Police Department is investigating the incident.

Reaching the finish line of a monthlong rosary marathon, Pope Francis again turned to Mary, asking her to untie specific knots that have individuals and the whole world tangled in suffering and difficulty, either because of the COVID-19 pandemic or people's selfish reactions to it.

The executive director of the Catholic Legal Immigration Network Inc. said she hopes to see the Biden administration use the U.S. vice president's forthcoming trip to Mexico and Guatemala as opportunity to correct historic wrongs in the region.

Water is indispensable for health of humans and ecosystems, but dry weather and contamination threaten supplies in California.

Typically, Memorial Day is intended as a time to honor those soldiers who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country, though any veteran who served in a military branch for at least two years is eligible for a military funeral.

President Joe Biden's proposed budget for FY2022 includes spending to improve and modernize the nation's infrastructure, provide free pre-K and community college, and increase domestic programs aimed at boosting public health and helping the poor. It does not include the Hyde Amendment.

During a "Day of Action Against Anti-Semitism" virtual rally May 27, government officials, leaders from the Jewish community and civil rights organizations, among others, spoke out against a surge of anti-Semitism.

After surviving the war in the late 1980s and pastoring to generations of working-class Salvadorans, Fr. Estefan Turcios, 70, died from COVID-19.

An apostolic visitation intends "to obtain a comprehensive picture of the complex pastoral situation" in the Archdiocese of Cologne, Germany, and to investigate how accusations of clerical sexual abuse were handled.

The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary will mark the 200th anniversary of its dedication with a Mass May 31 that will be livestreamed on the Baltimore Archdiocese's website.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops will host an emergency meeting with prelates from Central America as well as Vatican representatives June 1 and 2 in Chicago to set forth a path for the U.S. church's response to immigration.

Islamic insurgents have been in the Cabo Delgado province, rich in natural gas deposits, since 2017. More than 2,700 people have died and more than 670,000 others have been displaced.

The COVID-19 pandemic took a toll on participation in religious services just as it did on workplaces, but a new survey indicates strong emotional resilience from those who consider their faith vital to their existence.