Editor's note: Eugene Cullen Kennedy, who died June 3, 2015, was one of the most prolific and insightful observers of the Catholic Church in the modern era. Following is the first of two pieces on the ...

Now, I’m not saying that these people, well-known cultural icons, are more important than the other thousands who have also ended their life on this earth in the past months. What I’m saying is this: ...

There is a doctrine in Catholicism that not all souls are prepared for heaven at death, and that some must undergo a ...

In some ways they are very close to Catholicism, closer than anyone except the Orthodox, but in other ways they are more hostile to the Catholic faith than anyone else. (Save, perhaps, dissenting ...

On All Souls’ Day, the Catholic Church remembers all those who have died and prays for them in a particular way. But why do Catholics pray for the souls of the dead — not only on Nov. 2 but also on ...

Nestled in Rome just outside the Vatican, a small unassuming museum dedicated to the souls in Purgatory displays simple items such as prayer books and clothing. Nothing too unusual, until you realize ...

Click to share on X (Opens in new window) X Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) Facebook It”s weird to be back in the Our Lady of La Salette parish center after all this time. It reminds ...

IN APRIL 1757 the owner of Shakespeare's birthplace in Stratford-upon-Avon had his roof retiled. A workman of "very honest, sober and industrious character" found an old document between the rafters ...

Catechumens hold candles during the Easter Vigil March 31 at St. Hugh of Lincoln Church in Huntington Station, N.Y. (CNS photo/Gregory A. Shemitz) I was supposed to enter into full communion with the ...