The Catholic Sun

The 2013 Charity and Development Appeal starts Jan. 26-27 in parishes and missions throughout the Diocese of Phoenix. For more than four decades, the faithful have responded to the needs of others through the annual appeal by supporting more than 70 spiritual, charitable and educational organizations.

Snow, driving rain and howling winds in early January compounded the already desperate situation for Syrians caught up in 22 months of civil war seeking to oust President Bashar Assad.

The 113th Congress includes some slight shifts in religious makeup over the previous session, with a few more Catholics, the first Buddhist in the Senate and the first Hindu to serve in either chamber.

The Archdiocese of Los Angeles must reveal the names of church officials included in 30,000 pages of personnel files that will be released with information related to allegations of child sexual abuse by church employees, a Superior Court judge ruled Jan. 7.

Vincentian Father Jeff Harvey, who once served as pastor at Phoenix’s St. Vincent de Paul Parish, will be the guest homilist during the annual Martin Luther King Jr. Mass Jan. 21 at St. Mary's Basilica.

Men from around the Diocese of Phoenix are gearing up to attend the annual “Into the Desert for Christ” Men’s Conference Feb. 9 at Grand Canyon University. Last year’s event drew more than 1,700 participants.

Catholic Schools Week, the annual affair which is held throughout dioceses across the nation, will celebrate the important role of Catholic education in shaping future leaders Jan. 27-Feb.2.

The Catholic Church's observance of National Migration Week Jan. 6-12 this year comes at a time when the outlook seems promising for improving migrants' legal situations in the United States.

Cardinal Francis E. George told Chicago-area Catholics that the passage of a same-sex marriage law in the state would be "acting against the common good of society."

The American Taxpayer Relief Act of 2012 -- and 2013, considering when the House of Representatives passed it -- will be known as much by what it doesn't include as what it does include.