Incarnate Word Academy kicked off Red Ribbon Week with an important message to raise awareness on the problems of illegal drugs and drug abuse. Students wore red ribbons and learned about the ill effects of illegal drugs.

The U.S. Supreme Court will revisit the issue of legislative prayer when it hears oral arguments on Nov. 6 in a case involving a challenge to a municipality’s practice of beginning each town board meeting with an invocation. The last time the high court weighed in on this issue was in its 1983 decision in Marsh v. Chambers, when the justices ruled that the Nebraska legislature’s practice of opening each legislative session with a prayer did not violate the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution.

Incarnate Word Academy’s junior Jared Coco has been named Athlete of the Week by ESPN 1440 AM. The Athlete of the Week Award was presented to Jared on Thursday, Oct. 31, at the high school.

Bishop Michael Mulvey celebrated a Mass Sunday, Nov. 3, to rededicate the newly renovated Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Rockport.

The Texas Catholic Bishops applauded Thursday’s ruling by a federal appeals court that reinstated a key part of Texas's newest abortion law, considered to be one of the strongest in the country.

The church dedicates the month of November to the souls in purgatory and we do the same with this issue. The month starts with the Solemnity of All Saints on Nov. 1, followed immediately by the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed or All Souls Day on Nov. 2.

Concept led to dialogue and dialogue unveiled kindred spirits impassioned by the same vision. The adult and children’s choirs of St. Gertrude Parish and First Baptist Church in Kingsville are uniting for four performances of “Christmas Is Coming,” a Christmas pageant about the birth, life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.

The International Catholic Stewardship Council selected Our Lady of Guadalupe in Alice as its recipient of the Parish Stewardship Commitment Renewal award for 2013. Father Julian Cabrera, pastor, received the award at the International Catholic Stewardship Conference held in Dallas in September.

We are Catholic therefore we celebrate. For the past year we, the people of God, have celebrated what sustains us, and that is, faith. It is through faith that we can experience the reality we cannot ultimately understand, the mystery of God.

When Saint Joseph Seminary College began a new school year in the fall of 1978, the student body included some 120 seminarians.

What is the best way to promote vocations? Is it by directly talking with specific young people? Is it by handing out pamphlets and books? Or maybe by helping young people have a conversion experience at a high-powered retreat or Youth Spectacular?

As midnight strikes on Dec. 31, parishioners at St. Anthony of Padua in Robstown will literally ring in the New Year—and the start of their Centennial Celebration. They will do so with their newly refurbished church bell that has not chimed in a generation.

Twenty parishes answered the call to pray and celebrate the Month of the Rosary at the inaugural Rosary Fest held at Our Lady of the Rosary Parish in Corpus Christi on Oct. 7. There were several reasons for hosting the Rosary Fest at Our Lady of the Rosary for which the church was named, but Father Gabriel P. Coelho said that primarily “it was to honor the Blessed Mother, thank her and ask for more blessings.”

Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Portland completed a women’s ACTS retreat on Oct. 10-13 with pastor Msgr. Mark Chamberlin serving as spiritual director.

From his present location in the communion of saints, Father John Courtney Murray, SJ, who died in 1967, is probably indifferent to the various ways his work on Catholicism and American democracy is misconstrued in the 21st century.

Private foundations and non-profit groups are frequently involved in advocating for particular causes, ranging from cancer research to protecting the environment. Some of these foundations rely almost exclusively on charitable donations to carry out their promotional work.

The Catholic Church’s annual celebration of All Souls Day affords us the opportunity to meditate upon the doctrine of purgatory, a doctrine that often confuses and befuddles Catholics who consider this teaching of the Church “outdated” or “mythological.” Perhaps, the root cause might be our attempt to reconcile two attributes of God, both mercy and justice.

In 2012, a woman named Nadine Schweigert married herself in a commitment ceremony where she exchanged rings with her “inner groom.” There was an actual gathering of family and friends who were encouraged to “blow kisses to the world.” One can imagine the theme song of her wedding with a slight variation: “Nobody Loves Me Like I Do.”

Between the processes of “saying our prayers” using many words, and of prayer without words, there are other possibilities.

Between the processes of “saying our prayers” using many words, and of prayer without words, there are other possibilities.