Archive for December 3, 2023

Advent candles.?w=200&h=150

By CNA Staff

What is Advent anyway?

Need a refresher on Advent? Here’s some info that can help you live a great Advent this year. Read more

Advent wreath.?w=200&h=150

By Francesca Pollio Fenton

Everything you need to know about the Advent wreath

Advent wreaths are traditionally made from evergreen branches and have four candles, which represent the four weeks of Advent. Read more

A 17th-century Japanese depiction of St. Francis Xavier from the Kobe City Museum collection.?w=200&h=150

By Peter Pinedo

The unlikely hero of India: St. Francis Xavier

St. Francis Xavier is a patron saint of missionaries and missions and led an unlikely life of adventure and heroism. Read more

Military personnel stand guard at the entrance of a gymnasium while police investigators look for evidence after a bomb attack at a Catholic Mass at Mindanao State University in Marawi, Lanao del sur province in the southern Philippines on Dec. 3, 2023. At least three people were killed and seven wounded, officials said.?w=200&h=150

By Shannon Mullen

At least three killed in explosion during Mass on Philippine campus

Authorities are investigating whether Islamic insurgents were responsible for the blast. Read more

Papal aide Monsignor Paolo Braida reads Pope Francis' prepared remarks for the Sunday Angelus on Dec. 3, 2023, from the chapel at the papal residence at Casa Santa Marta.?w=200&h=150

By Matthew Santucci

Pope Francis on first Sunday of Advent: ‘I’m improving, but my voice still doesn’t work’

Pope Francis, for the second consecutive Sunday, was assisted by an aide in praying the Angelus, as he continues to... Read more