Articles by Courtney Mares
Catholic cliffhanger: Future saint was an avid mountain climber
Jul 16, 2025 / 08:45 amThe Catholic Church is preparing to canonize Pier Giorgio Frassati — a 24-year-old Italian from Turin, Italy, who was a skilled mountain climber and skier in the Alps.
Pope thanks Cardinal Burke, who clashed with Francis, for 50 years of priestly ministry
Jul 9, 2025 / 13:33 pmThe pope commended Burke’s pastoral witness, writing: “He has preached the precepts of the Gospel according to the heart of Christ and has recounted His treasures.”
New museum in Turin, Italy, honors soon-to-be saint Pier Giorgio Frassati
Jul 8, 2025 / 13:24 pmHoused in the former rectory of the Church of Santa Maria di Piazza, the permanent exhibition, titled “Verso l’altro,” opened its doors on July 5.
Italy marks 100 years since death of Pier Giorgio Frassati as canonization nears
Jul 5, 2025 / 13:00 pmThe three-day celebration of the centenary, dubbed “Frassati Days,” drew pilgrims from the United States, Poland, and Switzerland to the Piedmont region of Italy.
U.S. embassy in Rome honors first American-born pope as U.S.-Vatican diplomatic milestone
Jul 4, 2025 / 05:00 amThe U.S. embassy’s annual celebration, held June 30, commemorated the 41st anniversary of formal diplomatic relations between Washington and the Holy See.
Pope Leo XIV’s marriage advice? Keep calm and pray the rosary
Jul 2, 2025 / 10:00 amNewlyweds Cole and Anna Stevens received Pope Leo XIV’s personal blessing for their marriage during one of the pope’s first general audiences on June 11.
Pope Leo XIV ordains 32 priests on Sacred Heart feast
Jun 27, 2025 / 09:26 amThousands of priests filled St. Peter’s Basilica for the June 27 Mass, the high point of this week’s Jubilee of Priests.
Wisdom from 20 saints on the Sacred Heart of Jesus
Jun 27, 2025 / 04:00 am“Dilexit Nos,” meaning “He Loved Us,” describes how devotion to the heart of Christ “reappears in the spiritual journey of many saints.”
Pope Leo XIV urges law enforcement to target drug traffickers, not addicts
Jun 26, 2025 / 09:23 amSpeaking to anti-drug campaigners at the Apostolic Palace, the pope issued a sharp rebuke of drug policy that targets the poor while powerful traffickers go unpunished.
75th anniversary of Korean War: Korean Catholics pray for reconciliation and unity
Jun 25, 2025 / 12:54 pmMore than 1,000 Catholics gathered for a special Mass at Myeongdong Cathedral in Seoul on the Sunday before the June 25 anniversary.
Meet the future of the Church: Seminarians gather in Rome for jubilee
Jun 24, 2025 / 13:47 pm“Thank you for courageously accepting the Lord’s invitation to follow him, to be disciples, to enter the seminary,” Pope Leo XIV told seminarians on June 24.
Pope Leo XIV declares 174 new martyrs from Nazi camps and Spanish Civil War
Jun 20, 2025 / 12:41 pmPope Leo XIV on Friday declared 174 new martyrs, including 50 French Catholics who died in Nazi concentration camps during World War II.
A Catholic pilgrim’s harrowing escape from the Holy Land as Iranian missiles lit up the sky
Jun 19, 2025 / 11:06 amCameron Mumford went to pray at Calvary in Jerusalem. Hours later, Iranian missiles lit up the sky.
Here is the miracle that makes possible Pier Giorgio Frassati’s canonization
Jun 13, 2025 / 17:09 pmThe Vatican has recognized two miracles attributed to Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati’s intercession that make possible his canonization on Sept. 7.
10 things you should know about Blessed Carlo Acutis
Jun 13, 2025 / 15:09 pmPope Leo XIV will canonize Blessed Carlo Acutis on Sept. 7. A gamer and computer coder who loved the Eucharist, Acutis will be the first millennial Catholic saint.
Carlo Acutis to be canonized Sept. 7 with Pier Giorgio Frassati
Jun 13, 2025 / 04:42 amBlessed Carlo Acutis and Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati, two young Catholics beloved for their vibrant faith and witness to holiness, will be canonized on Sept. 7.
Discover the chapel at the Spanish Steps where St. Thérèse prayed for her vocation
May 16, 2025 / 06:00 amThis year marks the 100th anniversary of St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s canonization on May 17, 1925.
All the saints and Church Fathers Pope Leo XIV quoted in his first week
May 15, 2025 / 15:33 pmThe Catholic Church’s first pope from the Augustinian order is already helping to educate the faithful through his deep knowledge of the Church Fathers.
Americans in St. Peter’s Square celebrate historic election of Pope Leo XIV
May 9, 2025 / 18:28 pmAmericans gathered in St. Peter’s Square on May 8 to celebrate the election of Pope Leo XIV, the first pontiff from the United States.
Pope Leo XIV’s first Mass: ‘Jesus is the Christ’
May 9, 2025 / 13:52 pmPreaching in the Sistine Chapel on May 9 to the cardinals who elected him, the first pope born in the United States opened his homily in English.