Autumn Jones

Autumn Jones

Autumn Jones was a staff writer with Catholic News Agency through 2021. She is a graduate of Gonzaga University and the University of Colorado. She is based in Denver.

Articles by Autumn Jones

The real story of Father Stuart Long, portrayed in "Father Stu" movie by Mark Wahlberg

Apr 13, 2022 / 10:03 am

Father Stuart Long, who was a priest of the Diocese of Helena, is the main character of "Fr. Stu" in a motion picture starring Mark Wahlberg as the priest himself and Mel Gibson as the priest’s father.

10 heroic Catholic stories from 2021

Dec 30, 2021 / 12:00 pm

The Catholic Church has many heroic individuals, and CNA was fortunate to cover some of their stories this past year. We invite you to read about 10 heroic people and projects we covered in 2021—from doctors and healthcare workers fighting the COVID-19 pandemic, to underground bishops, religious, and refugees living in war-torn countries.

Ideas for your (Catholic) New Year's Resolutions

Dec 29, 2021 / 17:00 pm

Should you make a New Year’s resolution? If so, how can you involve your faith in the process? What can you do to set yourself up to be one of the 8 percent that follows through on the goal you set for yourself? CNA has some ideas to kickstart your 2022 on a positive note!

Taking time to ask, 'What is God's will?'

Dec 24, 2021 / 04:00 am

Discerning your vocation is about more than pursuing a celibate vocation alone, said Father Ryan O’Neill, director of vocations for the Archdiocese of Denver. The purpose, he said, is to “increase the knowledge and possibility of vocation for anybody.”

Can the arts bring millennials closer to God? That's the plan at this beautifully restored Brooklyn theater

Dec 15, 2021 / 14:51 pm

The Emmaus Center, a new performing and visual arts center dedicated to Catholic evangelization, opened in Brooklyn, New York on Dec. 13.

Kansas church to be named a Star on the Mantle of Our Lady, Queen of Peace

Dec 10, 2021 / 16:01 pm

On Sunday, Dec. 12, St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Beloit, Kansas, will become the second Catholic church in the U.S. to be recognized as a Star on the Mantle of Our Lady, Queen of Peace by Comunità Regina della Pace (Community of Queen of Peace). 

College hoops announcer Dick Vitale, battling cancer, draws strength from his Catholic faith

Dec 9, 2021 / 17:16 pm

Longtime ESPN college basketball analyst Dick Vitale frequently talks about his Catholic faith and the power of prayer as he undergoes chemotherapy for lymphoma.

PHOTOS: Los Angeles, San Diego pay tribute to Our Lady of Guadalupe with processions, Masses after year hiatus

Dec 7, 2021 / 14:36 pm

On Sunday, the Archdiocese of Los Angeles held its 90th annual procession and outdoor Mass honoring Our Lady of Guadalupe. The celebration, which is the oldest religious procession in Los Angeles, was established by Catholics who fled persecution by the Mexican government during the Cristero War in 1931.

Pro-life leaders, legal experts speak out after Dobbs arguments at US Supreme Court

Dec 1, 2021 / 17:01 pm

On Wednesday, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization, concerning Mississippi’s ban on most abortions after 15 weeks. Leading up to and in response following the oral arguments, pro-life leaders and legal experts offered their perspectives. 

US bishops respond to Supreme Court arguments in Dobbs v Jackson

Dec 1, 2021 / 14:32 pm

Catholic leaders offered statements and prayers leading up to and following the oral arguments in the case Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health, which concerns a Mississippi law banning abortion after 15 weeks.

Award-winning artist David Troncoso on life in a camper van, the Renaissance, and learning from the masters

Nov 27, 2021 / 07:42 am

Sacred artist David Troncoso paints in the Renaissance style with DaVinci, Michelangelo, and Rafael as his guides. His art, he says, draws him closer to God and has deepened his prayer life. 

Christian college argues against co-ed housing requirement in appellate court

Nov 18, 2021 / 17:01 pm

Attorneys representing a Christian college in Missouri delivered oral arguments Nov. 17 in federal court, seeking to preserve the school’s longstanding religiously held belief that men and women should be housed separately on campus. 

Oklahoma AG objects after Catholic healthcare group enforces COVID-19 vaccine mandate

Nov 17, 2021 / 07:38 am

Catholic healthcare group Ascension last week began suspending employees who refused to comply with a COVID-19 vaccine mandate. Oklahoma's attorney general calls the move "religious discrimination."

Cleveland priest sentenced to life in prison for child pornography, exploitation

Nov 10, 2021 / 16:01 pm

On Tuesday, Father Robert McWilliams was sentenced to life in prison on convictions of sex trafficking of youths under 18, child pornography, and sexual exploitation of children. The verdict was handed down in the U.S. District Court in Akron, Ohio. 

PHOTOS: Archbishop Cordileone offers Requiem Mass for homeless

Nov 9, 2021 / 11:00 am

On Saturday, San Francisco Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone offered a Requiem Mass for the homeless at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Current and former city officials and civic leaders attended the Mass, alongside more than 400 worshippers and Catholic ministry leaders in the area.

Polish health ministry clarifies abortion law after death of 30-year-old mother

Nov 8, 2021 / 15:25 pm

Poland’s Ministry of Health issued a statement Sunday clarifying that an abortion may be performed when the mother’s life is at risk. 

New parish outside Nashville welcomes growth of community, plans for new Catholic schools

Nov 5, 2021 / 03:51 am

In January 2021, the Diocese of Nashville acquired a 166-acre parcel of land. They established a parish and appointed a pastor in June of this year. Over the next several years, the property will become home to a K-8 school, a high school, and Mother Teresa Catholic Church. 

Archbishop Gomez addresses rise of 'wokeness', social movements in US

Nov 4, 2021 / 17:00 pm

On Thursday, Archbishop Jose Gomez discussed the rise of new secular ideologies and movements for social change in the United States during a virtual address to the Congress of Catholics and Public Life in Madrid. 

Supreme Court allows Maine's bar on religious exemptions to vaccine mandate to stand

Oct 30, 2021 / 14:18 pm

The U.S. Supreme Court Friday denied an emergency request to block Maine’s COVID-19 vaccine mandate for healthcare workers, which does not provide a religious exemption.

President Joe Biden receives Communion at Mass in Rome

Oct 30, 2021 / 12:10 pm

President Joe Biden reportedly received the Eucharist during a vigil Mass Oct. 30 in Rome, a day after saying that Pope Francis had told to "keep receiving Communion."