Why Do Catholics ...?

How can Catholic families pray for the Year of Faith?

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has offered a prayer (available at USCCB.org) called "A Family Prayer for the Year of Faith":

O God, our Father, in Jesus you call all Christian families and homes to be signs of living faith.

By the light of the Holy Spirit, lead us to be thankful for the gift of faith, and by that gift may we grow in our relationship with Jesus, your Son, and be confident witnesses to Christian hope and joy to all we meet.

In the name of Jesus Christ our Lord.

Amen.

The USCCB also offers saints for the faithful to look to this Year of Faith — "10 Saints Who Were Great Evangelizers":

1. Sts. Peter and Paul

2. St. Jerome

3. St. Augustine

4. St. Patrick

5. St. Francis of Assisi

6. St. Ignatius of Loyola

7. St. Francis Xavier

8. St. Juan Diego

9. St. Daniel Comboni

10. St. Thérèse of the Child Jesus (also known as St. Thérèse of Lisieux and the Little Flower)

Have you always wondered about some aspect of the faith? Or maybe you’d like to know some trivia about Pope Benedict. If you do, email us your question at [email protected] and look for the answer in an upcoming issue.

Cardinal Rainer Maria Woelki of Cologne attends a German Synodal Way assembly on March 9, 2023.

Four German Bishops Resist Push to Install Permanent ‘Synodal Council’

Given the Vatican’s repeated interventions against the German process, the bishops said they would instead look to the Synod of Bishops in Rome. Meanwhile, on Monday, German diocesan bishops approved the statutes for a synodal committee; and there are reports that the synodal committee will meet again in June.

Palestinian Christians celebrate Easter Sunday Mass at Holy Family Church in Gaza City on March 31, amid the ongoing battles Israel and the Hamas militant group.

People Explain ‘Why I Go to Mass’

‘Why go to Mass on Sundays? It is not enough to answer that it is a precept of the Church. … We Christians need to participate in Sunday Mass because only with the grace of Jesus, with his living presence in us and among us, can we put into practice his commandment, and thus be his credible witnesses.’ —Pope Francis