Joan Frawley Desmond

Joan Frawley Desmond, is the Register’s senior editor. She is an award-winning journalist widely published in Catholic, ecumenical and secular media. A graduate of the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies of Marriage and Family, she lives with her family in California.

Latest Search

Crowds gather outside of Independence Hall in Philadelphia on Sept. 27, 2015, to hear Pope Francis speak about religious liberty during his apostolic visit to the United States for the World Meeting of Families.

How Has Pope Francis’ Engagement With the Church in the US Fared in 10 Years?

NEWS ANALYSIS

Joan Frawley Desmond Nation March 18, 2023

Cardinal Francis George of Chicago speaks during the midday Ash Wednesday Mass at Holy Name Cathedral February 9, 2005 in Chicago, Illinois.

‘A Deeply Pastoral Heart’: The Legacy of Cardinal Francis George

The late Chicago archbishop, as chronicled in a new biography, made ‘the holiness of his people his top priority’ and championed ‘simply Catholicism.’

Joan Frawley Desmond Interviews March 14, 2023

Archbishop José Gomez of Los Angeles has remembered Bishop David O’Connell as a ‘man of peace,’ and others who knew him agree.

Slain LA ‘Bishop Dave’ Remembered as a Humble Man of Action Who Wanted People to Encounter Christ’s Healing Love

Hailed as an advocate for immigrants and an apostle of deep prayer, the late Los Angeles auxiliary bishop defied easy categories and touched the hearts of people from many different walks of life.

Lauretta Brown, Joan Frawley Desmond Nation February 24, 2023

‘The Nicaraguan priests wanted to celebrate Mass, and all of us present were in tears’ during the service, said Father Roberto Jose Cortes Campos, the Nicaraguan-born pastor of St. Mark the Evangelist Church in Hyattsville, Maryland, who participated in the Mass celebrated at the USCCB chapel.

8 Nicaraguan Priests Expelled by Ortega Regime Celebrate Mass for First Time in 6 Months

A Washington, D.C., pastor describes the emotion-filled Mass and harrowing stories of prison life before the deportees were expelled from the country, along with hundreds of political prisoners.

Joan Frawley Desmond World February 17, 2023

Clockwise from top left: Archbishop Salvatore Cordileone conducts a prayer service where the rampage took place; the funeral Mass for victim Marciano Martinez Jimenez is underway Feb. 9 at Our Lady of the Pillar Church in Half Moon Bay, California; Archbishop Cordileone sprinkles holy water at the scene of the mass shooting. The casket of Jimenez is seen during his Mass of Christian burial.

‘This Place Where Violence Occurred, We Are Reclaiming as a Place of Peace’

After a mass shooting in California’s Half Moon Bay that left seven dead, the local Catholic church accompanies a grieving community.

Joan Frawley Desmond Nation February 11, 2023

Pilgrims seek healing and peace at Lourdes. The Church commemorates Our Lady of Lourdes each Feb. 11, which is also observed as World Day of the Sick.

Composer Frank LaRocca Discusses His Latest Composition, ‘Messe des Malades’

The Mass setting, which honors Our Lady of Lourdes, will be inaugurated Feb. 11 at the Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California, and air on EWTN. Composer Frank La Rocca notes that this new Mass ‘honors those who suffer indignity with their illnesses and yet, through the intercession of Our Lady of Lourdes, still maintain their faith in God’s providence.’

Joan Frawley Desmond Arts & Entertainment February 7, 2023

The Register's new editor-in-chief, Shannon Mullen

National Catholic Register News https://www.ncregister.com/author/joan-frawley-desmond