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Assisi, the ancient Umbrian village in the province of Perugia, is one of Italy's most important artistic, cultural and religious destinations. The town is famous for being the birthplace of St. Francis, patron saint of Italy, and St. Clare, whose religious deeds have contributed to Assisi's fame as an open-air sanctuary, a pilgrimage destination f...

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Calabria is a land where spirituality and nature often merge, giving life to places of extraordinary beauty. In Paola, near Cosenza, a seaside town, the Sanctuary of San Francesco is a stop not to be missed when you visit Calabria. The patron saint of Calabria and the people of the sea was born in Paola, where his remains are kept and a lot of mira...

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There are a number of legends concerning the life of St. Agatha of Sicily. The following account is based on the “Passio Sanctae Agathae” written in the fifth century. Agatha was born in the first part of the third century into a wealthy and noble Christian family in Catania, Sicily. She was a beautiful young virgin, and at the age of 15 Agatha exp...

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The first Italian American to be ordained a bishop in Chicago, Fr. Bob Lombardo has served the poorest of the poor and resurrected a church close to the heart of our community. In the hush of Holy Name Cathedral, with hundreds of Catholics in attendance, the former Fr. Bob Lombardo knelt before Cardinal Blase Cupich in a Nov. 13 ceremony to receive...

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As much as we'd all love to flip a switch, get rid of COVID, and return to traveling like normal, it doesn't seem like that will happen anytime soon. That's the bad news. The good news is that museums and attractions around the world are providing virtual tours, allowing you to experience them from the comfort of your couch. Among the most iconi...

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Father Carlo Graziano, a priest of the Diocese of Ariano-Lacedonia, Italy, who assisted at St. Athanasius for more than two decades, becoming a familiar face to the parish’s Italian-American community, died of complications of COVID-19 at Maimonides Medical Center on Jan. 18, parish officials confirmed. Father Graziano, 82, was diagnosed with coron...

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After a short hiatus, members of the Fratelli della Santa Fede (Brothers of the Holy Faith) got back into the swing of things and celebrated the Feast of San Felice di Nola and Sant’Ilario di Poitiers at Joe’s of Avenue U (287 Ave. U), an old-school Sicilian eatery in Gravesend, Brooklyn. Our first get-together in 2021 (outside of Mass, of course),...

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Helping children understand each week's Sunday scriptures with relatable cartoon characters and original music scores is how Isabella D'Angelo chooses to use her time and talents to help build the kingdom of God. Every Wednesday she releases a new video on her YouTube channel "Catholic Kids Media" that illustrates the meaning of the readings along...

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Pop quiz: Who was the first female American citizen to be canonized a saint? Elizabeth Seton? No. Rose Duchesne? No. Katharine Drexel? No. Try St. Frances Xavier Cabrini (1850- 1917), who was canonized in 1946 by Pope Pius XII. She was born in in Italy but at the suggestion of Pope Leo XIII in 1889, she brought her congregation to the United States...

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In New York the lights on Broadway will not be the only ones to be dimmed because of Covid restrictions. While struggling with many difficulties, even Christian communities will experience the difficulty of not being able to meet in person, and the preventive measures making it impossible to celebrate the Eucharist in the usual way. In addition to...

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