5 Catholic resources to help you grow closer to Christ this Advent

null / Credit: Kara Monroe via Flickr (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)CNA Staff, Nov 23, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).As Advent quickly approaches and the hustle and bustle of the holiday season begins to make its way into our lives, here are five resources to help you prepare to welcome Jesus this Christmas. From Ascension: Join Father Mike Schmitz this Advent for "Waiting Well: Advent with Fr. Mike Schmitz" on the Ascension app. Beginning Nov. 30, a 26-day video series will guide viewers on becoming aware of how God is shaping them through seasons of waiting and how to wait well. Each day a five-minute video will be released and feature a reflection from Schmitz that unpacks the daily Mass reading as well as Scripture versus, catechism excerpts, and reflection questions to encourage participants to go deeper into the meaning of Advent. Ascension's "Waiting Well: Advent with Fr. Mike Schmitz" video series. Credit: AscensionSchmitz's weekly homily videos during Advent are part of...

The laywoman whose mission helped lead to the feast of Christ the King

null / Credit: Courtesy of the Benedictines of Mary, Queen of ApostlesDublin, Ireland, Nov 22, 2025 / 13:00 pm (CNA).Marthe de Noaillat, called the "Apostle of Christ the King" by her biographer, had a singular mission in life that she believed had been entrusted to her: to promote the universal kingship of Jesus Christ."Marthe was the woman who single-handedly brought this to the Church. This is not unusual, indeed the hard lifting in many of these causes was done by women of profound faith," Father Bernard McGuckian, SJ, host of a new EWTN Ireland television series, told CNA.De Noaillat was the seventh child in a family of 12 whose parents, Jean-Baptiste Devuns and Anne Zélina, were pious Catholics.After spending seven years discerning a cloistered vocation, de Noaillat was led instead into the heart of the world as a missionary. With the encouragement and approval of Popes Benedict XV and Pius XI, she organized a global referendum aimed at gathering the faithful to acknowled...

Majority of Australian and French priests are thriving, reports say 

null / Credit: peacepix/ShutterstockWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 22, 2025 / 15:00 pm (CNA).Here is a roundup of Catholic world news from the past week that you might have missed. Majority of Australian and French priests are thriving, reports sayA report has found that the majority of Australian priests and deacons are thriving in their ministry roles. In the first-ever survey of well-being among Australia's clergy, the National Centre for Pastoral Research and the Australian Catholic Migrant and Refugee Office found 75% of clergy reported having "good" or "very good" self-confidence, 66% reported they maintain a healthy diet, 61% said they get sufficient rest, and 55% reported high energy levels. In addition, the vast majority of clergy, at 90%, described their connections with their parishes as positive. Overall, 71% reported feeling hopeful, and 61% said they felt joyful frequently. This comes on the heels of an October survey in France that found most Catho...

Pope Leo XIV visits Augustinian nuns he has known for years

Pope Leo XIV meets with the Augustinian nuns of Montefalco on Nov. 20, 2025, in Italy. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Nov 22, 2025 / 09:00 am (CNA)."A moment of great familiarity" is how Abbess Maria Cristina Daguati of the Augustinian convent in Montefalco, Italy, described Pope Leo XIV's visit on Thursday.After visiting the tomb of St. Francis in Assisi and meeting with the Italian bishops on Nov. 20, the pope traveled to the Italian city of Montefalco to celebrate Mass at the monastery of the Augustinian nuns, erected in the 13th century and one of the oldest and most significant spiritual centers in the Umbria region.After meeting with the Italian bishops in Assisi, Pope Leo XIV traveled to the Augustinian monastery of St. Clare of Montefalco, where he wished to spend some time with the cloistered nuns. The Holy Father spoke informally with the community, celebrated Mass, and shared lunch with the nuns.The pope arrived by helicopter in the city, known for its medi...

Pope Leo XIV warns against 'false mercy' in marriage annulment proceedings

Pope Leo XIV holds an audience with the Roman Rota on Nov. 21, 2025, at the Vatican. / Credit: Vatican MediaACI Prensa Staff, Nov 22, 2025 / 10:00 am (CNA).In a firm call to avoid "false mercy" in marriage annulment proceedings, Pope Leo XIV reminded that compassion cannot disregard the truth.During a Friday audience with participants in the legal-pastoral training course of the Roman Rota, the Holy See's court of appeals, the Holy Father read a lengthy speech in which he recalled the importance of the reform of marriage annulment processes initiated by Pope Francis 10 years ago.The pontiff emphasized that theology, law, and pastoral care must be understood in a harmonious way, not as separate or opposing areas, and pointed out that annulment proceedings are not merely technical procedures to obtain the "free status of persons" but rather an ecclesial service based on the search for truth and on family pastoral care.Judicial processes at the service of truthIn this context, Pop...

PHOTOS: St. Cecilia, martyr and patron saint of music, rests in Roman basilica named for her

A close-up of the tomb of St. Ceclia at the basilica dedicated to her in Trastevere, Rome, Italy. / Credit: Daniel Ibañez/CNAVatican City, Nov 22, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).St. Cecilia, widely known as the patron saint of music and musicians, is buried in the Basilica of St. Cecilia in the Roman neighborhood of Trastevere where a famous Baroque sculpture of her still puzzles scholars.According to popular belief, Cecilia was a Roman noblewoman who lived in the third century. Despite being forced by her family to marry, she remained a virgin, as she had vowed to do as a young girl. Her pagan husband, Valerian, converted to Christianity after their marriage, and Valerian's brother, Tiburtius, was also baptized a Christian. Both men were martyred. St. Cecilia, too, would later be tortured and martyred. It is said she took three days to die after the executioner hit her three times on the neck with a sword.The Basilica of St. Cecilia in Trastevere in Rome, Italy. St. Cecilia is the patr...

Armed attackers kidnap children from Catholic elementary school in Nigeria

Over 200 Christians were murdered by Islamist militants in Nigeria on June, 13, 2025. / Credit: Red Confidential/ShutterstockACI Africa, Nov 21, 2025 / 17:20 pm (CNA).The Diocese of Kontagora in Nigeria has described as "painful and disturbing" the Friday, Nov. 21, kidnapping of children and staff at St. Mary's Catholic Nursery, Primary, and Secondary Schools.In a statement shared with ACI Africa, CNA's news partner in Africa, the diocesan secretary of the Nigerian episcopal see appealed for intensified national action against insecurity.Father Jatau Luka Joseph said armed attackers invaded St. Mary's Catholic Primary and Secondary Schools in Papiri, Niger state, in the early hours of Nov. 21, abducting "some pupils, students, teachers, and a security personnel who was badly shot.""The incident occurred between 1 a.m. and 3 a.m., causing fear and distress within the school community," he said."The Catholic Diocese of Kontagora strongly condemns the attack and expresses deep con...

10 takeaways from Pope Leo XIV's address to youth at NCYC

Pope Leo XIV speaks to teenagers during a digital encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium in Indianapolis during the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC) on Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNAIndianapolis, Indiana, Nov 21, 2025 / 17:50 pm (CNA).Pope Leo XIV spoke to teenagers during a digital encounter at Lucas Oil Stadium on Friday in Indianapolis during the 2025 National Catholic Youth Conference (NCYC). Five teenagers asked the pope questions regarding using technology, recovering from mistakes, giving worries to Jesus, avoiding distractions, and preparing for the future of the Church. The pope gave guidance to the young crowd with words applicable to both teenagers and the universal Church. The Holy Father's advice that Catholics can apply to their lives included:Sin never has the final word"All of us struggle," Leo said. "The truth is that none of us is perfect.""St. Paul teaches that everyone has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God … Because of...

'It felt like history': Teens, organizers on cloud nine after live dialogue with Pope Leo

Ezequiel Ponce, a high school senior from Downey, California (left), and Elise Wing, a senior from Waterloo, Iowa (right), speak at a press conference following their digital dialogue with Pope Leo XIV on Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Jonah McKeown/National Catholic RegisterIndianapolis, Indiana, Nov 21, 2025 / 18:10 pm (CNA).At a press conference Friday following Pope Leo XIV's historic "digital visit" with 16,000 young people at the National Catholic Youth Conference in Indianapolis, leaders and young participants praised Pope Leo's warmth, humility, authenticity, and pastoral clarity, highlighting his central message: a personal relationship with Jesus is essential."Walking up on that stage felt like history. It really did," said Elise Wing, a high school senior from Waterloo, Iowa, and one of the teens selected to ask Pope Leo a question during the live dialogue, which was facilitated digitally by EWTN on Nov. 21. "It's beautiful to see somebody so holy really coming to us ...

Notre Dame returns 'Catholic Mission' to its core values after 'confusion' 

Notre Dame President Robert A. Dowd, CSC, said he is reinstating "Catholic Mission" among staff values on Nov. 21, 2025. / Credit: Matt Cashore/University of Notre DameWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Nov 21, 2025 / 18:30 pm (CNA).The University of Notre Dame has reinstated "Catholic Mission" among its staff values after it opted to drop the language in an effort to reprogram the school's Catholic identity as overarching. In a Nov. 21 staff announcement, Notre Dame President Robert A. Dowd, CSC, said commitment to the school's Catholic mission was referenced in the preamble to the new four staff values announced at a town hall meeting last week "as a way to show its overarching importance." "Thanks to some constructive feedback we received, we now realize that placement is causing confusion and that some could interpret that not as elevating our mission as we intended but as a sign of diminishing commitment," he said. "To avoid any further confusion, we have now included th...