‘Twas the week before Christmas, and all through the days,
Our headlines unfolded in newsworthy ways.
With faith as our guide, here’s this week’s review,
A roundup of stories, both timely and true!
You can find even more OSV News stories at osvnews.com and on social media @OSVNews. Praying that you have a blessed final few days of Advent, and a holy and merry Christmas!
Megan Marley
Digital Editor
P.S.: Enjoy reading this roundup? Sign up to receive our emails here.
Gloria in Excelsis Deo! What was the Star of Bethlehem?
Every year around Advent, Catholics are reminded of the story of the Nativity of Our Lord. One question that keeps arising is what was the “star” that not only revealed the fact of the Savior’s birth but led the Magi on an over 1,000-mile quest to the exact place of the baby in Bethlehem?
COLUMN: Why I’m spending Christmas in Bethlehem this year
PHILIPPINES: Filipino Simbang Gabi Masses more and more rooted in the US
HAITI: Amid unprecedented chaos in Haiti, missionaries bring Christmas hope
HOLY LAND: For Holy Land olive wood creche maker, daily work is his bridge to faith
POLAND: Papal charity point man driving to Ukraine for Christmas
National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception named a Jubilee Year site
The Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., has been named a special place of pilgrimage for the Catholic Church’s Jubilee Year 2025, the theme for which is “Pilgrims of Hope.” The Dec. 16 announcement explained that designating the national basilica as a Jubilee site allows pilgrims to gain the Jubilee Year indulgence.
COLUMN: Opening up the bricked-in doors
3,000 Catholic school kids, Black Eyed Peas members make new Christmas song
In a heartwarming collaboration, 3,000 Catholic school children from the Philippines made their pop debut in a new Christmas song by Black Eyed Peas members Apl.de.Ap, Keith Harris, and David “DQ” Quiñones. The song, “It’s That Time of Year,” was released in late November, followed by a music video Dec. 13.
CALIFORNIA: Miracle in Los Angeles: Priest recounts Frassati’s intercession in healing
LOUISIANA: New Orleans priest gets life in prison for 1970s rape of Catholic student
MARYLAND: Medical sculptor’s job is job to bring hope, some sense of restoration to hurting people
MISSOURI: How Father Tolton handled travails, transitions is model for living out the faith, says bishop
NEW YORK: Ten Commandments tablet, attributed to ancient Samaritans, goes up for auction
NORTH DAKOTA: New early childhood center highlights Catholic higher-ed pro-life trend
TEXAS: Bishop J. Gregory Kelly named to Texas diocese after Bishop Strickland’s removal
WASHINGTON, D.C.: Catholic University faces $30M ‘structural deficit’ amid higher education headwinds
YEAR IN REVIEW: Catholics praised for ‘unwavering solidarity’ through 2024 natural disasters
OSV’s 2024 Catholics of the Year
As 2024 winds down, OSV News celebrates the Catholics of the Year, individuals whose faith and actions stood out during a challenging year marked by conflict, hope and resilience.
Marquette poll: Public rates Biden at all-time low, splits on Trump Cabinet picks
President Joe Biden is nearing the end of his term in the White House with an all-time low approval rating, according to a new Marquette Law School Poll. The same poll found that while a majority of adults nationwide said they approve of the way President-elect Donald Trump handled his job from 2017 to 2021, they are split on whether they approve of his Cabinet selections for his second term. The poll found Biden’s pardon of his son Hunter Biden was very unpopular with adults they surveyed.
FUNDING: Supreme Court takes up S.C. Planned Parenthood defunding case
YEAR IN REVIEW: American political life saw a history-making, tumultuous 2024
Who should represent the U.S. to the Holy See?
COMMENTARY: Who should represent the U.S. to the Holy See? Catholic biographer and commentator Michael R. Heinlein has a proposal.
Tolkien’s world, still popular on the big screen, began with faith and words
COLUMN: J.R.R. Tolkien’s Middle-earth — the world of “The Lord of the Rings” and now the new animated film “The War of the Rohirrim” — was born, first and foremost, from Tolkien’s intense and lifelong love for language. Before there were Elves, there was Quenya, the Elven language that the British philologist began to invent as a student at Oxford.
Jesus’ crown of thorns returns to Notre Dame Cathedral
On Dec. 13, the Crown of Thorns was returned to Notre Dame, marking a deeply moving moment for Parisians and pilgrims alike. The relic, which survived the devastating 2019 fire, had been stored at the Louvre since the blaze.
ABUSE: Top DDF official says truth in abuse cases is ‘critical’ as Father Rupnik investigation continues
ENVIRONMENT: Nos urge actuar, reflexionar ya no es suficiente frente a la crisis ambiental y el cambio climático
UNITED KINGDOM: King Charles III attends Advent service of London branch of pontifical charity
Benedictine abbot, retired professor, goes back to high school as ‘lifelong learner’
A Benedictine abbot, former college professor and secondary education teacher is now among the students at his abbey’s Catholic high school, proving that — as he told OSV News — “all of us should continue to be learners our entire life long.”
“Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (Paramount)
In approaching the comic adventure “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (Paramount), viewers will likely be expecting to witness more of the hyperkinetic antics that are the trademark of the Sega video game-based characters around whom the franchise is built. What they may not be bargaining for are complex layers of emotional pain. The OSV News classification is A-II — adults and adolescents.
RATED O: Kraven the Hunter (Columbia)
