News from Around the Nation

What should be surprising, however, is that all of their self-reporting took place before the coronavirus pandemic struck in March, resulting in thousands of school districts nationwide shifting on the fly to online learning -- which, of course, requires screens.

As the number of COVID-19 cases rises dramatically in the U.S., Canada and around the world, government officials almost universally have returned to stricter lockdowns, with U.S. officials even urging families to reconsider how many people to host on Thanksgiving dinner or perhaps cancel the holiday meal altogether.

To support poor faith communities hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, Catholic Extension is launching "Advent Alms for America," a program that aims to match poor parishes in one part of the U.S. with parishes that have more resources in another part of the country.

The Supreme Court Nov. 19 denied a stay of execution for federal inmate Orlando Hall, who was put to death by lethal injection an hour later, just before midnight.

Archbishop Alexander K. Sample of Portland publicly expressed "great disappointment and frustration" over Oregon Gov. Kate Brown's new statewide restrictions that limit faith gatherings to 25 people.

It's time for organizations to end their investments in fossil fuels, the executive director of the Association of U.S. Catholic Priests said. "The contribution of fossil fuels, whether you're talking about coal or you're talking about gas, all of that, is clearly having an impact on the ability of the planet to enable life without it being threatened," Father Bob Bonnot told Catholic News Service Nov. 18, explaining the organization's decision.

Cardinal-designate Wilton D. Gregory of Washington said the Vatican's report on former cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick is a "tragic chronicle" about that churchman's "unconscionable human violation."

Paul Hornung, who won the Heisman Trophy while playing football for Notre Dame and had a Hall of Fame career with the illustrious Green Bay Packers teams of the 1960s, died Nov. 13 in Louisville, Kentucky. He was 84.

The U.S. bishops approved a budget for the year 2021 that has been affected by the coronavirus pandemic. The vote was 193-1 with four abstentions.

U.S. Catholics lead all Christian faiths in the percentage of racially diverse congregations in their parishes, according to a new study published by Baylor University.

In what is undoubtedly one of the largest virtual gatherings of Catholic bishops in the world, more than 300 prelates are expected to log on for the two-day meeting with plenary sessions to be livestreamed from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 16 and from 1 p.m. to about 3 p.m. Nov. 17, both Eastern Standard Time, to accommodate the variety of time zones.

The Vatican on Tuesday will release its report into the rise and fall of ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, the once-influential American cardinal who was defrocked by Pope Francis in 2019 after a Vatican investigation confirmed decades of rumors that he was a sexual predator.

President-elect Joe Biden told hundreds of supporters in Wilmington that he pledged "to be a president who seeks not to divide but unify" and "who doesn't see red states and blue states -- only the United States."

We thank God for the blessings of liberty. The American people have spoken in this election. Now is the time for our leaders to come together in a spirit of national unity and to commit themselves to dialogue and compromise for the common good.

The U.S. remains in uncertainty about the presidential race after Election Day, as a counting of the vote continues, showing Democratic candidate Joe Biden ahead in electoral votes, but not by much.

Blessed Michael J. McGivney was a priest of the Eight Beatitudes because he lived them "so consistently and thoroughly" as a parish priest and as the founder of the Knights of Columbus, said Baltimore Archbishop William E. Lori, the Knights' supreme chaplain.

He came home, coffee in hand, but a bit dejected because the young man at the café knew nothing about Veterans Day – or the free coffee offer.

As the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 marked its 20th year Oct. 28, the Catholic congressman who wrote it — and four other anti-trafficking laws in the intervening years — celebrated the historic legislation that holds every nation on the globe “to account on human trafficking matters.”

A divided Senate, in a 52-48 vote, confirmed Amy Coney Barrett as a justice for the Supreme Court the evening of Oct. 26 and soon afterward she was sworn in by Justice Clarence Thomas at a White House ceremony.

Oregon Catholic Press has launched the Parishioner Personal Missal Program, offering members of parish communities the opportunity to have their own personal copy of their parish's missal. The aim is to help promote safe and active participation in the Mass, while at home or in church.