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By Sara Gruber,San Antonio Convention & Visitors Bureau The wait is finally over: The San Antonio Missions have officially been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The decision was announced on July 5th at the annual UNESCO World Heritage committee meeting in Bonn, Germany.  An elite list with just 22 existing U.S. landmarks included, the…

The Texas Catholic Conference expressed disappointment at the U.S. Supreme Court’s 5-4 decision to suspend enforcement of one of the country’s most effective measures for protecting women’s health and safety against a predatory abortion industry.  The Texas law (part of 2013’s landmark HB 2) required abortion clinics meet the same standards as ambulatory surgical centers…

By Jessica Priest,Victoria Advocate Hands clasped in prayer, priests and parishioners alike celebrated the coming of Victoria’s newest spiritual leader, Bishop Brendan Cahill. The voices of more than 1,200 people mixed with an ethereal choir Monday at Our Lady of Victory Cathedral during a three-hour service to install Cahill as a leader of Catholics in…

By Most Rev. Michael J. Sis, Bishop of San Angelo Religious freedom is necessary for the health of a democratic society. However, it is being increasingly threatened around the world today, including in our own beloved country. The Fortnight for Freedom is being observed by Catholics in the U.S. from June 21 through July 4,…

The Diocese of Victoria is making final preparations for the Episcopal Ordination and Installation of His Excellency The Most Rev. Brendan J. Cahill, S.T.D. as its new bishop on Monday, June 29, 2015, at 2:00 p.m. in Our Lady of Victory Cathedral.  He will succeed Bishop David E. Fellhauer as the third shepherd of the…

For the third consecutive year, the bishops of Texas are joining their counterparts across the United States for the "Fortnight for Freedom". This 14-day period of prayer, penance, education, and action in defense of religious freedom opened on Sunday, June 21, 2015, and runs through the Fourth of July.  The theme of this year’s observation…

The Texas Catholic Conference today expressed disappointment at the U.S. Fifth Circuit Federal Court of Appeals’ ruling Monday that would force religious institutions to violate their faith. Several Texas dioceses and churches have long objected to provisions of the federal Affordable Care Act that require religious employers to provide health insurance that covers contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortions unless…

The Catholic Mobilizing Network has developed new educational resources to correspond with the Jubilee Year of Mercy, which will be celebrated by the Catholic Church from December 8, 2015 to November 20, 2016. These tools include updated materials on the death penalty, restorative justice, solitary confinement, and more. The Catholic Mobilizing Network works in close…

WASHINGTON—Archbishop Salvatore J. Cordileone of San Francisco, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Subcommittee for the Promotion and Defense of Marriage, and Archbishop William E. Lori of Baltimore, chairman of the Ad Hoc Committee for Religious Liberty, gave their strong support for the First Amendment Defense Act (FADA), which is a federal…

ByMost Rev. Joe S. Vásquez, Bishop of the Diocese of Austin I, like many of you, was completely shocked by the act of violence in Charleston, S.C., at the historic Emanuel African Methodist Episcopal Church. Houses of worship should be places of comfort and peace. As people of God we abhor all acts of brutal…