We at Catholic Textbook Project mourn the loss of one of America’s and the Church’s great historians, Dr. James Hitchcock, who recently joined his equally influential wife, Helen Hull Hitchcock, in everlasting life. Dr. Hitchcock was one of the earliest supporters of this important apostolate to Catholic schools. He sat down with us some years…
A man I truly admired died last week in the southern California mudslides, the region’s first confirmed victim of the disaster. Live accounts and videos captured the roar and unimaginable force of liquid mud overtaking homes as heavy rains pounded on the freshly denuded, fire-ravaged hillsides surrounding Santa Barbara at the time. The experience must have been terrifying. His wife was
June 28, 2025
William C. Grimm (“Bill” to friends and “Mr. Grimm” to the many college students who sought his advice and considered him a “second father”) exemplified Catholic fatherhood up to the moment of his death. He passed away on the evening of June 15, his 88th birthday, surrounded by birthday celebration and family, just after prayers.
Let us join the universal Church in prayer for the eternal rest of Pope Francis who died this morning in his residence in Vatican City State. Let us pray to God the Father that Pope Francis who served as the Vicar of His Incarnate Son on earth may, through Divine Mercy, rest in peace. May…
VaticanNews–Pope Francis died on Easter Monday, April 21, 2025, at the age of 88 at his residence in the Vatican’s Casa Santa Marta. Official announcement by Vatican At 9:45 AM, Cardinal Kevin Farrell, Camerlengo of the Holy Roman Church, announced the death of Pope Francis from the Casa Santa Marta with these words: “Dearest brothers…
CNA—The following is a timeline of important dates from the McCarrick Report and elsewhere regarding abuse allegations against recently deceased former cardinal Theodore McCarrick. Published by the Vatican on Nov. 10, 2020, the McCarrick Report examined the “institutional knowledge and decision-making” regarding McCarrick, who was found guilty of sexual abuse of minors and seminarians in…
CNA—Author and Catholic convert Lee Edwards, one of the foremost historians of the conservative movement in America, died Thursday. He was 92. Edwards co-founded the Victims of Communism Memorial in Washington, D.C., authorized by Congress in 1993 and completed in 2007. He was a distinguished fellow of conservative thought at the Heritage Foundation for about…
Echoing the words of others, It is with heavy hearts that we share the news of the passing of Alan Napleton, the beloved Founder of the Catholic Marketing Network. Alan passed away peacefully at his home in Denton, TX, on December 2, 2024. Alan was a dear, long-time friend. Meeting Alan We met many years…
Ukranian Catholic University (UCU)—In memory of UCU student Daria Bazylevych, her mother, Yevhenia, and sisters Yaryna and Emilia, Ukrainian Catholic University, together with her father, Yaroslav Bazylevych, and Plast, the national scoutingorganization of Ukraine, has started an endowed scholarship fund. The goal is to collect $100,000, allowing UCU students to receive scholarships annually. The scholarship…
CNA—Arthur James Gregg, a convert to the Catholic faith who held the distinction of being the first Black American to achieve the rank of lieutenant general in the U.S. Army, died last month at 96. According to an obituary published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, Gregg died on Aug. 22 in Richmond, Virginia. Born in South…
CNA—Sister Agnes Sasagawa, a Japanese nun whose purported visions of the Virgin Mary under the title of Our Lady of Akita included stark warnings for humanity and instructions to pray the rosary and repent of sin, died Aug. 15 at age 93. A parish priest in Akita, Japan, confirmed to CNA by phone that Sasagawa…
CNA—Bob Newhart, a cultural giant who is credited with pioneering modern stand-up comedy and spoke openly of his lifelong Catholic faith, died this week. He was 94. The native Illinoisan passed away at his Los Angeles home on Thursday, his publicist said. The actor had suffered from several brief illnesses prior to his death. Growing…
Al Kresta, a longtime Catholic radio host, author and founder and president of Ave Maria Radio, died Saturday, June 15, 2024, at his Michigan home after a battle with liver cancer. He was 73. A former Evangelical Protestant who rose to prominence as a radio host before his conversion to Catholicism in 1992, Kresta’s voice…
CNA—The funeral for Indi Gregory, the 8-month-old baby who lost her life last month after an end-of-life legal battle, was held at Nottingham Cathedral in England on Friday, Dec. 1, at 10:15 a.m. local time. More than 100 people attended the service led by Bishop Patrick McKinney of Nottingham. Ahead of the service, Indi’s white…
Our Lord told St. Gertrude the Great that the following prayer would release 1,000 souls from Purgatory each time it is said: O Eternal Father, I offer Thee the Most Precious Blood of Thy Divine Son, Jesus, in union with the Masses said throughout the world today, for all the Holy Souls in Purgatory, for…
The canons regular priests of the Norbertine Abbey of St. Michael the Archangel, located in Santiago Canyon, California, invite us Catholics to pray for the dead in a 9-day Novena beginning November 2, 2003, All Souls Day. Praying for the dead is an important work of mercy, and a meaningful reminder of own mortality. In…
WSJ Obituary columnist James R. Hagerty’s book, Yours Truly: An Obituary Writer’s Guide to Telling Your Story, is a thought-provoking and engaging work that explores the importance of crafting our own obituary and telling our own story. Hagerty’s inspiration for writing this book comes from his own experience with his father’s passing. Like many people,…
Richard Joseph Riordan was the first Catholic to serve as Mayor of Los Angeles in the modern era, serving as mayor from 1993 to 2001. He is largely credited for guiding the city in the aftermath of the 1992 L.A. Riots and the 1994 Northridge earthquake. “Tough enough to turn L.A. around” As a successful…
CNA, The Guardian and other sources—The last surviving prosecutor of the Nuremberg Trials, Benjamin Ferencz, died last week on Good Friday at the age of 103. Ferencz secured the convictions of 22 Nazis for the murder of 1 million Jews during World War II. He spent the rest of his life advocating for human rights.…
CNA, CBJ—The late Cardinal George Pell’s funeral Mass drew thousands of mourners, filling Sydney’s St. Mary’s Cathedral to capacity. Civic leaders, friends and members of Pell’s family remembered the Australian cardinal’s dedication to the Church and the Gospel, in addition to his courage in the face of many obstacles, including more than a year in…
