An estimated 6,000 people worshipped inside the vast basilica decorated with poinsettias, while another 5,000 watched the Mass on giant screens in the rain-soaked piazza outside. Vanderbilt's 16-0 ...

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Every year, millions of people sing the beautiful carol Silent Night, with its line “all is calm, all is bright”. We all know the Christmas story is one in which peace and joy are proclaimed, and this ...

For generations, Italian craftspeople have built scenes depicting Jesus’ birth, sometimes including figures of celebrities. This year, some are adding statuettes of President Trump. Figurines of ...

Bethlehem, by Cornelis Bruijn, 1698. Credit: Wikimedia Commons, public domain One of the most notable portions of the Nativity story is when Joseph and Mary had to travel to Bethlehem because of the ...

Always on the Sunday after Christmas we keep the feast of the Holy Family. In this feast, the church, I think, simply wants our Christmas adoration, our meditation, to linger. The church wants simply ...

Samantha McDaniel-Ogletree has been a reporter for the Journal-Courier since May 2014. She joined the staff after graduating from Eastern Illinois University. The Cahokia native worked with her school ...

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem. “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” they asked. “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” King ...

Pilgrims hold up statues of the infant Jesus to be blessed during Pope Leo XIV’s Sunday Angelus address in St. Peter’s Square Dec. 21, 2025. (Credit: Vatican Media.) Listen ROME – Pope Leo XIV Sunday ...

The baby Jesus and his manger were stolen from the Lake Street Church’s Nativity scene in what is now the third incident of vandalism since the scene with a political message was erected earlier this ...

Mariam Silver's video of her son has captured the hearts of millions. A little boy's touching reaction to seeing his mother and grandmother in the audience during a Christmas performance at his ...