5 things to know and share about St. Nicholas

St. Nicholas, by Jaroslav Cermák (1831-1878). / Credit: Galerie Art Praha via Wikimedia (public domain)Vatican City, Dec 6, 2025 / 04:00 am (CNA).St. Nicholas, whose feast day is celebrated on Dec. 6, is known to possibly be the real-life inspiration for the beloved Christmas character of Santa Claus.Not a lot is known about the historical Nicholas, who was bishop of Myra, a Greek city in modern-day Turkey, during the fourth century A.D. But there are many stories and legends that explain his reputation as a just and upright man, charitable gift-giver, and miracle-worker.Here are five things to know and share about St. Nicholas:1. There is a legend behind why St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children.Many people know that St. Nicholas is the patron saint of children, but they may not know why he has that title.There is a grisly legend that says that during a famine in Myra, three young boys were lured into a butcher's shop, where they were killed and then brined in a wooden ...

Christmas 2025: Handmade gifts from 14 Catholic monasteries

The contemplative Sisters of the Monastery of Bethlehem in Livingston Manor, New York, support themselves by offering their hand-painted chinaware and other unique gifts for sale. / Credit: Monastery of BethlehemWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 6, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).Many monasteries and communities of religious brothers and sisters depend on proceeds from the sales of their products to sustain their lives of prayer and service throughout the year. These days, most have online gift shops that will ship your purchases to arrive before Christmas.Here's a guide to some of our favorite handmade gifts to give and receive this year:Fudge and candyMonk Bakery Gifts, Monastery of the Holy Spirit: Monks in Conyers, Georgia, make their famous fudge with premium chocolate and real butter. Try a 12-ounce gift box for $15. And for a taste of Georgia, try their Southern Touch fudge, "made with real peach morsels, pecans, and a touch of peach brandy."Monastery Candy, Our Lady of the Mississip...

The saint of Christmas and ecumenism: Bari celebrates St. Nicholas

Statue of St. Nicholas, the patron saint of Bari, Italy, at the Pontifical Basilica of St. Nicholas. / Credit: Veronica Giacometti/ACI StampaACI Stampa, Dec 6, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).The people of Bari, a city in southern Italy, have a deep devotion to St. Nicholas, their patron saint and beloved protector."How can you not love St. Nicholas? And how can you not feel loved by St. Nicholas?" Father Giovanni Distante, the rector of Bari's Pontifical Basilica of St. Nicholas, told ACI Stampa, CNA's Italian-language news partner."The relationship between the people of Bari and St. Nicholas is one of love," the rector continued, "a relationship that began in 1087 and continues to this day."On Dec. 6, Bari, Italy, is filled with "illuminations," a choreographed display of lights in the narrow streets of the city that are lit up for the feast of St. Nicholas and also for Christmas. This year's program is once again full of events and celebrations. Credit: Veronica Giacometti/ACI Stampa....

Young artists' images of Nativity win awards from Missionary Childhood Association

Grand prize-winning piece by Janielle Perez is on display at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., until Jan. 11, 2026. Perez is a student at Resurrection Catholic School in the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. / Credit: Tessa Gervasini/CNAWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 5, 2025 / 16:08 pm (CNA).Children across the U.S. received awards for their artwork portraying the Nativity of Jesus in Washington, D.C."Through their creativity, they have beautifully expressed the story of Christ's humble beginning and what it means to be young missionary disciples," said Alixandra Holden, director of the Missionary Childhood Association (MCA), one of four Pontifical Mission Societies in the U.S., at a Dec. 5 awards ceremony.MCA's mission is "to help children grow in faith by teaching them to pray and sacrifice for other children around the world." Since 1933, the organization has encouraged children to evangelize by depicting the Nativity of Jesus.Gr...

Virginia school district concedes lawsuit by Catholic student over transgender policies

null / Credit: itakdalee/ShutterstockCNA Staff, Dec 5, 2025 / 12:07 pm (CNA).A Catholic Virginia student will receive payments including attorney's fees after a school district conceded a lawsuit she brought over the district's transgender policies.The student, identified in the October lawsuit as "Jane Doe," said the Fairfax County School Board violated her constitutional rights when it subjected her to "extreme social pressure" to affirm transgender pronoun conventions.Doe, identified as a "practicing Roman Catholic who strives daily to live in accordance with her faith," felt compelled to engage in self-censorship in which she attempted to "avoid using pronouns altogether" in many circumstances due to fear of punishment from school officials, according to the suit.When she expressed concerns over sharing a bathroom with a male student, meanwhile, she was told she could "use a private restroom if she felt uncomfortable," according to the suit.On Dec. 2 the law group America F...

Mexico City cathedral organizes 'Guadalupe Night' to celebrate Our Lady

Metropolitan Cathedral of Mexico City. / Credit: Salvador alc, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia CommonsPuebla, Mexico, Dec 5, 2025 / 06:00 am (CNA).The metropolitan cathedral of the Archdiocese of Mexico will host a special program to celebrate Our Lady of Guadalupe on the night of Dec. 11, the eve of the solemnity of the Virgin of Tepeyac.  Under the title "Guadalupe Night," a program is planned that will begin at 6 p.m. local time with a procession that will depart from the Church of Santa Inés (St. Agnes) carrying the "Virgin of the Oath" (of loyalty) which, as explained on the cathedral's social media, is "the historical image before which the Virgin of Guadalupe was proclaimed patroness of New Spain."Midway between Santa Inés Church and the metropolitan cathedral stands what was once the archbishop's palace, built by the first bishop of Mexico, Friar Juan de Zumárraga. It was precisely to this place that St. Juan Diego, the visionary who saw Our Lady of Guadalupe, cam...

DR Congo's bishops announce construction of national shrine honoring Blessed Anuarite

The president of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has announced the construction of a national shrine dedicated to Blessed Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta, a Congolese sister beatified in August 1985. / Credit: DiaCENCOACI Africa, Dec 5, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).The president of the National Episcopal Conference of Congo (CENCO) has announced the construction of a national shrine dedicated to Blessed Marie-Clémentine Anuarite Nengapeta, a Congolese sister beatified in August 1985.Announcing the launch of construction on Dec. 1, Archbishop Fulgence Muteba Mugalu described Blessed Anuarite as a timeless model of hope for a nation scarred by violence and social injustice."I am pleased to address this message to you on the feast of Blessed Anuarite, during which the construction works for the great shrine dedicated to her are being launched," Muteba said of the construction, which will take place in the Diocese of Isiro-Niangara.He said the initiative is a "signi...

Former Maronite priest still presenting himself as a cleric, Denver Archdiocese warns

Andre Mahanna, a former Maronite Catholic priest. / Credit: "EWTN News Nightly"/ScreenshotSt. Louis, Missouri, Dec 4, 2025 / 18:06 pm (CNA).Andre Mahanna, a former Maronite Catholic priest who gained a national profile as a commentator, fundraiser, and advocate for persecuted Christians is continuing to present himself as a priest despite having been dismissed from the clerical state for financial impropriety, the Archdiocese of Denver announced Thursday.  In a statement, the archdiocese said Bishop Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon of Los Angeles had dismissed Mahanna from the clerical state due to financial impropriety and that Mahanna is not permitted to act or present himself validly as a Catholic priest.Mahanna has no priestly faculties, the statement continues, and is not authorized to "celebrate sacraments, preach, bless, or represent himself as a cleric in any setting."  Catholics and members of the public should not engage ...

Leo XIV eliminates commission for donations to Holy See created by Pope Francis

null / Credit: Yury Dmitrienko/ShutterstockACI Prensa Staff, Dec 4, 2025 / 16:07 pm (CNA).The Vatican announced on Dec. 4 a new decision by Pope Leo XIV regarding fundraising for the Holy See.Through the new chirograph Vinculum Unitatis et Caritatis, the Holy Father is eliminating the current Commissio de Donationibus (Donations Commission) structure created in February by Pope Francis to raise funds, which was approved "ad experimentum" (for temporary or provisional use) for three years.This commission was tasked with encouraging donations through specific campaigns among the faithful, bishops' conferences, and other potential benefactors.The pontiff thus repealed the rules in force until now and established that they will no longer have "any canonical or legal force," as well as any acts adopted up to this point. Furthermore, Pope Leo XIV decreed that all the commission's assets must be transferred to the Holy See.By means of this decree, the members of the commission are imm...

Catholic bishops back Trump's removal of gender ideology in refugee forms

United States Conference of Catholic Bishops headquarters in Washington, D.C. / Credit: Farragutful, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia CommonsWashington, D.C. Newsroom, Dec 4, 2025 / 15:07 pm (CNA).The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) has published a public comment that supports the removal of gender ideology within refugee resettlement forms for unaccompanied children.In accordance with President Donald Trump's executive order "defending women from gender ideology extremism" and restoring "biological truth to the federal government," the Office of Refugee Resettlement has proposed a change to forms that would replace the word "gender" with "sex."The proposed change would require that the forms reflect the child's biological sex as opposed to perceived identity. The form options will be limited to only "male" and female."In the public comment, the bishops said they have "historically partnered closely with the...