PARIS (CNS) – Church leaders joined government officials in saying they expect that Notre Dame Cathedral’s grandeur will be restored as firefighters extinguished the last flames of a fast-moving blaze that seriously damaged much of the iconic structure.

During Holy Week, you have traditionally gone to prisons in the area to meet with inmates, wash their feet and pray with them. How has this become such an important pastoral practice for you?

BANGKOK (CNS) – The Sri Lankan government blamed little-known Islamic group National Thowheeth Jama’ath for the Easter suicide bombings that targeted three churches and three luxury hotels across the country.

Queridos hermanos:  El segundo domingo de Pascua es, en realidad, el término de un largo día pascual que se ha prolongado durante toda esta semana; la liturgia lo presenta como un solo día en el que se concentran las experiencias de encuentro con el Resucitado que hacen los discípulos, duramente golpeados en sus esperanzas por la muerte de su Maestro.

Durante la Semana Santa, tradicionalmente, ha ido a prisiones en el área para, reunirse con los reclusos, lavarles los pies y, orar con ellos. ¿Cómo se ha convertido esto en una práctica pastoral tan importante para usted?

NATIONAL DAY OF PRAYER, May 2, noon-1 p.m., non-denominational “Love One Another” prayer event, under a tent in front of Gretna City Hall on the Commons near Huey P. Long Avenue and 2nd Street, Gretna.

“Unplanned” is an inspiringly powerful movie that will deeply touch your heart. It will move you to feel uncomfortable, angry, sad, enlightened, encouraged, vindicated and joyful. You’ll probably even shed some tears, as I did.

For LSU, it is a home run hire. Scott Woodward, an LSU and Catholic High graduate, comes home to be the new director of athletics.

Fire up the maroon bus. Set the GPS to a point 215 miles due west of 5300 St. Charles Ave. De La Salle is headed for Sulphur and Frasch Park to compete in the Allstate Sugar Bowl/LHSAA State Softball Tournament, its first after 13 years of trying, but failing, to make the tournament field.

He is risen! Resounding throughout the Church on Easter morning, the proclamation of Jesus’ resurrection echoes across the Easter season. But what does it mean?

Terri Turpin longed for a faith home she could call her own. Growing up as a Methodist in rural Mississippi, she said there were few Catholics. “It was a religion nobody knew much about, only those involved,” she said.

The discovery of an empty tomb is the Gospel record of the historical event of Jesus’ resurrection. No witnesses saw Jesus rising from the dead. But what they did see was Jesus’ agonizing passion, his ignominious death on the cross and the empty tomb.

On Mother’s Day, we honor all mothers – biological mothers, adoptive mothers, foster mothers, step-mothers and single mothers. All of these women have a special place in our prayers and in our hearts on Mother’s Day. We also pray for women who wish to share in the vocation of motherhood but for whatever reason cannot do so.

In the late 1950s, when Carol Pond was a student at the former St. Joseph High (the school affiliated with St. Joseph Church on Tulane Avenue), her Daughters of Charity teachers would focus on something different every day of Holy Week in religion class.

I’ve been married for 11 years and have three little girls, ages 10, 8 and 5. I was raised Baptist, but I really left the church many years ago. My wife Cristin is Catholic, and all of our children were baptized Catholic.

Churches across the Archdiocese of New Orleans will celebrate Divine Mercy Sunday on April 28. The major archdiocesan celebration will be April 28 at St. Joseph Church, 1802 Tulane Ave., New Orleans, beginning with confessions at 1 p.m.; Holy Hour at 1:30 p.m., with the recitation of the rosary and eucharistic adoration; followed by the Divine Mercy Chaplet and Mass at 3 p.m. celebrated by Archbishop Emeritus Alfred Hughes.

My impending conversion to Catholicism has been a slow but steady journey that started when I met my husband Bob when we were students at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. He was a medical oncology resident, and I was earning my master’s degree in medical illustration.

God gives his children a wonderful “playground” to enjoy during their earthly lives, complete with “fencing” to keep them safe, secure and deeply happy. Dan Fitzgerald compared that fencing to the Ten Commandments – safety guidelines God gave his children as a sign of his paternal love –  in order that we might have our hearts’ greatest desires.

In New Orleans, we have a unique tradition of procession and pilgrimage on Good Friday in the Nine Churches walk. At least fourteen Catholic churches from uptown down to the central business district and the French Quarter open their doors to pilgrims who spend the day prayerfully fasting and physically joining our Lord on the via crucis—the Way of the Cross, the walk to Calvary.

“Mom, why is it called ‘Good’ Friday if that is the day Jesus died?” I have wondered that myself before truly grasping the gravity that Lent and the Triduum offer us.