In case you forgot, it's April Fools' Day. Do you know the origin of the holiday?
Lake Forest, Calif.: A partnership between Saddleback Church (Rick Warren) and the diocese of Orange, Calif., was the foundation of a mental health conference.
Madison, Wis.: A bishop is enforcing a rule that priests can only wash the feet of men on Holy Thursday or not participate in the ritual at all. Pope Francis didn't mind washing the feet of women.
Catholic groups were rebuffed by the Supreme Court on contraceptives.
Sometimes it takes some creative scheduling for families to be able to participate in religious education classes, writes Heidi Schlumpf.
Vatican bank fraud foiled as suspects were stopped carrying a briefcase full of forged bonds.
A priest forced to leave his post after false abuse allegations found his return to work after four years "very tough."
Fairbanks, Alaska: A priest has been arrested for a triad of sins: guns, drugs and booze.
The Anglican archbishop of Kenya said that marriage is under attack and the homosexual movement is an ideology that human identity as male and female created in the image of God.
A New York town has a moment of prayer during every council meeting, but a ruling by the Supreme Court could change that.
Commentary: The rise and fall (and rise again?) of American denominations.
A priest is running 85 miles to bring water to Malawi communities.
Our very own Pat Marrin, editor of Celebration, has been creating a cartoon strip called "Francis." The cartoon has been picked up by GoComics. You can keep up to date with all Francis news at our Francis Chronicles blog.
Looking for a little inspiration to begin your day? NCR's sister publication, Celebration, gives you two options, both based on the Scripture readings of the day:
Pencil Preaching is a blog in which Celebration editor Pat Marrin combines Scripture and sketching to reflect on the Word.
Daily Bread is a series of short reflections written by four authors who meet regularly to share the readings. Daily Bread is intended to help daily preachers and others who pray from the assigned Scriptures each day to orient themselves to the Living Word addressed to the church in the world. It's a great way to begin the day.
