Katie Scott

2 days ago | ncronline.org | Michael Sean Winters |Katie Scott |Brian Fraga

Linda Ekstrom knelt in the front pew and prayed silently following the April 22 midday Mass at St. Mary of the Assumption Cathedral in Fall River, Massachusetts. A few feet in front of her, a framed portrait of Pope Francis, surrounded by flowers, stood in front of the cathedral's sanctuary. Ekstrom, a resident of Tiverton, Rhode Island, said she prayed for the church and for Francis, who died at age 88 on April 21, Easter Monday. She said she was shocked to learn of the pope's death.

1 week ago | ncronline.org | Katie Scott

Jody Roy remembers hearing how her aunt was removed from the family home as a child and taken to a Jesuit-run residential school years ago. The girl's long hair was cut, Native clothing discarded and Ojibwe language banned. "My mom's older siblings were all taken, and they experienced abuse on different levels; some were sexually abused, for others it was mental abuse," said Roy, a member of the Ojibwe Tribe.

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Camillo Barone |Katie Scott |Michael Sean Winters

When U.S. President Donald Trump was signing a flurry of executive orders, including one asserting there are only two genders, Br. Christian Matson was praying, fasting and performing acts of penance. Matson, the Catholic Church's only known openly transgender brother, had been grappling with a sense of urgency shared by many LGBTQ Catholics as the nation entered a second Trump presidency.

1 month ago | ncronline.org | Brian Fraga |Katie Scott |Camillo Barone

The headquarters of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops is seen in Washington in this 2017 photo. (OSV News/Tyler Orsburn, CNS file) The U.S. Catholic bishops' lawsuit that challenges the Trump administration's abrupt halt of refugee resettlement funding has been referred to mediation, according to court records. A settlement conference has been scheduled for Feb.

2 months ago | ncronline.org | Katie Scott |Michael Sean Winters

Six years ago, Brittany quit using meth. Two years later, she gave birth to her first child. Now the 28-year-old and her husband have launched a business in their new community of Walla Walla, Washington. She cleans houses; he offers painting services. "So much of all this was with a boost from Medicaid," said Brittany, whose recovery program and delivery were covered by the public health insurance program for low-income and disabled individuals.