With little more than five weeks remaining of his ministry in the Archdiocese of Chicago, Bishop Gerald F. Kicanas said he “certainly is going to miss this place,” but is excited about meeting the priests, deacons and laity of the Diocese of Tucson.

Pope John Paul II named the Chicago auxiliary bishop to be coadjutor bishop of Tucson, where he will assist and eventually succeed Bishop Manuel D. Moreno, 70, who has headed the diocese since 1982. Read more...

“My personal opinion is if William Booth were alive today, he would want to be at the Harbor Light,” said Allan, a native of England whose parents also were Salvation Army officers.

Booth, who founded the organization that would become the Salvation Army in 1865, was a Methodist minister who took the Gospel to the streets of the impoverished East End of London, ministering to “thieves, prostitutes, gamblers and drunkards,” who became among his first converts to Christianity. Read more...

Emmanual Mitchell grew up in Woodlawn, attending St. Gelasius. His mother died when he was in eighth grade, and now his 26-year-old sister supports him and his brother.

With the help of scholarships from a Big Shoulders Fund grant, the three students attend Mount Carmel High School. On Nov. 2, the third annual Lend a Shoulder Day, they had lunch with some of the fund’s benefactors and shared their stories. Read more...

When Harry Potter flew onto the American scene three years ago, his magical broomstick swept up a flurry of critical acclaim and the kind of devotion from young readers that most authors can only fantasize about.

Now, with the Warner Bros. film based on the first book, “Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone,” set for release Nov. 16 and Harry Potter licensing deals and tie-ins everywhere, Harry-mania is running wild once again.

But the young wizard and his creator, Scottish author J.K. Rowling, kicked up something besides praise: warnings from some Christian critics, including Catholics, that the series of books at best would confuse children about the nature of God and the world, and at worst would lead legions of young people into a life of witchcraft and the occult. Read more...