Pope: Contemplate greatness of God's love in simplicity of a crèche

(CNS photo/courtesy New City Press)

By Cindy Wooden | Catholic News Service

VATICAN CITY (CNS)—Whether simple or elaborate, the same every year or constantly changing, a Nativity scene echoes “the beauty of our faith,” Pope Francis wrote.

Marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi putting together the first Christmas crèche in a cave in Greccio, Italy, the Vatican publishing house compiled texts by Pope Francis about Nativity scenes and asked him to write a special introduction.

A key message of the Nativity scene is that the mystery of Christmas “loves to hide within what is infinitely small,” the pope wrote in “Christmas at the Nativity,” which was released in English in the United States by New City Press.

'Hello Beautiful': A novel for complicated families

(OSV News photo/Megan Marley)

This photo was taken at a Barnes & Noble in Overland Park, Kan. 

By Cecilia Cicone | OSV News

When it comes to matters of the heart, blood may not be thicker than water.

“Hello Beautiful” is a rare work of fiction that mirrors real life so closely as to inspire readers to address challenges in their own relationships. Through relatable characters, pages filled with drama, and just a touch of humor, Ann Napolitano’s latest work is destined to be a classic.

The novel follows the Padavanos, a Chicagoan Italian-American family, made up of a mother, Rose, a father, Charlie, and their four daughters, Emeline, Cecelia, Sylvie, and Julia, as they come of age in the 1980s and the decades that follow.