By Carol Glatz Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Embracing Pope Francis’ request to sponsor a refugee family, the Vatican’s St. Anne parish has welcomed a family of four from Damascus, Syria.

By Dennis Sadowski Catholic News Service WASHINGTON (CNS) — Pope Francis enjoys extremely high levels of support among Catholic likely voters and that support could reshape the Catholic Church’s engagement on political and social issues, a new poll reveals.

NEW YORK – SiriusXM announced Sept. 16 that it will launch a special channel titled “Pope Radio” that will be entirely dedicated to Pope Francis’s first visit to the United States. “Pope Radio” will be a special production of The Catholic Channel and will be an exclusive collaboration between SiriusXM and the Archdiocese of New York.

WASHINGTON—Leadership of the Catholic Church in the United States has introduced its first mobile app: USA Catholic Church . Designed to draw Catholics closer to their faith by providing access to Church information on all screens and devices, this is the only app that brings together information from all Catholic sources: parishes, dioceses, the U.S. bishops and even the Vatican.

New ministries were introduced Sept. 13 at the Our Lady of the Pines, Woodville, Ministry Fair and Family Day. Among the opportunities which will give parishioners a chance to work together to build the parish family are new social outreach ministries and a Hispanic ministry.

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — A pope needs friends, needs mercy and needs to reach out to all people, Pope Francis said in two radio interviews released in mid-September.

In celebration of the religious men and women who are serving the parishioners of the Diocese of Beaumont, Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, invited all priests, religious, deacons and the entire diocese, to an evening of prayer Sept. 13 at St. Anthony Cathedral Basilica, Beaumont.

Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD, welcomed Pope Francis’ Sept. 8 documents that will make the process for obtaining a church annulment easier and less expensive for Catholics throughout the world. “These documents are promoting the pastoral part of ministering to those who are seeking an annulment.

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — While a juridical process is necessary for making accurate judgments, the Catholic Church’s marriage annulment process must be quicker, cheaper and much more of a pastoral ministry, Pope Francis said.

The Beaumont Inter-Diocese Council Court Assemblies and Chapters of the Knights and Ladies of St. Peter Claver joined together Sept. 6 at Our Mother of Mercy Church, Beaumont, for the memorial Mass of St. Peter Claver celebrated by Bishop Curtis Guillory, SVD and concelebrated by Josephite Father Lowell Case and Josephite Father Bura Koroba.

By Nancy O’Brien Catholic News Service BALTIMORE (CNS) — Pope Francis’ Sept. 1 announcement that priests worldwide will be able to absolve women for the sin of abortion will have little effect on pastoral practices in the United States and Canada, where most priests already have such authority in the sacrament of reconciliation.

By Catholic News Service MCALLEN, Texas (CNS) — At Sacred Heart Church in McAllen, members of the community, most of them volunteers at a respite center for immigrants at Sacred Heart parish hall, were invited to a special event by ABC News, but were not informed in advance of just how special that event would be.