Using a cherished family recipe handed down from ancestors from Poland, Catholic Review Managing Editor George Matysek Jr. and his wife, Treasa, spend the wee hours before Christmas making, kneading and rolling out dough and then dropping homemade potato-and-cheese filling into each carefully crafted circle.

The Recording Academy and Grammy Museum announced Dec. 19 that Tony Small, the director of music at St. Bernardine in West Baltimore, has been named a finalist for the recording industry’s prestigious Music Educator Award.

Protecting the dignity of workers and promoting dignified jobs are the essential roles of a labor union, Pope Francis said when he met members of Italy’s largest union.

The day after he turned 86, Pope Francis met with volunteers, family members and children receiving care from a Vatican pediatric clinic.

Pope Francis spent part of his 86th birthday paying tribute to people who have gone above and beyond in the exercise of charity.