Though we may know the first verse and the refrain of a number of Christmas carols, do we know the origin of these songs we sing each December?

More than 1,500 people venerated the skull of St. Thomas Aquinas at Ss. Philip and James in Homewood Dec. 17-18. The Dominican-led parish was the final stop of a tour sponsored by the Dominican Province of St. Joseph that included visits to 11 sites in seven states and the District of Columbia.

In approaching the comic adventure “Sonic the Hedgehog 3” (Paramount), viewers will likely be expecting to witness more of the hyperkinetic antics that are the trademark of the Sega video game-based characters around whom the franchise is built. What they may not be bargaining for are complex layers of emotional pain.

The Catholic University of America is facing a “structural deficit of $30 million” that the school “must address through both budget cuts and revenue growth,” said president Peter Kilpatrick in a Dec. 6 email to alumni.

To have a true Christian pilgrimage experience along the Camino de Santiago — the popular pilgrimage in northern Spain that leads to the tomb of St. James — pilgrims must cultivate silence, prayer and charity along their route, Pope Francis said.