The U.S. Supreme Court, no stranger to death penalty cases, is looking very narrowly at two aspects of capital punishment this term.

In response to the church abuse crisis, many parishes around the country have been bringing out the big guns in a spiritual sense—calling on St. Michael the Archangel to help the church.

After the weeks of intense drama focused on Supreme Court nominee Judge Brett Kavanaugh, the nation's highest court was ready to get back to business, full bench or not.

A Catholic women's leadership organization, the GIVEN Institute, which aims to encourage and train young women in leadership roles in the church and society, officially launched Sept. 12.

During the Saturday evening Mass when Father Looney heard the opening lines of the first reading from Jeremiah, the priest switched gears, deciding he had to say something about sexual abuse allegations against now former Cardinal Theodore E. McCarrick, retired archbishop of Washington.

Big cases this year involved the president's travel ban, a same-sex wedding cake, gerrymandering, sports betting, cellphone tracking, union dues and pro-life pregnancy centers.

Kennedy is one of five Catholic justices on the Supreme Court.

In a 5-4 decision June 26, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld President Donald Trump's travel ban on people entering the U.S. from some Muslim-majority countries, saying the president's action was within his power.

A group of Catholic high school friends has kept in touch -- literally -- since graduating more than 30 years ago from Gonzaga Preparatory School in Spokane, Washington.

"They are surfacing the issue forcefully and making the House deal with it," said William Canny.