Like countless generations of women in her family, Olga Ciaravella spends her evenings quietly crocheting prayer shawls for those in need.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis led prayers for the people of Albania after the country was struck by a magnitude 6.4 earthquake.

VATICAN – Advent is a time for people to think about what they can change about themselves so that they can sow the seeds of peace, justice and fraternity in their daily lives, Pope Francis said.

LOS ANGELES – After a shooting spree late Nov. 7 at a country-music bar in Thousand Oaks, about 40 miles from the heart of Los Angeles, Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles asked people to "pray hard" for the victims and their families.

HONOLULU – Paul and Rose Utes, members of Sacred Heart Parish in Pahoa, had to leave their home when lava from the Kilauea eruptions moved into their section of the Leilani Estates subdivision in Puna on the Big Island.

VATICAN – Pope Francis led thousands of people in St. Peter's Square in prayers for the success of the inter-Korean summit, scheduled for April 27.

VATICAN – Pope Francis will travel to Bari, the southern Italian Adriatic port city, July 7 to host a day of reflection and ecumenical prayer for peace in the Middle East.

AUSTIN, Texas – As police investigated a series of package explosions in central Texas that killed two people and injured four others, two of the state's bishops said their thoughts and prayers were with the victims and families and friends of those victimized by the explosions.

VATICAN CITY – After leading thousands of pilgrims in praying the Angelus, Pope Francis offered prayers for flood victims in Texas and Louisiana following a devastating hurricane that caused massive flooding.

Pope Francis offered his condolences and his prayers to the people of Sierra Leone after flooding and a major mudslide Aug. 14 led to the deaths of hundreds of people and displaced thousands.

VATICAN CITY – Marking the feast of St. Josephine Bakhita, a former slave, Pope Francis urged Christians to help victims of human trafficking and migrants, especially the Rohingya people being chased from Myanmar.

VATICAN CITY – On Sunday Pope Francis announced that his “urgent” prayer for the month of January is for all those who live on the streets with no shelter, especially during the cold winter weather.

29th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) Oct. 16 (Exodus 17:8-13; Psalm 121; 2 Timothy 3:14-4:2; Luke 18:1-8)

Good leadership is essential in all human endeavours, whether in war, business or politics. The qualities of a leader can make or break any battle or collective activity. During the battle with the Amalekites, Moses stood on a hill with his lieutenants where he could be easily seen by his troops. His raised arms gave them courage — in their own minds, he was imparting some sort of blessing or power. They felt reassured that God was with them. As long as his arms remained raised, the Israelites prevailed; when Moses’ arms drooped, they began to lose ground.

SAN BERNARDINO, Calif. - San Bernardino Bishop Gerald Barnes urged people to pray for unity and healing after the mass shooting in San Bernardino Dec. 2 that left 14 people dead and 21 others wounded.

The mass shooting in San Bernardino, CA, has killed at least 14 people and wounded 17. It’s one of the deadlier mass shootings of this year, which is an absurd sentence to even have to type, and in the wake of it many people have been doing what comes naturally: taking to Twitter. In some strange ways, it feels like the big room we all want to be in, to mourn and get information and express the opinions we can’t share with our co-workers or family members or the bus driver.