"Sometimes I wonder how I can possibly weave Francis' difficult and often uncomfortable lessons into my exceedingly comfortable existence," writes Mary DeTurris Poust. "How do those of us with warm homes and busy jobs and nice clothes make St. Francis into something more than a decoration or a mascot?"

A new national survey found that young people place the greatest responsibility on the government to address climate change. One in three say they will support candidates who share their climate views.

U.S.-based programming designed to celebrate St. Francis' feast day or advance the principles of Pope Francis' encyclical Laudato Si' seldom reflects the diversity of Catholic communities, writes Amanda J. Baugh.