María J. Moriarty

María J. Moriarty is a freelance journalist with more than 10 years of experience in the field. She holds a master’s degree in mass communication and a bachelor’s degree in journalism from the University of Missouri-Columbia. Originally from Mexico City, she started her career in broadcast before pivoting to financial reporting, where she’s spent the majority of her career.

Articles by María J. Moriarty

“Let this cross guide you as it once guided Constantine,” said Archbishop Elpidophoros of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America upon presenting President Trump with a holy cross at the White House on March 24, 2025. Credit: Courtesy of the White House/Screenshot

Greek Orthodox archbishop praises Trump for Middle East Christian support, gives him cross

Mar 25, 2025 / 12:15 pm

Using Emperor Constantine’s famous vision of the cross, Archbishop Elpidophoros presented Trump with a holy cross, calling it a symbol of “divine guidance.”

St. Mary's School in Fredericksburg, Texas. Credit: Michael Barera, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Texas ‘school choice’ legislation could trigger influx of students to Catholic schools

Mar 24, 2025 / 15:40 pm

The measure would create education savings accounts (ESAs) of about $10,893 per student and allow home schooling families to collect $2,000 per child.

U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio (left) talks to Panama Canal Authority Administrator Ricaurte Vasquez during a tour at the Miraflores locks of the Panama Canal in Panama City on Feb. 2, 2025. Credit: MARK SCHIEFELBEIN/POOL/AFP via Getty Images

Rubio secures migration deals as Panama Canal tensions, Church criticisms mark region tour

Feb 7, 2025 / 10:15 am

The trip was as much about Central America as it was about China as the Trump administration aims to reclaim American influence and authority in the continent.

Left to right: Jason Simon, president, The Evangelical Catholic; Joe Adams, winner of the ad extra award; Father Paul Soper, secretary for ministerial personnel and director of clergy personnel, Archdiocese of Boston, winner of the ad intra award; and Dan Cellucci, CEO of Catholic Leadership Institute Credit: Kelly Czajka

At Evangelical Catholic conference, clergy, layman recognized for exemplary apostolic work

Jan 27, 2025 / 16:05 pm

Father Paul Soper of Boston and Joseph Adams of Cleveland both received the Avery Cardinal Dulles Apostolic Activity Award.

Tens of thousands of pro-life advocates march through the heart of San Francisco on Saturday, Jan. 25, 2025, for the 21st annual Walk for Life West Coast. Credit: Francisco Valdez/Walk for Life

Thousands rally in San Francisco for the 21st Walk for Life West Coast

Jan 27, 2025 / 11:05 am

“Abortion hurts women, we love babies, and women deserve better than abortion,” Eva Muntean, co-chair of the Walk for Life West Coast, told CNA.

From left to right: Auxiliary Bishop of the Our Lady of the Angels Pastoral Region Matthew G. Elshoff, St. Monica pastor Father Lloyd Torgerson, and Corpus Christi pastor Monsignor Liam Kidney celebrate Mass at St. Monica Church with Corpus Christi’s surviving tabernacle next to the altar on Jan. 12, 2025. Credit: Paul Escala

Hope rises from the ashes as Catholic aid mobilizes in California wildfires

Jan 14, 2025 / 13:30 pm

A tabernacle that survived the blaze at Corpus Christi Catholic Church in Pacific Palisades has come to epitomize hope for countless families.

Firefighters run as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California, on Jan. 7, 2025. A fast-moving brushfire in a Los Angeles suburb burned buildings and sparked evacuations as “life-threatening” winds whipped the region. Credit: David Swanson/AFP via Getty Images

Wildfires in Los Angeles area level church, force school closures

Jan 8, 2025 / 21:58 pm

A raging wildfire in the Pacific Palisades sector of Los Angeles has destroyed Corpus Christi Catholic Church and forced the closure of 65 Catholic schools.

The oldest known stone tablet inscribed with the Ten Commandments, dating from A.D. 300 to 800, was sold at Sotheby’s on Dec. 18, 2024, in New York City. Expected to sell for $1 million to $2 million, it went for $5.04 million. Inscribed with the commandments in Paleo-Hebrew script, the tablet was discovered during railroad excavations along the southern coast of Israel in 1913. Credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images

Ten Commandments tablet surpasses estimates at Sotheby’s despite authenticity questions

Dec 18, 2024 / 15:40 pm

A contentious Ten Commandments tablet has sold at Sotheby’s for $5.04 million — more than twice its high estimate of $2 million.

St. Austin Catholic Church and School once the construction project was underway. Credit: St. Austin Catholic Church and School

Unused Church properties find new purpose amid serious real estate challenges

Dec 11, 2024 / 06:00 am

Declining congregations, shifting demographics, and aging infrastructure have left thousands of Church properties underutilized or vacant.

The rose window of Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral is seen a few weeks before its reopening to the public scheduled for Dec. 7, 2024, on Oct. 25, 2024, in Paris. Credit: Chesnot/Getty Images

U.S. President-elect Trump to attend Notre Dame Cathedral reopening in Paris

Dec 3, 2024 / 09:05 am

U.S. President-elect Donald Trump announced plans to travel to Paris on Dec. 7 to attend the grand reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral.

Vacated in 2021 when the Society of Our Lady of the Most Holy Trinity order consolidated, the convent at St. Alphonsus Parish in Seattle’s Ballard neighborhood now offers private rooms and shared common areas to teachers and ministry professionals, usually within their first five years of service. Credit: St. Alphonsus Parish/Archdiocese of Seattle

Seattle parish transforms convent into affordable housing for mission-driven teachers

Oct 18, 2024 / 06:00 am

St. Alphonsus Parish in Seattle has converted its former convent into affordable living spaces for young educators and ministry leaders.

St. Junípero Serra. Credit: Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

Rare 1776 St. Junípero Serra letter fails to sell at New York auction

Sep 27, 2024 / 12:15 pm

A two-page letter from 1776 written by St. Junípero Serra failed to sell at a New York auction this week after the auction house declined a $70,000 offer.

Diocese of Phoenix doubles down on mental health ministry

Sep 24, 2024 / 11:55 am

The soon-to-be Mental Health First Aid trainers are set to serve in each of the diocese’s deaneries, aiming to expand mental health training capacity.