The Novena to the Holy Spirit
A novena—a prayer lasting nine days—seems odd at first; the number nine is not widely used in the Bible. It may be that the custom of novenas actually grew out of the nine days of prayer that Scripture tells us…
Month May 2014
St. Philip Neri and the Cheerful Heart
Have you heard the one about the funny saint? Talk about saints often focuses first on serious attributes: piety, for example, or a sense of selflessness. While an extraordinarily pious man, Saint Philip Neri, a 16th-century Italian priest and founder…
Books in the News: Pope Francis, Cardinal Kasper and Father Rosica
Whether it is the “Francis Effect” or the recent canonization of two of the 20th Century’s greatest popes, Catholic books have received quite a bit of media attention the past few weeks. While Catholics may be accustomed to frequent news…
Mary: A Faith-Filled Woman
“Bring flowers of the fairest, bring blossoms the rarest….” Strains of this Marian hymn from my childhood float through my mind every May as soon as the tulips start to bloom. In the old days, of course, those tulips would…
Discerning the Will of God
Although only mentioned briefly in the Acts of the Apostles, the election of Matthias as an apostle illustrates for us the importance of discernment in the life of the Church. We are told that shortly after Jesus’ Ascension, on the…
Santo Subito!
In honour of tonight’s celebration of our recently published book John Paul II: A Saint for Canada, we share with you a brief excerpt from the introduction of the book. If you’re in the Toronto area this evening, join us at…