The Season of Saints
October is the season of saints. It begins and ends with a celebration of sainthood and the call to holiness. St. Therese of Lisieux brings in the month with the feast day of this Doctor of the Church on Oct.…
Novalis Seeds of Faith
Saint Jean de Brebeuf
St. Jean de Brébeuf is a giant of Canadian history. His writings in the Jesuit Relations, for example, offer an invaluable window into life in 17th-century Canada, while his gift for languages, which prompted him to create the first Huron…
Cosmas and Damian
The Saints of God Cosmas and Damian were denounced in the persecution of Diocletian the Emperor. That much is sure. What follows almost sounds like a Monty Python sketch: They were crucified, then stoned, then attacked by archers and finally…
Media and the New Evangelization: Television as a Means of Sharing the Faith
Editor’s Note: As our team was planning themes and topics for our blog, we found ourselves discussing the New Evangelization. We thought that perhaps we should explore on our blog the meaning and purpose of the New Evangelization and how…
The Korean Martyrs
The passion and perseverance that fuelled the growth of the Catholic Church in Korea can teach us all a lesson in faith. The first Church founded entirely by lay people, the Catholic Church in Korea dates back to the 18th…
The Cross as a Sign of Boundless Love and Mercy
The cross is at the very heart of our faith. As a symbol, it reminds us of God’s boundless love for us, and as a spiritual and historical reality it holds out the merciful promise of salvation. The Feast of…
Working for Peace in Syria: Three Ways You Can Help
The other day I told some friends of mine that I was against military intervention in Syria’s civil war. One friend sharply criticized my response and suggested that our inaction will lead to the deaths of hundreds, if not thousands,…
Pope Gregory the Great
Few popes in the Church’s history have had as great of an influence on the shaping of the Church as Pope Gregory. Born into a wealthy patrician family in Rome around 540, Gregory rose to prominence within the Roman government.…
Books for a New School Year
September is in many ways a time of new beginnings. For anyone with children — or who remembers being a child — it is about the new school year. This fall, Novalis is ready for the season with several new…
Saint Monica: Mothers and their Children’s Faith
There isn’t a mom I know who can’t relate – at least a little! – to St. Monica, the devoted mother of St. Augustine of Hippo, whose love for her child overcame their clash of wills and values. In what…