By Kevin Burns In his book The Road to Character David Brooks presents a series of character-building biographical essays about difficult lives, confident that as readers, consciously or unconsciously, we tend “to bend our lives to mimic theirs.” He includes…
By Matthew Sottile, Editor A day when Catholics everywhere prepare themselves for the challenges Lent will bring, yet also serves as an introspective moment of thanks. I say this because many celebrate the day with a heaping pile of pancakes,…
Today, Christians around the world gather to mark Good Friday – a solemn celebration marking Jesus’ passion and death. As we listen to the words of the Gospel, we journey together to the cross, knowing that it changes everything. We…
As our celebration of Christ’s passion, death and resurrection draw closer, we begin to see in many churches the devotional practice of covering statues and images in purple cloth during the final two weeks of Lent, otherwise known as Passiontide.…
The first Roman Catholic holy year organized by Pope Boniface VIII for the city of Rome in 1300 became a tradition that has been passed down to this day. Following in the footsteps of Pope Boniface, Pope Francis will formally…
We received in our office the early shipment of Pope Francis’ newest book The Church of Mercy. We couldn’t help but share with you a passage that we thought was fitting for our commemoration of Jesus’ death on the cross today. Pope…
It’s remarkable how a simple gesture can provoke such controversy. Pope Francis caused quite the stir last year when he celebrated the Liturgy of Holy Thursday at a prison. While many lamented his departure from papal custom, more were puzzled…
The Via Lucis, or Way of Light, is a newer devotion in the Church that works like the Stations of the Cross, except that it celebrates the resurrection appearances of Jesus. It was first celebrated in Italy in 1988, and it has…
One of the great benefits of working for a publisher is getting a first look at many remarkable books well before they go to press. This year, I am particularly impressed by many of the titles we recently released just…
The New Testament accords Mary Magdalene a place of honour, not only locating her by name at the foot of the cross but also identifying her as one of the first witnesses to the resurrection. Saint Augustine called her the…