One Year On
December 8th is a special day for us at Novalis. Aside from being the traditional feast day of the Immaculate Conception, it is the very day that our founder, Fr. André Guay, began what would become Novalis. His dedication to…
Category Reflections
Sacrosanctum Concilium: 50 Years Later
Of all the documents of the Second Vatican Council, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, Sacrosanctum Concilium, led to some of the most significant and visible reforms of the Church’s life. While many of those changes are easily identifiable, such as…
Media and the New Evangelization
One of the first apostles called by Jesus to follow him was Andrew, brother of Simon. Jesus said to them both, “Follow me, and I will make you fish for people.” (Matthew 4.19) Simon, of course, became Peter, the first…
Elderly: Society’s Greatest Treasures
The Holy Father, himself a senior – and so am I, although I’m more than a decade younger than Pope Francis – recently called on the faithful “to care for grandparents, for without them there is no future.” His homily…
Welcoming New Catechumens: Celebrating The Rite of Acceptance in Your Parish
Many parishes blessed with an RCIA program will choose this weekend to hold the Rite of Acceptance, a significant moment in the faith journey of those discerning entry into the Catholic Church. This brief ritual sees inquirers in the RCIA…
The Basilica of Saint John Lateran
“Be still, and know that I am God! I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth.” (Psalm 46:10) Most people assume that the pope’s cathedral is St. Peter’s Basilica, located within the walls of Vatican City.…
All Souls’ Day
All Souls’ Day is one of the most hopeful moments of the Church year. That might sound like an odd assertion regarding a day also known as The Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed. Indeed, celebration of the day comes…
World Mission Sunday
Our liturgical celebrations this weekend mark World Mission Sunday, an annual event in the life of the Church. But in one sense, every Sunday is a “mission Sunday.” At the end of each Mass, we are told to go and…
Cultivating a Grateful Spirit
Thanksgiving is a perfect time to assess the role gratitude plays in our lives. In North America, many of us are so profoundly blessed that we run the risk of taking it all for granted. Sometimes we forget to offer…
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…