How do we attract a new generation to consider Christianity? This question is common table talk at practically every gathering of Christians I attend these days. It is a question that Pope Francis answers in his annual message for World…
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…
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…
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…
“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…
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…
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…
Today, Divine Mercy Sunday, has the distinction of witnessing the canonization of two modern icons of holiness in the Church — St. John Paul II and Saint John XXIII. The massive celebration in St. Peter’s Square in Rome is being…
We think of Easter as a perennial event, as sure as the return of spring, the blooming of the daffodils. It is reassuring and comforting. Yet should it be? Should it be rather a shock, a jolt to our comfortable…
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…