Although many of us are accustomed to deacons serving in our communities, a permanent diaconate is a very new experience for those of us in the Western Church. Despite references to deacons in the Christian scriptures, and the profound witness…
The Novalis offices have been rather quiet the past few days. This is not to suggest, however, that little is being done. Instead, all of us on staff are hard at work preparing for the fall season and several are…
At the heart of our Christian spirituality is the belief that we are a pilgrim people. From birth to death our lives are marked by rites of passage leading us to the day when we hope to enter into the…
I once thought that doubt was not good for the spiritual life. It was the unhealthy trait of those who did not believe in God. A person of faith, on the other hand, trusted in God even when things were…
One of my favourite cities to visit in the U.S. is Boston. Besides its fascinating history and rich cultural tapestry, the city boasts a large Italian neighbourhood known as the North End. Like any good Italian community, it’s known for…
This past long weekend afforded me the opportunity to catch up on some reading that’s been sitting on my desk at home. Among the items was a recent issue of the American cultural journal The Hedgehog Review that featured a…
Christ is risen! Truly he is risen! Χριστός ἀνέστη! Ἀληθῶς ανέστη! (Greek) Христос воскрес! Воїстину воскрес! (Ukrainian) A number of years ago I experienced the joy and excitement of an Easter Vigil in a Ukrainian Orthodox cathedral. For many weeks…
The news of the bombing of the Boston Marathon is both horrifying and shocking. What was to be a day of great joy and elation, quickly became a day of tragedy and unfathomable suffering. In an instant lives were forever…
We are living in what is to be one of the most historic moments in papal history. First, we witnessed the resignation of Pope Benedict XVI, leaving many of us wondering if the nature of the papacy will be forever…
Over the past few weeks I’ve been wrestling with the realization that I no longer appreciate feasts. I became poignantly aware of this last Christmas. It was not that I wasn’t enjoying the day, but rather that it felt no…