Lent is a period of reflection and prayer, of looking for the meaning of our prayers. One community is intimately connected with this search is the Taize Community. The Taize community is an ecumenical society of more than 100 brothers who take vows and commit themselves to the apostolate of reconciliation. It began in 1940 ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Benedict XVI.  For March 2012, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Contribution of Women. That the whole world may recognize the contribution of women to the development of society. Persecuted Christians. That the Holy Spirit may grant perseverance to those who ...read more

Last week I blogged about the importance of the Second Vatican Council in the life of the Church, and the responsibility of all Catholics to be proactive with the graces entrusted to them.  The fruits of that Council, namely the documents themselves and the broader shift in ecclesial mentality, are perhaps the greatest and most ...read more

This week the church asks us to pray for Christian unity. What does that mean? Why do we pray for Christian unity? As Christ said to God Our Father “they may all be one, as we are one” (Jo 17, 21) we have to look not to the things that keep us separated as Christians, ...read more

How many times have you promised yourself that you’d prepare for Christmas in a more spiritual way? Perhaps you’ve let Christmas go by and then its Boxing Day. After all is said and done, perhaps nothing really changed? Here’s your chance to make this year different. In partnership with the Salesian community of Don Bosco ...read more

Here is Pope Benedict XVI’s speech in the Basilica of Santa Maria degli Angeli in Assisi, Italy, before representatives of the world’s religions and non-believers: Dear Brothers and Sisters, Distinguished Heads and Representatives of Churches, Ecclesial Communities and World Religions, Dear Friends, Twenty-five years have passed since Blessed Pope John Paul II first invited representatives ...read more

There’s got to be something more we can do. This is what I keep thinking. The news is rarely good. Ecological and economic collapse here, a natural disaster there, clashes between religions, and as if all that weren’t enough: the added slap in the face of ideological disputes among Christians. The world needs renewing! It ...read more

In nearly six years at S+L, my most challenging film shoot was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Widely considered the holiest shrine in the world, the church features prominently in the documentary Within Your Gates. Gaining access to film in the edicule—the small structure marking Jesus’ burial tomb—felt like a minor ...read more

We are all in need of conversion. My colleague Pedro mentioned previously in his blog and the weekly edition of Perspectives on Christian Unity (and they talked about this on the show). Hearing the phrase “we are all in need of conversion,” I recall the story of how Brother André begged those around him to ...read more

Waiting.  Expecting.  Calmly expecting.  Expecting nothing else but to be with God.  Just being available for Him. Last time, I talked about how a friend’s visit inspired me into the “passive active-ness” needed to prepare for God this Christmas. But there’s someone else who inspires me.  On a regular basis.  A woman just like me ...read more