Today, Thursday, September 22, Pope Benedict began his first State Visit to Germany with a visit to the Bundestag, the lower house of Parliament. This is the third time that a Pope addresses a Federal Parliament: Pope John Paul II addressed the Parliaments in Warsaw and in Rome. The Holy Father reminds German politicians that ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI arrived in Germany this morning. During the welcoming ceremony, attended by German Chancellor Angela Merkel and President Christian Wulff, the Holy Father said he had “not come primarily to pursue particular political or economic goals … but rather to meet people and to  speak about God.” Mr President of the Federal Republic, Ladies ...read more

This coming Sunday, the Archdiocese of São Paulo and the National Conference of Bishops of Brazil (CNBB) will host the first preparatory event leading to World Day Youth Day 2013. The event will mark the arrival to Brazil of the WYD Cross and the Icon of Our Lady. It will be attended by the Archbishop ...read more

As many of you already know, our Mass will be a little different starting this Advent season. The way Catholics celebrate the Eucharist follows a standard form. We call this the Order of Mass. It is comprised of four main parts: the Introductory Rites, the Liturgy of the Word, the Liturgy of the Eucharist, and ...read more

Yesterday was the Feast of the Triumph or Exaltation of the Cross. For the last two days on the S+L Blog, we’ve been looking at why we exalt the cross, an instrument of death. We saw that Jesus died to destroy death for ever, so we don’t have to be under the power of death ...read more

Today is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Yesterday on the blog, we looked at why we honour the Cross: Because it reminds us that Jesus died to save us. And this is where I have a problem. Why do we need to be saved by Jesus’ death? I remember growing up learning ...read more

“Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim…” That’s a song we all know, but what does it mean? Why do we lift high the Cross? Tomorrow is the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, also called the Exaltation of the Cross. Did you know that we celebrate this feast tomorrow? Have you ...read more

Last Tuesday, we kicked-off our WYD experience with the gathering for Canadian pilgrims – a first in WYD history and a wonderful way to begin our week. Yesterday, the feast of St. Rose of Lima, I had the chance to end my WYD experience with another national gathering – this one for Panamanian pilgrims that ...read more

Having been the Artistic Director for WYD2002 in Toronto, there is a very special place in my heart for the Youth Festival. This is the component of WYD, initiated in Paris in 1997, that allows the pilgrims themselves to be co-producers of WYD. The Catechesis Sessions and Main Events are planned by the WYD National ...read more

Recently I wrote about how God is a God of abundance. We may complain that He doesn’t always give us what we want, but He absolutely never gives us less than we need. Remember the words from Psalm 23? “There is nothing I shall want.” I’ve always been intrigued by the words that follow that ...read more