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Giuseppe Toniolo: A vocation to social justice

April 30, 2012 By Leave a Comment

On the day the church celebrated vocations, the church beatified Giuseppe Toniolo. He is proof that not just those in religious orders are call to be saints. Toniolo was an economist from the Italian city of Treviso father of seven children.

Born in Treviso in 1845 the now-blessed Giuseppe Toniolo became known for his work with the Pope Leo XIII on the encyclical Rerum Novarum. For him political systems which were not founded in God couldn’t survive.

Toniolo shows what a vocation is all about. Everything you do in your life is part of your vocation. He put God at the center of his work and family life.

Founder of the Italian Week of Social Justice – which celebrated 100 years in 2007 – Toniolo dedicated his life to his vocation an inspired others to come closer to God.

As the Holy Father said after the Regina Coeli yesterday, Toniolo was an example of a life that upholds to the primacy of the human person and social justice.

Filed Under: Featured, Saint Stories, Saints and Blesseds

Time for God: working Catholic spirituality into my schedule

April 25, 2012 By 1 Comment

Below follows Fr. Rosica’s address at De Paul University, Chicago during World Catholicism Week 2012.

Dear Friends,

I am very grateful for the opportunity to address you during DePaul University’s “World Catholicism Week.” It is a real pleasure to finally visit America’s largest Catholic university! I have given much thought to the topic of “Making Time for God.” The necessity of having time for God – time to step back and slow down for spiritual reflection – is becoming more complex and more necessary than ever before. Our current fast-paced, plugged-in information age, which leads us to believe that we can do many things simultaneously, quickly and efficiently without critical reflection, contemplation and the requisite silence is beginning to wear on us. We are rushing everywhere, with wires in our ears, decked out with bluetooth apparatus, laden with smart phones, iPads, and soon-to-be outmoded laptops. Every day we ask ourselves, “Do I have time to attend this meeting, go to that volunteer activity, finish this paper, eat dinner, etc.?” “When is the last time I had a significant, one-on-one, face-to-face conversation with another human being?” “When have I sent a paper greeting card or written a letter to a friend with a good old pen and paper?” “How, when and where will I ever find time for God?” [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Fr. Thomas Rosica, Saints and Blesseds Tagged With: , ,

A bedtime story worth telling…

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment


Stories are powerful. They inspire us, imbue us with values, and foster a sense of continuity with the past. In fact, I always marvel at how Jesus used parables to reveal realities that could hardly be fathomed by those who heard them. I’ve heard it said that we become the stories we tell ourselves. I’ll admit, I’m a grown-up who still loves children’s stories. Often they’re profound in their simplicity. One such story about Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha prompted me to do some serious reflection on the nature of religious vocation and our universal call to holiness. Who knew that a 32 page children’s book, read while I was traveling home on the streetcar, would challenge me so deeply! So in honour of Bl. Kateri Tekakwitha’s feast day I thought I’d suggest the book to others.  Check out Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha, published by Novalis, written by Anne E. Neuberger, with illustrations by Kevin Davidson. The children’s book tells the story of Kateri from her early beginnings as the daughter of the Chief of the Tortoise Clan to her eventual death at the age of 24. Perhaps the most beautiful aspect of this book is the honesty of the story
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Faith Education, General Posts, Saint Stories, Saints and Blesseds Tagged With:

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha: Mohawk Mystic of North America Model of the First Evangelization and New Evangelization

April 17, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today we celebrate the feast day of Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha.  Below view Father Thomas Rosica’s reflection in honour of her feast day.

Find the full text of Father Rosica’s reflection below:

Blessed Kateri Tekakwitha: Mohawk Mystic of North America
Model of the First Evangelization and New Evangelization

In his final words spoken at World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto, ten years ago, Blessed John Paul II addressed the throng of young people present at the Downsview Air Force Base on Sunday July 28, 2002, during the concluding Eucharistic celebration of Canada’s blessed event. The Holy Father said during his homily:

“At difficult moments in the Church’s life, the pursuit of holiness becomes even more urgent. And holiness is not a question of age; it is a matter of living in the Holy Spirit, just as Kateri Tekakwitha did here in America and so many other young people have done.”

For his last World Youth Day, Blessed John Paul II singled out a young native woman, one of the nine young saints and blesseds he had offered to Canada as patrons of World Youth Day 2002, holding her up as a model of holiness, goodness, humanity for millions of young people who were and remain part of the great adventure of World Youth Days. And yet Kateri’s story is a very curious one. We hear little of her own voice in her biographies. What drew Kateri to Baptism? What was the source of her love of Jesus Christ and the Church? How could the life of a 17th century young native woman speak to contemporary society, culture and Church today? What will her faith and Canonization do to heal the First Nations people today, broken because of a history of oppression, abuse, and discord?
[Read more...]

Filed Under: Fr. Thomas Rosica, General Posts, Saint Stories, Saints and Blesseds, World Youth Day Tagged With: , ,

Fr. Felix Varela: “Venerable”

April 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

There was more to celebrate this past weekend than just the Resurrection of our Lord!

As reported on Perspectives yesterday, Pope Benedict XVI has given his approval for Fr. Felix Varela to be given the status of “venerable,” following a unanimous recommendation from the Vatican’s Congregation for Saints’ Causes. This means that Varela is now eligible for beatification. The beatification would only happen following a miracle attributed to his intercession and certified by the Congregation for Saints’ Causes.

The Pope’s approval was announced on Easter Sunday by Cardinal Timothy Dolan of the Archdiocese of New York. The Archdiocese of Miami, in turn, held a press conference at the Shrine of Our Lady of Charity. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Featured, Lent and Easter, Saints and Blesseds Tagged With: , , ,

Thank You Blessed JPII

April 2, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Today marks the 7th anniversary of Blessed John Paul II’s death.

This video, “Thank You John Paul II”, is a Salt + Light Television production that pays tribute to a man who touched the hearts of millions of people. We know that Blessed John Paul II will forever be remembered for his courageous bridge-building efforts between nations and religions around the world. More than that, he will always hold a special place in the hearts of young people.

From all of us at Salt + Light, we miss you JP2 and we will always love you.

Filed Under: Featured, Saints and Blesseds, Videos Tagged With: ,