Pope John Paul II greets Mother Teresa of Calcutta at the Vatican in an undated file photo. Mother Teresa, the founder of the Missionaries of Charity was beatified by Pope John Paul in 2003. (CNS photo) ...read more

Father Karol Wojtyla is pictured next to bicycles during an outing in Poland in the early 1950s. His strong interest in outdoor activities continued through his years as Pope John Paul II, until the effects of age kept him away from strenuous pursuits.  Pope John Paul together with Pope John XXIII will be declared saints ...read more

Pope John Paul II appears from the central balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after his election Oct. 16, 1978. The pope, who died April 2, 2005, will be canonized at the Vatican April 27, 2014.(CNS file photo)  ...read more

Mourners hold banners that read “sainthood now” during the funeral Mass for Pope John Paul II in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican April 9, 2005. (CNS photo/Reuters) Everyone in the office knows that I love Pope John Paul II. In fact, I have a huge image of him on my desk which I proudly ...read more

My husband and I watch a lot of historical dramas and one of our favourite games to play is “Catch the Catholic” where we look for Catholics working in the background doing this or that while the main drama unfolds in the foreground. Recently, while watching the HBO series John Adams, the story of the ...read more

Statement released by the Holy See Press Office The Holy Father Francis has instituted the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors, which was announced on Dec. 5, 2013, and called to be a part of it: Dr. Catherine Bonnet (France) Mrs. Marie Collins (Ireland) Prof. the Baroness Sheila Hollins (United Kingdom) Card. Sean Patrick ...read more

Get ready to be schooled. In Episode 3, The Ineffable Mystery of God, of Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism series, we learn all about the nature of God, or put more precisely: how little we can know of God.  I realize that sounds contradictory, but as Fr. Barron presents the classical Christian arguments for the existence of ...read more

I’ve often puzzled over what Jesus meant when he said “Blessed are they who mourn”. Thankfully, in Episode 2 of Fr. Robert Barron’s Catholicism series we’re introduced to the teachings of Jesus and Fr. Barron explains that the beatitudes are a formula for practicing ‘detachment’. Now, most moderns conceive of happiness as freedom to do whatever they ...read more

This coming Friday, March 14th, as we mark Chiara Lubich’s entry into heaven we invite you to learn more about one of the Church’s great lay movements: Focolare. Founded by a young lay woman during wartime Italy the story of Chiara Lubich is truly extraordinary. It can be difficult to describe how the Holy Spirit is present in ...read more

“Whoever is not with me is against me” Matt 12:30 Talk about throwing down the gauntlet! Those unfamiliar with this passage from the Gospel of Matthew might be surprised to hear it was Jesus of Nazareth who first uttered these words. Words which are a stark contrast to the image of Jesus as gentle and peaceful. ...read more