In today’s photo of the day, children play in the Vidigal neighborhood in the southern section of Rio de Janiero. In 1980 Pope John Paul II was so stunned by the poverty he saw there that he gave Vidigal his gold ring as an offering. With help from the church, the dangerous and drug-ridden neighborhood ...read more

Blessed Albertina Berkenbrock Albertina Berkenbrock was born in Santa Catarina, Brazil in 1919. On August 16, 1928, she made her First Holy Communion; an experience she described as the most beautiful day of her life. She had a special devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Aloysius Gonzaga, a model of purity and the ...read more

Blessed Adilio Daronch Born in October 1908 to a family of modest means in an isolated town in the interior of Brazil, Adilio Daronch from early childhood loved to pray and serve at Mass. At 16, he was killed alongside Fr. Manuel Gomez Gonzalez, when revolutionaries met them on the road during a trip to ...read more

Musicians take part in a parade during the Festa do Divino, or Festival of the Divine, in Sao Luiz do Paraitinga, Brazil. The Festa do Divino is one of Brazil’s most important Catholic celebrations, marking Pentecost 50 days after Easter. To find out more about the upcoming World Youth Day in Rio de Janiero, Brazil ...read more

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Handsome, athletic, courageous Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin, Italy on April 6, 1901. He was born into a well-respected, devoutly Catholic family. His mother, Adelaide Ametis, was a painter. His father Alfredo was the founder of the newspaper, “La Stampa”. At birth he presented respiratory failure, so he was ...read more

In today’s photo of the day, pilgrims display a banner with an image of Christ as they travel in a boat while accompanying the statue of Our Lady of Conception (not seen) along the Caraparu River in Santa Izabel do Para, Brazil, Dec. 8. The procession in the Amazon jungle is held each year on ...read more

I’m excited to introduce you to today’s WYD Rio patron. He is a remarkable figure, known as a bringer of Christ’s peace and love. Meet:  Saint Anthony from Santana Galvão Fr. Anthony from Santana Galvão, is the first Brazilian-born saint. Anthony was born in Guaratinguetá, São Paulo in 1739 to a deeply religious family of ...read more

We’re proud to announce that our latest documentary “Go and Teach: Inside the Synod on the New Evangelization” will premiere this coming Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in the Vatican Filmoteca. Below please find the official press release: Canada’s Salt and Light Television will premiere its latest documentary “Go and Teach: Inside the Synod on the ...read more

With World Youth Day around the corner, I thought I’d share (over the course of the next few weeks) some of my favourite images from Brazil. Hopefully, this will give you a sense of how Brazilians practice their faith (and that you’ll find these images as intriguing as I did). Today’s image depicts pilgrims following ...read more

Next in our series of blogs reviewing the patron saints and intercessors for this year’s World Youth Day, we take a look at: St. Sebastian Although nothing can be certain about the history of St. Sebastian, it is said that he was an officer in the imperial guard, known for the good works that he ...read more