BLOG: Fr. Raphael Ma, CR
Vaticanists have been waiting with baited breath to see who will be Pope Francis’ personal secretary and who is named Secretary of State. The first appointment he made as pope, however, was the new Archbishop of Buenos Aires. The move shows two things: first, that the Holy Father still has his head and his heart ...read more
Are pilgrimages necessary? That’s the question we’re asking this week on Perspectives: The Weekly Edition. Deacon Pedro speaks with two alumni of the Camino de Santiago walking pilgrimage, Gillian Kantor and Kris Dmytrenko. They discuss whether we need sacrifice, time for reflection, and being taken out of our comfort zone in order to encounter God. ...read more
In another departure from recent papal tradition, Pope Francis held a general audience this week. His predecessor used to take the week after Easter off to rest. Showing that he is full of energy, the Holy Father gave the following catechesis during the audience, focusing on the role of the women who first saw the ...read more
In 2008 Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio was invited to be one of the catechists at the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City. Below is the full text of the talk he gave during his catechesis session. The Lord proclaims: I am the Eucharist, gift of God for the live of the world. This theme of ...read more
Most Catholics have either attended a wedding or priestly ordination before. But what about an episcopal ordination? Parishioners and lay faithful will have a front seat ticket, via the internet, to tonight’s episcopal ordination inside Sacred Heart Cathedral. The diocese of Prince George will be welcoming Msgr. Stephen Jensen as their 6th diocesan bishop with ...read more
Learn about your favourite contemporary Catholic artists at spiritandsong.com’s The Commons. Meet Robert Feduccia, Jackie Francois, Josh Blakesley, Tom Booth, Matt Maher, Sarah Hart, Jesse Manibusan, Curtis Stephan, Trevor Thompson, Ike Ndolo, Sarah Kroger and many others (many slRadio supporting artists), as they give casual and candid interviews, and offer unplugged performances of their songs. ...read more
The shared experience of this historic papal transition has made the new Pope headline news. The media, along with the international community, has been sharing this buzz for weeks. Francis is now a public figure and a celebrity. He’s smart, humble, social, and poor in spirit. What a fresh face for Catholics worldwide! Amidst the ...read more
Pope Francis delivered his Urbi et Orbi message — to the city (of Rome) and to the world — today at noon, Rome time.  The traditional message and blessing is given at Christmas and Easter.  The underlying theme of his address was peace throughout the world. The Holy Father called on the faithful to ask ...read more
Preaching at the first Easter Vigil of his pontificate, Pope Francis urged us not to be closed to the newness that God wants to bring into our lives. The Holy Father said that nothing remains as it was before, not only in the lives of the women at the tomb, but also in our own ...read more
From the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday; From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in ...read more