BLOG: Fr. Raphael Ma, CR
Around the world the front cover of almost every newspaper is dedicated to the unraveling situation in the Middle East. Last week it was Egypt, Tunisia, Bahrain, while this week the focus is Libya and the increasingly tense situation there. The unrest in the Middle East and Northern Africa has prompted stress in Europe. Malta, ...read more
The theme for the latest edition of Nothing More Beautiful is The Church We Believe in is Catholic. To stress the Catholicity, or the universality, of the Church, this episode takes on a bit more of an international flavour.  You’ll notice flags from a number of countries in the Basilica — representing the many different ...read more
Canadian daily newspaper The Toronto Star has published an article on Salt + Light Television in their business section.  See it below: Let there be (Salt) Light Ron Csillag Special to The Star February 24, 2011 Call it the little network that could. Maybe with a divine nudge. In the only-God-knows-how-many-channel universe, Canada’s first homegrown ...read more
Are there times when forgiveness doesn’t come easy to you? Is there a particular offense that would take your entire will to pardon? Last week, we posed this question on Facebook and not surprisingly, sex offenses were among the most common answers. With that said, we are reminded of the radical nature of forgiveness. If ...read more
Growing up, my mother would repeat this slogan as if it were her own. That said, I can’t deny its truth. The phrase was originally hatched as the mantra for the Family Rosary Crusade (started by Servant of God Father Patrick Peyton,CSC) . The crusade began in 1942 and the slogan was apparently first broadcast ...read more
Did you know that Madrid was not originally the capital of Spain? Toledo was the home of the royal court and thus the capital city. It was in 1561 when Phillip II moved the royal court to Madrid, making it the capital. With that move, new buildings were commissioned so that Madrid would have everything ...read more
The media have been turning our eyes to Egypt throughout these past few weeks. We have seen fiery images of shouting mobs, people climbing tanks and angry demonstrating. Just one month before all of this started, we heard about a bombing in Alexandria, the nation’s second largest city. The target? A Coptic (Christian) Church. Up ...read more
It was truly a glorious night of rejoicing and being among family and friends! Last night, St. Peter’s Seminary Foundation hosted the premiere of the first episode of Panes of Glory: The Windows of St. Peter’s Seminary — three times. At 3:00 pm, St. Peter’s Seminary staff and students gathered together to relish Fr. Prieur’s ...read more
Last week we told you about the plight of Sayed Musa, a Christian convert sentenced to die in Afghanistan. Apostasy remains a capital offense in that country. Writing on behalf of the Canadian bishops, as the chair of their Human Rights Committee, Archbishop Brendan O’Brien of Kingston asked the Minister of Foreign Affairs to intervene ...read more
In nearly six years at S+L, my most challenging film shoot was at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem. Widely considered the holiest shrine in the world, the church features prominently in the documentary Within Your Gates. Gaining access to film in the edicule—the small structure marking Jesus’ burial tomb—felt like a minor ...read more