Today is the feast day of St. Martin de Porres, one of my favourite saints. St. Martin was born in Lima, Peru on December 9, 1579 to a Spanish nobleman and a freed slave from Panama. His parents were never married, and his father abandoned his family after St. Martin’s sister was born. St. Martin ...read more

Over the past few years, many of us have lost loved ones due to the pandemic. My grandfather passed away last year. He was a social person and would have wanted a big funeral with many people in attendance like the funeral my grandmother had. Instead, he had a private viewing with a few family ...read more

I have many friends who do not participate in Halloween activities. They refuse to do so because they believe that Halloween is a pagan holiday. Some even go as far as saying that it is a Satanic feast. I’ve always felt that there’s nothing wrong with participating in Halloween activities. After all, I don’t believe ...read more

A week into a lay ministry position in rural Alberta, I found myself in the lone coffee shop in a village of about 400 people. I was spending time getting to know the regulars, which meant that they needed to get to know me. In the course of our conversation, one of them curiously asked, ...read more

  When Churches Apologize by Sr. Donna Geernaert, SC   Pope Francis Apologizes on behalf of the Catholic Church On two occasions this past year, Pope Francis has expressed his deep sorrow for the pain and trauma suffered by former students of residential schools and their descendants. At the end of March, he met with ...read more

In today’s catechesis on discernment, Pope Francis examines desolation and sadness. He emphasizes not making changes when you are desolate and not being led astray by desolation.   Dear brothers and sisters, good morning! Discernment, as we have seen in the previous catecheses, is not primarily a logical procedure; it is based on actions, and actions ...read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Francis is set to make a four-day visit to Bahrain, a journey that will make him the first pope to visit the Arab kingdom just off the coast of Saudi Arabia in the Persian Gulf. The visit Nov. 3-6 has two main goals: to speak at the Bahrain Forum for ...read more

At the Colosseum in Rome on October 25, Pope Francis addressed an interreligious prayer meeting for peace. At a time when “the use of atomic weapons is threatened outright,” even in Europe, the Holy Father’s prayer for peace was “a heartfelt plea” and an appeal to the progress in “fraternal relations between religions.”   Prayer ...read more

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Every year, for more than three decades, the Vatican tribunal dealing with matters of conscience has offered a course to help priests in their “ministry of mercy” as confessors. The huge number of participants, from 500 to 800 ordained and soon-to-be ordained men, who attend the course sponsored by the Apostolic ...read more

In today’s catechesis, Pope Francis continues to teach on the theme of discernment. He invites us, following St. Augustine’s example, to read our own life histories, learn to recognize the presence of “toxic” elements in our lives, and then broaden our narrative and notice the “discreet ways in which God acts in our life.” Read ...read more