Welcome address by Msgr. Lazzaro You Heung-sik Mass in the World Cup Stadium (15 August 2014) Our beloved Papa Francesco, thank you for being here with us! Thirty years ago – and then again five years later – Pope John Paul II canonized last April, was the first pontiff to visit Korea. The emotion of ...read more

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Daejeon, Korea  World Cup Stadium 15 August 2014 Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ, In union with the whole Church, we celebrate the Assumption of Our Lady, body and soul, into the glory of heaven. Mary’s Assumption shows us our own destiny as ...read more

Pope Francis has sent a video message to the people of Korea, broadcast on Korean television over the weekend and ahead of his Apostolic journey to Korea. In the message, the Holy Father begins by inviting the Korean people to pray with him that his upcoming visit will bear fruit for the Church and for ...read more

Prayer in Preparation for the Visit of Pope Francis to Korea and for the Beatification of Korean Martyrs Loving Heavenly Father,We thank you for the blessings you are bestowing upon the Catholic Church in Korea, a church begun without the help of missionaries.We thank you for the visit of Pope Francis, the apostle of peace, to Korea ...read more

Recently someone asked me why Pope Francis keeps mentioning the devil, as if the devil actually existed (see Fr. Rosica’s recent post, Why in the devil does Pope Francis speak so much about the prince of this world? )This person alleged that, just as ogres and leprechauns, devils do not exist. But the Catholic Church is ...read more

The focus of Pope Francis’ visit to Korea during the 6th Asian Youth Day, is to meet with the Asian youth, to celebrate the Beatification Mass for the 124 Korean martyrs and to celebrate a special Mass for Peace and Reconciliation.  During this historic visit, he will lead the Asian Catholic Community in celebrating the past, ...read more

Here is Pope Francis’ greeting conveyed to the 132nd Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus in Orlando, Florida on August 5, 2014: His Holiness Pope Francis was pleased to learn that from 5 to 7 August 2014 the 132nd Supreme Convention of the Knights of Columbus will be held in Orlando, Florida. He has ...read more

For the last couple of weeks I’ve been sharing with you some of the content from a conference in homiletics that I recently attended as part of St. Augustine’s Seminary’s 100th anniversary celebrations (Read part 1, part 2, part 3 and part 4). There are many ways to prepare a homily, but preaching experts agree ...read more

Sebastian Gomes, Salt + Light  writer/producer/director of The Francis Effect, gives us a glimpse into filming the documentary: David Gibson is a renowned journalist, author and Catholic commentator.  As someone who knows well the history of the modern papacy and how the Vatican functions, he was a “must have” for our documentary.  I suspect that you ...read more

Sebastian Gomes, Salt + Light  writer/producer/director gives us a glimpse into filming The Francis Effect, and particularly his interview with Diane Sawyer: A person of Diane Sawyer’s stature needs no introduction. She is simply one of the best and most distinguished journalists in the English-speaking world. When we asked if she would be willing to do ...read more