It was a quaint gathering at St. Mary’s College in Twickenham this morning on day 2 of Pope Benedict’s visit to the UK. After having spent yesterday in Scotland, the Holy Father made his way to London and then this morning to the school in Twickenham, a suburb just west of London. The Holy Father ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI donned a specially designed Papal tartan over his shoulders as he traveled from Holyroodhouse Palace to the Archbishop of Edinburgh’s residence.  His route was part of a St. Ninian Day parade; the feast of the 5th century Bishop is celebrated today in Scotland. The tartan itself has great symbolism.  The white line ...read more

It’s a grey overcast day in London, nothing new there. Despite the fact that London is home to Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II there is undeniably an air of anticipation in the city. Although the British media has been highlighting all the reasons the Holy Father should not be visiting the UK or why taxpayers ...read more

This morning at 5:30 am EST (10:30am local time), Pope Benedict XVI landed in Edinburgh, Scotland. This journey is history in the making; it is the first ever state-visit to the UK by a Pope. Shortly after the Holy Father’s arrival, we spoke to CNS’ Rome bureau chief, John Thavis who was aboard the flight ...read more

Welcome to the fourth of a series of blogs on the legacy of Brother André! In the past blogs, we went from Indiana to New Hampshire. Now we move to Oregon. I met Fr. Edwin Obermiller once I landed in Portland, Oregon, as part of the filming for the documentary on Br. André. Although I ...read more

Just over a week from now Pope Benedict will flying from Rome to Scotland to begin his Apostolic Journey to the United Kingdom. Organizers have been posting weekly audio updates on the official Papal Visit website.  The updates are short, and the page also has a transcription of the audio. It provides some nice background ...read more

Welcome to the third of a series of blogs on the legacy of Brother André! As I mentioned in previous blogs celebrating Br. André Bessette’s canonization, a Salt + Light crew traveled to the United States in July for the documentary on Br. André.  Our last stop was… Manchester, New Hampshire!  We wanted to stop ...read more

In addition to a September 16th to 19th Papal trip to the United Kingdom which Pope Benedict has asked prayers for, September brings us the following papal intentions: General Intention: The Word of God as Incentive for Social Development That the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people’s hearts, encouraging them to work ...read more

For those of you devoted to Cardinal John Henry Newman, you may want to circle it on your calendar. October 9th. That was the day of the Cardinal’s conversion to Catholicism in 1845. And Pope Benedict XVI is set to announce it as his feast day when he officially declares the English scholar beatified on ...read more

Fr. Andrew Gawrych greeted me with a smile, one humid summer’s day in July at Notre Dame University in Indiana.  He had just arrived to take up his new position as Associate Vocations Director for the Indiana Province of the Congregation of Holy Cross — a big job for a newly ordained young American priest!  ...read more