In his Angelus address on the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God – which is also observed as World Day of Peace – Pope Francis called on us “to fix our gaze of faith and of love on the Mother of Jesus.” Below, please find the complete text of Pope Francis’ address at the ...read more

On January 1, the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God, Pope Francis celebrated Solemn Mass in the Basilica of Saint Peter. Below, please find the complete text of the Pope’s homily for the Mass: Today we are reminded of the words of blessing which Elizabeth spoke to the Virgin Mary: “Blessed are you among ...read more

So far we’ve looked at the Vocation to the Single Life, the Vocation to the Religious Life and the Vocation to the Ordained Life part 1, part 2 and part 3. Let’s look at the other Vocation that is also a Sacrament: Marriage. The majority of people are called to married life. Remember that for Catholics, ...read more

December 24, 2014 At 9:30 p.m. Rome time, Pope Francis presides at the Christmas Midnight Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the Solemnity of the Nativity of the Lord. The full text of his homily is found below. “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land ...read more

I could not speak about the Ordained life without speaking about the two questions that most people have about the priesthood: The ordination of women and celibacy. Some people will ask why women are not qualified to be priests. The reality is that it’s not about qualifications. No one is really qualified to be a ...read more

Last week we looked at the Vocation to the Ordained Life and the Sacrament of Holy Orders. The tradition of the priesthood is not specific to Christianity and our tradition dates back to the early days of Judaism. God’s chosen people, the people of Israel, was considered a “kingdom of priests and a holy nation”, but ...read more

One main difference between the Vocations to the Single and Religious life and the Vocations to the Ordained and the Married Lives is that Ordination and Marriage, in the Catholic Church, are Sacraments. Let’s look at the Vocation to the Ordained Life and the Sacrament of Ordination. It is very common to hear about the ...read more

Pope Francis final meeting in Turkey was with a group of 50 young people, including many refugees from Syria, Iraq and other countries of the Middle East and Africa.  The young refugees are cared for by the local Salesian community in Istanbul. The Salesian Oratory (Youth Center) in Istambul is headed by Salesian Fr. Andres ...read more

Deacon-structing Vocations: The Religious Life. ...read more

This is the special prayer of the Orthodox community during the Divine Liturgy. The most exalted vessel of the Ortohodoxy is being glorified now receiving from the West the venerable Sheperd and Primate. And receving this auspicious day with joy now implores Christ devoutly: Guard Your world with Your power, keeping all in harmony, as ...read more