On September 27, 2014, as early as 7:00am, hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from over 80 countries made their way to Madrid’s Parque de Valdebebas for the Beatification of Bishop Alvaro del Portillo, the first successor of the founder of Opus Dei, St. Josemaria Escriva. Our group of 50 Canadians travelled by Metro to the ...read more

This week, for the little corner of the church, Opus Dei, all roads lead to Madrid! With the Beatification of Bishop Alvaro Del Portillo, the first successor of St. Josemaria, happening in Spain, there is an estimated 100,000 people (according to the Catholic News Agency) coming to witness this momentous and God-glorifying moment. Every step of the way ...read more

Regardless of background, ethnicity or faith tradition, almost everyone in our society today would argue that education is important.  We all acknowledge that becoming an “educated” person is worthwhile.  We spend a huge portion of our earnings and savings (or all of them and more!) on achieving that goal.  But, what does it mean to ...read more

  Address by His Eminence  following the prayer after communion at Mass for the Beatification of Korean Martyrs August 16, 2014 Holy Father, The welcome you with joy together with the laity, religious and clergy of the whole church in Korea. I am honored to be in his presence to keep this speech of greeting. ...read more

Homily of His Holiness Pope Francis Mass for the Beatification of the Korean Martyrs Seoul, Gwanghwamun Gate August 16, 2014 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? (Rom 8:35).  With these words, Saint Paul speaks of the glory of our faith in Jesus: not only has Christ risen from the dead and ascended ...read more

Proclaiming the Word: Part Four Last time we looked at why a homily must be scriptural, pastoral, catechetical and liturgical and that there should be one key message (focus) and one suggestion as to how we can respond to that message (function). These are great suggestions for organizing your text. However, no matter what, the ...read more

Last time  I wrote about what makes a good homily and what is an image of a preacher.  At the preaching conference, most of the presenters dedicated their talks to how a homilist should prepare. “Prepare the homilist; not the homily” was a phrase used by Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto during the keynote opening ...read more

As I wrote last Sunday, last week I attended a preaching conference as part of St. Augustine’s Seminary 100th anniversary events. It was a who’s who in preaching, with all the talks by homiletics experts from all over North America. I think about homilies all the time. Not so much because I have to prepare ...read more

Pope Benedict wrote in the Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini that “the homily is a means of bringing the scriptural message to life in a way that helps the faithful to realize that God’s word is present and at work in their everyday lives.” (VD 59) Add to that the 18 pages that Pope Francis dedicated ...read more

Most Reverend Auxiliary Bishop William McGrattan was appointed as the 12th Bishop of Peterborough in April after the resignation of Most Reverend Bishop Nicola De Angelis, C.F.I.C. The installation of Bishop William McGrattan was celebrated on Monday, June 23, 2014 at the Cathedral Church of St. Peter-in-Chains. Bishop William McGrattan was born in London, Ontario ...read more