Its not uncommon in New Orleans to see buses with the destination “Cemeteries” and hoards of people getting onto them. As strange as that sight might seem, New Orleans does have grand cemeteries, which people flock to see. Some of them dating back to as early as the 1700’s. Since most of New Orleans is ...read more

April 26, 2015 – Fourth Sunday of Easter   Theme: Exodus, a fundamental experience of vocation Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Fourth Sunday of Easter offers us the figure of the Good Shepherd who knows his sheep: he calls them, he feeds them and he guides them. For over fifty years the universal Church has ...read more

Side altar at St. Augustine’s Church in Treme New Orleans is a city with deep Catholic roots. There are many religious communities that have played critical roles at various points in the city’s history. In our new series, three of the seven women religious communities that we’ll feature have unique connections to the city. My principal guide ...read more

On Sunday, Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica for the faithful of the Armenian rite. The Armenians were on hand to see the Holy Father name one of their own, Saint Gregory of Narek, a Doctor of the Church. While not trying to draw significance away from that, or from the Mass that ...read more

Pope Francis celebrated Mass in St. Peter’s Basilica on Sunday morning – the Octave of Easter and Divine Mercy Sunday, sometimes called Quasimodo Sunday after the first word of the entrance antiphon, which sings of how we are to desire, like newborn babes, the pure spiritual milk that shall nourish us on our way to ...read more

On Divine Mercy Sunday, the Second Sunday of Easter, Pope Francis celebrated Solemn Mass for the Centenary of the Armenian Martyrdom. Read the full text of his opening address below, along with the message of His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of all Armenians: “On a number of occasions I have spoken of ...read more

Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have come to believe… I don’t know about you, but when I imagine the scene from John 20:19-31, I don’t think Jesus is giving St. Thomas a hard time. I think he’s encouraging him, consoling him. Think about it: Your friend, the man you loved, your ...read more

Venerable Henriette Delille, Founder of the Sisters of the Holy Family. As I mentioned in a previous post I’ve been in New Orleans for the past couple of days doing some research for a new series which will feature the charisms of seven women religious communities in Louisiana and Africa. Naturally, my first stop was ...read more

1. Gesù Cristo è il volto della misericordia del Padre. Il mistero della fede cristiana sembra trovare in questa parola la sua sintesi. Essa è divenuta viva, visibile e ha raggiunto il suo culmine in Gesù di Nazareth. Il Padre, «ricco di misericordia» (Ef 2,4), dopo aver rivelato il suo nome a Mosè come «Dio ...read more

Francis Bishop of Rome Servant of the Servants of God to all who read this letter Grace, Mercy and Peace, 1. Jesus Christ is the face of the Father’s mercy. These words might well sum up the mystery of the Christian faith. Mercy has become living and visible in Jesus of Nazareth, reaching its culmination ...read more