Pope Francis did not give a homily at the Easter Sunday Eucharistic celebration this morning in St. Peter’s Square due to the long “Urbi et Orbi” address that followed the mass.  The English language version of his address – to the city and the world – is found below. Dear Brothers and Sisters, Jesus Christ ...read more

Here is the official Vatican translation of Pope Francis’ Homily at the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica on Holy Saturday evening. Tonight is a night of vigil.  The Lord is not sleeping; the Watchman is watching over his people (cf. Ps 121:4), to bring them out of slavery and to open before them the ...read more

At 9:30 this morning in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Francis as Bishop of Rome presided at the Mass of Chrism, a celebration that takes places in all the Cathedrals of the world this week. Cardinals, Bishops and priests (religious and diocesan) present in Rome concelebrated the mass with him.  During the Eucharistic celebration, the priests ...read more

Pope Paul VI and Cardinal Karol Wojtyla meet at the Vatican. Paul VI, who served in Poland during his early priesthood, held the future Pope John Paul II in high regard. (CNS file photo) No doubt you’ve seen those cheesy beer ads about ‘the most interesting man in the world’. For the record, Pope John ...read more

It was 19 March 2013. Pope Francis had been elected just a few days before. He preached on Saint Joseph, the “protector” of Mary and Jesus[1], as a model of discretion, humility, silence, abiding presence and complete fidelity. The present Way of the Cross will make constant reference to the gift of our being “protected” ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For April 2015, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Creation: That people may learn to respect creation and care for it as a gift of God.  Persecuted Christians: That persecuted Christians may feel the consoling presence of the Risen Lord and the solidarity ...read more

Pope Francis’ universal prayer intention for April is for Creation: That people may learn to respect creation and care for it as a gift of God. The environment is a topic that many do not expect the Church to be vocal on, but if you followed Pope Benedict’s many addresses, you would know that he ...read more

I set out to deacon-struct Holy Week and soon found that I was faced with a monumental task. I looked at each of the key moments of the Passion: the entry into Jerusalem, the Last Supper, Gethsemane, the trial, the way of the Cross and crucifixion… the burial… there is so much there. I have ...read more

The Lenten Season is, par excellence, the time of inspiration.  At this time, we take deep breaths; we fill the lungs of our soul with the Holy Spirit and thus, without our realizing it, our breath will have the scent of Christ. Fr. Raniero Cantalamessa, First Lenten homily for 2015 reflecting on Evangelii Gaudium A good ...read more

(Photo: loyola.ca) The Supreme Court of Canada has ruled that Quebec’s Minister of Education infringed upon the religious freedom of Loyola, a private Catholic high school in Montreal, by requiring the school to teach all aspects of the province’s Ethics and Religious Culture Program (ERC) from a neutral perspective, i.e. from a non-confessional, or specifically ...read more