Ever since I received the invitation to participate in the Year of Faith Press Trip as guests of the Israeli Ministry of Tourism, I have been wondering what to expect. This is my first time ever visiting Israel, and the opportunity to visit those sites that are so significant for the three Abrahamic religions is ...read more

“Consult not your fears, but your hopes and dreams!” (Pope John XXIII, 1962)  On Sunday, November 10th, these words once again rang out at Assumption University in Windsor, Ontario as Sr. Mary Lou Wirtz, FCJM opened here talk on the theme “New Directions and New Relationships for Religious Life”.  Sr. Mary Lou is General Superior ...read more

Archbishop Carlo Maria Vigano, the Papal Nuncio to the United States, gave this address to the general assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. Your Eminence Cardinal Dolan, Your Eminences, my Brother Archbishops and Bishops, Monsignor Jenkins and staff of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, let me begin by saying a ...read more

Cardinal Timothy Dolan gave his final address to the general assembly of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops this week during the USCCB Plenary Assembly. Below is the full text of his speech. Just last August, I had the honor of concelebrating the Mass of Dedication for the Cathedral of the Resurrection in Kiev. ...read more

This week we look at the preparations for the Extraordinary Synod on the Pastoral Challenges to the Family. CNS brings us an interview with Cardinal Peter Erdo, the Relator General for the Synod. We look at the pope’s agenda, what Cardinal Dziwisz says about the Roman Curia, and we give you an in depth look ...read more

  By Sebastian Gomes It seems that no event or program of the Vatican or the Pope can occur without the question of continuity being raised.  With Tuesday’s release of the Preparatory Document for next October’s Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization, already there has ...read more

Well, there’s good news! We’ve made recent episodes of The Church Alive show available online so you can re-watch or catch-up on episodes that have already aired. Visit our website for the latest episode, peruse through the schedule to see what you can look forward to or play-back old episodes. In the meantime, watch our ...read more

At a press conference in Rome this morning, Archbishop Lorenzo Baldisseri formally presented the preparatory document for the upcoming Extraordinary Synod on Pastoral Challenges to the Family in the Context of Evangelization. Archbishop Baldisseri, the head of the Synod of Bishops, said the family is an area that the church will work on for the ...read more

An Austrian farmer and father of four, Franz Jäggerstätter was faced with the choice to serve in Hitler’s army or to face execution. A devout Catholic and loving husband and father, Franz struggled with his responsibilities to his family and to state authority, but in the end felt he could not betray God and his ...read more

By Mary Rose Bacani Valenti We were riding on the subway with a friend of ours a few years ago.  He started to tell the story of Chiara Luce, an Italian teenager who was then recently beatified.  When he mentioned her name, Richard and I immediately looked at each other.  I knew we were both ...read more