The Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy (Dec. 8, 2015 to Nov. 20, 2016) was the 27th holy year in history, and the first since the Great Jubilee of 2000, called by Pope John Paul II. In calling the 2016 holy year, Pope Francis said, “At times we are called to gaze even more attentively on ...read more

At 5:00 pm today, December 31 in the Vatican Basilica, Pope Francis presides over the first Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God, followed Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, the the singing of the traditional hymn Te Deum of thanksgiving at the end of calendar year and Eucharistic Benediction. Here is the Holy ...read more

“For God so loved the world, he gave us his only son.” ( John 3:16) The faith is really down to earth. It is not just let us to learn and experience the mercy from Jesus, but also to narrow down the distance between God and us by his dialogue. On October 28, 2015, Pope ...read more

On a Friday night in July 2002, during the World Youth Day celebration in Toronto, I was standing just down the street from the Royal Ontario Museum. As a member of the World Youth Secretariat under the Ministry of Housing and Municipal Affairs, I was assigned to stand by a viewing area for local dignitaries ...read more

Looking back, 2016 was a year of changes. I started it as a Freelance camera operator, filming a lifestyle television show for Accessible Media. We were out in the cold day after day and I did not quite know what the next month would bring. As I became more involved with Salt and Light, I ...read more

Two years ago I was home, in Panama for my parents 50th Wedding Anniversary. They were married December 26, 1964. Of course, the priest had to make a comment about how St. Stephen was the first martyr and how Marriage is like martyrdom. We laughed but he had a point. Martyrs are not killed against ...read more

The Christmas story told through the eyes, words and imagination of children. – Special thanks to Anna Boyagoda, Coordinator of the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd – Archdiocese of Toronto; St. Benedict Parish, Toronto, for permission to film at their Mary Help of Christians Children’s Atrium, Fr. Mario Villaraza SDB, Pastor of St Benedict and ...read more

Some years ago, in an episode of Perspectives about the truth about Santa Claus we had a wonderful discussion on Perspectives Weekly about teaching our kids that Christmas is about Christ. We’ve never had so many comments on one program! I remember that one of the comments came from Warren Dungen, who suggested that we ...read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters, Happy Christmas! Today the Church once again experiences the wonder of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph and the shepherds of Bethlehem, as they contemplate the newborn Child laid in a manger: Jesus, the Saviour. On this day full of light, the prophetic proclamation resounds: “For to us a child is ...read more

“The grace of God has appeared for the salvation of all men” (Tit 2:11). The words of the Apostle Paul reveal the mystery of this holy night: the grace of God has appeared, his gift is free; in the Child given unto us the love of God is made visible. It is a night of ...read more