By The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton General Secretary, The Canadian Council of Churches   Leaving our Kibbutz hotel, The Path of Abraham bus rolled towards Nazareth and the Church of the Annunciation. This traditional place of the Annunciation to Mary that she would bear the Son of God, Jesus, is decorated with large mosiacs ...read more

This coming Friday, March 14th, as we mark Chiara Lubich’s entry into heaven we invite you to learn more about one of the Church’s great lay movements: Focolare. Founded by a young lay woman during wartime Italy the story of Chiara Lubich is truly extraordinary. It can be difficult to describe how the Holy Spirit is present in ...read more

“Whoever is not with me is against me” Matt 12:30 Talk about throwing down the gauntlet! Those unfamiliar with this passage from the Gospel of Matthew might be surprised to hear it was Jesus of Nazareth who first uttered these words. Words which are a stark contrast to the image of Jesus as gentle and peaceful. ...read more

  By Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton General Secretary, The Canadian Council of Churches It is day two, or rather day one and a half, of The Path of Abraham study tour. We started the day bright and early, well, at least early, as we boarded the bus at 7:00 a.m. to see the three very ...read more

The Reverend Dr. Karen Hamilton is the General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches. She will be sending photos and “notes” from the Holy Land where she is co-leading an interfaith study tour called In the Path of Abraham. by The Rev. Dr. Karen Hamilton   The Path of Abraham has begun! The flights ...read more

Below is Pope Francis’ message to the faithful for Lent, 2014. Dear Brothers and Sisters, As Lent draws near, I would like to offer some helpful thoughts on our path of conversion as individuals and as a community. These insights are inspired by the words of Saint Paul: “For you know the grace of our ...read more

  Fr. John Braganza, OSB Abbot, Westminster Abbey Mission, British Colombia A crazy thought for each of us: one of the deepest motivations of my faith and my vocation has been this: my life began not in my mother’s womb but in the heart of my Father in heaven who knew me in his Son ...read more

  Following the first consistory of Pope Francis’ pontificate the first major overhaul of the Roman Curia was revealed. Pope Francis created the Secretariat for the Economy and appointed Australian Cardinal George Pell as the prefect of the new secretariat. This new body will oversee the finances of all Vatican departments, carry out budgeting and ...read more

Tonight on  Perspectives Pope appeals for peace in Venezuela And pope emeritus benedict says allegations about his resignation are absurd ...read more

On This week’s Vatican Connections we look at the long-awaited beatification decree for Archbishop Oscar Romero. We talk to Father Frank Desiderio, a Paulist priest who worked with the producer of the 1989 film about the martyr, and we look at the reaction of Salvadoreans who have long referred to their slain archbishop as “el ...read more