This post comes to us from Fr. James Phalan, CSC, director of Family Rosary International. He wrote this during a recent visit to Africa. Saturday afternoon in a farming village outside of Jinja, Uganda: our host was pleading with his wife to give up her ancestor worship and sacrifices to evil spirits so as ...read more

The reality of divorce is very common nowadays and one of the questions we always ask is, “If Catholic marriage is forever, how should divorced Catholics live their faith? Some times the easy way seems to be simply to leave God and forget He is the one who can help you in the healing of ...read more

Today Pope Benedict XVI led a Lenten station procession and celebrated Ash Wednesday Mass. The Lenten stations are a Roman tradition dating back to the fifth century. The Bishop of Rome would visit specific churches at specific times during the year. While that practice has fallen away somewhat, what remains is a fixed schedule of ...read more

Tonight on Perspectives: Patriarch Fouad Twal asks Catholics to fast for peace in the Middle East this lent. The Catholic Pontifical University of Peru has to change its statutes in order to keep it’s Catholic university status, and today people around the world mark Shrove Tuesday. ...read more

I have many fond memories of the years I spent studying with the Benedictines in Collegeville, Minnesota. That Abbey-University combination is quite unique, and it fosters a really vibrant academic (and especially theological) atmosphere. Such a place tends to draw influential people to it, and so on more than one occasion – and often to ...read more

This morning in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict created 22 new Cardinals at an Ordinary Public Consistory. Included among them was the Archbishop of Toronto, Cardinal Thomas Collins. During his address, the Holy Father told the new Cardinals that the scarlet colour of their robes and birettas is a symbol of martyrdom. Like Christ, and ...read more

The eleven cardinals who oversee the Vatican’s economic affairs are pleased with the budget forecast for 2012 but concerned about the ongoing economic crisis. The Council of Cardinals for the study of Organizational and Economic problems of the Holy See met this week at the Vatican to review the budget forecast for 2012 and start ...read more

Below is Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It will be celebrated in the Universal Church on April 29, which is the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The message is dated Oct. 18, however, it was released by the Vatican Feb. 13. Dear Brothers and Sisters, The 49th World Day of ...read more

Last week I attended a Theology on Tap at the Ryerson University pub, hosted by the Catholic Chaplaincy operating out of the Archdiocese of Toronto. The discussion was led by a Ryerson professor of radio and television arts, and a practicing Catholic, on “Faith in a Secular World.” The assembly of about forty young people, ...read more

Schoenstatt is a Catholic community with secular institutes for men, women, sisters, priests, and federations for youth and families. This Catholic Focus episode is an introduction into the Schoenstatt community. ...read more