On a number of occasions this summer Pope Benedict XVI has invited the faithful to get to know the saints. In this week’s Catholic News Service Vatican Report, Carol Glatz and Cindy Wooden discuss the Pontiff’s promotion of the holy men and women who have come before us. To download Flash Player please click here ...read more

A couple of weeks ago I went back to camp. I was reminded of my first job in Canada: I was a counsellor at Camp Wahanowin in Orillia. Camp Wahanowin is a Jewish camp and before every meal we used to say the blessing of the bread: Barukh attah Adonai eloheinu melekh ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem ...read more

Every day I usually take a moment to take a look at the photos on the Catholic News Service newswire. In the last couple of weeks, I’ve come across heartbreaking photo after heartbreaking photo coming out of Pakistan, where flooding has devastated the region. At least four millions people have been left homeless — that’s ...read more

Do you really believe in conversion? You wonder this as you repeat those same sins in confession. You also struggle to believe that a dysfunctional family relationship could be transformed by God; it’s been a certain way for so long, you can hardly fathom what it would even look like. On a societal scale, when ...read more

In addition to a September 16th to 19th Papal trip to the United Kingdom which Pope Benedict has asked prayers for, September brings us the following papal intentions: General Intention: The Word of God as Incentive for Social Development That the proclamation of the Word of God may renew people’s hearts, encouraging them to work ...read more

Martyrs’ Shrine is a popular destination for many faithful from different cultural backgrounds. On Saturday, it was the Irish who ventured out to Midland, Ontario for Mass and a day of prayer. It was for the annual Irish Peace Garden commemoration. It was ten years ago that the Peace Garden was erected at the Shrine. ...read more

Last Saturday night, in Calgary, Catholic artists from across North America gathered for the 10th annual United Catholic Music and Video Awards and Conference, under the theme “Called to Serve”. The UCMVA was founded with the aim of bringing together Catholic presenters from around the world who celebrate their faith through various forms of media, ...read more

Few Canadian Catholics are as beloved as Fr. Bob Bedard. Initially, I had mixed feelings about the founder of the Companions of the Cross. But he won me over, too. Seven years ago I worked in campus ministry in Ottawa, and so sometimes I had the opportunity to hear Fr. Bob preach. I recall fuming ...read more

For those of you devoted to Cardinal John Henry Newman, you may want to circle it on your calendar. October 9th. That was the day of the Cardinal’s conversion to Catholicism in 1845. And Pope Benedict XVI is set to announce it as his feast day when he officially declares the English scholar beatified on ...read more

We are all familiar with award ceremonies –the Oscars, the Junos, the Grammys, the Genies and Geminis – there are also Catholic film and TV awards, the Gabriels – for the last two years S+L TV has won the award for TV station of the year – but have you heard of Catholic music awards? ...read more