Most people know Brazil to be the home of the Amazon river and the home of the Amazon rainforest. Brazil is also known for its samba music, their soccer teams, Copacaba beach, the Christ the Redeemer Statue, the favela slums and the annual Carnival celebrations. Brazil is also the fifth largest country in the world ...read more

Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati Handsome, athletic, courageous Pier Giorgio Frassati was born in Turin, Italy on April 6, 1901. He was born into a well-respected, devoutly Catholic family. His mother, Adelaide Ametis, was a painter. His father Alfredo was the founder of the newspaper, “La Stampa”. At birth he presented respiratory failure, so he was ...read more

In today’s photo of the day, pilgrims display a banner with an image of Christ as they travel in a boat while accompanying the statue of Our Lady of Conception (not seen) along the Caraparu River in Santa Izabel do Para, Brazil, Dec. 8. The procession in the Amazon jungle is held each year on ...read more

I’m excited to introduce you to today’s WYD Rio patron. He is a remarkable figure, known as a bringer of Christ’s peace and love. Meet:  Saint Anthony from Santana Galvão Fr. Anthony from Santana Galvão, is the first Brazilian-born saint. Anthony was born in Guaratinguetá, São Paulo in 1739 to a deeply religious family of ...read more

With World Youth Day around the corner, I thought I’d share (over the course of the next few weeks) some of my favourite images from Brazil. Hopefully, this will give you a sense of how Brazilians practice their faith (and that you’ll find these images as intriguing as I did). Today’s image depicts pilgrims following ...read more

Next in our series of blogs reviewing the patron saints and intercessors for this year’s World Youth Day, we take a look at: St. Sebastian Although nothing can be certain about the history of St. Sebastian, it is said that he was an officer in the imperial guard, known for the good works that he ...read more

As World Youth Day draws near, the Vatican today released statistics about the Church in Brazil. For your reference we’ve included the published bulletin below:   Vatican City, 20 June 2013 (VIS) For the occasion of Francis’ upcoming apostolic trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to preside at the 38th World Youth Day, statistics have ...read more

In the lead-up to World Youth Day Rio I thought we’d get acquainted with the patron saints and intercessors for this year, as there are 18 in total. Now, that’s some serious intercession! Some of these saints you’ll recognize immediately like St. Therese of Lisieux, others will be completely new – isn’t it great how ...read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters, This celebration has a very beautiful name: “Evangelium Vitae”, the Gospel of Life. In this Eucharist, in the Year of Faith, let us thank the Lord for the gift of life in all its forms, and at the same time let us proclaim the Gospel of Life.  On the basis of ...read more

This weekend, Catholics are gathering at the Vatican to celebrate John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae. Details about the festivities, titled “Believing May They Have Life”, were revealed at a press conference on May 28. “We have given it this name to testify to the grand theme that revolves around the Church’s commitment to the ...read more