Prime Minister Stephen Harper welcomed news from the Vatican this morning that Brother André Bessette, CSC, will be declared a saint on October 17th 2010. “Brother André’s life shows us the power of faith and the importance of concern for the sick and others in need.” read a statement from the Prime Minister’s office, “In ...read more

The Catholic Church in Canada will have another saint to call its own come this fall. There was no doubting the holiness of Blessed André Bessette, CSC, but come Sunday, October 17th, the Miracle Man of Montreal will be officially recognized as a Saint by the universal Church. The date was announced in Rome today ...read more

Go to www.stgianna.ca and you’ll meet a parish community that’s very much alive in the faith.  Surprisingly, this St. Gianna parish community in Winnipeg has not had a church building they can call their own since they had their first Mass in 2004.  On their website, you’ll see a video of their church building in ...read more

My morning routine always begins by checking the Holy See Press Office’s Bollettino, or its English counterpart, the Vatican Information Service. While not all of the communiqués seem relevant to my work—bishop appointments to Switzerland, the creation of a new diocese in Malaysia—other announcements can be electrifying. Like today, the Vatican hinted at the imminent ...read more

Ite ad Joseph. That’s the inscription below the statue of Joseph in front of St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. Go to Joseph. It’s a famous instruction by Blessed Brother André Bessette, CSC, who’s feast day we celebrate today. Of his devotion to Joseph, Fr. H.P. Bergeron, CSC, one of the humble brother’s contemporaries, writes in ...read more

As seen on the Monday, December 21st edition of Zoom, Pope Benedict elevated John Paul II and Pius XII to the status of “venerable” on Saturday, moving the two popes closer to beatification. These were two of 21 decrees made public by the Congregation for the Causes of the Saints. The Holy Father confirmed a ...read more

Yesterday, I wrote about my trip to Laval, Quebec and began to list five things that we can do to help alleviate the feeling that our faith is a burden. I continue today with items four and five. Four: The Saints We’re called to be saints, so let’s learn about them! These holy men and ...read more

On Sunday, November 22nd, Salt and Light aired the Beatification of Mother Marie Alphonsine Daniel Ghattas. (If you missed it, you can catch the Italian language rebroadcast Tuesday, November 24th at 3:30pm ET.) This little-known “beata” is the founder of the Rosary Sisters, a religious community whose primary task is the education of girls and ...read more

In exciting news for the Canadian Church, an essential stage in the cause of Canonization for Blessed Brother André Bessette has successfully been completed. The Vatican’s Theological Commission for the Causes of Saints has granted a “positive and unanimous verdict” in a healing attributed to the intercession of the Miracle Worker of Mount-Royal. As reported ...read more

A couple weeks back we celebrated the feast of the Little Flower, St. Thérèse of Lisieux. Yesterday, we recognized her parents — Louis Martin and Zélie Guérin who were beatified a year ago October 19th. I can’t help but recall Pope Benedict XVI’s words to the young people on September 28th, of this year, during ...read more