Today, people around the world are responding to the call of Pope Francis and uniting in the cause for peace through fasting and prayer. We do so with the hope that these offerings may place us in solidarity with those who suffer the tragedies of violence and aggression, especially in Syria. We do so in ...read more

A Reflection for the Feast of Saint Gregory the Great. ...read more

A few years ago, I picked up a book called The Diet Alternative. The author, Diane Hampton, told the story of how she found herself overweight, resorting to unhealthy eating and living habits, and not knowing how she’d gotten there. Her realization reached her during an eating binge and purge, when she realized she didn’t know ...read more

A conversation between two students during lunchtime: “The apple is sad.” “It is? How do you know?” “It just is. Can you imagine being threatened with digestion all day? I would be afraid all the time!” “But… if it’s an apple, it was made to be eaten. Maybe that’s what it’s looking forward to.” Having ...read more

Why Saint Alphonsus Liguori is a true gift to the Catholic Church; A reflection in honour of his feast day (August 1). ...read more

A Jesuit Perspective on the Feast of St. Ignatius of Loyola, July 31 There is an old story which passes from generation to generation within the Society of Jesus which quotes St. Ignatius of Loyola as having said that should the Society be disbanded he would need 15 minutes of prayer in order to reconcile ...read more

Worshipping God on Copacabana Beach: A Reflection on the Final Mass from World Youth Day Rio, 2013. ...read more

The sea: tempestuous, chaotic, and tumultuous. In early Christian literature, the seas were a metaphor for the great unknown.  The book of Revelation even compares heaven to a sea of glass, resplendent in all the beauty of the ocean but without the uncertainty that comes with seafaring. World Youth Day, the international Catholic event that ...read more

Address of Pope Francis at the 28th World Youth Day Prayer Vigil on Copacabana Beach, Rio de Janeiro, July 27, 2013 Dear Young Friends, We have just recalled the story of Saint Francis of Assisi. In front of the crucifix he heard the voice of Jesus saying to him: “Francis, go, rebuild my house.” The ...read more

Angelus address of Pope Francis given at the Archbishop’s Residence on the Feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne, the grandparents of Jesus, July 26, 2013 Dear Brothers and Sisters, Dear Friends, I give thanks to Divine Providence for bringing me here to the city of São Sebastião do Rio de Janeiro. I offer heartfelt thanks ...read more