Born Marie Guyart in Tours, France, on October 28, 1599, she was the first superior of the Ursulines of Quebec.  The road to her vocation was not straightforward. Marie’s father was by birth a bourgeois; her mother was connected with the illustrious house of Barbon de la Bourdaisière. Despite this, Marie gave evidence of great ...read more

By Elizabeth Krump In July 2008, the streets of Sydney, Australia were transformed with a swell of nearly one million young pilgrims. Despite an influx of youth, there was no vandalism, fear or fights as a result. This group of young people had gathered in solidarity to celebrate their Catholic faith at the invitation of ...read more

Sister Marianne Cope (formerly Barbara Koob) was born January 23, 1838 and baptized the following day in what is now Hessen, West Germany. The young Sister Marianne worked as a teacher and hospital administrator in New York. In 1870, she was elected superior of St. Joseph’s Hospital in Syracuse. Seven years later she became second ...read more

By Elizabeth Krump “Keep the youth close to you: they will keep you young and faithful.” These are telling words that Blessed John Paul II shared with Fr. Thomas Rosica in the later days of his pontificate. John Paul II had a great love for all young people, until the very end of his life. There ...read more

The following letter from the Superior General of the Society of Jesus was posted on the order’s website.in reaction to the canonization of Peter Faber. On Tuesday December 17 Pope Francis enrolled Peter Faber, SJ in the catalog of saints, performing what is known as an Equivalent Canonization.  Peter Faber was one of the companions ...read more

This past weekend, I had the great honour to speak at the Inaugural Women’s Conference for the Archdiocese of Vancouver. It was a soulful and joyful experience to be gathered together with women of faith from all walks of life, sharing and learning together. After the talk, several women inquired if the talk would be ...read more

An Austrian farmer and father of four, Franz Jäggerstätter was faced with the choice to serve in Hitler’s army or to face execution. A devout Catholic and loving husband and father, Franz struggled with his responsibilities to his family and to state authority, but in the end felt he could not betray God and his ...read more

By Mary Rose Bacani Valenti We were riding on the subway with a friend of ours a few years ago.  He started to tell the story of Chiara Luce, an Italian teenager who was then recently beatified.  When he mentioned her name, Richard and I immediately looked at each other.  I knew we were both ...read more

   Whenever people speak of Auschwitz, I wonder how it was possible for a person to ignore atrocities that happened only a few miles away. It’s said that some camps were within walking distance of ordinary homesteads. Upon reflection, I’ve realized that the answer lies in our nurtured ability to empathize with the downtrodden and ...read more

It’s true that in order to be declared a saint you have to be dead; you also have to have two confirmed miracles! But is that what sainthood is about? Do you really have to be dead in order to be a saint? Is there anyone you know whom you’d call a saint? Does being ...read more