The phrase “Communion of Saints” was often confusing to me as a child. I would picture the various saints I had read about lining up for communion, somewhere in Heaven. Later on someone explained the idea of the Communion of Saints being like a family — our Catholic family. What joins us together is not ...read more

A reflection on the importance and history of Saint Nicholas, otherwise known as the Spiritual Father of Christmas. St. Nicholas, pray for us. ...read more

Tonight on Perspectives: John Paul II has a new, permanent presence in Canada — we tell you where. Plus, our current Pope sounds a new warning on stem-cell research, and Catholics and Anglicans celebrate a major milestone in Montreal. ...read more

On Saturday, October 15th, a group of 46 students from the University of Notre Dame in Indiana came to Toronto. It was the first day of a 5-day pilgrimage ending at St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal. They arrived in the afternoon and visited the World Youth Day sites in the city. That evening, I gave ...read more

It feels like just yesterday that we celebrated the canonization of Brother André of Montreal, the first Canadian-born male Saint. The lead-up to this historic event last year, as well as the Commemoration Mass in Olympic Stadium, remains fresh in our minds at S+L. To celebrate the first anniversary, S+L will air highlights from last ...read more

All thanks to a Polish nun whose death we remember today, the Universal Church celebrates Divine Mercy Sunday on the 2nd Sunday of Easter. The Divine Mercy devotion is similar in many ways to the devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. The purpose of this particular devotion is to help those of us who struggle ...read more

He was born Giovanni Francesco di Bernadone. He’s Italian. And today, we celebrate his feast day throughout the Universal Church. He is none other than St. Francis of Assisi. Many know St. Francis of Assisi to be a Catholic friar. However, his life is made up of more than just his priestly ministry. St. Francis ...read more

By Cindy Wooden / Catholic News Service MADRID — Pope Benedict XVI announced this morning that he will declare St. John of Avila the 34th “doctor of the church.” The Spanish saint, who lived 1500-1569, was famed as a preacher, confessor and spiritual writer. He is best known for the works “Audi, Filia” (“Listen, Daughter”), ...read more

Two months before his death in 1979, Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen met Pope John Paul II in New York’s St. Patrick’s Cathedral. The two embraced, and the now Blessed John Paul II said to the legendary Catholic writer and broadcaster: “You have written and spoken well of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are a loyal ...read more

“Do something beautiful for God.” That’s the advice that Leonardo Defilippis received from Mother Teresa. The stage actor responded by dedicating his life to bringing the story of saints to the stage and screen through his company Saint Luke Productions. He’s told the stories of St. Maximilian Kolbe and St. Francis, as well as the ...read more