I was recently discussing the word ‘blood’ and the use of the verb ‘to bleed’ with a colleague.  By no means was it a very indepth, academic discussion, but it had me thinking about the word ‘blood.’ For many people the word ‘blood’ makes their, I wouldn’t say blood curdle, but I would say it ...read more

A year from today — July 15th — thousands will begin the World Youth Day 2008 experience in Australia. Two years have already quickly zipped by, and before you know it, Salt + Light will be providing reports to you from Sydney during the non-stop faith-filled week of World Youth Day activities! Registrations are going ...read more

Checking our Salt + Light Catholic Focus programming calendar: Coming up on the Wednesday, July 11th edition of Catholic Focus, Mary Rose Bacani looks at the world of blogs in ‘Once Upon a Blog.’ You can read Mary Rose’s thoughts on her program, which originally aired in March, by clicking here. Upcoming Catholic Focuses also ...read more

I wish all of you, especially those most in need, the possibility of taking a little vacation to reinvigorate your physical and spiritual energies and recover a salutary contact with nature. Those words from Pope Benedict XVI during his Sunday Angelus as he begins three weeks of vacation today. From July 9th to 27th, the ...read more

I recently had the opportunity to participate in a one week international meeting of NetOne. NetOne is a new initiative of the worldwide Focolare Movement aimed at promoting peace, truth, and universal brotherhood through the mass media. NetOne was born in 2000 as an effort to breathe new life into the digital age, and to ...read more

Salt + Light will be going on the road this weekend — or at least up the road to St. Michael’s College School in Toronto — to attend ‘Amazing Fruit,’ the Catholic Charismatic Renewal Canadian National Conference. The conference begins Friday, July 6th at 6pm, and continues to Sunday, July 8th. There is an additional ...read more

Catholics used to be predictable voters: they were Liberals in Canada (although Quebec was more conflicted) and Democrats in the United States. But, as polling after recent elections has shown, these associations have unsettled. Parties can no longer take their votes for granted. Could the majority of Catholics, perhaps sitting somewhere in the middle, be ...read more

…never interfere in China’s internal affairs, including in the name of religion. Those words from the Chinese government in response to Pope Benedict XVI’s Letter to China. A disappointing response, but certainly not unexpected. I will be the first to admit I do not know the ins-and-outs of the political situation in China, and I ...read more

On June 25, 2007, Bishops Paul-André Durocher and Lionel Gendron flew to France for their vacation. But they aren’t traveling to France to see popular tourist attractions or sample fine French cuisine. They are traveling to France to embark on the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela. Santiago de Compostela is the end point of ‘El ...read more

Let this pallium be a symbol of unity with the Apostolic See let it be a bond of charity and an incitement to fortitude… … words from His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI before he gave the pallium (or I suppose the plural pallia would be more appropriate) to 46 Metropolitan Archbishops who had gathered at ...read more