Since its founding in 1926, the need for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA) has only grown. This papal agency, created by Pius XI to support the Eastern Catholic Churches, is helping sustain vulnerable Christian populations amidst poverty and violence. Leading this mission is Msgr. John Kozar, a priest from the diocese of Pittsburgh, ...read more

The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, having long suffered under Communist persecution, flourished once the Iron Curtain finally fell. The strength of this Eastern rite extends to the growing Ukrainian diaspora, particularly in Canada. In 2011, when the Ukrainian bishops needed to elect a new leader for their growing church, they turned to the youngest member ...read more

Join Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB for this Witness interview with Fr. Michael Patella, OSB, a Benedictine monk of Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota and a professor of New Testament at the Saint John’s School of Theology-Seminary. Both Fr. Rosica and Fr. Patella grew up in the diocese of Rochester, New York, and both studied ...read more

When Cardinal Jean-Claude Turcotte reached the retirement age of 75, few observers could have predicted his successor as Archbishop of Montreal. The Pope’s choice to lead Canada’s second largest diocese was Bishop Christian Lépine, announced just six months after his ordination as bishop. The community quickly embraced its new shepherd, who was born in Montreal ...read more

In an adventure befitting a best-selling spy thriller, Dominican Fr. Marius Zerafa led a quest to recover a stolen Caravaggio painting. Such is the remarkable life of this Maltese-born priest and art historian, who lectures at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum). Fr. Zerafa sits down with Witness host Fr. Thomas Rosica ...read more

In another departure from recent papal tradition, Pope Francis held a general audience this week. His predecessor used to take the week after Easter off to rest. Showing that he is full of energy, the Holy Father gave the following catechesis during the audience, focusing on the role of the women who first saw the ...read more

For 48 years, Dr. Seymour I. Schwartz served on the surgical faculty of the University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry. During his long career, this NYC-born surgeon became fascinated by the popular devotion to saints, particularly among those who are ill. In 2012, Dr. Schwartz and co-author Christopher Hoolihan wrote “Holystic Medicine”, a ...read more

Saint John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota is one of the most well-known Benedictine centers in the world. The Collegeville Abbey played a key role in the implementation of the liturgical renewal following the Second Vatican Council. It is a living witness to the great Benedictine tradition of “ora et labora” — prayer and work. St. ...read more

This blog comes to us from Leanna Cappiello, a former S+L intern who recently graduated from Assumption University in Windsor, Ontario. Leanna is currently living in New York City, where she works as an intern at the Holy See Mission to the United Nations. The first thing we were taught in secondary school theatre was ...read more

As a producer and director of film and television for over 20 years, Ed Roy is an established figure in the industry. One characteristic that sets him apart, however, is his faith. A committed Catholic, Roy is a member of the Focolare Movement, an international Catholic organization that builds bridges between religions and cultures. Witness ...read more