On Good Friday, the Pope asks every parish in the world to take up a collection for the Church in the Holy Land. Which raises the question, what exactly does the Church in the Holy Land do with this? Among the most prominent Catholic institutions in the region is the Franciscan Custody of the Holy ...read more

Each year on Good Friday, dioceses and parishes in Canada and around the world hold a Collection for the Holy Land. Cardinal Leonardi Sandro, Prefect of the Congregation for Oriental Churches, has issued a letter to promote this Collection. His letter includes a report (in English only) by the Custody for the Holy Land on ...read more

Yesterday was the Feast of the Triumph or Exaltation of the Cross. For the last two days on the S+L Blog, we’ve been looking at why we exalt the cross, an instrument of death. We saw that Jesus died to destroy death for ever, so we don’t have to be under the power of death ...read more

Today is the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross. Yesterday on the blog, we looked at why we honour the Cross: Because it reminds us that Jesus died to save us. And this is where I have a problem. Why do we need to be saved by Jesus’ death? I remember growing up learning ...read more

“Lift high the Cross, the love of Christ proclaim…” That’s a song we all know, but what does it mean? Why do we lift high the Cross? Tomorrow is the feast of the Triumph of the Cross, also called the Exaltation of the Cross. Did you know that we celebrate this feast tomorrow? Have you ...read more

Pope Benedict presided over the Way of the Cross at Rome’s Colosseum today. The meditations this year were written by an Augustian nun, Sister Maria Rita Piccione, OSA. She’s the President of the Our Lady of Good Counsel Federation of Augustinian Monasteries in Italy. In the meditation on the fourth station, Jesus meets his Mother, ...read more

Ecce lignum crucis, in quo salus mundi pependit. Venite, adoremus. Behold the wood of the cross, on which hung the Saviour of the world. Come, let us worship. Father Raniero Cantalamessa, OFM Cap., quoted that familiar refrain as he concluded his homily at the Good Friday liturgy. The Papal household preacher delivered the homily, as ...read more

The Easter Triduum offers the most beautiful liturgies of the year. Salt + Light is connecting viewers with Rome and the Holy Father through live broadcasts of the Triduum liturgies. On Holy Thursday, April 21st at 11:30am ET/8:30am PT, Pope Benedict XVI will commemorate Jesus’ Last Supper as he celebrates Holy Mass from the Basilica ...read more

On Good Friday evening at 8:50 pm, I was stepping delicately across the san pietrini (cobblestones) of Rome, heading towards home, huffing and puffing over a series of inter-cultural miscalculations and miscommunications, trying desperately to contain my bubbling emotions. Let’s just say that had someone—anyone—stopped me on my way, they probably would have been the ...read more

As we’ve said many times, the Easter Triduum is the peak of the liturgical calendar.  The Triduum — and Holy Week — also provide some excellent homilies and messages to reflect upon.  You may want to check out the following: Pope Benedict’s Urbi et Orbi Message and Blessing: “The Church is the people of the ...read more