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

In 1858, four Sisters of St. Ann traveled from Montreal to Canada’s West Coast aboard the SS Seabird with Victoria’s first Bishop, Modeste Demers (a relative of their current Bishop!).  They made the two-month voyage via a circuitous route through the Isthmus of Panama. Their goal was to aid the Bishop in his mission to ...read more

By Cindy Wooden Catholic News Service VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Benedict XVI advanced the sainthood causes of 35 candidates, including Canadian Christian Brother Adolphe Chatillon. During a meeting April 2 with Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of the Congregation for Saints’ Causes, the pope signed a decree recognizing that Brother Chatillon lived the Christian virtues ...read more

Last week, the Downtown Chapel in Portland, Oregon, made a special announcement:  they’re changing their parish name.  A recent degree by the Archbishop of Portland will change the Church’s patronage from St. Vincent de Paul to the Congregation of Holy Cross’ first saint, St. André Bessette. For any of you who have seen the documentary ...read more

The Church is rejoicing today as the Vatican announced that Pope John Paul II will be declared “Blessed.” Our own, Fr. Thomas Rosica penned a message from WYD Madrid meetings noting the excitement at the meetings over the news.  He also explained the significance of the beatification date of May 1st, shared that the Polish ...read more

In February 2009 my wife and I drove my colleague, Kris Dmytrenko, to the Buffalo, New York airport. He was flying to Rome for work, and giving him a ride to the airport gave us the opportunity to visit a few shrines in the upstate New York area. One of the shrines we visited was ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI’s Wednesday general audience this week highlights the life of St. Catherine of Genoa. Two things stood out for me about this talk: the 15th century saint’s words on purgatory and also what the Holy Father said about mystics.  He recounted the “profound union” Catherine had with God, but that she also cared ...read more