Below is Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It will be celebrated in the Universal Church on April 29, which is the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The message is dated Oct. 18, however, it was released by the Vatican Feb. 13. Dear Brothers and Sisters, The 49th World Day of ...read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is ...read more

It’s easy to take ecumenism for granted in Canada, even during this Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. Of course, the full expression of visible unity has not been achieved, and won’t likely occur within our lifetime. But we have grown so accustomed to respectful relations and cooperative efforts on social issues that our prayers ...read more

Last week I blogged about the importance of the Second Vatican Council in the life of the Church, and the responsibility of all Catholics to be proactive with the graces entrusted to them.  The fruits of that Council, namely the documents themselves and the broader shift in ecclesial mentality, are perhaps the greatest and most ...read more

When I was a kid, I’d ask my mom a million questions. Stuff like, how long is a centipede? Why does the sun rise in the morning, and why does Fr. Ballmeier wear a ‘scarf’ (chasuble) during mass? Everyone knows at least one child like me who is insatiably curious. And we’ve all been on ...read more

Recall the parable of the talents (Matt 25:14-30).  A man is preparing for a journey and entrusts his possessions to his servants.  To one he gives five talents; to another he gives two talents; and to another he gives one talent.  The first two servants are proactive and trade with the talents; each doubling what ...read more

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has dedicated a new page on its website to the Church and Indigenous Peoples of Canada. This special project was launched to coincide with the feast day of Canada’s first woman saint, St. Marguerite Bourgeoys. In the Universal Church, St. Marguerite’s feast day is celebrated on Thursday, Jan. 11. ...read more

With any announcement of a consistory comes a flurry of media activity around the new Cardinal-designates. In New York, Archbishop Timothy Dolan appeared on NBC’s morning show with Matt Lauer in what is probably one of the Cardinal-designate’s most memorable interviews. ...read more

Archbishop Timothy Dolan of New York delivered this eloquent homily at the funeral Mass for Cardinal John Foley at Pittsburgh’s Cathedral Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul. He described the late Cardinal as “the voice” who spoke the Eternal Word in everything he did and with his very being. ...read more

December 12th is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, one of the most important feasts for the Church in Latin-America. This feast day was always a big one in my life, as my parish in Panama was named Our Lady of Guadalupe. I wrote about this four years ago. Perhaps this story is new ...read more