No one should go out of their way to look for martyrdom, but Christ did say that following him does mean embracing the Cross. However, little did a group of 18th century French Carmelite nuns realize that their commitment to follow Christ would also be considered a crime. Deacon Pedro visits the Canadian Opera Company ...read more

A reflection on Isaiah 6:1-2; 3-8; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11 and Luke 5:1-11 Tomorrow the Church marks the 50th World Day of Prayer for Vocations, a day that is celebrated on the fourth Sunday of Easter, traditionally known as Good Shepherd Sunday. As I reflect on the readings for Good Shepherd Sunday (Acts 13:14,43-52; Revelation 7:9,14-17 ...read more

Eleven years ago, when I was Artistic Director for World Youth Day 2002, one of my responsibilities was the Papal Welcome Ceremony. Fr. Tom Rosica, CSB (who was Director of WYD) had suggested that we include a specific liturgical dance group comprised of people with different abilities, and so began my journey with the L’Arche ...read more

Are pilgrimages necessary? That’s the question we’re asking this week on Perspectives: The Weekly Edition. Deacon Pedro speaks with two alumni of the Camino de Santiago walking pilgrimage, Gillian Kantor and Kris Dmytrenko. They discuss whether we need sacrifice, time for reflection, and being taken out of our comfort zone in order to encounter God. ...read more

Learn about your favourite contemporary Catholic artists at spiritandsong.com’s The Commons. Meet Robert Feduccia, Jackie Francois, Josh Blakesley, Tom Booth, Matt Maher, Sarah Hart, Jesse Manibusan, Curtis Stephan, Trevor Thompson, Ike Ndolo, Sarah Kroger and many others (many slRadio supporting artists), as they give casual and candid interviews, and offer unplugged performances of their songs. ...read more

From the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday; From an ancient homily for Holy Saturday Something strange is happening – there is a great silence on earth today, a great silence and stillness. The whole earth keeps silence because the King is asleep. The earth trembled and is still because God has fallen asleep in ...read more

What does it mean to the universal church that we have an Argentinean pope? Deacon Pedro explores this question with two Argentineans: in the studio is Fr. Ervens Mengelle of the Institute of the Incarnate Word and via Skype from Buenos Aires is Valeria Vitale. Send us your comments: What do you think it means ...read more

Here’s a reflection I wrote on August 26, 2008 on the catechesis given by Cardinal Mario Bergoglio (now, Pope Francis) at the 2008 International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec City. Seems incredible that he is now the Pope! To read Cardinal Bergoglio’s Catechesis text, visit the Vatican website. This may come out sounding a bit complicated, ...read more

Here are a few fun facts about Conclaves in modern history, courtesy of Vatican Radio. The information is provided by Dr. Donald Prudlo, Associate Professor of History at Jacksonville State University, Alabama. 1740 election of Benedict XIV (d. 1758) 51 electors, 4 died during conclave 18 Feb – 17 August (181 days) LONGEST IN MODERN ...read more

Most of what we hear about Africa is about poverty. We hear about famine, droughts and civil war. But Africa is a continent with over 50 different countries. Poverty cannot be the reality for everyone in the whole continent! It is true that many Africans face daily crises and hardship, but there are also signs ...read more