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

Pope Benedict gathered the faithful earlier today at St. Peter’s Square, where he proclaimed the Angelus. In a special announcement following the Angelus, he announced the appointment of 22 new Cardinals, including Toronto’s Archbishop Thomas Collins. A consistory will be held at the Vatican Feb. 18 and 19.   ...read more

Above is Pope Benedict’s homily, as delivered at Mass on the Solemnity of the Epiphany. ...read more

By now you’ve heard the great news for the Canadian Church: Toronto’s Archbishop has been named a Cardinal. All the local and national news outlets have been covering the story, including the CBC’s six minute phone interview with Archbishop Thomas Collins this morning. The Pope made the announcement following the celebration of Mass and the ...read more

When we speak about the distribution of gifts on Christmas most think of Santa Claus as the ‘bearer of gifts’,  in my Portuguese Catholic tradition I was raised with the notion that the  gifts were being distributed by the Baby Jesus. And in Spain, the distribution of gifts is celebrated on the evening of Epiphany ...read more

What’s the difference between saying, ‘We come to pray together’ and ‘We come together to pray’? What is the difference between proselytizing, evangelizing and dialogue? Do these actions mutually exclude each other? These are some of the questions most people have when it comes to interfaith dialogue. It quickly becomes about fine distinctions and nuanced ...read more

On the feast day of Our Lady of Guadalupe Pope Benedict XVI announced he will visit Mexico and Cuba in 2012.  Today the Mexican Bishops’ Conference and the Cuban Bishops’ conference each released a preliminary itinerary of the Holy Father’s visit to their nations. Pope Benedict will arrive in the Mexican city of  Leon on ...read more

He was a strong supporter of the Nicene Creed – the profession of faith that is most commonly used when we come together to celebrate Mass. He is none other than St. Basil the Great. In the Universal Catholic Church, we celebrate his feast day today and  so do the Anglican and Lutheran Churches. We ...read more

The neighbourhood diner was packed after Mass on January 1st. Some patrons came to celebrate the New Year, while others were seeking a greasy antidote to their rough morning. As my friends and I waited for our brunch, I asked them whether they were looking forward to 2012. They all shrugged. One dismissed January 1st ...read more

Jeroen shares his memories of Christmas in Holland as a child and gives us a peak into his Canadian Christmases with his Focolare community. ...read more