Below you will find the final unscripted address of Pope Francis during his meeting with the youth in Havana on Sunday, September 20, 2015. “Hope endures suffering, it’s hardworking, it’s fruitful, it gives us work and it saves us from the throwaway culture” You are standing up and I am sitting. How unmannerly. But you ...read more

Following the celebration of Vespers, Pope Francis met with the youth of Cuba. Below you will find the full text of his prepared remarks, which he set aside prior to speaking. The full translation of his delivered speech will be published shortly. Meeting with Youth Fr. Félix Varela Cultural Center, Havana Sunday, 20 September 2015 Dear ...read more

  Following the conclusion of Mass in Havana, Cuba, Pope Francis gave the following Angelus address: Angelus Message of Pope Francis Havana, Plaza de la Revolución Sunday, 20 September 2015 I thank Cardinal Jaime Ortega y Alamino, Archbishop of Havana, for his fraternal words, and I greet all my brother bishops, priests, religious and lay ...read more

Here’s what we’ve been reading about across the country this week: Canada’s bishops held their annual plenary assembly in Cornwall, Ontario. Among the things discussed during the meeting were new guidelines for dealing with abuse allegations. The Canadian Bishops’ Justice and Peace commission also outlined the justice and peace issues facing Canada right now. On ...read more

When my wife and I got married we received many gifts. A group of my mom’s friends gave us what we thought was a pious, if not most unusual gift: a crucifix. With it was a card that read, “every time you gaze on this cross, remember that this is how you must love each ...read more

Dr. Carolyn Woo, the CEO and President of Catholic Relief Services (CRS), was one of five presenters invited by the Vatican to speak at the June 18, 2015 press conference launching Laudato Si, Pope Francis’ encyclical on the environment. Drawing on her 14 years as dean of the Mendoza School of Business at the University ...read more

Rosemary Azu is hard to miss in a crowd. She has a natural presence that draws people to her. The fact that she is usually dressed in brightly coloured traditional Nigerian dresses also makes her stand out. That natural confidence in her own identity has helped her build her own successful mortgage and real estate ...read more

When one thinks of Prince Edward Island one tends to think of glowing sunsets over green fields, farms where animals roam free, small towns where everyone knows everyone else, and quaint green-gabled homes. One would not immediately think of the province as a place where 37 percent of people use the services of food banks ...read more

In Abu Dabi in 1993, there was one Catholic Church. The work week in the Arab Emirate was Sunday to Thursday. For Jacqueline Nogier and her husband – both Catholic teachers who were working in Abu Dabi- that meant going to church after work on Sundays. This was Nogier’s life for two years. It taught ...read more

Here is a look at some of what has been going on across Canada this week, church-wise. Also, the month of August brings us the feast of The Ascension and with it an assortment of Marian pilgrimages and celebrations. First up, in Vancouver the Eparch Emeritus of the Ukrainian Eparchy of New Westminster (the Ukrainian ...read more