Friends: We all have them and we all want them. We love them; we want to kill them. I’ve heard that friends are good for us: they make us healthier and they even make us more attractive! Can friends point us to God? Of course, right? But is that what you look for in a ...read more

Guest contributor, Elias Crim, is the founder and publisher of Solidarity Hall, a national group blog focused on community renewal and the common good. He also co-hosts Solidarity Hall’s new podcast, called Dorothy’s Place. He recently reviewed S+L’s 2014 documentary “The Francis Effect”… How to understand Pope Francis? Despite the apparent dyspepsia his arrival has caused among some of the ...read more

A month ago, at age 82, my mother died. As much as I know that my mom was a woman of deep faith and belief in Eternal Life, I’m finding it hard. I’m usually OK, until someone asks me how I am. My mom was also a public figure. She was a ballet dancer and ...read more

Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For August 2017, we join the Holy Father in praying for: Artists – That artists of our time, through their ingenuity, may help everyone discover the beauty of creation. Daily Offering Prayer God, our Father, I offer You my day. I offer ...read more

There aren’t a lot of things that bring Canada together; that make us feel like we are all part of this great country. I mean, do people in Vancouver feel like they are one and the same as people in Charlottetown or St. John’s? Do people in Whitehorse feel a kinship with the people of ...read more

(Among the millions of Canadians who oppose euthanasia and assisted suicide in Canada are Roman Catholics, some of whom rallied on Parliament Hill in Ottawa, Ontario in June of 2016. CNS photo/Art Babych) The staff of Salt + Light Media come from 14 different countries. This summer, for Canada’s 150th anniversary, we are reflecting on ...read more

In case you’ve just stumbled upon this article because you’re curious about the female diaconate, you may want to backup and start where we started a couple of weeks ago: We began first by addressing the event that brought about this whole conversation and then in two parts (part 1 and part 2), briefly, the meaning of the Sacrament of Holy ...read more

Last time we looked at a little bit of the tradition of deacons in the Catholic Church. Deacons go way back and there is a consistent presence of deacons and the diaconate in many Church documents and writings up until the 3rd century. We also saw that the diaconate as a permanent order was brought back ...read more

Last time we saw how far back the diaconate goes in our Catholic tradition. Deacons are there from the time of the Apostles and all throughout the early Church. We saw a lot of proof. At the expense of making this an exhausting (not just exhaustive) exercise, let me lead you to Council documents: Council ...read more

In the last couple of weeks we’ve been looking at the diaconate, first by addressing the event that brought about this whole conversation and then in two parts (part 1 and part 2), briefly, the meaning of the Sacrament of Holy Orders, for I don’t think you can separate the conversation about Church hierarchy outside ...read more