October 11, 2022 marks 60 years since the start of the Second Vatican Council. So what was Vatican II and why does it matter today? Vatican II was the biggest Church event in the 20th century, bringing together all the bishops of the Catholic Church – 2,625 of them! – with the pope and many ...read more

In this third article of our new series, Sr. Donna Geernaert explores the development of Catholic teaching on ecumenism in the last century. ...read more

This week we are looking at what I’m going to call the Joy of Love or Love Joy. For the last couple of weeks we’ve been looking at love. Last week in particular we saw at a few love myths. Today we go back to where it all began because this Sunday’s Gospel reading is ...read more

On October 4, 2014, Pope Francis presided over a prayer vigil leading up the the Extraordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family. Below is the full text of his address: Dear families, good evening! The evening falls on our assembly. It is the hour in which one willingly returns home to the same meal, in ...read more

A reflection for the 30th Sunday in Ordinary Time, year A. The readings are  Exodus 22:20-26, Psalm 18, Thessalonians 1:5c-10 and Matthew 22:34-40. Which is the greatest commandment of the Law? This was a real question at the time of Jesus. People would gather around the water cooler at work and talk about which commandment ...read more

The Council itself, in the Dogmatic Constitution Lumen Gentium, said this: While Christ, ‘holy, innocent and undefiled’ (Heb 7:26) knew nothing of sin (cf. 2 Cor 5:21), but came only to expiate the sins of the people (cf. Heb 2:17)…the Church…clasping sinners to its bosom, at once holy and always in need of purification, follows ...read more