In today’s photo of the day, pilgrims display a banner with an image of Christ as they travel in a boat while accompanying the statue of Our Lady of Conception (not seen) along the Caraparu River in Santa Izabel do Para, Brazil, Dec. 8. The procession in the Amazon jungle is held each year on ...

I’m excited to introduce you to today’s WYD Rio patron. He is a remarkable figure, known as a bringer of Christ’s peace and love. Meet:  Saint Anthony from Santana Galvão Fr. Anthony from Santana Galvão, is the first Brazilian-born saint. Anthony was born in Guaratinguetá, São Paulo in 1739 to a deeply religious family of ...

We’re proud to announce that our latest documentary “Go and Teach: Inside the Synod on the New Evangelization” will premiere this coming Wednesday, June 26, 2013 in the Vatican Filmoteca. Below please find the official press release: Canada’s Salt and Light Television will premiere its latest documentary “Go and Teach: Inside the Synod on the ...

With World Youth Day around the corner, I thought I’d share (over the course of the next few weeks) some of my favourite images from Brazil. Hopefully, this will give you a sense of how Brazilians practice their faith (and that you’ll find these images as intriguing as I did). Today’s image depicts pilgrims following ...

Next in our series of blogs reviewing the patron saints and intercessors for this year’s World Youth Day, we take a look at: St. Sebastian Although nothing can be certain about the history of St. Sebastian, it is said that he was an officer in the imperial guard, known for the good works that he ...

Above, Pope Paul VI greets the faithful during the closure of the Second Vatican Council in St. Peter’s Square on Dec. 8, 1965. This year marks the 50th anniversary of the opening of the Second Vatican Council and today marks the 50th anniversary of the election of Paul VI. Pilgrims from his home diocese of ...

We all know the first commandment: “Thou shalt not have any other gods before me.” But, what are those gods? Today we speak with author and blogger Elizabeth Scalia about her new book Strange Gods: Unmasking the Idols in Everyday Life. Gillian Kantor tells us what her kids taught her this week and we meet ...

I have just returned from 9 months in New York City at the United Nations. Upon reflection, I feel like that amount of time was just enough to carry and incubate a new me. Not a completely different person, but somehow not quite the same. I find the labour to be in the transitions. That ...

As World Youth Day draws near, the Vatican today released statistics about the Church in Brazil. For your reference we’ve included the published bulletin below:   Vatican City, 20 June 2013 (VIS) For the occasion of Francis’ upcoming apostolic trip to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, to preside at the 38th World Youth Day, statistics have ...

In the lead-up to World Youth Day Rio I thought we’d get acquainted with the patron saints and intercessors for this year, as there are 18 in total. Now, that’s some serious intercession! Some of these saints you’ll recognize immediately like St. Therese of Lisieux, others will be completely new – isn’t it great how ...