As we celebrate the Christmas Octave with family and loved ones, in warm homes and beautiful churches, with glorious singing, prayers and with abundant food, gifts and laughter…. our suffering Catholic brethren endure the same Christmas Octave in a cold, sparse, merciless prison in Communist China. They suffer dearly the loss of being able to…
Last Sunday, the priest at a local parish where I attended Mass underscored the “unimaginable power” of Our Lord in the Eucharist and the importance of drawing closer to the Blessed Sacrament by sharing — calmly yet passionately, at the very end of his sermon — that a parish in his homeland had just been…
CNA w/ edits—A major gas station chain in Brazil is building chapels for the Blessed Sacrament on the country’s highways as an “oasis” for travelers. It is normal for travelers to stop at a gas station to fill a vehicle’s gas tank and maybe grab a bite to eat or take some time to rest,…
The video below is—by far—the most powerful, yet simply delivered, talk on Sister Faustina and Image of Divine Mercy ever. It was delivered during the Jubilee Year of Mercy, by Sr. Gaudia Skass of the Congregation of the Sisters of Our Lady of Mercy — the same congregation to which Sister Faustina belonged. Sr. Guadia…
CNA—One convert’s journey to Catholicism began with an invitation to an ice-cream social. Another says he instantly believed in the Real Presence the moment someone explained what the round object was that everyone was staring at during Eucharistic Adoration. For a third, the poems of T.S. Eliot — and a seemingly random encounter with a…
Crisis—As the world watches Ukraine right now, keep your eyes on Poland. Poland has had a special place in the history of the last 100 years, from turning back Russian communists at the Miracle on the Vistula in 1920 onward through World War II and the Cold War. I call Poland “the fulcrum.” Critical events…
CNA—Pope Francis highlighted “the beauty of Mary’s heart” in his Angelus address on the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. The pope said on Dec. 8 that the Blessed Virgin Mary’s encounter with the Angel Gabriel, described in St. Luke’s Gospel, revealed her deep humility. “Within the domestic walls, a person reveals him or herself better…
Aug 16, 2021—Ambasciata d’Italia Kabul—The possibility to host a Catholic Chaplain within the Italian “legation” was provided by “The Agreement between Italy and Afghanistan to exchange permanent diplomatic missions” in 1921. King “Amanullah”, [who was] grateful to Italy for being the first western country to recognize formally the independence of Afghanistan, [and who] showed himself…
“Your bishop wants to kill you” When priest friends of Fr. Innocent Sunu learned of the newly ordained priest’s first parish assignment in Madagali, Nigeria, they warned the new priest that his bishop was trying to kill him. But Fr. Innocent Sunu saw it differently. In fact this young priest waived his right to refuse…
Below is the full text of the inflight interview between Pope Francis and news media en route from from the Holy Father’s historic visit to Irac Baghdad, Iraq, to Rome, Italy that took place March 8, 2021, provided courtesy of CNA: Pope Francis: First of all, thank you for your work, your company, your fatigue.…
London—CNA—The son of British Prime Minister Boris Johnson was baptized a Catholic earlier this month, the Diocese of Westminster said Tuesday. In a statement Sept. 22, the diocese said: “We can confirm that Wilfred Johnson was baptized in Westminster Cathedral on Sept. 12, 2020, in a private ceremony, attended by both parents and a small…
At the start of my college career my main hesitation had a lot to do with my Catholic faith. My biggest fear was that with all the distractions college provided, even those not inherently bad like school, work, and sports, I would lose my faith. And that fear was very real, but by the grace…
Join us in praying the Novena to the Holy Spirit, beginning today, May 22, 2020. This is the first and oldest novena in the Church, having begun at Christ’s request of the Apostles as they gathered in fear in the Upper Room before the descent of the Holy Spirit upon them in what is now…
CNA—More than half a million people took part Sunday in the re-dedication of England to Our Lady Sunday, organizers have said. The English bishops had originally asked Catholics to gather in churches and cathedrals for the re-dedication at noon March 29. They were forced to change their plans when the government imposed a lockdown across…
CNA—A religious order in southern California is kicking off Advent with a digital calendar that allows Catholics to go more in-depth as they prepare for the Christmas season. The virtual calendar was launched on the first Sunday of Advent by the priests of the Norbertine order from St. Michael’s Abbey in Orange County, California. The…
Crisis—A few decades ago, I had lunch with Daniel Carroll in Howard County, Maryland, during which he used a pop-up toaster in his grand dining room, which was hung with ancestral portraits. There were many such portraits, for Dan was a direct descendant of the only Catholic signer of the Declaration of Independence, Charles Carroll…
Steve Lewis isn’t a big name. Not even on your radar. He is a missionary. But you won’t find him on the streets of an inner city or Third World country. He’s not even a monk! Yet he’s doing great missionary work in most unlikely of places: YouTube. A 30-year-old, fully engaged, fully faithful young…
August 31, 2015 Doug Sherman’s rapid expanse from one, lone, pioneering Catholic radio station launched in 1997, to more than 24 stations now saturating California and the southwestern United States was just the beginning. Now there’s another new Catholic radio station, a West Coast branch of EWTN, and televised Mass. Bishop Kevin Vann of Orange County, California, is…
