Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
Inspired by Truth, Enlightening Minds for the Church in Canada and Throughout the World
Here is an excerpt from an address by Pope Benedict XVI back in 2006 – but his words are timeless – on Judas and Matthias, on freedom, choice, the mystery of God’s providence, and the infinitude of His mercy: In effect, the possibilities to pervert the human heart are truly many. The only way to[…]
APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS JOHN PAUL II TO FÁTIMA (MAY, 12-13, 2000) HOMILY OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II BEATIFICATION OF FRANCISCO AND JACINTA MARTO SHEPERDS OF FATIMA Saturday, 13 May 2000 Fátima 1. “Father, … to you I offer praise; for what you have hidden from the learned and the clever you have revealed to[…]
It is no longer debatable that marriage is in a state of crisis. In the United States, it is estimated half of all marriages will “end in divorce or separation.”[1] In practical terms, this means one divorce occurs every thirteen seconds in the United States. This rate translates into 277 divorces per hour, 6,646 divorces[…]
It is unusual to encounter newly-written sacred music that appeals to traditional hymnodic taste; perhaps it is unsurprising that when such music does appear, it frequently comes from young composers. In any event, following a generation’s worth of sentimental worship songs, the recently-published New Catholic Hymns: 24 Hymns for the Liturgical Year is a traditional[…]
Geraldine Thompson, a Sister of Saint Joseph who taught English at Saint Michael’s College, Toronto, was utterly charming in person, . . . and challenging in conversation. Once she asked me, “Why is it that preachers will explain in detail aspects of the Sunday readings that everyone knows and but say nothing about other passages[…]
In one of those many paradoxical ironies of history, it was on this day that Woodrow Wilson – for whom I have not much admiration otherwise, and his ‘Fourteen Points’ at Versailles in 1919 paved the way for an even worse war two decades later – anyway, the president did proclaim this day in 1914[…]
Absence makes the heart grow fonder… The proverb holds true in the main, but not, we must admit, always. There are many things, and we may admit, even people, we look back upon not with much affection. For the heart to grow fonder, it must begin with some fondness, in that holy absence, in the[…]
Propitiously, on this memorial of Canada’s first, and quite saintly, bishop, a new episcopus has been announced for the Pembroke diocese, where this writer happens to reside. Bishop Guy Desrochers is currently auxiliary bishop for Alexandria-Cornwall, ordained for that munus a year ago January, in 2019. A member of the Redemptorist Order, founded in 1732[…]
(What follows is the homily of Pope Francis from 2014 for the ‘equipollent’ canonization of two Canadian saints – Marie de l’Incarnation, whom we celebrated a few days ago on April 30th, and Bishop Francois de Laval, whom we celebrate today. Editor) We have heard Isaiah’s prophecy: “The Lord God will wipe away the tears[…]
(The Church in her official capacity does not speak much of animals, except in their relation to us humans. They don’t have intrinsic ‘rights’, but only in relation to us – that we should treat them with respect and care. Many saints – Francis, Philip Neri, Padre Pio – demonstrated a great love for God’s[…]
