On the Camino (the pilgrimage to the shrine of St James in Santiago de Compostela in Spain), it is customary to carry a special “passport.” This identification establishes that you are a pilgrim, authorizes you to stay in hostels and—if stamped daily—qualifies you to receive a much-coveted certificate from the Cathedral of Santiago at the end of the journey
The joy which blossoms when we know that God is with us, with our people, gets our heart beating, gets our legs moving and “draws us out of ourselves”. It leads us to take the joy we have received and to share it in service, in those “pregnant” situations which our neighbors or families may be experiencing.
At times, I have been a struggling Catholic, a joyful Catholic, a conflicted Catholic. A few months ago, when I cut ties with my longtime parish, I added a new adjective: A “homeless” Catholic.
Pope Francis has told the US Congress that the US must see migrants not as "numbers", rather "as persons". Speaking to a rare joint session, the Pope said immigrants should be treated "with the same passion and compassion with which we want to be treated".
Pope Francis arrived to Washington, D.C., this afternoon as scheduled, to a warm welcome from Church leaders and President Barack Obama and his wife and daughters. The Pope will be officially welcomed to the nation with a ceremony on Wednesday at the White House. Later in the day, he will meet with bishops of the US and in the evening, canonize Blessed Junípero Serra during a Mass at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception.
(Vatican Radio) Speaking at Vespers in Havana's Cathedral on Sunday, Pope Francis put aside his prepared homily and spoke from the heart to priests, religious and seminarians, urging them to to be "a poor Church" and to "never tire of showing mercy" to others.
AGRAND AND IMPOSING building just off the elegant Via Veneto in Rome, which featured in Federico Fellini’s film La Dolce Vita, is the new home of the US embassy to the Vatican. Security is understandably tight around the nineteenth-century palazzo, which already houses the embassy to Italy and the country’s mission to various United Nations agencies.
A South African teacher who was killed for opposing witchcraft has become the first person to be officially beatified by the Catholic Church in the African nation. Benedict Daswa was beaten to death by an angry mob in the village of Tshitanini, Limpopo, in 1990 after he had refused to pay a herbalist traditional leader, known as "inyanga", who promised to end destructive storms in the region after a lightning strike had burnt several huts.
Vietnam is moving closer to passing a restrictive law on religion, Christian groups have warned. The country's most powerful political organ, the Standing Committee of the National Assembly, discussed the bill Aug. 14 with few signs major amendments would be made before passing next year, said the religious freedom advocacy group Christian Solidarity Worldwide.
When retired Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales of Manila found himself stuck in a traffic jam in the middle of a typhoon on the outskirts of Manila Aug. 23, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
Most hikers along the Way of Saint James are not motivated by faith, and the popularity of the pilgrimage to Santiago de Compostela is an opportunity for evangelising them, a group of French and Spanish bishops has said in a pastoral letter.
Pope FRANCIS’ encyclical Laudato si’ (LS) on God’s Creation has provoked more discussion and column inches than any Vatican document in living memory. But now the “talk has been talked” how do parish communities set about “walking the walk”? How do we become beacons of hope in our environmentally degraded world?
The bishop with responsibility for migrants has called on the Government to recognise the desperation of the thousands of people caught up in the Calais crisis. Bishop Patrick Lynch welcomed an assurance by the Home Secretary, Theresa May, that the international community would provide protection for those migrants fleeing conflict and would “pursue the callous criminals who encourage so many to make this perilous journey”.
While we are still preparing a book containing several talks of different speakers, we would like to present the Power Point presentation offered by Fr. Cristo Rey Garcia Paredes, cmf
Education, attracting young people are key challenges in the region. This week, members of the Federation of Asian Bishops' Conferences are gathering in Thailand. The symposium’s theme is “consecrated life at the service of new evangelization”. The discussion comes at a pivotal time for religious men and women in Southeast Asia. Religious have always been at the forefront of the Church’s mission in many parts of the region. Yet today, religious men and women find themselves facing new challenges to their lives and missions.
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Sunday trading laws will be relaxed,” said a line in The Guardian. It was referring not to plans by George Osborne, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, announced in the Budget, but to one of the demands made on Greece by the pursuing Furies of the Troika.
Supporting Pope Francis’ global call for urgent action on climate change, children in New Delhi took to the streets to create awareness for the environment. “People tend to ignore the need to preserve the environment and carry on with their lives. I hope they will take into consideration what the pope has said on the issue,”
The head of the Vatican congregation of consecrated life has called on religious to undergo a holistic recommitment to the people they serve in order to better serve the Church in Asia. "We cannot evangelize using weapons or politics. We have to live in such a way that we love the people we serve with a passion by making Christ the center of our lives.
The overwhelming sensation of someone who has attended a papal event on this Paraguayan visit (and I have been present at three) is one of huge, excited crowds, chants and shouting, climbing up to get a better view, and the waving of flags and balloons. It is also, for those few who are close enough, stretching out to touch the man whose goodness and compassion is so much greater than their own, in the hope that something will rub off. I will never read the gospels in the same way again.
Today's Gospel gives us a good start. Jesus must have been exhausted. Presumably He was running on empty. So, He decides on a weekend pass for Himself. Obviously He believed in the law that unless you come apart and rest awhile, you may just come apart.
