Signs in the Heavens

Signs, signs, everywhere, signs, blockin' out the scenery, breakin' my mind... So sang the Five Man Electrical Band in their 1970 anti-establishment ballad, whose lyrics...

The Witness of the John Paul Institute

Much controversy has been raised by Pope Francis' recent reconfiguration of the constitutional make-up of the John Paul II Institute for Marriage and Family. ...

Flying Friars and the United Nations

Today's reading, in Saint Paul's letter to the young bishop Timothy, the Apostle requests all Catholics to 'pray for those in high places', for...

The Battle of Vienna 1683

September 12th marks the anniversary of the Battle of Vienna, in 1683, when the army of the Holy Roman Empire, particularly with the help...

Hurricanes, Pot and Claver’s Charity

The inchoate and fevered brain of Jennifer Lawrence, the over-feted Hunger Games and X-Men actress, is partly right, that horrific hurricane Irma, now the...

A Tale of Two Princesses

September 5th was the 20th anniversary of the death of Teresa of Calcutta, canonized by Pope John Paul II on September 4th, 2003, but...

A Saint for Canada

Blessed Dina Belanger died on this day in 1929, suffering from tuberculosis, brought on by the scarlet fever she contracted while tending a sick...

Gay Wizards and the Benedict Option

I enjoyed a discussion recently with some priest friends on the Benedict Option, particularly as this applies to education.  How much do we 'retreat'...

Witnessing to the Truth

The decapitation of Saint John the Baptist, or more colloquially his beheading, is a memorial in the Church, unlike his birth, commemorated on June...

Beauty Ever Ancient, Ever New

What can one say about Saint Augustine, the great bishop and doctor of the Church, who died on this day in the year of...