Issues of an ecumenical and interfaith nature hold a special place in my heart. In John’s gospel account, I hold Jesus’ words to be true when he speaks with his disciples and says, “Righteous Father, the world does not know you, but I know you; and these know that you have sent me. I made ...read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters, This celebration has a very beautiful name: “Evangelium Vitae”, the Gospel of Life. In this Eucharist, in the Year of Faith, let us thank the Lord for the gift of life in all its forms, and at the same time let us proclaim the Gospel of Life.  On the basis of ...read more

This weekend, Catholics are gathering at the Vatican to celebrate John Paul II’s encyclical Evangelium Vitae. Details about the festivities, titled “Believing May They Have Life”, were revealed at a press conference on May 28. “We have given it this name to testify to the grand theme that revolves around the Church’s commitment to the ...read more

When you think of religious pilgrimage, the Holy Land comes to mind, or perhaps the Vatican. But there’s another pilgrimage destination where ancient ruins emerge from a dramatic landscape – testaments to an over 1500-year-old Christian tradition. This destination is Ireland, whose heritage was celebrated at the 50th International Eucharistic Congress. Catholic Focus takes a ...read more

Full disclosure: my family tree doesn’t extend even a single root in Ireland. So when I traveled to Dublin last summer for the International Eucharistic Congress, I didn’t know much about the nation’s history. That would explain my surprise  when Tourism Ireland proposed that, during our stay, we visit the country’s religious pilgrimage sites. ‘Why ...read more

At the United Nations, we talk a lot about universalizing things. Sounds appropriate, right? If we can agree on things, it unifies us in our approach to make local, national and international changes. Who in their right mind wouldn’t want world peace? Ultimately, we all want the same things: health, happiness, security and fulfillment. During ...read more

On June 11th we celebrate the feast of St. Barnabas. The Church sees him as an apostle though he was not one of the twelve. We first hear about him in the Acts of the Apostles, where he is given the name Barnabas which means “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4).  And he lived up to ...read more

On Friday Pope Francis surprised a huge audience of young students from Jesuit schools in Italy and Albania  by setting aside a prepared five-page script and engaging in a question and answer session with his audience in the Paul VI hall.  The assembly consisted of over 9000 students, teachers and staff of Jesuit grade schools ...read more

The Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus presents us with the opportunity to reflect on the relevance of this venerable symbol in our daily lives. The image of the Sacred Heart is never mentioned as such in Sacred Scripture, but its meaning can be found spanning each page from Genesis to Revelation. Today’s readings ...read more

Brazil has been a fascinating experience: in spite of being Portuguese and speaking the same language as the locals, there is a cultural difference. I arrived in Rio a week ago and right away I could feel the energy of the people, who are always ready to help you. The first Mass I attended on ...read more