This morning in St. Peter’s Basilica, Pope Benedict created 22 new Cardinals at an Ordinary Public Consistory. Included among them was the Archbishop of Toronto, Cardinal Thomas Collins. During his address, the Holy Father told the new Cardinals that the scarlet colour of their robes and birettas is a symbol of martyrdom. Like Christ, and ...read more

The eleven cardinals who oversee the Vatican’s economic affairs are pleased with the budget forecast for 2012 but concerned about the ongoing economic crisis. The Council of Cardinals for the study of Organizational and Economic problems of the Holy See met this week at the Vatican to review the budget forecast for 2012 and start ...read more

Below is Pope Benedict XVI’s message for the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. It will be celebrated in the Universal Church on April 29, which is the Fourth Sunday of Easter. The message is dated Oct. 18, however, it was released by the Vatican Feb. 13. Dear Brothers and Sisters, The 49th World Day of ...read more

Last week I attended a Theology on Tap at the Ryerson University pub, hosted by the Catholic Chaplaincy operating out of the Archdiocese of Toronto. The discussion was led by a Ryerson professor of radio and television arts, and a practicing Catholic, on “Faith in a Secular World.” The assembly of about forty young people, ...read more

Schoenstatt is a Catholic community with secular institutes for men, women, sisters, priests, and federations for youth and families. This Catholic Focus episode is an introduction into the Schoenstatt community. ...read more

Most projects that land on my desk are easy to get excited about. Covering a two-day conference on clergy sex abuse was frankly not one of them. While it’s an unquestionably important topic, I, like most Catholics, am simply tired of the demoralizing news. Sr. Nuala Kenny, one of the organizers of the “Trauma & ...read more

This week on Perspectives Weekly, we’ll be looking at the contentious issue of parish closures and amalgamations. What would you do if your bishop wanted to close your parish? Host Kris Dmytrenko and our guests Fr. James Mallon, pastor of Saint Benedict Parish in Halifax and director of the John Paul II Media Institute, and Fr. ...read more

The reality of today’s Catholic Church is very different from decades past. It is common today to hear about cases of parishes being closed because of the lack of faithful. Listening to news of people who protest against the closures in some places, one can understand these people, but some times the change could be positive. ...read more

You’ll be seeing a lot of Fr. James Mallon on S+L this week. He’s the current pastor of St. Benedict parish in Halifax, a new church that resulted from the amalgamation of three churches in downtown Halifax. This Friday on Perspectives Weekly, he speaks about how his community was able to make the most of ...read more

Dear Brothers and Sisters, The Lenten season offers us once again an opportunity to reflect upon the very heart of Christian life: charity. This is a favourable time to renew our journey of faith, both as individuals and as a community, with the help of the word of God and the sacraments. This journey is ...read more