Mission Estate Winery, perched high in the Taradale Hills of Hawkes Bay, is as much a history book as it is a vineyard. Approaching the extensive property, the first thing to steal your attention is an avenue of plane trees, the solid trunks, 57 in total, have stood sentry here alongside fields of vines since Read more
Movies such as The Sound of Music, The Blues Brothers and Sister Act evidence the intrigue surrounding the life of a nun. Nuns in their 30s aren’t as common as they once were so the average person isn’t as likely to come into contact with one. In fact, according to Pew Research Centre data the Read more
The New Evangelization has been a major effort in the Catholic Church for more than 40 years. Unfortunately, it has failed to stem several significant downward trends among faithful in the United States. Since 2000, 14 million Catholics have left the faith, parish religious-education participation of children has dropped by 24 percent, Catholic school attendance Read more
Whether it’s non-Catholics who attend Mass with their Catholic significant others or folks who are inquiring about the faith; if you weren’t brought up with Mass, your first (and second and third…) time can be very confusing—making people feel like they’re, “in on a secret that I’m not in on.” Here are some answers to Read more
For the most part Te Ao Mārama looks just like the other low to medium security units at Waikeria prison. Sixty cells surround a central yard on three sides. On the fourth is a dining hall, behind that the meeting areas and offices. The perimeter fence is lined with coils of barbed wire, over which Read more
Fiorella Nash is a novelist as well as an advocate for pro-life causes. Her novels, written under the name Fiorella De Maria, include Poor Banished Children, Do No Harm, and her latest, We’ll Never Tell Them. She was interviewed for Catholic World Report by email: CWR: In addition to being a novelist, you are also quite active Read more
All of us are pushed in a thousand directions over the course of a single day. Spouses, children, parents, work, friends—it can be hard to find the time for daily maintenance, much less the mental space to practice any kind of spirituality. Having any kind of deepened spiritual life can often seem impossible. But Sister Read more
Pope Francis’ nephew, José Ignacio Bergoglio, the son of the Pope’s only living sister, Maria Elena, this week granted an exclusive interview to the Spanish newspaper ABC. In the candid interview, the Pope’s nephew describes his personal relationship with his uncle, recalls the career the Pope shelved for the priestood, and talks about the possibility Read more
Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s Secretary for Relations with States, recently gave a wide-ranging interview in regard to the role of Russia in the Mediterranean among other matters. What results can an agreement on the Iranian nuclear programme bring for peace in the Middle East? Why does the Holy See view it as a positive thing? Read more
Augustine was not the only saint to have ‘once been a great sinner’. Beyond the hagiographies many lived lives of great scandal. When Catholics discuss saints who were once great sinners, the first one that comes to mind is St Augustine of Hippo. And for good reason: as a teenager Augustine abandoned the Catholic faith Read more