Dear Pope Francis, I have an idea. You know how you keep advancing the sainthood causes of all your predecessors? What if you stopped doing that? That’s my idea. It’s pretty simple: Just stop making every pope a saint. Instead of canonizing Paul VI this year, as you are reportedly planning to do, I suggest…not Read more
On Sunday Pope Francis created 35 new saints during a Mass in St Peter’s Square. In his homily, Francis referred to the Christian life as a “love story with God” and said “The Saints who were canonised today and especially the many martyrs, point the way.” Read more
On August 22 AD, St Columba was on the banks of the river Ness. He came across a group of heathenish Picts who were busy burying a friend who had been attacked by an enormous “water beast” while swimming in the river. Continue reading . (you need to scroll down for the story)
Some time ago I found myself on the fringes of a group of Catholics discussing the impending birth of a baby to a teenage girl. I detected just the faintest whiff of scandal in the air – nothing said, but plenty implied. I quipped: “Isn’t that great.” Faces turned, eyes probing. “ Isn’t it great Read more
When Pope Francis canonized child seers and siblings Francisco and Jacinta Marto May 13, the centenary of the first apparition of the Virgin Mary at Fatima, he added to a long list of children and young people who are at some point on the road of sainthood. Granted, the number of child saints is a small Read more
How many St Catherines do you think there are? Guess: 2, 9, 12, 16, 22? While while they all share the same name and love for God, each of the each of the Catherine’s (or Katharine’s) path to holiness is unique. Check out their stories
One way to understand the saints—the radiant, aberrant beings next to whom the rest of us look so shifty and shoddy—is to imagine them as cutting-edge physicists. Their research, if you like, has led them unblinkingly to conclude that reality is not at all what, or where, or who we think it is. They have Read more
Though perhaps not yet a “superstar” saint, Blessed Chiara Luce Badano’s story is rapidly building a following, especially among younger Catholics today, in part because her selfless acceptance of suffering provokes both curiosity and esteem among post-modern types. This coming October 7 is the 25th anniversary of the death of an amazing young adult Christian Read more
Miracles of healing will have to be checked against new rules. Pope Francis has approved revised norms to ensure transparency. Historical and scientific accuracy are also important factors. The Congregation of Saints Causes must have at least six medical experts on a Consultation Team panel. Two-thirds of the team must approve a statement declaring a Read more
“Saints inspire us, they are made saints so that we can look up to them as role models, figures who show us how to live out our discipleship, how to use the gifts God has given us,” said Cardinal John Dew, the Archbishop of Wellington in his homily on Saturday. He was preaching at a Mass Read more