Fr. Raymond de Souza: A remarkable journey from slave to saint

We celebrate this week — Feb. 8 — the feast day of one of the most remarkable saints of recent times, the slave girl who became a beloved religious mother. St. Josephine Bakhita was born 150 years ago (the date is uncertain, perhaps 1869 or 1870) but is a saint for today’s world of Islamist persecution and human trafficking.

God's Word on Sunday: We are all called to discipleship

13th Sunday in Ordinary Time, June 30 (Year C) 1 Kings 19:16b, 19-21; Psalm 16; Galatians 5:1, 13-18; Luke 9:51-62

A calling can come without warning and be expressed in surprising ways. 

God's Word on Sunday: God is beyond all our descriptive words

Trinity Sunday, June 16 (Year C) Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15

God cannot be contained within any word, concept, image or symbol. 

Mary Marrocco: The power of love is within our grasp

Do you remember a pop song called “The Power of Love,” from a popular movie called Back to the Future? Fun, lively and danceable, the song is just what it ought to be for its purpose: “With a little help from above, you feel the power of love.” 

God's Word on Sunday: Jesus can be heard in noisy world

Fourth Sunday of Easter, May 12 (Year C) Acts 13:14, 43-52; Psalm 100; Revelation 7:9, 14b-17; John 10:27-30

New ideas nearly always provoke controversy, resistance and even violence. This applies in all areas of human activity, but nowhere is it more prevalent than in religion.

Mary Marrocco: Learning to speak the words within us

A friend was reflecting on a remark she’d made that morning to someone, which she didn’t feel good about. “Sometimes I think about things after I say them,” she mused, “and wonder why I did.”

Francis Campbell: If it’s false or fake don’t call it news

Fake news. The term is bandied about almost daily and has quickly grown tired and annoying.

Johanne Brownrigg: Who has the courage to follow Jody Wilson-Raybould's path?

Catholics have been reminded repeatedly they must separate Church and State. In government, medicine, law, public policy or discourse, we are expected to leave Him who shapes our life and our conscience at home. 

Angela Saldanha: What happened to Sabbath day?

My daughter, skyping from her home in Switzerland, remarked how quiet it was.  Very little traffic about, she said — all shops shut.