February 2026

What Year of St. Francis can do for the world

A lot, say these Franciscans

Kimberley Heatherington · February 20, 2026

After Pope Leo XIV proclaimed the Jubilee Year of St. Francis from Jan. 10, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, the Vatican’s Apostolic Penitentiary also issued a decree granting a plenary indulgence to mark the 800th anniversary year of the popular saint’s death.

Young men invited to Come and See

Luke Mandato · February 20, 2026

The Archdiocese of Toronto’s Office of Vocations is again hosting its Come and See Weekend Discernment Retreat at St. Augustine's Seminary for single Catholic men 18 years and older.

Fulton Sheen resonates through generations

Like father, like son

Quinton Amundson · February 20, 2026

Allan Smith, the director of the Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen Mission Society of Canada, heard just a single line of the famed American radio and television host’s writing in 2009 and was captivated.

Barefoot and Preaching

Turning the wheel to reveal ourselves

Leah Perrault · February 20, 2026

This winter finds me in a new micro-climate. Chinook winds blow up over the mountains, creating a rapid warming as the air comes down the other side.

Speak the secret of Catholic Social Teaching

Luke Stocking · February 20, 2026

Have the courage to be challenging as Jesus was. And think about the ways you can share the beauty of things like the rosary, adoration, and above all the Eucharist, so that they point to the powerful ideas in Catholic Social Teaching that guide us in how to live with one another and all creation. How pleasing to God that would be.

Editorial

Listen to reality’s truth

February 20, 2026

“Let us ask for the grace of a Lent that leads us to greater attentiveness to God and to the least among us…for the strength that comes from the type of fasting that also extends to our use of language, so hurtful words may diminish and… our communities (become) places where the cry of those who suffer finds welcome.”

How to be peppered by salt and light

Fr. Joshua Witfield · February 20, 2026

To understand what Jesus means by calling his disciples “the salt of the earth,” St. Augustine said that we should keep in mind the two immediately preceding verses about being reviled and persecuted, and about being slandered for the sake of Jesus.

Andrew Bennett moves on from Cardus

Former religious freedom ambassador leaving Cardus for Calgary Christian school

Quinton Amundson · February 21, 2026

Fr. Deacon Andrew Bennett is departing from his director of faith community engagement role with the Cardus think tank to pursue a new professional challenge after a decade standing for religious freedom in the public square.

Pope Leo renews 'heartfelt appeal' for 'immediate ceasefire' in Russia-Ukraine war

OSV News · February 23, 2026

Pope Leo XIV has renewed his "heartfelt appeal" for an "immediate ceasefire" in Russia's war against Ukraine and again urged dialogue "be strengthened to pave the way toward peace."

St. Francis' relics open to public for first extended veneration in 800 years

Courtney Mares · February 23, 2026

For the first time in eight centuries, the mortal remains of St. Francis of Assisi are being exposed for an extended period of public veneration, drawing hundreds of thousands of pilgrims from around the world to pray before "the Little Poor Man of Assisi."

Pope Leo XIV tells priests not to use AI to write homilies or seek likes on TikTok

Courtney Mares · February 23, 2026

Pope Leo XIV has urged priests to not to use artificial intelligence to write their homilies or to seek "likes" on social media platforms like TikTok.

Historic Montreal church destroyed in fire

Quinton Amundson · February 23, 2026

A fire has destroyed the historic former Saint-Paul Church in Montreal’s Sud-Ouest borough.

Through Share Lent, D&P 'On Track for Justice'

Luke Mandato · February 23, 2026

Development and Peace-Caritas Canada has officially launched its Share Lent 2026 campaign, giving faithful across the country another chance for prayer, education, donations and solidarity with the Global South.

Chilliwack parishioners stranded as Mexico bishops call for prudence and prayer

B.C. Catholic · February 24, 2026

Parishioners from St. Mary’s Parish in Chilliwack vacationing in Puerto Vallarta are hoping they can return home to Canada as violence appears to be abating following unrest over the weekend.

Archbishop Smith to join Canadian delegation at Indigenous ministry conference in New Zealand

B.C. Catholic · February 24, 2026

Canada has “much to share with other countries” when it comes to reconciliation and ministry with Indigenous peoples, says Vancouver Archbishop Richard Smith, as he prepares to attend the International Conference on Catholic Indigenous Ministry in New Zealand.

Aid groups stand with the Cuban people

Shortage of basic necessities a longstanding issue made worse by fuel blockade

Quinton Amundson · February 24, 2026

Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) Canada has launched a campaign to help Cubans suffering from severe shortages of food, medicine and basic goods, exacerbated by the U.S. fuel embargo on the nation.

Bill C-9 amendment creates confusion, MP says

Won’t ‘bolster any protections,’ ‘nothing is changing’

Quinton Amundson · February 24, 2026

A proposed amendment to Bill C-9, the Combatting Hate Act, will only create greater uncertainty, said Conservative MP Andrew Lawton.

Cardinals Müller, Sarah urge SSPX to submit to papal authority

Gina Christian · February 24, 2026

Two prominent Catholic cardinals have expressed their profound concern and sorrow over a recently announced decision by the Society of St. Pius X to ordain bishops this summer without papal approval.

Ukraine Church transformed by four years of war

Katarzyna Szalajko · February 25, 2026

Four years after Russia launched its full-scale invasion of Ukraine, the war has fundamentally reshaped the Catholic Church’s mission, turning parishes into shelters, priests into chaplains and charity into daily survival.

Future leaders carry on Mary Ward's legacy

Fearless service in doing good, 'and do it well'

Luke Mandato · February 25, 2026

At Toronto’s Loretto College School, the spirit and vision of Mary Ward acontinues to pulse through the all-girls Catholic school, as seemingly endless initiatives and day-to-day acts of mentoring, fundraising, inclusion and education carry on, turning faith into fearless service.