
Sr. Helena Burns, FSP
Sr. Helena, fsp, is a Daughter of St. Paul. She holds a Masters in Media Literacy Education and studied screenwriting at UCLA. www.HellBurns.com Twitter: @srhelenaburns
Guess who was gunning back to Saskatoon?
Where can you find fervent, engaged Catholic youth these days? Why, in Saskatoon, of course!
God! He just beats the devil
Fr. Gabriele Amorth, SSP (1925-2016) was the chief exorcist of the Vatican and a member of the Society of St. Paul (one of the congregations founded by Blessed Fr. James Alberione). I had the privilege of interviewing Fr. Amorth in 2011, while filming a documentary on Fr. Alberione (MediaApostle.com).
Four steps to a mini-Catholic culture at home
Why are our young people leaving the Catholic Church en masse? Many “panic studies” and “exit polls” have been done to answer the question of this gargantuan exodus.
Celebrating Christ’s Solemnity is downright exciting
It’s that time of year again. The last Sunday of the liturgical year is a great and glorious day. It used to be known simply as “The Feast of Christ the King,” but has now been expanded to “The Solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, King of the Universe.” Yes, please!
Squeaking into Purgatory means Heaven must wait
As November is the month of Holy Souls, containing both the feasts of All Saints and All Souls — let’s continuously pray for all our beloved deceased. Why? Because there’s this thing called Purgatory, and you really don’t want to go there. Aim higher.
Get over ourselves and get with God’s program
The best sermon I ever heard was delivered by Fr. Philip Merdinger, the founder of the Brotherhood of Hope, a religious community dedicated to campus ministry. Father preached a retreat for us Daughters of St. Paul, and the gist of his sermon was: “You are not the most important thing in the world. God is.”
Hooked on a feeling? Choose hope instead
If you are feeling discouraged about the state of the world and the Church these days, please remember that hope is one of the three theological virtues infused into you at your baptism. St. Paul tells us that “…these three remain: faith, hope and love, and the greatest of these is love” (1 Corinthians 13:13); but perhaps the “hardest of these” can be hope.
Why the Church won’t change 'Humanae Vitae'
Perhaps you’ve heard some recent rumours and rumblings from Rome about the possibility of the Catholic Church reconsidering, re-looking at, revamping, re-working or redacting Humanae Vitae (Of Human Life), the 1968 encyclical by Pope Paul VI on contraception (synopsis: the document says “no” to contraception).
Sr. Burns rubber in her highway traffic act
I come from a family of lead-foots. I think we have black-and-white checkered genes. Nunhood made no dent in my “need for speed” heritage. So here are a few of my encounters with law enforcement on the roadways of North America. (Be it known that I’m always dressed as a nun. I don’t really have any other clothes.)
Helping youth toward gender reality
I don’t need to tell you that gender confusion is rampant among our youth today. Only 10 years ago, when I would ask an audience of adults or youth, everyone knew someone who was same-sex attracted, but no one knew someone who was experiencing gender dysphoria or identified as “trans.” Now everyone knows some young person fairly close to them in that situation: a son, daughter, nephew, niece, grandchild. Why?