Cardinal Brislin on a Year of Surprises
From his surprise appointment to Johannesburg to electing a new pope, Cardinal Stephen Brislin has had a busy 12 months....
Simmermacher
Margaret Alacoque: The Nun who saw Jesus’ Sacred Heart
In the 17th century, a French nun reported visions in which Jesus showed her his Sacred Heart, giving rise to...
The Song of St Francis
St Francis of Assisi wrote his beloved ‘Canticle of the Sun’ 800 years ago – and it is more relevant...
Shrines around the World: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Rome
Where’s that: In central Rome. Our Lady’s connection: Miraculous icon Around the corner from Rome’s dazzling basilica of St Mary...
Where Was Our Lady Born?
On September 8, we mark the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin. But where was Mary born, and...
Shrines around the World: Our Lady of Lebanon
Where’s that: In Harissa, near the city of Jounieh. Our Lady’s connection: Our Lady of Lebanon is a symbol of...
May Relics Be Sold?
Question: Recently, I discovered a relic of St John Bosco, apparently a piece of bone within a reliquary, for sale...
Some Famous Benedictines
There have been 17 Benedictine popes — and none of them took the name Benedict. The first of them was...
Shrines around the World: Our Lady of Africa, Algeria
Where’s that: Algiers, the capital of mainly Muslim Algeria. Our Lady’s connection: A statue of Mary as a black woman....
