From November 20, the Holy Door will close and the extraordinary Year of Mercy will end. I’ll be honest, I have been extremely slack in terms of taking full advantage of this wonderful year. However, I have finally picked up Pope Francis’ Misericordiae Vultus, the Bull of Indiction of the extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy. It … Read More
November: All Saints
Last Words of the Saints As the calendar year winds down, so, too, does the liturgical year. During the final weeks of this year, the Church turns a focus towards the end times – both our own personally, and those of the world as we know it. As we celebrate the great feast of All … Read More
The Martyrs of North America
Hundreds of years ago, missionaries did not have modern means of transportation as they went about evangelizing. They ministered to those they met along the way and often walked from settlement to settlement to preach and live the faith. Today, modern pilgrims have the opportunity to step back in time by making a walking pilgrimage … Read More
The Church of Saints
Our God is the God of the living, and who is more alive than those who have completed this earthly journey and are now with Him in Heaven? Jesus said, “As for the dead being raised, have you not read in the Book of Moses, in the passage about the bush, how God told him, … Read More
The adventure awaits: Pilgrimage to Alaska
Adding to the more than 70 national shrines in the United States, the St. Thérèse Shrine in Juneau, Alaska was added by the U.S. bishops to the national list on her Oct. 1 feast day this year. “We are pleased to have the Conference of Bishops recognize the Shrine of St. Thérèse as a National … Read More
What a Heart He Had
The Capuchin keepers of the relics of the late mystic Padre Pio are sending the saint’s heart to Boston for his feast day. “I’m very excited to announce that the Capuchin Friars who run the Shrine of St. Padre Pio have offered to come to Boston with the heart of Padre Pio for his feast … Read More
8 Times
Banneux is a small town in Belgium, so small that it is not even on the map. During the time of Hitler’s rise to power, an 11-year-old girl named Mariette Beco was experiencing something that made no news. Mariette was born March 25, 1921, the Feast of the Annunciation, the oldest of seven children. As … Read More
Rome: The Eternal City
It takes a traveler mere minutes in Rome to understand why she is called the “Eternal City.” As you speed from the airport, the dome of St. Peter’s Basilica suddenly looms from beyond the Vatican walls, and time seems to turn in on itself. Insta-communications and all the glories of the present age become as … Read More
Italy Earthquake Survivor
Sister Marjana Lleshi awoke in the early hours of Wednesday morning to the violent shaking of the 6.2 magnitude earthquake that killed 250 people, devastating several towns in central Italy. Wounded and trapped under her bed as her convent in Amatrice crumbled to the ground around her, Sr. Lleshi thought for sure that death was … Read More
Pilgrimage Guide to Saintly US Cities
Rome, the Holy Land, Fatima, Lourdes, Knock, Assisi… When I think of Pilgrimage I think of all of these deeply spiritual places all around the world. I think of the magnificent architecture in Rome and the ancient history of the castles and churches. I have been diving deeper into the treasure of our own sacred … Read More
Pope Praises Olympic Refugee Team
VATICAN CITY (CNS) — In a personal message addressed to each of the 10 members of the new Refugee Olympic Team, Pope Francis wished them success in their events and thanked them for the witness they are giving the world. Naming each of the team’s athletes from South Sudan, Syria, Congo and Ethiopia, Pope Francis … Read More
Tekton Sends Pilgrims to WYD
Tekton Ministries had the pleasure of arranging the pilgrimages for World Youth Day in Poland, Germany. It sent a total of 225 pilgrims both youth and young adults from South Dakota and Indiana. Pilgrims traveled to Krakow, Poland for a seven-day worldwide encounter with Pope Francis and 1.6 million other young Catholics. These pilgrims each … Read More
Pope Francis’ August Prayer Intention
Pope Francis’ August Prayer Intention: Peace through the Fraternity of Sports How fitting is it that Pope Francis would invite us to pray for peace through the unity of sports during these 2016 Olympics in Rio. Join Pope Francis and pray for the connections and unity among athletes as a way of fostering peace around … Read More
The Saint who Inspired Poland and the World
July is here and pilgrims from across the globe will be flocking to Poland to celebrate World Youth Day. It is a country that Pope Francis desires to highlight in this Jubilee Year of Mercy, especially focusing on the great saints of mercy who were raised within her borders. As we have seen thus far, … Read More
Pope’s Visit to Assisi
(Vatican Radio) The Franciscans and the Bishop of the Italian hill town of Assisi, Domenico Sorrentino announced on Monday that Pope Francis will visit the Umbrian village on Thursday August 4th. During the afternoon visit to the Porziuncola inside the Basilica of St. Mary of the Angels, the Pope will officially mark the 8th centenary … Read More
