Throughout 2024, Franciscans around the world commemorate the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi receiving the stigmata on Sept. 17, 1224, the appearance of the bodily wounds of Christ's crucifixion.
On the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi setting up the first Nativity scene, the creche in St. Peter's Square in 2023 will come from the Diocese of Rieti, Italy, and pay tribute to the scene set up in the diocese in 1223.
Of the many changes in becoming an auxiliary bishop, one is that I am now pastor of a much smaller parish, St. Francis of Assisi in Lake St. Croix Beach. I have transitioned from Stillwater, where I had two parishes and seven Masses on the weekend, to one parish and two Masses on the weekend.
Discerning the will of God means being able to listen to one's own heart and recognize the Lord's presence in the unexpected events of life, Pope Francis said.
By demanding respect for the cultures of indigenous peoples, Pope Francis was not promoting pantheism, but -- tapping into his Jesuit roots -- urging respect for a worldview that sees God in all things.
The conclusion reached by a Pennsylvania grand jury that six of the state's Catholic dioceses acted "in virtual lockstep" to cover up abuse allegations and dismiss alleged victims over a 70-year period starting in 1947 is "inaccurate," "unfair" and "misleading," said a veteran journalist in an in-depth article for Commonweal magazine.
God gives everyone a mission, Diana George Babish said as she fielded a phone call about a dog who had been shot in Hebron. The mission God gave her is to take care of the abused and abandoned animals in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, she said.
You know you’ve crossed some mystical threshold in aging or illness the moment that water aerobics begins to look, well ... appealing. I confess, I crossed that threshold about a year ago.
Scores of books and films were produced about St. Francis of Assisi prior to Cardinal Jorge Bergoglio's 2013 election as pope, the first one to take the name Pope Francis.
St. Francis of Assisi is a beloved saint to many, but often a mischaracterized one. Usually shown with animals, the mainstream vision of Francis is tame and gentle. However, St. Francis was an intense and radical preacher, consumed with zeal for the kingdom of God and intent on relaying the truth to others, including Muslim sultans.
