In a recent interview, Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State of the Holy See, suggested that certain critics of a deal between the Vatican and the People’s Republic of China (PRC) were misconstruing the Holy See’s motivations: “There are those who’ve accused us of only wanting diplomatic relations as a sign of some sort of success. But the Holy See, as the pope has said many times, is not interested in diplomatic successes.”
For the last three years, I have received countless invitations to speak at parishes, academies, youth groups, high schools and college Newman clubs on the topic of vocations. It has been, and continues to be, a great joy to meet so many people in this ministry.
As a reward for beating cancer, I went on a pilgrimage to Italy with other young adults from my parish. During that trip, I realized that I had been changed by cancer, and that my attitude had to change.
I was in the fifth grade at St. Teresa School in Woodside when I first felt an attraction toward the priesthood.
by Father Francis Sunil Rosario
IN THE CONTEMPORARY crisis of faith, Pope Francis speaks to all of humanity through his latest apostolic exhortation, “Gaudete et Exsultate” (“Rejoice and Be Glad”). It is his understanding of holiness, based on Ignatian spirituality. It furthers the principle he holds so dear to his ideology, that reality is greater than ideas.
WHEN I FIRST visited Lviv, the principal city of western Ukraine in 2002, the transportation from plane to airport terminal was an old bus towed by a Soviet-era tractor; today, the airport is a model of cleanliness and efficiency. In 2002, the Old Town was shabby and begrimed; today, it’s become a major tourist destination, and while there is still more clean-up to do, the charms of an old Habsburg city are beginning to reveal themselves. To sit in a downtown restaurant and speak with the city’s mayor about his plans for further development, it’s easy to forget that you’re in a country at war.
Eileen Egan was a person who, having seen the horrors of wars, did not just attend to their victims, but spent the rest of her life seeking the only solution that aligns with the Gospel.
I HAVE NO business singing high C.
The second a hymn starts, I can tell by the notes whether the song’s range is in my comfort zone. Solidly alto, I am happiest singing F, G and A above middle C.
WITH THE EXCEPTION of the two consistories held by Pope John XXIII in 1958 and 1959, every creation of new cardinals since Pope Pius XII has decreased the percentage of Italian members of the College of Cardinals while internationalizing it. (John XXIII’s first consistory actually increased the Italian membership to 40 percent of an expanded college.) That pattern of internationalization, and if you will, de-Italianization has continued with Pope Francis and the college now includes members from 15 countries (such as Tonga, Laos, and Papua New Guinea) that have never given the Church a cardinal before.
by Joseph Hadzovic
I’VE BEEN THINKING about becoming a priest since I went on a retreat with the Salesians of John Bosco when I was 14.
