Oklahoma Martyr Celebrated as a Saint ‘Not Born with a Halo’

At the dedication of a shrine to honor Blessed Stanley Rother, the first martyr from the U.S. recognized by the Catholic Church, Archbishop Paul Coakley of Oklahoma City said Father Rother was an ordinary man with deep faith, who charted a path anybody can follow.

Fire Destroys Chapels of Light Shrine at Lourdes

Half of the Chapels of Light at Our Lady of Lourdes shrine were destroyed by a fire over the night of July 10–11. The fire was quickly brought under control, according to media reports.

July 16 Virtual Pilgrimage to Lourdes to Affirm Prayer Against COVID-19

An international virtual pilgrimage to the sanctuary of Lourdes, France, will “affirm the power of prayer” against COVID-19, said the shrine’s vice rector. “Lourdes is all about spiritual and physical healing, and we’ve received 15,000 prayer petitions daily throughout the lockdown from around the world – for people about to die or fearing infection,” said Father Xavier d’Arodes de Peyriague, vice rector and head of international pastoral ministry.

Local Pilgrims Visit Three Major Shrines in Europe

Msgr. Perfecto Vazquez reflects on leading 48 Brooklyn and Queens residents on a pilgrimage to the shrines at Fatima, Portugal; Lourdes, France and Santiago de Compostela, Spain, over the summer.

Encountering God on El Camino de Santiago

This summer, I made a pilgrimage to the Shrine of Our Lady of Fatima in Portugal along with eight of my brother seminarians and one priest faculty member from St. Joseph’s Seminary in Dunwoodie. We spent nine days – or just about 130 miles – on El Camino in Spain, walking the traditional Camino Frances route from Ponferrada to Santiago de Compostela.