Church - 2011

Pope John Paul II. Wikimedia Commons

The Glory and a Bowl of Cornflakes

ChurchLorenzo Albacete

The news of the upcoming beatification of Pope John Paul II recalls what was so impressive about him: the transparency of a humanity totally bound to its origin. A fascination able to melt our hearts' resistance to the grace of sainthood.

Pope Benedct XVI. Wikimedia Commons

The Power of a Listening Heart

ChurchStefano Alberto

In the first speech of a Pontiff at the Bundestag, Benedict XVI went to the root of a problem that concerns everyone–how to recognize what is right. In so doing, he set another milestone on the path to “broaden reason.” Here is how.

Pope Benedict XVI in Berlin. Wikimedia Commons

He Came to Reawaken Us

ChurchChristoph Scholz

On the visit to his homeland, Benedict XVI swept away months of hostile criticism, from the speech in Parliament to prayer with Protestants to dialogue with Jews and Muslims. He surprised us all by putting the heart’s expectation at the center once again.

Fr. Mauro Giuseppe Lepori. Wikimedia Commons

Called to Live For Him

ChurchDavide Perillo

Face to face with Fr. Mauro Giuseppe Lepori, chosen to guide the 1,800 Cistercians scattered around the world, after 26 years in the monastery. He describes his "vocation within the vocation" that allowed him to discover "there's gusto in everything."

Cardinal Donald William Wuerl. Wikimedia Commons

Pastor of a People of Hope

ChurchConor Dugan

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, DC, discusses the New Evangelization, his friendship with John Paul II, and the thrilling moments of his priestly journey toward being made Cardinal of a "very important Church."

Aleppo, Syria. Wikimedia Commons

The Sisters of Syria

ChurchGiorgio Paolucci

In a country wounded by conflict, 6 nuns have made their home on a hill to testify to the "source of peace." We went to see their life, from their Morning Prayer to their handcraft, to learn how it is possible to look at the other "with the eyes of God."

Pope John Paul II. Wikimedia Commons

"Blessed Are You, Because You Believed"

ChurchDavide Perillo

A people, with one reason alone. A million and a half people attracted by the life of a person seized by Christ. This is what happened in Saint Peter's Square, a confirmation of what many of us had just heard at the CL Fraternity Spiritual Exercises.

Our Lady of Good Help sign in Champion, WI. Wikimedia Commons

Meeting Mary at the Door

ChurchRick Fessenbecker

The apparitions that took place over 150 year ago, in the tiny town of Champion, Wisconsin, to a young woman, Adele Brise, are now officially recognized by the Church. It is the first-approved Marian apparition on American soil.

Pope John Paul II. Wikimedia Commons

Do Not Fear

ChurchAlessandra Banfi

In recognition of the ceremony in which Benedict XVI proclaims him blessed, we present memories of (and current happenings related to) a Pope to whom we owe a great deal.

Jesus of Nazareth. Wikimedia Commons

"It Is the Lord!"

ChurchJosé Luis Restán

The release of the Pope's new book offers a look at the Church's journey and the challenge of His Presence, before which we have to take a stand. Traces offers here some keys to understanding why people touched by grace "make an age."

Pope Benedict XVI. Wikimedia Commons

Opening Up A Breathing Space

ChurchEllen Roderick

Technology's totalitarian tendencies, and the sense of resignation it inspires, meet human freedom and the hope of a transcendent horizon in a surprising guide for modernity: Benedict XVI's latest encyclical.