Morning Catholic must-reads: 26/01/15
Christian unity “will not be the fruit of subtle theoretical discussions”, Francis said at St Paul Outside the Walls in Rome yesterday evening (full text, full video). The Pope expressed “deep concern”...
View ArticleCause of St Thérèse of Lisieux’s sister is opened
A French bishop has officially opened the beatification Cause of Léonie Martin, the sister of St Thérèse of Lisieux. Bishop Jean-Claude Boulanger of Bayeux-Lisieux opened the diocesan stage of the...
View ArticlePope Francis to canonise St Thérèse’s parents during family synod
Pope Francis is expected to canonise Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St Thérèse of Lisieux, during the world Synod of Bishops on the family in October. Cardinal Angelo Amato, prefect of...
View ArticleL’Arche founder Jean Vanier ‘was inspired by St Thérèse of Lisieux and Gandhi’
In 1964, when Jean Vanier quietly began what would become an international network, he had “no idea that this would be a revolutionary reality … that it would grow,” he remarked joyfully. The founder...
View ArticlePope recognises miracle needed to declare parents of St Thérèse saints
Pope Francis has approved a miracle so that, for the first time, a married couple can be canonised together. The canonisation ceremony for Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St Thérèse of...
View ArticleSt Teresa of Avila was a charming, droll and tough-minded reformer
Five hundred years ago, on March 28 1515, an upper middle-class Spaniard, Doña Beatriz, held her baby daughter Teresa in her arms. Doña Beatriz did not know then, of course, that her daughter would...
View ArticleSt Thérèse’s parents coped with ‘21st century problems’
Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin, the parents of St Thérèse of Lisieux, faced 21st century problems and are an “inspiration to families of today”, according to Bishop Mark O’Toole of Plymouth. He was...
View ArticleThe inspirational parents of St Thérèse of Lisieux
Shortly after I came to the diocese I wrote to Lisieux to invite the relics of Blessed Louis and Zelie Martin, the parents of St Thérèse of the Child Jesus and the Holy Face, to visit the Diocese. They...
View ArticleRejoice in this saintly couple
Recently, I attended the English and Welsh bishops’ Low Week meeting. This year the gathering took place at Palazzola, the home of the Venerable English College on Lake Albano, instead of the usual...
View ArticleRelics of St Thérèse of Lisieux’s parents arrive in England
Bishop Mark O’Toole has welcomed the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux’s parents to the Diocese of Plymouth at the start of their tour of southern England. Shortly after he became Bishop of Plymouth in...
View ArticleThousands of Catholics venerate relics of Blessed Louis and Zélie Martin
Thousands of Catholics across southern England are venerating the relics of St Thérèse of Lisieux’s parents during a week-long tour. Bishop Mark O’Toole welcomed the relics of Blessed Louis and Zélie...
View ArticlePope approves canonisation of St Thérèse’s parents
The Pope has approved decrees permitting the canonisation of the parents of St Thérèse of Lisieux. Francis approved the decrees during an ordinary consistory in the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican....
View ArticleLetters from the Synod: October 15, 2015
DISQUISITIONS …being thoughts on Synod 2015 from various observers Doubts About Devolution – III Catholics of the Second Class? The “universal call to holiness” identified and explained in the Second...
View ArticleBooks blog: Let’s not forget the most important event of the synod
In a timely article for The Catholic Thing, Father Mark Pilon highlights what he thinks is the most important event of the current Synod: the canonisation of Louis and Zelie Martin, parents of St...
View ArticleMorning Catholic must-reads: 19/10/15
Francis expressed “great concern” about “the situation of tension and violence that afflicts the Holy Land” at yesterday’s Angelus (full text). The Pope said that “ambition and careerism are...
View ArticlePope Francis canonises Louis and Zélie Martin
Pope Francis called on people to replace their thirst for power with the joy of quiet and humble service, as he proclaimed four new saints, including the parents of St Therese of Lisieux. All of...
View ArticleI back Ross Douthat: elites don’t own Catholicism
Recently, you will have noticed, if you have been reading anything Catholic online, there has been a synod. Mr Ross Douthat, a Catholic journalist, has commented on the synod, in his column in the New...
View ArticleLet’s not forget the most moving intervention during the synod
After reading various commentaries on the recent Synod on the Family, mainly those on the conservative spectrum, I am left with one memorable image. It is not from the Pope’s own rich storehouse of...
View ArticleFor Christians, martyrdom is a ‘never-ending story,’ says cardinal
For Christians, martyrdom remains a “never-ending story” that stretches from scriptural accounts of apostolic times to today’s “amphitheatre of YouTube”, Cardinal Donald Wuerl writes in a new book. The...
View ArticleHow to survive January, the secular season of penitence
January can be a penitential season like a compulsory Lent. We may have to give up going out for a pint (it may be too expensive when there is a looming tax bill and/or debts from over-spending at...
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