Returning for its third season comes “Hark!”—a podcast from America Media about the stories behind our favorite Christmas carols.
Christmas
Posted inFaith, News
Pope Francis celebrates 800th anniversary of St. Francis’ Nativity scene in new book
Marking the 800th anniversary of St. Francis of Assisi putting together the first Christmas crèche in a cave in Greccio, Italy, the Vatican publishing house compiled texts by Pope Francis about Nativity scenes.
Posted inDispatches, Faith
Have yourself a modest little Christmas? The holiday season highlights a wasteful culture.
From unwrapping unwanted presents to burning fossil fuel to power millions of Christmas lights, the commemoration of the humble birth of Jesus comes at a significant expense to the environment.
Posted inArts & Culture, Music
This Irish Christmas carol was once nearly forgotten. Now it’s newly famous.
I have learned to take Christmas carols seriously and to anticipate the epiphanies they may bear in my spiritual life.
Posted inArts & Culture, Poetry
Carol
Throughout the waiting house
We’ve strewn our mangers. Maybe
This year we’ll find one baby.
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Podcast: Pope Benedict XVI’s ‘serious’ condition
On “Inside the Vatican” this week, veteran Vatican correspondent Gerard O’Connell and host Colleen Dulle give an update on the former pope’s health. The rest of the podcast looks at three of Pope Francis’ Christmas messages.
Posted inFaith, Faith in Focus
Winter storms, travel nightmares and Covid-19: Lessons on letting go from a chaotic Christmas
What happens when the first “normal” Christmas since 2019 turns into a sitcom-level celebration in which everything that can go wrong does go wrong?
Posted inFaith, Speeches
Pope Francis: What St. Francis de Sales said about Christmas
Pope Francis reflects on Christmas and on St. Francis de Sales, who tells us “to desire nothing and reject nothing, to accept everything that God sends us.”
Posted inFaith, News
Ukrainian archbishop urges people to celebrate Christmas even amid war
In his Christmas message, he offered special greetings to “our soldiers at the front,” to civilians and soldiers who have been wounded and to all those mourning the loss of loved ones.
Posted inFaith, Vatican Dispatch
Listen to the cries of the newborn Prince of Peace, pope says on Christmas
Tens of thousands of people gathered in St. Peter’s Square for the pope’s message inviting people to pay less attention to presents and more to prayer,.