Joanne Paul wrote her powerful and considerable biography of Thomas More because she finds More’s life relevant to today’s world. But the book also addresses another question: Was More a saintly martyr or a vicious murderer?
Saints
Posted inNews
St. Francis’ relics open to public for first extended veneration in 800 years
The bones of the beloved saint were unveiled for public display Feb. 22 in the Lower Church of the Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi. Pilgrims waited in line outside of the Assisi basilica, taking in the panoramic views of the Umbrian countryside from the medieval hilltop town, for their chance to pray before the relics.
Posted inNews
Archbishop Fulton Sheen’s beatification moves ahead after 6-year pause
Archbishop Sheen’s cause for canonization, opened in 2002, has been stalled by two controversies—a public battle to relocate his remains from St. Patrick’s Cathedral in New York to its current location, the side chapel of the Cathedral of St. Mary of the Immaculate Conception in Peoria; and, more significantly, concerns that as bishop of the Diocese of Rochester, the prelate might have overlooked sexual abuse by at least one former diocesan priest there.
Posted inNews
Pope Leo adds feast day of St. John Henry Newman to universal calendar
Pope Leo XIV has added the feast day of St. John Henry Newman, who is “a radiant light for the Church on pilgrimage through history,” to the General Roman Calendar so that “his Optional Memorial be celebrated by all on 9 October.”
Posted inNews
Pope Leo receives two lambs in ancient St. Agnes tradition
Adding some sweetness to the usual general audience-focused Wednesday, Pope Leo XIV was presented with two lambs Jan. 21 as part of an ancient Roman Catholic tradition marking the feast of St. Agnes of Rome.
Posted inPodcasts
Saint baby names and the best pilgrimage sites: Your questions for Jesuitical, answered
Who’s the best TV priest? Should you name your kid after a saint? And what pilgrimage sites are on our bucket list? These are just a few of the questions Zac, Ashley and “Jesuitical” producer Sebastian Gomes tackle in our end-of-year mailbag episode!
Posted inTelevision
The extraordinary life of Carlo Acutis—directed by Martin Scorsese’s daughter
By choosing to highlight Carlo, whose life was relatively short and simple in comparison with his fellow saints, the series offers an insightful—and perhaps counterintuitive—reflection on what it truly means to live an exceptional life.
Posted inCatholic Movie Club
Holiday watch: ‘Household Saints,’ a film about food, family and faith
“Household Saints” is a story about how culture, and especially faith, evolve through the different generations of an immigrant family.
Posted inExplainer, Faith
The ‘Lone Ranger’ Jesuit up for sainthood: Pre-Vatican II Catholic or radical in a Roman collar?
“Rick Thomas isn’t an easy man to get a handle on. Was he an old-fashioned pre-Vatican II Catholic or a radical, a barrio politician in a Roman collar or a supernaturalist fanatic, a slave-driver or a clown?”
Posted inThe Good Word
St. Augustine: the outsider who built Western civilization
A Homily for the Thirty-third Sunday in Ordinary Time, by Father Terrance Klein