Peter Gumpel, S.J., who died last week, devoted his life to the work of the Vatican’s Congregation for the Causes of Saints. He also had a surprising secret about his own background.
Saints
Posted inArts & Culture, Theater
‘The Song of Bernadette’ is headed to Broadway
Over 80 years after Bernadette’s canonization, Frank Wildhorn has composed the music for a new stage adaptation of “The Song of Bernadette.”
Posted inExplainer, Faith
Explainer: Padre Pio and the (controversial) history of the stigmata
Padre Pio is known in part for his prophetic ability, his healing power and receiving the stigmata. But during his life and after his death, these expressions of the 20th-century saint’s holiness have been debated.
Posted inFaith, Scripture Reflections
On Padre Pio’s feast day, lessons on facing suffering and rejection
A Reflection for the Feast of St. Padre Pio, by Jill Rice
Posted inFaith, Podcasts
Podcast: Should we really be canonizing recent popes?
This week on “Inside the Vatican,” Colleen Dulle and Gerard O’Connell discuss the two-day of cardinals in Rome and the recent beatification of Pope John Paul I, who led the church for a mere 33 days before his sudden death.
Posted inFaith, Speeches
Pope Francis: What St. Ignatius can teach us about discernment, God and the randomness of life
Pope Francis delivers his general audience speech on the conversion and discernment of St. Ignatius, who encountered the unexpected and made the best of it.
Posted inFaith
New Sister Thea Bowman documentary highlights her faith and racial justice work
A new documentary on Sister Thea Bowman shines a light on her life and work as an advocate for racial justice and intercultural understanding.
Posted inFaith
Mother Teresa, The First Great Televised Saint
How did Mother Teresa’s ubiquitous presence in the media hinder us from really knowing her?
Posted inNews, Politics & Society
Gorbachev and St. John Paul were key players in ending the Cold War—and greatly appreciated each other
When Mikhail Gorbachev, who died on Aug. 30, first met with Pope John Paul in December 1989, less than a month after the Berlin Wall’s collapse, the two leaders “understood each other immediately.”
Posted inArts & Culture, Film
Gritty cult director Ferrara gets religion in new film ‘Padre Pio,’ starring Shia LaBeouf
Abel Ferrara is directing the upcoming “Padre Pio,” starring Shia LaBeouf, about the stigmatic saint of 20th-century Italy. The film centers itself around the rise of fascism in Italy.