BARCELONA Pope Benedict s last visit today was to the Child Jesus Nen Deu project in Barcelona a home for the disabled run by Franciscan Sisters of the Sacred Heart founded by an Anadalusian nun beatified in 2007 nbsp He greeted teenagers with learning difficulties many with Down s Syndrome

Oct. 31 is the feast of a remarkable Catholic brother, St. Alphonsus Rodríguez, the humble Jesuit porter of Majorca.

St. Jean de Brébeuf’s life, like the lives of all the North American Martyrs, has much to teach us about working and living among those who are different from us.

Francis of Assisi is a good example of why the legends should never overshadow the life, Father James Martin writes. For within his life lie many surprises awaiting those who are willing to meet Francis on his own terms.

On this feast day of his favorite saint, James Martin, S.J., shares a reflection on Therese of Lisieux.

The stunning news that a soon-to-be-saint was excommunicated for urging the church to take action against a sex offender is a reminder of the virulence of the crimes of clerical abuse.