A friend of mine shared a Facebook post from a Catholic youth group. He commented: “Finally a saint with a picture with his tongue out and wearing jeans, t-shirt and a sweater. We could possibly have been Facebook friends too.”

Anthony Hamon closed his eyes and pictured his friend. He suddenly realized the truth in Catholic lay evangelist Patrick Sullivan’s words: someone in your life needs you to be holy. 

When I first started thinking about what I would do for Lent this year, the last thing I imagined was a fast that would encompass 54 Fridays, running until Easter of next year.

VATICAN – Lent is a time to ask for God's grace to chip away at hypocrisy, which is seen in the natural human attempt to appear "worthier than we are," Pope Francis said.

Her body is thin and tense. It carries the anguish, the hurts and false steps, of years. Her face does not as yet reveal the pain she’s known in her young life. She doesn’t cry. Alone, sometimes, she has bursts of uncontrollable stormy tears. Never the gentle kind and never for long. 

VATICAN – The holiness of God is a power that is constantly expanding and will defeat all evil once and for all, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN – This Christmas will people go to adore and be amazed by Jesus, or will they let themselves be detoured by distractions? Pope Francis asked.

“The poor you will always have with you.” Prophetic words of Jesus 2,000 years ago. 

VATICAN – Saints are not just the well-known men, women and young people on the liturgical calendar, Pope Francis said on the feast of All Saints.

VATICAN – The Catholic Church and all its members must get better at listening to young people, taking their questions seriously, recognizing them as full members of the church, patiently walking with them and offering guidance as they discern the best way to live their faith, the Synod of Bishops said.

I grew up in a hardware store. Not one of the fancy big box stores that occupy acres of inner city landscapes. My dad’s store was a small, rundown shack that he built as far out in the city as he could in order to afford the land. 

VATICAN – A life of holiness isn't defined by having visions or performing extraordinary feats of devotion, but by living with the hope of salvation promised by Christ, Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis has long held in esteem the late Cardinal Francois-Xavier Nguyen van Thuan, the archbishop of Saigon who spent 13 years in a communist prison camp, including nine years in solitary confinement.

Pope Francis has once again expanded the Catholic definition of being pro-life. 

VATICAN – Naturally in a document on the Christian call to holiness, Pope Francis cited a heavenly host of saints – including some whose sainthood causes are ongoing and some who probably will never be canonized.