Montreal Catholics again made their presence real in the heart of the city June 8, heeding Archbishop Christian Lépine’s call to make Christ the heart of their world.

Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ, June 6 (Year B) Exodus 24:3-8; Psalm 116; Hebrews 9:11-15; Mark 14:12-16, 22-26

Blood is one of the most powerful symbols in the world.

Over a couple of weeks, the Archdiocese of Toronto celebrated two joyful significant events: the opening of our churches on the Solemnity of Corpus Christi on June 14 and the ordination of eight transitional deacons into the priesthood on June 27.

VATICAN CITY -- The Eucharist heals people of their wounds, emptiness and sadness, and gives them the strength to share Christ's loving mercy with others, Pope Francis said.

VATICAN CITY -- Every time a Catholic receives Communion, it should be like his or her first Communion, Pope Francis 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 – One month after Vatican and German delegates met in Rome to discuss a proposal put forward by German bishops to allow Protestant spouses in inter-denominational marriages to receive the Eucharist in certain circumstances, Pope Francis has rejected it.

A former student sent me a notice that caught my attention, for both artistic and pious reasons. The Cantata Singers of Ottawa will be at St. Joseph’s Church later this month where the entire program will consist of settings of the brief Eucharistic and Marian hymn, Ave Verum, including those of Lassus, Byrd, Mozart, Elgar, Liszt, Saint-Saëns and Poulenc. 

WASHINGTON – Catholic dioceses and charities are quickly organizing to help in the aftermath of a Category 4 hurricane that made landfall with heavy rains and winds of 130 miles per hour late Aug. 25 into the Rockport, Texas area, northeast of Corpus Christi. The National Weather Service said in a tweet Aug. 27 that the rainfall expected after the hurricane and storm are over "are beyond anything experienced before."

ROME – The Eucharist is a tangible reminder of God's love, and receiving Communion is a call to work to build the body of Christ by loving others and shunning all that sows division within a community, Pope Francis said.

ROME – A Corpus Christi procession should honor Christ's gift of himself in the Eucharist, but also should be a pledge to share bread and faith with the people of the cities and towns where the processions take place, Pope Francis said.

On the solemn feast of Corpus Christi a counterintuitive thought occurs: Are too many people receiving Holy Communion too often?