I still remember the moment I first heard the prayer of St Elizabeth of the Trinity. In the quiet of our convent chapel on Staten Island, New York, Father Bruno Forte—Italian theologian and now Archbishop of Chieti-Vasto—led our community in a profound meditation on silence and prayer. We each had a small copy of the famous prayer of Elizabeth of the Trinity. Bruno Forte opened up the treasures of each phrase one by one, leading us deeper and deeper into interior recollection. It was...

Aspiring to holiness often seems a never-ending project. One step forward and two steps back, right? So many things seem to interfere, to get in the way, to draw one away from the goal; at least that’s the way it frequently feels to me.Which is one of the many reasons I turn to St. Ignatius, whose feast we celebrate today. Many saints had struggles with conforming their lives to the Gospel, but some of Ignatius’ struggles truly resonate with me. (I love the word resonate: it fee...

Canada Day ~ Evening PrayerThe first Wednesday of the month is dedicated to St Joseph, who is also the patron saint of Canada. In our evening prayer, we entrust to St. Joseph’s intercession the members and mission of the Pauline Family in Canada (all the institutes of the Pauline Family are in Canada except the Apostoline and Pastorelle), and in particular, for the  intentions and needs which our sisters in Canada have shared with us. We’ll alternate sides praying the chaplet.&n...

Canada Day ~ Morning PrayerToday, July 1st, Canada celebrates the anniversary of Confederation with ‘Canada Day.’ As Canadians celebrate the birth of their nation, we pray in a special way for all these souls of our province.  We give thanks for all the hearts the Lord has touched through our presence in Canada, we ask for abundant blessings upon our apostolic initiatives amongst the Canadian people and their culture, and we intercede for our Pauline family present in the North....

We’re living in a time that seems both devoid of hope and, at the same time, filled with it. We asked youth minister Kris Frank, author of Hope Always: Our Anchor in Life’s Storms, available now through Pauline Books & Media, to share some thoughts about hope at this difficult and defining moment. Pauline Books & Media: It feels like we’re at a crossroads of sorts. How can the notion—and virtue—of hope help us in our present moment?Kris Frank: No matter...

This past Sunday was the feast of Divine Mercy. We celebrated this feast as best we could, virtually joining with each other in prayer, but what we need to remember is that the feast is not really over: mercy needs to be practiced every day of the year. And in particular, this year, when people around us are in so much need of compassion and understanding, the message of Divine Mercy lived every day is a blessed way to live.Jesus wants us to trust in his mercy, because he is goodness itself...

We are the children of God, called to be holy. But it’s often difficult to feel that holiness in the midst of daily life—and that’s even more true now, as we adjust our lives to the COVID-19 pandemic, than it was even a mere two weeks ago. Before, it was merely easy to get caught up in the minutiae of things—the dry cleaning, the coworker talking loudly on the phone, soccer practice, forgetting to buy tomatoes at the market; these days, it’s easy to get caught up in...

Covid-19 is on everyone’s mind these days. What saint can better help us than Joseph, whose feast is March 19? Saint Teresa of Avila wrote about him, “I wish I could persuade everyone to be devoted to the glorious Saint Joseph, for I have great experience of the blessings which he can obtain from God. I do not remember that I have ever asked anything of him that he has failed to grant.”Saint Joseph can help us especially in these areas:1. Overcoming fearIn a crisis people ...

Sometimes I wonder how Mary and Joseph reacted when the Magi showed up.I can imagine them, finally settled, still processing all that's happened with angels and shepherds and this baby in their arms, when there is a knock at the door. Joseph signals to Mary that he will get it, quiet so as not to wake the baby she finally got to sleep, assuming it to be a relative or neighbor. But opening the door, he is met with the startling sight of a dusty, strangely dressed group of foreign, rich, Genti...

Have you ever heard of the Church’s treasury? It’s not money or the precious artwork in the Vatican museums. No, the Church’s treasury is of infinite value because it contains all the spiritual goods and grace that Jesus himself merited for us. And we can draw from this treasure to help the holy souls! But how?First let’s look at a couple key ideas from the Catechism of the Catholic Church: As members of the Church we belong to the communion of saints. We profess this in ...