Divine Mercy

Pope Francis has decreed that St. Faustina Kowalska’s feast day be added to the Roman Calendar as an optional memorial to be celebrated by all on October 5. The Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship issued the decree May 18, the 100th anniversary of the birth of St. John Paul II, who... Read more

On the vigil of Divine Mercy Sunday, my dear friend, Fr. Al Hewett, a priest in the Diocese of Camden, New Jersey, passed away at the age of 95. “I have thought, if I ever retired, and learned how to write,” Fr. Al said years ago, “I’d write a book—that it’s fun to be a follower... Read more

Divine Mercy had a drive-in this past Sunday. As Catholics across the U.S. cannot “dine in” at the Eucharistic Feast, some parishes have opted to provide “take out” of God’s love in the form of holy hours and blessings in church parking lots. At St. Ann’s Catholic Church in... Read more

I have visited Auschwitz only once. It is not a place to which I wish to return any time soon. Although that visit was many years ago, Auschwitz is a place one does not forget. Whether it is the large silent rooms with glass screens, behind which lie the stacked remains of the... Read more

Sunday’s Gospel records a post-Resurrection appearance of Jesus in which a flow of mercy to sinners starts that will not stop until we have all attained the goal of our faith, the salvation of our souls, as St. Peter tells us in the epistle. Gospel (Read Jn 20:19-31) The... Read more

For many years I’ve marveled about the “coincidence” of three highly influential saints living in Krakow at roughly the same moment in history: St. Faustina Kowalska, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and Pope St. John Paul II. George Weigel has pointed out in the book we... Read more

We live in times in which mercy, like so many other things, has become a detached concept in people’s minds, separated from the things that really help us to understand it. For indeed, mercy makes sense and is necessary because we are sinners in desperate shape. Yet many today think it unkind... Read more

May 13, a remarkable day in history. Today, we mark the anniversary of the first apparition of Our Lady at Fatima on May 13, 1917, to the three small shepherd children, Lucia, Francisco and Jacinta. Also, it was 38 years ago today that John Paul II was shot in St. Peter’s... Read more

For many years I’ve marveled about the “coincidence” of three highly influential saints living in Krakow at roughly the same moment in history: St. Faustina Kowalska, St. Maximilian Kolbe, and Pope St. John Paul II. George Weigel has pointed out in the book we co-authored, City of... Read more

WASHINGTON — Legislators, pro-life groups and ethicists have condemned a new government contract to obtain human tissue from aborted children for use in medical research and in the creation of “humanized mice.” The Food and Drug Administration signed a $15,900 contract to acquire human... Read more