The Benedictine monks of Barroux settle in Bellefontaine: a new breath for a spiritual high place in Anjou The Cistercian abbey of Bellefontaine, a spiritual high place in Anjou for more than a thousand years, is preparing to open a new chapter in its history. After a long discernment, the Cistercian brothers, aging and few in number, chose to transmit the torch to another monastic community: the Benedictines of Barroux, known for their loyalty to the traditional Latin liturgy and their rooting in the rule of St. Benedict. For several years, the Cistercian community of Bellefontaine had been wondering about its future. Despite constant efforts to adapt the buildings and imagine partnerships with associations, material and human obstacles have eventually made the continuation of community life impossible. "It was a great disappointment and a great ordeal for the brothers," says Brother Samuel, head of the community. From 2026, Benedictine monks from Barroux, in the Vaucluse, will come …More
Il Vaticano nomina i giudici per il processo dell'ex artista gesuita Rupnik accusato di abusi da parte di oltre 20 donne Il Vaticano ha fatto l'insolito passo lunedì di annunciare di aver nominato giudici per decidere il destino di un famoso ex artista gesuita, i cui mosaici decorano le basiliche di tutto il mondo e che è stato accusato da più di due dozzine di donne di abusi sessuali, spirituali e psicologici. L'ufficio vaticano che gestisce i casi di abuso sessuale del clero, la Congregazione per la Dottrina della Fede, ha detto che i cinque giudici nominati per ascoltare il caso Rupnik in un tribunale canonico includono donne e sacerdoti che non hanno posti di lavoro nella burocrazia vaticana. Ha detto che tale composizione è stata "fatta al fine di garantire meglio, come in qualsiasi processo giudiziario, l'autonomia e l'indipendenza del suddetto tribunale". I mosaici di Rupnik abbelliscono alcuni dei santuari e santuari più visitati della Chiesa cattolica in tutto il mondo, …More
Carlo Acutis i polska niania, która nauczyła go wiary Od kogo święty Karol Acutis nauczył się wiary, skoro jego rodzina nie praktykowała? To pytanie zadawało sobie wielu po wydaniu książki „Sekret mojego syna”, napisanej przez jego matkę Antonię Salzano. Chociaż rodzice Carla, podobnie jak większość Włochów, byli katolikami, rzadko przekraczali próg kościoła, a słowo „wiara” praktykowano w domu tylko w wyjątkowych sytuacjach. Matka Carla wspominała, że była w kościele tylko trzy razy w życiu, zanim syn ją do niego przyciągnął: „Moją pierwszą Mszę Świętą była z okazji Pierwszej Komunii Świętej, drugą z okazji Bierzmowania, a trzecią z okazji ślubu”. A jednak Carlo dorastał z niezwykłą pobożnością i to on, w bardzo młodym wieku, nawrócił swoich rodziców. To właśnie dzięki ciekawości syna, jego codziennej modlitwie i uczestnictwu we Mszy Świętej jego matka doprowadziła do nawrócenia. Zapisała się na studia teologiczne w Mediolanie i zaczęła uczęszczać do parafii. Od dzieciństwa …More
“You will be reborn with compassion and forgiveness.” Those were the exact words I heard as Jesus placed His hand over my heart. Growing up, no one taught me about Christ. I went to church a few times with my grandmother when I was 4 or 5, but at that age, your concept of God is just “some nice guy in the sky with a beard.” With no foundation in Christ’s love, I entered a traumatic and desolate childhood that shaped me in painful ways. I remember having a childlike wonder about God. I also remember the moment I rejected Him. My family struggled financially and was plagued by addiction. At 8 years old, I became a victim of abuse—emotional, physical, and spiritual—in a home no child should ever live in. It was in those moments I came to hate and deny the existence of God. The pain didn’t end there. Death after death robbed me of any joy or hope I had left. For over a decade, I lived in silent suffering, masking depression, anxiety attacks, and suicidal thoughts behind a false smile. …More
Consider this. Many of your peers, friends and siblings: - No longer go to church - Lack good Catholic role models - Don't share in your passion for your faith - Have lost or will lose their faith by the time they leave high school. God might be calling you to spend a year as a NET missionary sharing your faith with young people across Canada Collectively, in an average 9 month NET year, NET’s Retreat teams will: Travel coast to coast Serve 12 to 16 dioceses Facilitate nearly 120 retreats Stay in 125 host homes Reach 8,500 young people one-on-one with the Gospel A missionary year with NET is not for everyone, but for those who are called it is a life changing experience like no other. NET Missionaries embrace a radical lifestyle, living with just one suitcase, one backpack, and one life-changing message. A NET Missionary year transforms young people through: An intensive 5-week training experience for youth ministry Missionary experiences in community Daily team and personal …More
Praying the Rosary as a Family... with 18 People They have 16 children and are from North Carolina, and if there's one thing Conor and Ashley Gallagher know you can do with 16 children, it's praying as a family, finding order in the chaos, and that there will always be excuses to avoid the customs of prayer. In their case, the rosary often includes their two-year-old son biting the beads and older children fighting for a spot on the couch, while several children in between beg to lead a mystery even though they don't know the Lord's Prayer by heart. "It's adorable, but I also want to go to bed," Gallagher says, adding that the image also reflects "one of the most peaceful nights." The normal thing for them, trying to pray at a time when all family members can be together, is to pray while some are finishing their homework, trying to elevate their prayers above the sound of the vacuum cleaner, or even holding a phone so that one of the children on the way home can join in the family prayer. …More
The incredible story of the monastery built in 1133 in Spain and transported stone by stone to Florida The Ancient Spanish Monastery is a small piece of Spanish history. The construction began in 1133 AD, almost 360 years before Columbus left Spain and arrived in the Americas, and it took eight years to complete it. There are over 35,000 stones, some of which weigh a ton and a half. While the Monastery itself was completed in 1141 AD, making its cloister the oldest building in the Western Hemisphere, it changed ownership for many years later. When the Cistercian monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, was canonized in 1174, the monastery was named after him and played at home for the Cistercian monks for almost 700 years later. With their great consternation, a social revolution in 1830 led to the conquest of the monastery's cloisters. Fast forward to 1925 When business and media tycoon William Randolph Hearst bought the monastery's cloisters and annexes with the intention of bringing them to …More
The 36 Cameroonian bishops had to take the fate of the country into their own hands Political tension in Cameroon is exploding as the presidential elections scheduled for tomorrow, October 12, 2025 approach. The incumbent president Paul Biya is 92 years old and has been in charge of the country since 1982, he has even modified the Constitution to abolish the limits of mandate, opening up the possible almost centenary stay in power. The Catholic Church in Cameroon has long been the only critical and credible actor capable of challenging the Biya regime, after decades of personal power and growing inequalities. The political opposition is in fact fragmented and weak and the main candidate, Maurice Kamto, was excluded from the electoral competition in controversial circumstances. The incumbent president, moreover, has been disinterested in the country for some time, he has been living in Geneva (Switzerland) for more than a month and did not even show up at the United Nations General Assembly …More
Eine umstrittene neue Graffiti-inspirierte Kunstinstallation in der Kathedrale von Canterbury. Die Ausstellung zeigt temporäre Graffiti, die Gott Fragen zum Sinn des Lebens und zum christlichen Glauben stellen. Sie wurde jedoch mit einigen der unattraktiven Graffiti in britischen Städten verglichen. Beispiele für die auf die alten Mauern der Kathedrale gekritzelten Fragen sind: „Ist Krankheit eine Sünde?“ und „Warum habt ihr Hass geschaffen, wenn Liebe doch viel mächtiger ist?“ Reverend David Monteith, Dekan von Canterbury, verteidigte die Installation mit den Worten: „Der Graffiti-Stil verstärkt diese Rohheit, die störend wirkt. Sie ist ungefiltert und ungeschönt. Diese Ausstellung schlägt bewusst Brücken zwischen Kulturen, Stilen und Genres und ermöglicht es uns, die Gaben junger Menschen zu erleben, die viel zu sagen haben.“
La Chiesa d'Inghilterra ha deciso questa settimana di ricoprire di graffiti l'interno della più antica cattedrale d'Inghilterra per rappresentare le voci delle "comunità emarginate"
"The Church of England decided this week to cover the interior of the oldest cathedral in England in graffiti in order to represent the voices of “marginalised communities.” The Very Rev David Monteith, Dean of Canterbury, said: “There is a rawness which is magnified by the graffiti style, which is disruptive. It is unfiltered and not sanitised.” “This exhibition intentionally builds bridges between cultures, styles and genres and allows us to receive the gifts of younger people who have much to say.” It’s actually stunning how much the elite of Britain hate their own culture and civilisation. You couldn’t even invent this as satire. They are literally scrawling graffiti on the walls of ancient cathedrals. Everything beautiful is just torn down and destroyed."
So di un nostro arcivescovo che molti anni fa ha fatto distruggere stucchi e affreschi barocchi nella mensa di un oratorio destinata ad essere mensa ( credo) Charitas. Motivazione: per non mettere a disagio i poveri commensali.
even at the cost of appearing foolish or naïve. Already in the title, Pope Leo XIV’s first apostolic exhortation, Dilexi te, reveals its close connection with Dilexit nos, the final encyclical of Francis, and represents, in a certain sense, its continuation. It is not a text about the Church’s social doctrine, nor does it analyze specific issues. Rather, it sets forth the very foundations of Revelation, highlighting the powerful bond between the love of Christ and His call for us to draw near to the poor. The centrality of love for the poor is, in fact, at the very heart of the Gospel itself, and therefore cannot be dismissed as a “pet concern” of certain Popes or theological currents, nor be presented as a merely social or humanitarian consequence extrinsic to the Christian faith and its proclamation. “Love for the Lord… is one with love for the poor,” writes Pope Leo. They are therefore inseparable: Jesus says, “Just as you did it to one of the least of these brothers and sisters …More
The Vatican's Good Hackers, here's how they protect the Church The Digital Swiss Guards Defending the Vatican. This is how you might describe the Vatican's "good hackers" who, day and night, keep watch to protect the Holy See online. The group is called Vatican Cyber Volunteers and has been active since 2022. The name itself makes one thing clear: they are volunteers. The Vatican is the only state in the world protected by hundreds of hackers who act out of faith, shared values, and the importance of the Church in their lives (not all of them are Catholic). Joseph Shenouda, a cybersecurity expert and founder and coordinator of the Vatican Cyber Volunteers, explains in an interview: In the past, the Vatican has had these collaborations that provided a valuable but limited "point-in-time" security assessment. A test captures the state of security at a precise moment, but the threat landscape is dynamic and constantly changing. And the Vatican requires continuous monitoring of all its …More
The habit of Saint Pius of Pietrelcina will visit the United States for the first time The relic will be on display from October 11 to 14 at the Padre Pío National Center, located in Barto, Pennsylvania, in the Diocese of Allentown. The religious clothing will be worn by a group of Italian Capuchin friars from the Convent of Our Lady of Graces in San Giovanni Rotondo, southern Italy. According to Vera Marie Calandra, vice president of the Padre Pío National Center, this visit "is an extraordinary opportunity to share a unique and intimate relic of Padre Pío with his devotees." Program composed of masses and processions The celebrations will begin on Saturday, October 11 with a Holy Mass presided over by the Capuchin Friars of San Giovanni Rotondo, followed by a procession in honor of Padre Pío. The next day, Sunday, October 12, there will also be a Eucharistic celebration and a procession. The Bishop Emeritus of Harrisburg, Ronald Gainer, has been elected to preside over a Holy Mass …More
Students from all classes of the Saint Agnes School joined in a heartfelt procession to honor the Madonna del Rosario. With prayers on their lips, they walked the parish and the schoolyard, invoking his maternal intercession on this special Day of Remembrance.
This iconic photo has just turned 75 years old On October 7, 1950, a young priest celebrated Mass by improvising an altar on the hood of a muddy Jeep. His name was Father Emil Joseph Kapaun, a chaplain of the US army in Korea, during World War II, committed to serving soldiers in the harshest conditions. In the iconic picture that history has left us, we see him dressed in priestly garments wearing boots full of mud, in front of him the soldier Patrick Schuler is kneeling and assisting him as a minister. An image that remained in historical memory as "Jeep Mass", that is, the Jeep Mass. During the months of combat, Father Kapaun earned the reputation of a war hero by bravely serving the troops, rescuing the wounded, recovering the fallen, assisting the living, administering baptisms of converts, confessing soldiers, celebrating Mass in the most unthinkable places. His exploits are known in particular during the battle of Unsan (North Korea), when 20 thousand soldiers of the …More
Il gigantesco Rosario nascosto sotto le onde. Nelle tranquille e misteriose profondità del lago Ilopango, San Salvador, i subacquei hanno scoperto un rosario gigante, che riposa pacificamente a 20 metri sott'acqua. Il filmato condiviso sui social media mostra l'enorme rosario che si estende sul fondo del lago, la sua forma chiaramente visibile sotto le onde. Nel profondo, un simbolo sacro emerge dal silenzio, invita a fermarsi e riflettere.
St. Thérèse of Lisieux’s Relics begin US tour at basilica named in her honor Pilgrims from near and far are converging in Michigan, drawn to the National Shrine of the Little Flower Basilica in Royal Oak, just outside Detroit, where the relics of St. Thérèse of Lisieux are on display. On October 1, 2025, Archbishop Edward Weisenburger and Rector Father John Bettin led a moving installation Mass, with the radiant, glass-encased reliquary gracing the altar. The saint’s relics first arrived in the United States over twenty-five years ago, inspiring the basilica’s dedication to her in 1999. Now, the 2025 tour marks the beginning of a 40-stop journey across 11 states. As detailed on StThereseusa2025.com, her relics will travel to California, Washington, D.C., Texas, Wisconsin, and several Carmelite convents through December.
Can Catholic employers fire employees for not following the Church? A New Jersey teacher’s dismissal from her Catholic school classroom over her role as a surrogate mother has raised the question of just when Catholic employers can dismiss workers for not adhering to the faith. The teacher, Jadira Bonilla, was put on paid administrative leave after school officials discovered that she had agreed to serve as a surrogate for another couple. She told a Philadelphia news station that she had previously served as a surrogate for the same couple without incident while working at another Catholic school. Administrators at St. Mary Catholic School in Vineland “said I was possibly in violation of my contract and that I would be suspended or placed on administrative leave,” the teacher told the news outlet. Bonilla “is a valued teacher and one we hope will one day again teach in our school with the full knowledge of our faith, which guides our educational principles,” the school told the media …More
The exorcists publish a decalogue of warnings that "unmask the hidden reality of Halloween" - New educational and pastoral tool of the International Association of Exorcists If you were thinking of celebrating Halloween as a family this 2025, the International Association of Exorcists has something to say. The official portal of the International Association of Exorcists is often addressed from its website to faithful, members of the Church and interested parties, but especially to the 900 members of the organization spread around the world and its 130 auxiliaries, seeking to "promote basic initial training and permanent training of exorcists." One of his latest publications is titled "What is Halloween really? How not to fall into its trap?", and consists of "an effective and meditated decalogue" but also "educational and pastoral" that aims to "unmask the hidden reality that lies behind a mass phenomenon." Directing its decalogue especially to the media, the International Association …More
"Jesus Light of the World": the whole story of Jesus, luminous, in cartoons - From the Fall to the Ascension, with its miracles and parables: all in 90 minutes- It's been 25 years since anyone told the entire story of Jesus in a cartoon movie.The last one was the beautiful The Man Who Did Miracles (from Icon Productions, Mel Gibson's production company), with plasticine figures and stop-motion techniques. This week Jesús Luz del Mundo premieres in Spain, who manages to tell almost everything in 90 minutes: from the Fall of Man, to the miracles and parables of Jesus, the situation of oppression of the people, the Passion, the apparitions after the Resurrection and the Ascension. Top quality dynamic drawing. The drawing style, in two dimensions, is very dynamic and friendly, halfway between DreamWorks (The Prince of Egypt), and Disney. Its directors are Tom Bancroft and John J. Schafer Tom is twin brother and regular collaborator of Tony Bancroft, two legendary Disney artists (Tony,…More