Since Christians are members of Christ's Church and the term Church means those who are called, that must mean that every single believer without exception has a call or a vocation....
The Second Vatican Council is often called a pastoral council since it issued so many practical directives for the renewal of the day to day life of the church. Many of the objectives of the council fathers have been implemented since Vatican II's close in...
People often think of the Catholic Church primarily in terms of being an institution. While the Church does have an institutional dimension, it is entirely at the service of proclaiming the word of God. It is a prophetic institution....
CRISIS IN THE CHURCH The concluding section from an address given by Henri de Lubac, SJ, at the University of St. Louis on May, 29, 1969 [dropcaps type='normal' font_size='100' color='' background_color='' border_color='']T[/dropcaps]"he second fundamental condition (for true renewal according to the intent of Vatican II) is the...
In 1969, then Fr. Josef Ratzinger, theologian and peritus (theological advisor to the bishops) at the Second Vatican Council, predicted that the Church of the future would be much smaller than it was in the sixties, at least in the western, developed world. But, the...
The Feast of the Dedication of the St. John Lateran Basilica in Rome on November 9th raises an important question: "why do Roman Catholics and other Christians spend so much money on Church buildings when it is the people who are the true Church and...
All Saints Day gives us the opportunity to honor and celebrate the multitudes of Christians who are in heaven yet who don't appear on the list of canonized saints or have a feast day in their honor. But it also provides us the chance...
In this video, Dr. Italy discusses the importance of Ignatius, 2nd successor to Peter, Paul, and Barnabas in the city of Antioch. The precious 7 letters that survive from this father of the church are a precious testimony to the apostolic tradition. Ignatius of Antioch There are...
In this 14 minute podcast, Dr. Italy reviews the life and achievements of St. Pope John XXIII, notably his decision to call the ecumenical council known as Vatican II....
It is fitting that Pope John XXIII be canonized a saint by Pope Francis -- they share a focus on humility, prayer, the surprises of the Holy Spirit and breaking papal protocol to draw near to the simple people, Catholics and non-Catholics, believers and non-believers....