Siege of Jericho in Madagascar 21 December 2017 I met Shalom Community through a poster that invited us to the Siege of Jericho. Although I never heard anything about the siege, the poster with the Blessed Sacrament caught my attention ...
Jesus was not laid in a manger by accident 20 December 2017 When the child Jesus was born, his mother Mary laid him in a manger (Lk 2:7). The word “manger” comes from the Latin word munducare which means “to eat.” A manger or crib is a wooden or stone feeding trough or food box that holds hay for larger farm animals like cattle, horses, and donkeys. Mangers were located wherever livestock were kept, places like stables, corrals, or caves. Farmers were sure to keep their mangers well-supplied with fodder at all times so the animals would never go hungry. The cattle can walk up to a manger at any time, and then spend long, leisure hours chomping away, chewing and slowly re-chewing their cud.
How can I invite someone back to church at Christmas? 20 December 2017 Bells are ringing. The trees are glistening. Everything is covered in snow. All seems right with the world during the Christmas season. But what if your friend or family member is missing out on the best part of Christmas – Christ? Here are a few ideas to help bring them back to church during this special time.
Feast of the Holy Innocents: 2,000 years later we still remember the pain their mothers felt 20 December 2017 Thirty-four years ago I sat beside a hospital bed with its tubes dangling, pumps silent, all attempts at life support shut down, as I held my child, my 22-month-old son, cradling him in my arms as I watched the last flicker of his life ebb away. He died from drowning. But you, you mothers of the Holy Innocents, you whose babies, your young sons, perhaps your 22-month-olds, there you were cradling your children, bloody from the stab wounds inflicted by the soldiers. I think of you and I wonder.
When will I have time for God? 16 December 2017 Benny, seminarian in the Saint James Vicariate, writes for us about a very important subject during Advent.
Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception in Nazareth 9 December 2017 In Nazareth the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary started early with a mass held inside of the grotto of the annunciation, the place in where the Gospel passage of this feast was held. Fr. Bruno Varriano (OFM), rector and guardian of the Basilica of the Annunciation, presided the mass and […]
A missionary family story 5 December 2017 The testimony of a great family who left the capital of Brazil for a great adventure on the city-island of Vitoria, Southeast of Brazil.
The main topic of the meeting was “what about you? Who do you say I am? 4 December 2017 Some young people from the Shalom youth prayer group in Rome, Italy, had a retreat last week. Two days of talks and prayers.
Mons. Leopoldo Girelli, a new pontifical representative, arrives in the Holy Land. 4 December 2017 Mons. Leopoldo Girelli, appointed Nuncio Apostolic to Israel and Cyprus and Apostolic Delegate in Jerusalem and Palestine by Pope Francis, is already in the Holy Land.