Francis, Pope of a New World, by Andrea Tornielli (Ignatius Press, 2013), 200 pages

In the first book to be released in a flurry of new releases and looks at our current pope, Francis, formerly Jorge Bergoglio, Andrea Tornielli presents an insider's view with a soft touch.

"Today's world requires the Church to witness to the Gospel more by her life than by her words," he writes. "Pope Francis, by being himself through and through, attracts."

This book is a look at Bergoglio from a viewpoint that feels both intimate and journalistic, which is to say, a bit jarring. Maybe that's what made it such a fast read.

Bergoglio is someone so many seem fascinated by and intrigued with, and...READ MORE

Christmas and Easter — those beautiful holy days when regular Mass attendees are squashed by the masses into the middle of the pews. What an annoyance.

Really? More like, what an opportunity!

It’s an opportunity we get to reach out to those masses at the Masses. As Matthew Kelly has pointed out in both Rediscover Catholicism and his latest book, Four Signs of a Dynamic Catholic: Almost all of our "clientele" are in one place at one time. People come to Mass for Christmas and Easter. It's an influx of people who may — or may not — be there for an encounter with Christ. So, how do we keep them coming? What are we doing that could be more appealing? How can we be more relevant to what...READ MORE

Dear Dan, Every year on Good Friday, a friend invites me over to watch The Passion of the Christ,  and thus far I have turned her down every time. I have not seen the movie yet and worry about how watching such an intense depiction of the suffering of Our Lord might affect me emotionally. Yet I really feel compelled to watch the movie, in gratitude for Jesus’ sacrifice. Should I reconsider and accept the invitation this year?

Dear friend, You're not alone in your struggle with the idea of watching Christ suffer in a manner as severe as it is depicted in Mel Gibson's The Passion of the Christ. In 2005, Gibson himself responded to concerns that it was too violent for a broad audience by...READ MORE

Q: Dear Dan, I have been more involved in this papal election than any in my life, and I have been praying every day for the cardinals and the new pope. Now that we have a new pope, how can I keep this positive momentum? I am very excited for the future of the Church, and I know I should continue to pray for Pope Francis.

A: Dear Friend, thank you for doing your part in praying for our cardinals so seriously. Our prayers really do make a difference. The Holy Spirit is clearly at work within you, as the Church has always asked us to pray for and with our popes. These are exciting times!

One way you can keep your heart and prayers connected to our new pope is to stay abreast of...READ MORE

When you send your child to a Catholic school, what do you expect?

Chances are, among the other essentials of education, you expect that the individual instructing your child will be faithful to the Catholic Church's teachings and her Magisterium (teaching authority). It is Catholic education you are seeking, right?

These days, though, it's hard to tell what you'll actually get. Look no further than the many catechetical horror stories of Catholic education in the 70s and 80s.

So it's easy to cheer the example of Bishop Robert Vasa, who put his diocesan teacher contract where his authority is.

His diocese, in Santa Rosa, Calif., is requiring its 200 school teachers to sign an...READ MORE

Are you insane?! Has anyone ever asked you this question? If they did, they were probably very concerned with something you were doing or, maybe something you were failing to do that was extremely important. My question to you is, are you praying for our next pope? To be clear, I am NOT asking you the following:

• Are you "thinking" about the next pope?
• Are you nodding at the idea of the need to pray for our next pope?
• Have you said a little prayer here or there about the new pope?

The renowned Carmelite Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen has this to say about prayer as a critical means of God's grace:

"God wishes our collaboration. He wants it so much that he has...READ MORE

I don’t know about you, but when I heard the news about Pope Benedict XVI, my heart dropped. I was immediately saddened.

Being in the news business, I had to immediately push this aside in order to work to confirm the statement — and work with our Register team and EWTN to get the word out. Since this initial scramble, I have had time to take a moment to reflect on the timing of this monumental event.

There are times in the Church when we are reminded to pray in a manner that is more solemn and focused. Lent is such a time. Beyond this normal period of penance, we now add urgency. Our urgency is not characterized by fear, but a deep recognition of tremendous need.

In God’s economy,...READ MORE

Dear Brothers,

I have convoked you to this Consistory, not only for the three canonisations, but also to communicate to you a decision of great importance for the life of the Church. After having repeatedly examined my conscience before God, I have come to the certainty that my strengths, due to an advanced age, are no longer suited to an adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry. I am well aware that this ministry, due to its essential spiritual nature, must be carried out not only with words and deeds, but no less with prayer and suffering. However, in today’s world, subject to so many rapid changes and shaken by questions of deep relevance for the life of faith, in order to govern...READ MORE