1+ hour, 3+ min ago (630+ words) What in the world does the title of new book 23-1/2 Degrees Away from God mean?" a reader might ask. Why that precise measurement? The book's subtitle offers a hint: Returning to the Light. In amazingly colorful yet simple ways, with lots of memorable examples, Father Sullivan shows how everyone can tilt their degrees back toward that Light. The many life-giving lessons are built on true-life examples. Several have to do with Father Sullivan's personal experiences and his own family life, beginning when his father was growing up in Ireland before emigrating to America. The stories pick up in Waterbury, Connecticut, where Father Sullivan grew up and where he now serves as rector of the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception. These are not mere nostalgic reminiscences, but real homey events that offer timeless lessons. Each becomes an excellent example of what…...

3+ hour, 3+ min ago (566+ words) COMMENTARY: As conversions climb amid cultural uncertainty, St. Andrew, whose feast day is Nov. 30, reminds believers that God multiplies whatever we place in his hands and uses ordinary witness to change lives. If signs pointing to a new openness to religious faith are accurate, the faithful need to meet this moment " serving as convicted witnesses to the truth the way St. Andrew did for his brother, St. Peter. St. Andrew is often called the first disciple. Indeed, in John's Gospel, after hearing Jesus Christ, he immediately informed St. Peter, "We have found the Messiah." St. Andrew's "promptness" " as the late Pope described " to immediately share this good news with others, particularly his loved ones, is inspiring. He did not see Christ's miracles, spend years at his side, or witness him resurrected. Nor could St. Andrew have foreseen his own sacrifice…...

18+ hour, 8+ min ago (640+ words) Pope Leo XIV and Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I of Constantinople said on Saturday they are "deeply alarmed by the current international situation," issuing a joint appeal for peace. The appeal took place during the Pope's first international trip, a journey that has taken him to Turkey and will continue on to Lebanon. The two leaders signed a joint declaration at the Palace of the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarchate in Istanbul. The text rejects the use of religion to justify violence, urges global efforts toward peace, supports cooperation among believers of different faiths, and entrusts a suffering world to God with renewed hope in the Holy Spirit. The Pope and the patriarch, who is considered first among equals among Eastern Orthodox bishops, reaffirmed their shared commitment to dialogue aimed at restoring full communion between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches. Calling…...

18+ hour, 9+ min ago (1143+ words) On the tropical island of Flores, a dense network of seminaries run by multiple religious orders continues to form hundreds of future priests, shaping men who now serve dioceses and missions on every continent. Flores hosts several seminaries, most clustered around Maumere on the island's northern coast. Religious congregations including the Society of the Divine Word (SVD), the Somascan Fathers, the Rogationists, the Vocationists and the Carmelites all operate seminaries there, creating a dense network of vocational formation rarely found elsewhere in Asia. Archbishop Paulus Budi Kleden of Ende, a Divine Word Missionary and a native of Flores, stressed the island's importance not just for the Indonesian Church but for dioceses and religious congregations worldwide. "Many of the alumni of these seminaries are working outside the country," he noted, highlighting the island's contribution to the global clergy. A thriving minor…...

18+ hour, 15+ min ago (387+ words) The papal plane set to fly Pope Leo XIV from Turkey to Lebanon on Sunday is one of thousands of Airbus A320 aircraft affected by a computer issue. Around 6,000 Airbus planes were grounded this weekend after it was discovered that intense solar radiation could interfere with onboard flight control computers, according to the BBC. For most of the affected aircraft, the issue could be resolved with a software update, but around 900 planes, including the papal plane, needed onboard computers physically replaced. According to Director of the Holy See Press Office Matteo Bruni, a plane arrived in Istanbul from Rome on Saturday with a technician and the replacement computer for Pope Leo's ITA Airways A320neo." Leo is scheduled to take a two-hour flight from Istanbul to Beirut around midday on Nov. 30 for the second leg of his apostolic journey to Turkey and Lebanon....

18+ hour, 26+ min ago (723+ words) At a multilingual Mass in Istanbul, the Pope opened Advent by urging Christians to be "bridges of unity," calling for renewed peace and solidarity across Turkey's diverse Catholic community and beyond. Pope Leo XIV marked the start of Advent on Saturday with an appeal for unity and peace, telling thousands gathered for Mass in Istanbul that Christians "journey as if on a bridge that connects earth to Heaven," keeping their eyes "fixed on both shores" until they are united "in the house of the Father." The Pope celebrated Mass on Nov. 29 at the Volkswagen Arena, a large multipurpose venue within Istanbul's Uniq cultural complex. The liturgy, held on the eve of the Feast of St. Andrew, patron of Turkey, took place during the third day of his first international apostolic trip, which has brought him to Turkey and will soon…...

22+ hour, 2+ min ago (565+ words) Pope Leo XIV started his third day in Turkey on Saturday with a visit to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul. The visit was a gesture of respect towards the Islamic world, fraternity with Muslims, and continuity in building bridges of interreligious dialogue, though the pope declined an invitation to pray in the Muslim house of worship. The so-called "Blue Mosque" stands as one of the most important Islamic buildings in Istanbul. Its beauty, its scale, and its history continue to attract visitors from all over the world. It also holds a unique place in the relationship between Christianity and Islam, as several popes have passed through its doors in silence and respect. After Leo's visit on Saturday, the Holy See Press Office said in a statement that "the Pope experienced the visit to the mosque in silence, in a…...

22+ hour, 2+ min ago (535+ words) Pope Leo XIV started his third day in Turkey on Saturday with a visit to the Sultan Ahmed Mosque in Istanbul. The visit was a gesture of respect towards the Islamic world, fraternity with Muslims, and continuity in building bridges of interreligious dialogue, though the pope declined an invitation to pray in the Muslim house of worship. The so-called "Blue Mosque" stands as one of the most important Islamic buildings in Istanbul. Its beauty, its scale, and its history continue to attract visitors from all over the world. It also holds a unique place in the relationship between Christianity and Islam, as several popes have passed through its doors in silence and respect. After Leo's visit on Saturday, the Holy See Press Office said in a statement that "the Pope experienced the visit to the mosque in silence, in a…...

1+ day, 1+ hour ago (712+ words) Amid fire, famine and the chaos of the Gold Rush, Archbishop Joseph Alemany worked tirelessly to revive the faith across a fledgling California. The account opens, explaining that firemen often collapsed after fighting conflagrations for hours in the burgeoning, fire-prone city comprised of hastily built structures. One day, the writer witnessed the following: That man was Alemany. Like a general, he took command and began calling out in both English and Spanish to onlookers for help. Within seconds, many had manned the engines to quell the flames. This, however, was not Alemany's sole participation at a fire. We learn he was present at every major fire in the city. "Though a small man physically and slightly built," the account concludes, "there was not a stronger man for his size in California." Accepting the yoke, Alemany arrived in California and, like…...

1+ day, 2+ hour ago (772+ words) COMMENTARY: In a moment of unexpected grace at Carlo Acutis" tomb, I learned the truth of Luke 12:12: "The Holy Spirit will give you the words to say when you need them." I grew up in a bilingual household. My Italian-born dad would routinely speak Italian, while my Bronx-born mom was able to seamlessly switch between fluent Italian and flawless English. I myself spoke English day in and day out, and never made much of an effort to learn Italian. Still, I had picked up enough of the language to ace my high school Italian classes and do well in my Italian 101 college course. So, when Mike and I went to Italy on our honeymoon in 1984, I felt pretty confident in my ability to communicate with the locals. Our second day in Rome, Mike and I were sitting in a lovely…...