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Europe

Catholic treasures of Switzerland

Say “Switzerland,” and you’re more likely to think of mountain chalets than historic cathedrals. However, the country has many Catholic treasures worth visiting. Though the Reformation had a strong impact here, many parts of the country…

Assisi: The Stones Talk

On October 3, the young professional pilgrims spent their first full day in Assisi—the city of St. Francis and St. Clare. Early in the morning, the pilgrims gathered in a small chapel for Mass with Fr. Daren Zehnle, who is from the diocese…

The Catholic heart of Croatia

Fr. Petar Brezarić didn’t know what to make of the mysterious woman who approached him during Sunday Mass. Clad in blue and carrying a candle, she asked that he and his parishioners of Sts. Peter and Paul, a church in the village of…

Making sense of Medjugorje

I woke on Sunday morning to an influx of social media notifications and texts. A statement about Medjugorje was proclaimed in the parish church of St. James in the remote Bosnian town. Videos people sent me were not in English and not…

Seeking St. Patrick

No saint gets a party going like Patrick. March 17, 2017, is chilly and damp in Dublin, but up to half a million spectators have shown up for the St. Patrick’s Day parade. The crowd, sprinkled with green wigs and leprechaun hats, are…

The pope’s church

The Archbasilica of St. John Lateran is the oldest of the four papal basilicas in Rome and serves as the cathedral church of Rome and, by extension, the ecclesiastical seat of the pope. Nov. 9 is the feast day for the Dedication of the…