Walking where Jesus walked is a life-changing experience. As a pilgrimage to the Holy Land may not be possible for many, two seasonal exhibits at the Holy Spirit Center in Norwood bring the experience close to home. Through immersive displays with meticulously designed sets, lighting, music and—during the Advent season—volunteer …

By Marinella Bandini Bethlehem, Dec 15, 2024 / 06:00 am Just a short walk from the Grotto of the Nativity in the Holy Land is the only white-stone grotto in the entire area of Bethlehem. Commonly known as the “Milk Grotto,” its color and name are tied to a legend going …

By Matthew Bunson National Catholic Register, Nov 19, 2024 / 07:00 am The Associated Press recently claimed that President-elect Donald Trump’s nominee to be secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, had tattoos supposedly connected with Christian nationalism and even white supremacy. It focused especially on the tattoo of a Jerusalem Cross on …

By Marinella Bandini Jerusalem, Jun 4, 2024 / 07:00 am During the month of May in Jerusalem, the major holidays of the three major religions — Christian Easter, Jewish Passover, and the month of Ramadan — passed with an almost total absence of pilgrims from abroad. The holy sites and the …

March 23, 2024 WASHINGTON – Archbishop Timothy P. Broglio of the Archdiocese for the Military Services, USA, and president of the U.S. Conference of Bishops (USCCB), and Bishop A. Elias Zaidan of the Maronite Eparchy of Our Lady of Lebanon, the chairman of the USCCB’s Committee on International Justice and …

By Marinella Bandini Bethlehem, Dec 24, 2023 / 13:04 pm On Sunday, Dec. 24, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa, the Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, made his entrance into Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas. It was also his first entrance into the “City of Christmas” since being made a cardinal. Following tradition, the patriarch entered …

By Marinella Bandini Jerusalem, Nov 26, 2023 / 06:00 am The strands of lights are falling down one after another, forming a kind of curtain of threads in front of the Basilica of the Nativity in Bethlehem. Following the municipality’s decision to suspend Christmas events and remove decorations, workers are busy dismantling the …

October 27, 2023 WASHINGTON – In response to the escalating Israel-Hamas war, Bishop David J. Malloy of Rockford, chairman of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops’ (USCCB) Committee on International Justice and Peace, renewed his call for peace. “The war in the Holy Land is playing out in real time …

By Jonah McKeown CNA Staff, Oct 19, 2023 / 12:30 pm Father Björn Lundberg was looking forward to his trip to Israel. A parish priest of the Diocese of Arlington, Virginia, Lundberg hadn’t set foot in the Holy Land since last going on pilgrimage there in 2009. After 14 years, he …

Dear brothers and sisters, may the Lord indeed give us His peace! The pain and dismay at what is happening is great. Once again we find ourselves in the midst of a political and military crisis. We have suddenly been catapulted into a sea of unprecedented violence. The hatred, which …