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The Divine Mercy plenary indulgence is probably the most powerful grace you can receive all year. The feast of the Divine Mercy is the first Sunday following Easter Sunday. In Saint Faustina’s diary, Jesus explains how to obtain the unique graces on Divine Mercy Sunday: “The soul that will go to confession and receive Holy Communion shall obtain complete forgiveness of sins and punishment. On that day, all the Divine floodgates through which graces flow are opened. Let no soul fear to draw near to Me, even though his sins be as scarlet….Mankind will not have peace until it turns...

Dear brothers and sisters, Your prayer is an expression of that faith which, according to the words of Jesus, moves mountains (cf. Mt 17:20). Thank you for accepting this invitation to gather here at the tomb of Saint Peter and in so many other places around the world to pray for peace... In the context of the 2003 Iraq war crisis, Saint John Paul II, a tireless advocate for peace, said with deep emotion: “I belong to that generation that lived through World War II and, thanks be to God, survived it. I have the duty to say to all...

Consternation as Pope Leo meets with former Obama advisor David AxelrodIt is being speculated that the Axelrod meeting could have been preparation for Pope Leo to eventually meet Obama himself.Pope Leo XIV met with David Axelrod, a former advisor to President Barack Obama, in a private audience on Thursday.The Vatican confirmed the meeting with Axelrod and his “entourage,” but details about what was discussed have not been made public. Pope Leo was allegedly 30 minutes late to another meeting because his audience with Axelrod overran.The meeting came in the wake of reports that back in January, the Trump administration demanded...

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ, My heart is heavy as I look toward Lebanon – a land long marked by faith, suffering, and perseverance. Lebanon is not merely another nation in conflict. It is home to one of the oldest and largest Christian populations in the Middle East, where the name of Jesus Christ has been professed continuously since the earliest centuries of the Church. In that sacred land stands the shrine of St. Charbel Makhlouf, a humble monk whose life of prayer, penance, and Eucharistic devotion has borne extraordinary fruit. Known as the “miracle monk of Lebanon,”...

A Giant Leap: The meaning of Cardinal Eijk’s Pontifical High Mass and the Rebirth of Dutch Catholicismby Serre VerweijCardinal Willem Jacobus Eijk, the Archbishop of Utrecht in the Netherlands, celebrated on March 15th, 2026, a Pontifical High Mass for the first time. It somehow ended up being a huge event that was talked about internationally and still receives attention weeks later. As a Catholic from the Archdiocese of Utrecht, I was surprised a little (though very pleasantly) that the cardinal decided to do this. It was clearly a new experience for him, yet, when I attended, I could see he...

Dear friends, on the very day that Jesus Christ rose again from the dead, our risen Savior and Lord clearly defined to all what a fool truly is. A fool as defined by the Word of God Himself (the Lord Jesus - John 1:1-3,14), is anyone who will not properly reason with themselves with the overwhelming biblical facts of TRUTH and REALITY of who Jesus is! The fool absolutely refuses to believe ALL that the Word of God (the Lord Jesus) has to say about the written Word of God - Matt. 5:17, Luke 24:27, 44, John 1:1-3;14 5:39,46, Acts...

The number of candidates preparing to be received into the Catholic Church across England at Easter is at its highest level for 15 years. Dioceses across the country are reporting increases, with Shrewsbury Cathedral holding an additional service to accommodate record numbers of adults seeking baptism and admission into the Church. In a statement, the Diocese of Shrewsbury said: “The numbers of people asking to become Catholics in the Diocese of Shrewsbury – which includes all of Shropshire, Cheshire, the Wirral and parts of Greater Manchester – has almost doubled in the past three years. “The surge in new converts...

the life of Japanese sculptor Etsuro Sotoo offers a striking witness to how stone itself can become a path to faith. For Sotoo, whose decades of carving at Spanish Barcelona’s Basilica of the Holy Family, known as Sagrada Familia, have shaped one of the world’s great sacred spaces, the slow, humbling work of sculpting stone ultimately led him to encounter the God whom Antoni Gaudí — Sagrada’s iconic architect — served, and to enter the Catholic Church through baptism. . Studying the life and vision of Sagrada’s legendary architect — and a spiritual giant — not only shaped his artistic...

Five years ago, Nazlican Soylemez had little connection to religious life. A random discovery in her Jersey City neighborhood changed everything. An avid reader and aspiring nurse, Soylemez, 31, was perusing a "Little Free Library" kiosk near her home when she spied a tiny paperback titled "Jesus Lives." The pages of that Christian devotional book would carry her on a journey toward Catholicism. Soylemez is among 1,700 people in the Newark Archdiocese scheduled to complete her conversion to Catholicism this Easter weekend. She and other spiritual newcomers will be confirmed and receive the Eucharist inside the ornate sanctuary of Holy...

Easter baptism figures for the past five years: 2021: 1,708 2022: 1,569 2023: 1,700 2024: 2,300 2025: 2,400 For a country surrounded by an openly anti-Christian regime, Hong Kong has seen a surprising surge in conversions over the past decade. On Easter of this year, around 2,500 new converts are estimated to join the Catholic Church. Hong Kong has long been a place of refuge for Catholics fleeing Chinese communist oppression. Since 1949, Chinese Catholics have poured into the diocese, seeking religious freedom and distance from the Chinese Communist Party's coercion. However, in following a year of pro-democracy protests in...

Vermonters in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Burlington have celebrated this past week in the leadup to Easter on Sunday, when this year’s class of adults will enter into the Catholic Church. Current estimates indicate that their numbers are increasing substantially, especially among young adults at some of Vermont’s universities. While statewide Sunday Mass attendance has decreased and the diocese is consolidating churches, some local parishes have seen an increase in energy and enthusiasm. In a state with a declining birth rate and an aged population, data from the Diocese of Burlington indicates that conversions among adults are increasing at...

President Donald Trump delivered an Easter video message to Christians in the United States and around the world, quoting the Gospel of John and declaring that “evil and wickedness will not prevail.” Describing the Resurrection of Jesus Christ as “the most glorious miracle in all of time,” Trump drew on one of the Bible’s most widely cited verses to anchor his message. “For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, for whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life,” he said, adding that the words were “beautiful.” Trump said millions of Christians worldwide...

Pope Leo XIV used his first Easter speech Sunday to deliver a resounding call for peace in times of renewed war, declaring, “Let those who have weapons lay them down!” On Palm Sunday, Leo said that God “does not listen to the prayers of those who wage war.” He quoted Isaiah 1:15: “Even though you make many prayers, I will not listen — your hands are full of blood.”

This Easter, many will go through the robotic motions of celebrating Easter without any possession of the REALITY of the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. They will gather with loved ones, family, and friends to color Easter eggs; have Easter egg hunts; eat baked ham, candy, and fine desserts; maybe watch a sporting event, and perhaps even attend church for the first time since Christmas. All these things in themselves are harmless enough, but leave out the resurrection REALITY, and all you have is ETERNAL vanity and darkness. This tragically, however, happens every year in a never-ending cycle...

This song communicates that Jesus is risen! He was seen by many after His resurrection. All eyes will see Him when He returns and reigns in the 1000-year Kingdom and then FOREVERMORE in ETERNITY! Rejoice! He lives FOREVERMORE!

An increasing number of young Norwegians are choosing to convert to the Catholic Church. This trend is being observed by clergy in many parts of the country. Underlying reasons may include the need for stability and the search for meaning in a changing world. Motivations are diverse and stem both from personal choices and the influence of the environment. In the past decade, the Catholic Church in Norway has seen a significant increase in the number of faithful. From 2015 to 2025, membership rose from 95,655 to 168,220, marking a 76 percent increase. The largest growth occurred between 2024 and...

The Archdiocese of Sydney in Australia will welcome record numbers of catechumens and candidates who seek full communion with the Catholic Church ahead of Easter this year. Across the archdiocese, 338 people will be baptized at the Easter Vigil, with an additional 119 to be welcomed into full communion with the Catholic Church, says a press release from the archdiocese. Archbishop Anthony Fisher of Sydney described the large number of people joining the Catholic Church as “a profound sign of the growth and vitality” in the Church in Sydney and proof that the “Holy Spirit is alive and active.” The...

The number of individuals entering the Catholic Church continues to rise across the state of Ohio. An increasing number of Ohioans are preparing to become Catholic in and outside of the Columbus diocese this year. The number of catechumens, individuals who are unbaptized, and candidates, previously baptized individuals who will enter full communion with the Church through the sacraments of initiation – the Eucharist and/or Confirmation – is increasing from previous years. Locally, the Columbus diocese will welcome nearly 500 catechumens into the Church this year through the Order of Christian Initiation of Adults (OCIA). Individuals preparing for baptism...

Easter is bringing a wave of new members into the Roman Catholic Church in Charlotte, continuing a growing trend across the region. Over the past two years, the number of people joining the Catholic Church in Charlotte has increased by more than 40% each year. Church leaders expect that figure to rise again this Easter weekend. At St. Matthew Catholic Church in Ballantyne alone, about 100 people are expected to be baptized — among them, Seth Miller. “I had to be a good example, a good leader in the household,” Miller said. “That’s what was originally kind of the catalyst...

- The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown is welcoming 282 new converts this Easter, a significant increase from previous years. - This local growth is part of a global trend, - Many new converts, particularly young adults, are drawn to the church's offer of objective truth and ancient traditions in a modern world. "Behind these numbers are people who have heard the Gospel being proclaimed and witnessed it being lived by priests, deacons, lay ministers, the faithful, as well as friends and family," Youngstown diocese Bishop David Bonnar said. "I think it is a powerful affirmation of the work of the...