North Koreans are pining for their leader and enduring sleepless nights during his week-long trip to Vietnam, if the reclusive country’s state-controlled media is to be believed. According to NK News, some North Koreans have decided to give up alcohol for the duration of Kim’s trip to Hanoi in order to demonstrate their loyalty. Continue reading
John Wanamaker changed the way Americans, and eventually, the rest of the world shopped. The first Wanamaker’s department store was designed to evoke the interior of a vast church. It was one of the ways in which the store’s founder translated his Christianity into the retail experience. Nicole C. Kirk’s new book Wanamaker’s Temple: The Read more
On Tuesday night, Feb. 19, I will fight in the 89th annual Bengal Bouts boxing tournament put on by the University of Notre Dame’s amateur boxing club. Three years ago, I was the first priest to fight in the tournament—and lost in a split decision in the heavyweight final. I consider it an honour to Read more
Castle Church Brewing Community describes itself as “Orlando’s newest premier destination brewery” but also makes clear that while beer is its passion, “as a spiritual community, we exist for people first. Read more
Environmental campaigners have issued a challenge to Pope Francis: go vegan for Lent and receive $1m for the charity of his choice. The purpose of the Million Dollar Vegan campaign, led by 12-year-old Genesis Butler, is to encourage people to eat less meat and dairy in order to fight climate change. Global warming cannot be Read more
Before you head out to the shops to buy bags of shiny tinsel and plastic gold bells, consider these ideas for eco-friendly Christmas decorations you can make at home. Continue reading
A 1954 letter written by Albert Einstein and known as the “God letter” because he discussed his thoughts about religion has fetched close to US$2.9 million (NZ$4.2m) at an auction in New York. The letter, which was sold at Christie’s on Tuesday (Wednesday NZT), was written the year before he died. Continue reading
25th of December has become a holiday loved by both Christian and as well as those who are not Christians. Advent, the time of preparation is, however, a much lesser-known aspect of this season. We all know of Lent, but what is Advent? What is its history? Here are seven facts you might have known Read more
Under Dutch law, police officers are not permitted to enter a church while a religious service is taking place. So, for more than a month, hundreds of pastors and volunteers from across the Netherlands conducted a non-stop 800-hour church service in support of an Armenian family whose asylum claim has been rejected. Continue reading
Most of us know that St. Cecilia—whose feast day is November 22nd—is the patroness of music and musicians. Many of us know that many Catholic artists, such as Audrey Assad, have written songs inspired by saints. Saints and religious were a popular subject for classical composers but did you all know that even secular artists Read more