VATICAN CITY — A newly expanded compendium of visions of the Virgin Mary shows how the very idea of such apparitions has been met with skepticism and preoccupation within the Church, from early Christian times to the present. more . . .

TORONTO — The new ad campaign from the atheist group behind last year’s “there’s probably no God” campaign suggests that Christ and Allah have the same credibility as UFOs, Big Foot, psychics, Zeus and homeopathy. more . . .

Not surprisingly, one major finding of the WCR's recent readership survey is that our readers say the main challenge facing the Church is passing on the faith to the next generation. One should go even further and say the challenge includes passing on the faith to the current generation. more . . .

FR. RON ROLHEISER, omi

Mary gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger because there was no room for them in the inn. more . . .

MARIA KOZAKIEWICZ

Epiphany is my favourite Christmas season holiday, for various reasons - from mundane through professional to spiritual. In the first place, it is wonderfully quiet. Since it is about human gifts to God and not gifts to the humans themselves, the media and secular world pay little attention and do nothing to twist its meaning. more . . .

It is a multifaceted event with many meanings. But in its liturgy, the Church focuses on the Epiphany as the manifestation of God's glory to all nations. Israel had expected a messiah who would lift up the nation to a pre-eminent place in the world. God, however, has given the Messiah for more than Israel. more . . .

GORDON SELF

The long running television series M*A*S*H depicted the antics of medical personnel coping with the stress of overseas military service, often playing practical jokes on each other. more . . .

Changing the world for the better does not come from leaders making grandiose promises or calling for a violent revolution, Pope Benedict said: It comes from humble individuals who silently carry God’s light and love to everyone around them.

As the Nazi executioner beheaded three Catholic priests and a Lutheran pastor, one after another in a matter of minutes, their blood flowed together, creating a powerful symbol for ecumenism in northern Germany.

Bishop David Ricken of Green Bay has approved the Marian apparitions seen by Adele Brise in 1859, making the apparitions of Mary that occurred some 30 km northeast of Green Bay the first in the U.S. to receive approval of a diocesan bishop.