In 1906, a black preacher named William Seymour was invited to pastor a small black church in Los Angeles. Seymour was soon locked out of the church after he told the astonished congregation that the sure sign of their having received the baptism of the Holy Spirit was that they would begin to speak in tongues.

The World Council of Churches' 1991 assembly in Canberra, Australia, had as its theme, Come, Holy Spirit, Renew the Whole Creation.

St. Basil the Great (330-379) is best known as the founder of eastern monasticism. He was also a father of the Church, one of the great early theologians who helped usher the Church from the period of the apostles into the period when Catholic teaching approached maturity.

WASHINGTON - Knights of Columbus are called to evangelize, to be charitable and to serve as instruments of God's love, Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl said recently at a Mass opening the Catholic fraternal organization's 128th annual supreme convention.

ANTIGONISH, N.S. - The Atlantic Catholic will cease publication after its Aug. 21 issue.

In eight years, the paper - a publication of the Casket Printing and Publishing Co. Ltd. - failed to increase its readership, said Vince MacLean, chair of the Casket's board of directors.

It is perhaps easy to get trapped in books and concepts when trying to understand a transcendent reality such as the Holy Spirit. Knowledge can deepen, however, by learning of the lives of the saints, Christian believers who have come to a profound, abiding relationship with God.

SR. LOUISE ZDUNICH, NDC

Growing up, I was taught that we must go to Confession to a priest at Eastertime and that it was a sin not to, even if we never went otherwise.

Today, I believe that one can confess to God in prayer and conversation and that it is no longer necessary to actually confess to a priest in person. I pray and talk to God, asking for forgiveness and strength. I live a quiet life and although far from perfect, am not a big “sinner.”

RALPH HIMSL

Luke's Gospel for today recounts an astonishing event, remarkable enough in my view, to merit a special name, one whose use would call up a complete image in the manner of the phrase, "the woman at the well" or "the parable of the prodigal son" or, from the secular world, "crossing the Rubicon."

FR. RON ROLHEISER, omi

Every year I write a column on suicide. It’s not my favourite thing to do, but I do it because there is too little in the public forum, secular or religious, on this painful issue. Suicide remains one of the great unmentionables and people who lose loved ones to suicide search mostly in vain for anything that might bring understanding and consolation.

GORDON SELF

A true but humbling story from my past taught me about ethics. I swam often as an undergraduate student. I would wear a swim cap and goggles, placing the goggles high up on my forehead over the cap before or after entering the water.