In Rome’s Basilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, pilgrims venerate the statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace, a powerful symbol of hope in a world marred by war and violence. The Statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace Inside the basilica, the remarkable statue of Our Lady Queen of Peace draws the faithful […]
Dear friends, Each year we celebrate the feast of Our Lady’s Assumption into heaven and so it is fitting that we, like the Apostles who all gathered around her during her lifetime, come together around our celestial Mother to celebrate this great feast. Eventually, the time came also for Mary to pass from this world […]
Rome, 12 April, 1947. In a grotto on the Via Laurentina, the Virgin Mary appeared to a man, Bruno Cornacchiola. She presents herself as the “Virgin of Revelation” and delivers a powerful call: “Be missionaries of the Word of Truth.” It’s a compelling call, meant for courageous hearts. But what is Truth? Today, it’s an […]
Giovan Battista Salvi, otherwise known as Sassoferrato (1609-1685), is an artist of the 17th Century whose career was distinguished by the painting of great portraits and devotional images particularly of the Virgin Mary. Indeed, he is often referred to affectionately as the “painter of the Madonna’s”. His natural style, that depicted his subjects with a […]
A city like Rome, with its abundance of history and art, can, at times, produce sentiments of inadequacy and disorientation. Here we can find places that open our minds to the possibility of a recuperation of our Christian identity and roots. For a moment, let us abandon the noisy hub-bub of the streets and try […]
The practice of devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus was spread due to Jesus’ private revelations to St Margaret Mary Alacoque, a nun of the Paray le Monial Convent in Paris, and was propagated by her confessor the Jesuit, Fr Claude de la Combiere (1641-1682). The feast of the Sacred Heart was celebrated for […]
The account of Pentecost in the Acts of the Apostles is filled with powerful imagery. The Holy Spirit overcomes the confines of the Upper Room where the Apostles are gathered and, with the sound of wind and the appearance of tongues of fire, descends on each of them. The effects are instant. The Church is […]
In the early days of a new papacy, some of the most telling indicators of a Pope’s mission and vision come not through speeches or documents but in the quieter symbolism of his chosen motto and coat of arms. These heraldic and textual signs offer a profound synthesis of the Pope’s personal spiritual journey and […]
Pietro di Cristoforo Vannucci, better known as Pietro Perugino (1450-1523), was an Umbrian painter of the High Renaissance who realised the exceptional fresco entitled ‘The Handing of the Keys to St Peter’ between 1481/2 in the Sistine Chapel, Vatican City, Rome. The fresco forms part of a series of mural decorations that gave the Sistine […]
From 9.00pm on the 21 April 2025 the Seat of Peter became known officially as Apostolica Sedes Vacans, awaiting the election of the new Holy Father. The preparations are now underway to elect the new Pope in the historic setting of the Sistine Chapel. As the Conclave approaches, the Sistine Chapel – “la Cappella Magna” […]