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A reluctant Pope who became the "Apostle of the English", St Gregory the Great became a Doctor of the Church.

Stabat mater dolorosa – “The mournful mother was standing”. This is the opening line of the extraordinary hymn attributed to the 13th-century Franciscan friar Jacopone da Todi, which is still a popular Lenten devotion. Find the words of the original Latin and the popular English translation in this blog.

In the Vatican offices is an icon of Mary with her finger pressed to her lips called Our Lady of Silence. One of the elements of this devotion is five mysteries of the rosary dedicated to the silence of Jesus and Mary.

Who was the 13-year-old girl that the Mother of God herself chose to appear to in Lourdes in 1858? Before her life was changed dramatically by the events of Lourdes, St Bernadette was a simple girl from a poor family. Described as being a "dreamy and careless child", unlike the Fatima children there was nothing in St Bernadette's life before Lourdes that explicitly and overtly pointed to a deep holiness. Learn about the life of a girl who would one day become a visionary in this blog.

Suffering is something which most people find very difficult to endure and understand. “What is the point of it?” “Why would a good God allow us to suffer?” In this blog, explore the theme of suffering through the lens of the Lourdes apparitions and in the life of the Lourdes visionary St Bernadette, who felt suffering was her calling.

To truly experience Lourdes is to experience the love of Christ. Seeing the volunteers serve the disabled is to see Him at work in them. Discover a story of conversion and transformation at Lourdes in this blog.