De La Mennais Brothers: Making Jesus Christ better known and loved by young people

I've just seen a second film in a week in which there is a beautiful relationship between a mother and her son. Last weekend it was "Room", starring the quite wonderful Brie Larsen and Jacob Tremblay as a mother and son in a film which is quite rightly garnering rave reviews and awards buzz. Tonight it was the less high-profile but equally interesting and moving 2014 British movie "X and Y", starring the wonderful British quartet of Sally Hawkins, Rafe Spall, Eddie Marsan and as the lead character, an autistic boy genius, Asa Butterfield ("The Boy With The Striped Pyjamas", "Hugo" and the underrated "Ender's Game").  Each film puts centre stage a mother/son relationship where the two characters' circumstances have led to the biological father not being able to fulfil that role for his son. Though the narratives are very different, each is held together by the purity and selflessness of the mother's love for her chi...

Here at last is the Vatican document whose publication was announced in December on the Identity and Mission of the Religious Brother.

Yes, really!!!! Catholic Beard Balm!! "Plus its nice to have people ask: Why do you smell like Confirmation?" And apparently St. Augustine was a fan of chin hair: "The beard signifies the courageous; the beard distinguishes the grown men, the earnest, the active, the vigorous. So that when we describe such, we say, he is a bearded man." Bearded and proud!!!

At least once a year, Christians are reminded of Jesus’ prayer for his disciples that “they may be one so that the world may believe” (John 17.21). Christians come together to pray for their unity during the annual Week Of Prayer For Christian Unity (in January). Congregations and parishes of the different Christian denominations all over the world exchange preachers or arrange special ecumenical celebrations and prayer services. Prayer for Christian Unity: Lord Jesus, you said that everyone will know that we are your disciples if there is love among us. Strengthened by your grace, may we work tirelessly for the visible unity of your Church, so that the Good News that we are called to proclaim will be seen in all our words and deeds. Amen. Here's a modern (and rather fun) take on the old Christian Unity hymn “We Are One In The Spirit”. It was the first hymn I ever sang solo in public at a Salvation Army Christian Unity event my sister took me to when I was in short pants a lon...