Albert of Jerusalem, as he is now known, was appointed patriarch of Jerusalem in 1205 by Pope Innocent III. At the time of his election he had been count-bishop of Vercelli for some twenty years. The Avogadro family to which he belonged was the most prominent and richest of all the first families of Vercelli. Albert came out of the north of present day Italy. It had always existed at the convergence of many peoples and ...

Call to Acceptance Covid 19 has unleashed unbelievable storms of insecurity that seemed beyond the realms of our imagination just a few months ago. We all have entered into a new world. Beyond the horror of the daily statistics of sickness and death, an inescapable anxiety drives us to question all our cherished standards of normality and security. We say it every day but that does not make it less true. We are in a new ...

When Covid-19 struck our region, life changed in our parishes. We had to end any physical touch during the 'Sign of Peace' at Mass. Holy Water was removed from our churches. Everything had to be sanitized after Mass - door handles and pews, and people were required to sit at least six feet apart at daily Mass. But the saddest part in the evolution of ecclesial pandemic change was when all churches had to be closed ...

Mariam Baouardy was born at Abellin in Galilee on 5th January 1846 to very poor parents who were good living and devoted Greek-rite Catholics. She was left an orphan after the death of her parents at only three years of age when, together with her brother Paul, she was entrusted to the care of an uncle, who had moved to Alexandria in Egypt a few years earlier. She never received any formal education and remained ...