Feature Story

“It’s not I who has been faithful, but the people; they have been so faithful and supportive,” Fr. Leo van Beurden OSC.

“I felt I was dying,” he recalls. “But it was also the moment I knew I had found the God I was searching for.”

Everything, the joy and sorrow, the mundane and profound, has become part of a single, sacred journey

In this exclusive interview given to Radio Veritas Asia, Cardinal Filipe Neri Ferrão, President of the CCBI and FABC, reflects on the meaning of synodality in today’s rapidly changing and polarized world, his hope for the future Church in Asia, the role of the laity and youth, and the gifts he is grateful for during his long and illustrious ministry as a priest and bishop.

The Epistle of Jude, tucked near the end of our New Testament, feels urgent and tender at once. “Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints,” he writes (Jude 1:3).

Sometimes, when life gets me a little down, and I feel that I have long battles to fight (such as a lingering illness), I find that it’s helpful to boost my morale by focusing on what I call “little victories.”

For the past twelve years, Sister Asha Nayak, a Catholic nun of the Sisters Adorers Congregation, has made her home and mission in the heart of Mumbai’s red-light area, not to preach or convert, but to heal, restore, and bring dignity to those society has cast aside.

On the ancient cobblestone streets of Rome, I often encounter a serene and moving scene: whether it is a monk in his habit or a devout layperson, they walk while holding a rosary, quietly reciting the Rosary prayers.

Indonesia’s famous Golo Curu Festival 2025 concluded in a spirit of deep devotion to Mary, Queen of the Rosary, and a vibrant celebration of the Manggarai people’s rich cultural heritage.

The story of Indian Catholic chef James Biaka reads like an inspiring recipe, one stirred with perseverance, seasoned with creativity, and garnished with faith.

At the National Institute of Cancer Research & Hospital in Mohakhali, Dhaka, a quiet yet powerful witness of compassion unfolds each day. Nurse Jayanti Gregory, a 53-year-old Catholic mother, has spent the past 11 years serving women diagnosed with breast cancer, offering not just medical care, but dignity, empathy, and hope.

Fr. Ismartono, SJ, explained, “Laudato Si’ has been widely recognized, even by many from the Muslim community, as one of the Church’s brightest contributions to the world, inspiring humanity to respond and act to prevent the destruction of our planet.”

Education is more than a process of transmitting knowledge, it is a pilgrimage of hope. For students, especially in today’s rapidly changing world, education becomes not only a path to personal growth but also a sacred journey of discovering meaning, resilience, and purpose.

The story of the poor village girl is our story. Like her, our identity is transformed before our circumstances change. We may not yet step into the heavenly mansion, but the wedding feast of the Lamb awaits us.

By restoring hope and offering a loving community, they wipe away the stain of injustice to reveal the radiant image of God within each person. Their mission is a symphony, blending the Church’s call to be missionary with its passion for human dignity.

Even though it has been decades since I have left this particular company, the memory of our unity and camaraderie will always remain with me – how we, Christians from different denominations, managed to pray together and love one another without attacking one another’s beliefs or practices. That can only be through the grace of God.

This year marks the 60th anniversary of Nostra Aetate (“In Our Time”), a short but transformative document that reshaped the Catholic Church’s approach to non-Christian religions.

In a world often dimmed by division and despair, Asia’s festivals of light remind us that every faith, Hindu, Buddhist, Muslim, Taoist, and Christian, shares a single flame: the hope that darkness will never have the last word.

In Mission: Impossible – The Final Reckoning, the impossible feels personal. Ethan Hunt (Tom Cruise) faces his most dangerous adversary yet, a rogue artificial intelligence known as The Entity, a digital god born from human ambition.

Filipino priests and women religious from the Mary’s Little Children Community (MLCC) based in Talisay City, Cebu, are breathing new life into parish communities in Hobart, Tasmania, by journeying with the people in a true spirit of synodality.