By Matters India Reporter
New Delhi, June 18, 2016: A new online Catholic resource has been launched to serve believers across India, offering free access to curated materials on prayer, sacraments, and faith formation.
Christina Hanna Paul, a Kerala-based Catholic, has created Vine & The Branch, a digital sanctuary designed to guide Catholics at every stage of their spiritual journey.
The site, available at vineandthebranch.in, organizes resources into 17 topics including the Rosary, Holy Mass, the Eucharist, Marian devotion, Bible study, homilies, reflections, Advent, Lent, fasting, theology, and apologetics.
“I built this because I had to scramble through the internet to find good Catholic resources when my own faith journey began,” Paul said. “I wanted one place where a Catholic or a Christian could simply start.”
Structured for all audiences
The platform is tailored for three groups: those new to or exploring Catholicism, those returning after time away, and those seeking to deepen existing practice. Each section is arranged to naturally lead into the next, allowing visitors to follow their curiosity while building a foundation in faith.
Paul explained that the inspiration came from her own experience of rediscovering Catholicism. “Sunday Mass, Catechesis, the Rosary, family prayers—I knew all of it. But if I am honest with you, I knew the motions, not the heart of it. Faith was something I did, not something I lived,” she wrote on the site’s about page.
Her turning point came during a personal crisis. “I was overwhelmed and somewhere in the middle of all of it, I finally asked: ‘Is this all there is?’ That question cracked something open. And slowly, everything began to shift.”
Hunger for faith
Paul described her renewed desire to know Jesus as “the hunger that does not stop.” She immersed herself in homilies, books, testimonies, and Bible studies. “For the first time in my life I felt excited to know more about Jesus. Amazed and completely undone by what He had done for us, feelings I had genuinely never experienced before.”
Scripture guided her journey. She cites Psalm 42:1: “As the deer pants for the water brooks, so pants my soul for You, O God.” Another verse, Isaiah 43:18–19, became a beacon: “Forget the former things… I am doing a new thing… I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert.”
Quiet corner of the Internet
From this experience, Paul envisioned a single space where seekers could find trustworthy Catholic resources without endless searching. “Just a quiet headstart. Something to anchor you in the noise,” she wrote.
She emphasized that Vine & The Branch is not about replacing tradition but about helping people begin. “Making time for God is not something we are meant to squeeze in. It is meant to anchor everything else,” she said.
The site’s name comes from John 15:5: “I am the vine; you are the branches.” Paul said the sanctuary is meant for anyone—new believers, those returning, or those seeking to grow deeper.
Vine & The Branch is live and fully free to access, with no sign-up required.