Browse › 2006 › November

November 2006

November 24

Students teach students about the faith

November 24, 2006

NORTH VANCOUVER, B.C. - When Thomas Parente found out that St. Pius X parish in North Vancouver was in need of catechism teachers, he willingly signed up to spend Tuesday nights with a group of Grade 6 students.

Computer game teaches about hunger crisis

November 24, 2006

Food Force game [images/stories/misc/foodForce.jpg]TORONTO - Catholic students across Ontario might soon play computer games inside the classroom instead of outside. Julie Marshall, Canadian communications consultant for the United Nations World Food Program, has approached more than 20 Catholic school boards in Ontario about including Food Force in school curriculums.

This special gift keeps giving

November 24, 2006

As Christmas approaches and wish lists get finalized, one thing is certain: no one in our family will receive a bigger gift than the one Sean, the youngest member, received several years ago.

Motherhood takes plenty of on-the-job learning

November 24, 2006

My uncle was writing a catechism and he had asked me to discuss the role of wife and mother. It was a difficult writing assignment.

Poverty affects health, studies show

November 24, 2006

Dr. Penny Sutcliffe [images/stories/toronto_people/sutcliffe.jpg]TORONTO - Poverty kills just as surely as smoking or living off burgers, fries and ice cream, and the church leaders who run Ontario's food banks, emergency shelters and family counselling programs are prepared to back that claim up with science.

Catholic tradition supports access to universal health care

November 24, 2006

Dr. Bridget Campion [images/stories/toronto_people/Campion.jpg]TORONTO - The seemingly endless debate about private versus public health care in Canada naturally lends itself to a Catholic take, bioethicist Bridget Campion told a small audience at the end of an evening in which the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute split the podium between pro-medicare family doctor Claudette Chase and pro-private sector economist John Kyle.

Franciscan way goes mainstream

November 24, 2006

The Christmas Creche [images/stories/misc/CrecheHand.jpg]TORONTO - Following St. Francis into Advent starts with a concrete, physical, tangible, searingly real sense of the incarnation, according to Toronto-area Franciscans who will spend the four weeks leading up to Christmas doing things most Catholics do — preparing a Christmas crèche, attending Advent liturgies, singing carols and getting ready for the Feast of the Nativity.

Immigrant priests face culture shock

November 24, 2006

TORONTO - No sooner had David Okenyi arrived in Canada than he wished he could just turn on his heel and go back to Nigeria.

St. Mike's to open up private girls' school

November 24, 2006

TORONTO- After more than 150 years of offering an education to boys, St. Michael's College School will now help launch a private Catholic school for girls.

God is there at our darkest hour

November 24, 2006

First Sunday of Advent (Year C), Dec. 3 (Jeremiah 33:14-16; Psalm 25; 1 Thessalonians 3:12-4:2; Luke 21:25-28, 34-36 The predictions and prophecies made in our own lifetimes seldom square with what actually comes to pass. Today most of them are very negative and are designed to generate fear (and perhaps wealth and power for those who capitalize on that fear). Often we are surprised as events take unforeseen directions.

Our vocation is to bear God

November 24, 2006

Some questions seem to be our companions for life. I used to think they would get answered and go away. Now I'm less surprised to hear people of 25, 35, 45, 75, asking what I'd thought was the proper concern of the 15-year-old: "What am I supposed to do with my life?"

Fr. Louis' got a deal for you

November 24, 2006

"Do I have a deal for you!" Fr. Louis DiRocco called out to his fellow priests on the closing session of our fall meeting to hear and talk about life and work in today's parishes.

'Ask the people, Stephen'

November 24, 2006

In late June of last year, without the benefit of social scientific evidence, adequate democratic deliberation and the normal process of judicial appeals, and with inordinate pressure put on members of Parliament by party leaders, the House of Commons passed Bill C-38.

Making room

November 24, 2006

A recent poll suggests that Canadians still embrace multiculturalism and religious diversity. At the same time, the survey shows that at some point newcomers must find ways to accommodate themselves to this country's deepest principles.

We are challenged to declare our Catholic education goals

November 24, 2006

Where does Catholic education in Ontario find itself today? It truly reflects the culture. In his book, entitled Unknown Gods: The Ongoing Story of Religion in Canada (1993), Canadian sociologist Reginald Bibby pointed out that a decline in attendance at religious services, first observed years earlier, was continuing: "beyond numerical involvement, relatively few Canadians give evidence of being profoundly influenced by any organized faith." He noted: "The Roman Catholic example, however, suggests that when religious groups have to go head-to-head with the myriad socializing influences found in Canadian culture more generally, it is extremely tough to come out the winner."

Angels guide this poetic journey

November 24, 2006

Accompanied by Angels [images/stories/books/0802829872.gif]Accompanied by Angels: Poems of the Incarnation, by Luci Shaw (Eerdmans Publishing, 110 pages, softcover, $18.99). Accompanied by Angels, subtitled Poems of the Incarnation, grew out of poet Luci Shaw's childhood collection of Advent poems. At the age of 11, and anticipating the great festivities of the season, Shaw determined to make her own Christmas cards. To go with the pictures and illustrations on the cards, she composed short greetings to evoke the message of this holy season.

November 30

Benedict offers friendship to Turkish Muslims

November 30, 2006

Pope Benedict XVI shakes hands with Ali Bardakoglu, the head of Turkey's religious affairs directorate [images/stories/international/popeTurkey.jpg]ANKARA, Turkey - Acknowledging that his four-day trip to Turkey would be largely symbolic, Pope Benedict XVI opened his visit by paying respect to the Turkish state and extending a hand of friendship to its predominantly Muslim population. On the plane from Rome Nov. 28, Pope Benedict told reporters, "We must not exaggerate; one cannot expect great results in just three days. The value (of the trip) I would say is symbolic, the fruit of the encounters themselves, of encounters in friendship and respect."

Bishops recommend changes to refugee, migrant policies

November 30, 2006

OTTAWA - Politicians from several parties welcomed the recommendations Canadian archbishops presented to the House of Commons immigration committee, including the cancellation of the Safe Third Country Agreement, and the elimination of obstacles to family reunification.

Trustee orientation session set

November 30, 2006

TORONTO - With the elections out of the way, Ontario's new Catholic trustees will be shown the ropes of their job Jan. 12-13 in Toronto.

Canadian surplus should help families

November 30, 2006

TORONTO - Failure to reduce Canada's 17-per-cent child poverty rate over the past five years is creating a deficit that can't be erased by paying down government debt, say the authors of Campaign 2000's 2006 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty.