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May 2007

May 13

Shortcuts lead to dead ends

May 13, 2007

I was 18 years old when I competed in a regional lifeguard competition. My boss agreed to pay us to compete. However, days before the competition, we were practising for several hours and my teammates were signing in at work for their practice hours. They knew that it was wrong, but they did it anyway. I was jealous because they were making money and I wasn’t so I signed in too, thinking “if I get caught, we’ll all get caught.” Our manager never noticed what happened and we got away with stealing.

Church fight against poverty overlooked

May 13, 2007

TORONTO - The success of churches and faith-based organizations in providing disaster relief and fighting world poverty is one of “the greatest overlooked stories of our time,” said veteran journalist Brian Stewart.

Nouwen writings subject of reflection

May 13, 2007

TORONTO - L’Arche Toronto is holding a reflection series based on the writings of the late Henri Nouwen. Seeds of Hope will be held at The Gathering Place on May 26. The reflection series is based on the former L’Arche Daybreak pastor Nouwen’s writings. The topic is “Human Vulnerability and Spiritual Growth.”

Summer institute

May 13, 2007

OTTAWA - Whether you sing in the choir, teach children catechism, lead an Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults class or co-ordinate readers for Sunday Mass, the Saint Paul University summer institutes in pastoral liturgy and religious education will give you a chance to do it better.

Peace=unity

May 13, 2007

SASKATOON - Peace equals unity and unity is the whole point of the ecumenical movement. That’s the logic behind this year’s summer ecumenical institute mounted by the Prairie Centre for Ecumenism in Saskatoon.

Profit to lead ecology retreat

May 13, 2007

GRAND FALLS, Nfld. - For those ready to see the passion of Christ in the suffering of a world in ecological decline, an Ignatian ecology retreat led by Jesuit Father James Profit is being offered at St. Catherine’s Renewal Centre, Grand Falls-Windsor, Nfld., June 3-9.

Trustee wins Liberal nomination

May 13, 2007

WATERLOO, Ont. - Louise Ervin, a a Waterloo Catholic District School Board trustee, was elected Liberal candidate for the Kitchener-Waterloo riding on April 29. This nomination was the first contested provincial Liberal nomination in Ontario.

Oblate Perrin to take reins at St. Jerome's

May 13, 2007

WATERLOO, Ont. - A priest of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate has been chosen as the next president of St. Jerome’s University, a Catholic liberal arts college federated with the University of Waterloo.

Government still balks at issuing apology for residential school abuses

May 13, 2007

Parliament has added its symbolic apology to that of four national churches, voting 257 to zero May 1 to say sorry for Canada’s official program to wipe out aboriginal culture through residential schools.

Register takes top newspaper award

May 13, 2007

TORONTO - The Catholic Register won four first place awards in the annual Canadian Church Press journalism competition, along with six other honours announced May 4 at the 50th annual convention of the organization.

May 14

Vatican recognizes power of the image

May 14, 2007

VATICAN CITY - They are not pushy or pesky; rather, the Pope’s own paparazzi are the epitome of discretion and class.

Newest Catholics called to spread Christ’s light

May 14, 2007

TORONTO - Family and friends packed St. Michael’s Cathedral May 2 to support their loved ones who have been recently baptized and/or confirmed with the Catholic faith.

Wal-Mart on board with workers’ rights groups

May 14, 2007

TORONTO - Another story about garment workers forced into 24-hour shifts, beaten and fired for joining a union, paid less than Philippine minimum wage (between 51 and 68 cents an hour) to produce women’s shirts for Wal-Mart shoppers wouldn’t shock anybody.

May 18

Across the editor’s desk

May 18, 2007

Every week at least half a dozen books drift across the editor’s desk at The Catholic Register. Most weeks we have barely enough space to thoughtfully review one. So, in the interest of fuller disclosure, here’s a few notes about some of the books we haven’t sent out for review.

Making Mohammed real for 21st century

May 18, 2007

In the Footsteps of the Prophet: Lessons from the Life of Mohammed by Tariq Ramadan (Oxford University Press, hardcover, 256 pages, $28.95). Many years ago, well before I ever became a priest, I found myself living a crisis of faith. In my searching I decided to make a detailed examination of other religions along with my own. In the end I concluded that only the Catholic faith could have a claim to being the truth, but I also came away with a healthy respect for the other world religions.

Questioning some common beliefs

May 18, 2007

Tall Tales About The Mind & Brain, Separating Fact From Fiction edited by Sergio Della Sala (Oxford University Press, 548 pages, hardcover, $64.95). Having a set of beliefs does not mean we stop thinking or questioning our deepest held assumptions. One of the primary reasons I love Catholicism is that it encourages critical thinking. Catholics are required not to simply believe but to understand reasons behind their beliefs. There is a healthy role that doubt and questioning play in being able to appreciate the mystery in all things.

Tapping into the past to see how ideas and structures took form

May 18, 2007

Nuns: A History of Convent Life 1450-1700 by Silvia Evangelisti (Oxford University Press, 304 pages, hardcover, $39.95). Even if a period of our history may seem foreign, it may offer insight into creativity, daring and commitment — qualities still so needed to become the sisters God hopes to always see in each of our convents. God saw it through the stories of women like Ana de Jesús (faithful companion of St. Teresa of Avila). Surely God can still see it today.

Not another John Paul II book

May 18, 2007

John Paul II: Man of History, by Edward Stourton (Hodder and Stoughton, 344 pages, hardcover, $42.99). A recent search of chapters.ca uncovered 81 titles listed as biographies of Pope John Paul II. It makes you wonder what a new book would have to say to merit its price. After reading Edward Stourton’s John Paul II: Man of History, you would still be wondering.

Adapting the Eucharist has met world’s changing needs and context

May 18, 2007

A Short History of the Mass, by Alfred McBride, O.Praem (St. Anthony Messenger Press, softcover, 120 pages, $14.70). Anyone looking for a clear, concise history of the Mass from the upper room to the present need look no further than Alfred McBride’s A Short History of the Mass.

May 22

Turn on the tap

May 22, 2007

All those letter-writing campaigns and petitions do occasionally hit their mark. Recent evidence can be found in the growing tide of opinion against the current mega-fashion of buying bottled water.