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September 2007

September 6

Margaret Avison, an authentic religious poet

September 6, 2007

The death on July 31 of Margaret Avison — arguably Canada’s pre-eminent poet writing in English — didn’t actually dominate the national media. In fact, it took a few days for the obituaries and tributes to make their appearance, and I couldn’t help but reflect that if Avison were not regularly defined as a religious poet and publicly identified as a Christian, her passing might have commanded greater attention.

September 7

Pope expresses hope for Mideast peace

September 7, 2007

CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy - Pope Benedict XVI met with Israeli President Shimon Peres and expressed hope that new diplomatic moves can bring peace in the Middle East.

September 10

Korean missionaries rethink overseas missions

September 10, 2007

SEOUL, South Korea - As 19 South Korean hostages returned safely to their country, Catholic and Protestant church leaders said it was time to reflect on overseas missions and service.

Families challenged to create future saints

September 10, 2007

OTTAWA - “Families, where are the saints of the third millennium?” That question forms the title of the Catholic Organization for Life and Family’s (COLF) annual message to families for 2007, challenging families to pass the faith on to the next generation.

100 years of praying for Christian unity

September 10, 2007

TORONTO - Anyone who thought a look back at 20th-century history through the eyes of prayer would be comforting, uplifting or anodyne might want to begin with the 1919 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity.

Province hands reins back to Dufferin-Peel board

September 10, 2007

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - The funding formula war between Queen’s Park and the Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board ended just in time for the school year, and local trustees are claiming victory.

Children's aid scholarships offer hope for children

September 10, 2007

TORONTO - Lucy Anacleto was abused by her parents as a child. To escape the abuse, her two older sisters left home, leaving the then seven-year-old alone with her parents.

The true value of suffering

September 10, 2007

The same day we learned the details of the pending book of Mother Teresa’s personal correspondence, including the much publicized “dark letters,” news spread about the suicide attempt of a celebrity. I won’t speculate that their trials were similar in nature. But their two very opposite responses to suffering are certain: the actor tried — and, thank God, failed — to flee it. Blessed Teresa, as we’re learning from released excerpts of Come Be My Light: The Private Writings of the Saint of Calcutta, dove headfirst into her meeting with darkness.

Priest paves path of non-violence

September 10, 2007

The Narrow Path, 1 hour 8 mins., directed by Gerard Thomas Straub, funded by The San Damiano Foundation. TORONTO - The Narrow Path is a documentary about Jesuit Father John Dear, a devout pursuer of non-violence. In the film he speaks about the harm invoked by violence and war and how we can become a people working toward eliminating violence around the world.

Fund-raiser an international sign of love

September 10, 2007

TORONTO - Youth members of the International Catholic lay movement Focolare will host a variety show to raise money for Zilma School in Haiti.

Private health a question of ethics

September 10, 2007

The market won’t save Canadian medicine, and Canadian Medical Association leaders who are suggesting private health insurance and a parallel system of private clinics and hospitals are ignoring the scientific evidence, said a Catholic doctor.

Accept what God offers us

September 10, 2007

Twenty-fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C), Sept. 16 (Exodus 32:7-12, 13-14; Psalm 51; 1 Timothy 1:12-17; Luke 15:1-32) The golden calf is a powerful religious and cultural symbol for idolatry and infidelity to God. Years ago a commentator described a particular luxury car as a “golden calf on wheels.” We might wonder why the Israelites chose to follow this dark path after God had done so much for them in such a dramatic fashion.

Mother Teresa and the media storm

September 10, 2007

Perhaps what the headlines should have really said was “Stop the presses: Mother Teresa was human after all!” At least then they would have been truer to the underlying message in pretty much all the coverage of the new book of letters, Come be My Light, by Mother Teresa just published.

God seeks the salvation of all

September 10, 2007

Biblical Human Failures by Walter Vogels (Novalis, 176 pages, softcover, $19.95). In Biblical Human Failures, Walter Vogels takes readers on a tour of scriptural stories and characters familiar because of their compelling, visual imagery. Vogels is a wonderful guide, making sense of the labyrinth of the Old Testament and exposing depth of meaning between the lines of the sketchy details in the Gospels. His knowledge of the texts combined with his skill as a story teller makes what can be a tedious and confusing journey continually interesting and provocative. But this tour is not for the faint of heart.

The Lord will protect them

September 10, 2007

It’s time to prepare the inevitable back to school budget and the list includes books, toys, clothes and a bullet-proof backpack.

Shopping blues

September 10, 2007

Complaining about Sunday shopping might seem the epitome of flogging a dead horse. But in Nova Scotia, the horse has not been long dead and, as the good people of that fair province have discovered, the corpse is still twitching. So let’s flog away.

September 11

Pope accepts resignation of outspoken critic of Zimbabwean leadership

September 11, 2007

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Benedict XVI accepted the resignation of Zimbabwean Archbishop Pius Ncube of Bulawayo, the most outspoken critic of the country's leadership who is also facing allegations of adultery.

September 13

Bishop Clune fondly remembered

September 13, 2007

Retired Toronto Auxiliary Bishop Robert Clune, who died Sept. 6, shared the joys of his journey of faith with all he met, a nearly packed St. Michael’s Cathedral was told at his funeral Mass the following week.

September 14

Struggling with the trust factor

September 14, 2007

It may well be a greater compliment to be trusted than to be loved. If so, is it a greater heartbreak to watch trust evaporate?

September 17

Europe needs to revert to Christian values

September 17, 2007

VIENNA, Austria - On a three-day pilgrimage to Austria, Pope Benedict XVI brought a core theme of his pontificate to Central Europe, warning that a drift away from Christian values is leaving society unfulfilled, less charitable and without a real future.