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July 2, 2008
TORONTO - Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins is leading a battle to prevent abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler from receiving an Order of Canada. In a July 1 statement, the archbishop called on all Catholics in Toronto — and “all people of good will” — to write to the Governor General, to Prime Minister Stephen Harper and to members of Parliament to ask that the decision be revoked.
July 3, 2008
TORONTO - Momentum is building in a nationwide campaign to push Prime Minister Stephen Harper into reversing a decision to give an Order of Canada to abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler. Since the July 1 announcement by Governor General Michaëlle Jean that Morgentaler would receive Canada's highest distinction for contributions to the nation, Catholics and other pro-life advocates have been uniform in their denunciations.
It's almost impossible to think of a ruder present for Canada's 139th birthday. On July 1, the Governor General of Canada announced that Dr. Henry Morgentaler would receive the Order of Canada, the nation's highest honour.
Fifteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) July 13 (Isaiah 55:10-11; Psalm 65; Romans 8:18-23; Matthew 13:1-23) The Word of God should not be confused with the written word. The latter is static and unchanging, while the Word of God is dynamic and never at rest until its mission is complete. We might describe the Word of God as God’s creative will and energy. It can be expressed in the created order — what we call nature — as well as in and through human history.
July 7, 2008
OTTAWA - The Canadian Human Rights Commission has dismissed an anti-homosexual hate speech complaint against Catholic Insight magazine. “We are of course very cautious,” said Catholic Insight editor Fr. Alphonse de Valk, CSB, whose small-circulation magazine already faces more than $20,000 in legal bills. “A judicial review is still possible. We’re not out of the woods yet.
July 8, 2008
OTTAWA - Saint Paul University is ending its 73-year history with Novalis by selling Canada's largest Catholic book publisher to a company connected with multinational corporation Bayard Presse.
July 10, 2008
JERUSALEM - A group of conservative Anglican bishops concluded a week-long conference by calling for the creation of a separate bishops’ council to address what they feel is lack of action to protect traditional biblical Anglicanism.
TORONTO - A York University campus group has launched a formal complaint to the school about the York Federation of Students (YFS), which denied the group space to hold a debate on abortion in March. In its complaint, under the York University Student Code of Ethics, the Students for Bioethical Awareness (SBA) also address its concern with the motion passed by the Canadian Federation of Students that promised support for any member union that would like to deny resources or space to pro-life student groups. A spokesman for the SBA, which is not explicitly a pro-life group, said the York federation should not have had the right to prevent the debate from happening in the student centre. The SBA oraganizes debates and discussions on a variety of topics related to bioethics. Although the university later gave the group an alternate space on campus for the debate, the SBA contends that having to go to a higher power was deplorable. “I hope that the YFS and Gilary Massa will practise what they preach about with regards to tolerance because they don’t seem tolerant,” said the spokesman. “We are just an educational group.” In June, the federation unanimously voted to to deny resources and funding to student clubs or individuals “whose primary or sole purpose is anti-choice activity.” Massa, vice president of the YFS, told The Catholic Register at that time the decision would not affect any club’s ability, including the SBA, to apply for and gain club status. She said the debate was cancelled because it was offensive to many women, which followed the school government’s mandate to work on an “anti-oppressive framework” and on serving minority communities. However, the SBA is angry that students are “forced to support an organization that (we) personally don’t support.” Students are automatically charged $7.20 on top of their tuition each year by the CFS. Theresa Matters, executive director of National Campus Life Network, said the administration needs to realize how negatively the CFS’s decisions affect campuses.
TORONTO - She’s been to a thousand birth days as a former midwife in Nigeria. Now living in Canada, Stella George’s friends and family have planned multiple parties to celebrate a milestone birthday of her own: George turned 100 earlier this month.
TORONTO - Michael Baillargeon, a former candidate for a seat on the Toronto Catholic District School Board, is taking Oliver Carroll to court alleging Carroll improperly influenced the board’s budget process to prevent his daughter from being laid off from her teaching job with the board.
TORONTO - As happened so often in his lifetime, St. Paul was under arrest when he wanted to be on another missionary journey — this time to Toronto.
Credit risk. Identity theft. Debt consolidation. Credit card fraud. Think you’re too young to worry about these things? Think again.
TORONTO - The new lay director of the Office of Catholic Youth said he plans to take the archdiocese of Toronto to a new level when it comes to serving teens and young adults.
Mary and Me: Catholic Women Reflect on the Mother of God, by Ginny Kubitz Moyer (St. Anthony Messenger Press, softcover, 120 pages, $14). This compelling little book, written by an unmistakable Mary enthusiast, attempts to answer a question asked time and time again by Catholic women: How is the Virgin Mary relevant to my life?
TORONTO - A firestorm of protest continues to sweep across Canada in the wake of a July 1 announcement that abortion doctor Henry Morgentaler would receive the Order of Canada. Catholic bishops from coast to coast joined numerous pro-life groups in condemning the decision by Governor General Michaëlle Jean to give the country’s highest honour to the man whose name is most widely associated with the fact that Canada, almost alone among civilized nations, has no legal restrictions on abortion.
AUCKLAND, NZ - Ottawa and Winnipeg pilgrims - including Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, priests, and deacons - arrived at St. Thomas More parish in Auckland, New Zealand for a welcoming breakfast at 7:30 a.m., shortly after roughly 20 hours in the air. Pilgrims were assigned to their host families and spent most of the morning with them. From 11 a.m. to 12:24 p.m., pilgrims (yes, even the archbishop) cut bamboo sticks and planted trees. We were free to explore the city of Auckland all afternoon.
July 11, 2008
MELBOURNE, Australia - Many pilgrims from across the Archdiocese of Toronto didn't anticipate the long length of time that it would take to get to Melbourne. But after nearly 21 hours spent sleeping and worrying about our backs breaking, we arrived safe and sound early yesterday morning.
July 12, 2008
Auckland, NZ - Kia Ora is Maori for "hello" or "greetings." Maori is New Zealand (NZ)'s native tongue. At 10 a.m., pilgrims from Ottawa, Winnipeg, Sweden, and Atlanta visited "Te Waiariki" - a Maori community building constructed in 1977 which means "the waters of baptism."
July 13, 2008
MELBOURNE, Australia - Australian and Canadian culture were central to the itinerary as both St. Kevin’s and Patrick parishes hosted a BBQ dinner in our honour yesterday evening. Prior to that, Toronto’s Archbishop Thomas Collins celebrated Mass for the World Youth Day pilgrims and both parishes at large.
TORONTO - “God don’t make no junk.” You will find these words printed on a wall of pro-life posters in the second-floor office of Birthright co-president Mary Berney. Birthright, the world’s first international crisis pregnancy service, is one of several organizations which provide alternatives to abortion. Some pro-life advocates say not enough is being publicized about these options for women.