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November 2008

November 3

In good times and bad, Christians called to stewardship

November 3, 2008

TORONTO - Poverty ought to motivate Christians to decisive action in good times and bad, 1,700 diners heard from politicians and prelates at the 29th annual Cardinal's Dinner in Toronto, Oct. 30. It was the night before Halloween, but the speakers were betting that donors might already be spooked.

November 4

Canada must correct understanding of freedom, Pope says

November 4, 2008

VATICAN CITY - A correct understanding of freedom is needed to revive a true culture of life in Canada that respects human dignity, Pope Benedict XVI said. "Catholicism represents an essential cornerstone in the framework of Canadian society," he said in an Oct. 30 audience with Canada's new ambassador to the Vatican, Anne Leahy, who presented her credentials.

November 5

Yes he did! Obama victory changes religion/politics debate

November 5, 2008

Editors note: Barack Obama made history Nov. 4, becoming the first African American to be elected president of the United States. His soaringly eloquent victory speech, delivered before more than 100,000 supporters in Chicago's Grant Park recalled the famous “I had a dream speech” of civil rights hero Martin Luther King 40 years ago. “If there is anyone out there who still doubts that America is a place where all things are possible, who still wonders if the dream of our founders is alive in our time, who still questions the power of our democracy, tonight is your answer,” said the president-elect.

U.S. church view on same-sex marriage wins in California

November 5, 2008

WASHINGTON — In voting on 2008 ballot questions across the country, the Catholic Church view against same-sex marriage appeared headed for victory, but Catholic efforts to influence voting related to abortion, assisted suicide, embryonic stem-cell research and gambling failed.

November 6

Parent group calls for trustee resignations

November 6, 2008

TORONTO - In the wake of a long-awaited audit report of Toronto’s Catholic school board, at least six school trustees who will be repaying the board for “inappropriate expenses” should resign, according to a Catholic parents’ group. The Greater Toronto Catholic Parent Network also says that the twice-delayed provincial audit won’t restore public trust and confidence in the Toronto Catholic District School Board.

Centennial reinvigorates St. Leo's parish

November 6, 2008

TORONTO - One hundred years have passed for St. Leo’s, the first church established in Etobicoke, but the small parish is showing a quicker pace. With repairs and purchases planned to restore the church’s beauty, involvement from its community has increased, said Margaret Innes, a parishioner for 35 years. “There’s lots of hope for St. Leo’s,” she said. “It’s like we’re building it again. It’s neat to go into the 100th like this.”

November 7

Students lead way on interfaith dialogue

November 7, 2008

TORONTO - Nobody forced the 40 Catholic and Muslim university students to spend Nov. 1 touring a downtown Toronto church and then a nearby mosque, giving up most of a Saturday for the sake of interfaith dialogue. Students wanted to be there, said University of Toronto Innis College student Ali Shaikh. “There are people who are willing to go beyond their prejudices,” he said. “They’re willing to be the change they want to see.”

'Pure prayer, song and dance'

November 7, 2008

TORONTO - Before the Rogers Centre filled up and before the hours of praise and worship began, native drummers and dancers had the crowd rocking at Heaven’s Rehearsal. The evening of straightforward, charismatic praise, music and Bible reading hosted by the Evangelical Crossroads Ministry attracted close to 25,000 Evangelical, Pentecostal and Catholic Christians to Toronto’s baseball stadium Nov. 1.

As the Pope sees us

November 7, 2008

Every now and again it is useful to look at ourselves through the eyes of others. Our own faults, as well as gifts, take on revealing hues when they are presented to us from a more arm’s length point of view. In late October that perspective was offered by Pope Benedict XVI. He was commenting on Canada in his official greetings to the new Canadian ambassador to the Vatican, Anne Leahy, when she arrived to present her official credentials.

The spring roll guy and Mr. Bargle

November 7, 2008

I was sitting on a barstool at Theology on Tap, otherwise known as Singles Night in the archdiocese of Toronto. A 30-something guy with a thick Slavic accent was trying to chat up the frosty girl beside me. She asked me to watch her barstool while she got some food. The 30-something guy grinned at me.

Toronto's Indians appalled by attacks

November 7, 2008

TORONTO - The picture of a dead child’s charred remains was just one of many photos that shocked Indian-born priest Fr. Jose Thaipparampil about the explosion of violence which has been called the worst anti-Christian attacks in the 61 years since India’s independence. Indian Catholics in Toronto are increasingly concerned about the persecution of Christians, says the pastor of St. Thomas the Apostle Mission parish. So much so that they are turning prayer into action. Thaipparampil’s parish raised $1,500 for the diocese of Orissa to help the victims. At the parish’s Nov. 2 Mass, they also remembered Fr. Bernard Digal, one of the first Christians to be attacked by a Hindu extremist mob in August who died from his injuries at the end of October.

Indian violence linked to colonization

November 7, 2008

TORONTO - The roots of the recent anti-Christian violence in India have some links to the early missionary work of Christians in the country, says a British scholar of Christianity in India. “The behaviour of the Europeans was seen as abhorrent by the population of southern India. Converting people was also seen as abhorrent,” said Anglican Rev. Paul Collins, an associate professor of theology at England’s University of Chichester, at an Oct. 30 lecture at the University of St. Michael’s College.

Split-grade system needs to be reworked

November 7, 2008

TORONTO - The provincial cap on primary class sizes needs to be more flexible to avoid having too many split-grade classes that can cause disruptions in classrooms, say some Ontario Catholic school boards. The Hamilton-Wentworth, London and Toronto Catholic school boards are calling for more flexibility to the policy.

November 8

Where ‘Caring Matters’

November 8, 2008

TORONTO - With Caring Matters, the company she founded seven years ago, Sherri Auger aims to help the aging population in the same way she helped her own parents. She works as a consultant to aging parents or their children for decision making and estate planning in preparation for illness and death. About a year before she founded the Toronto-based company, which now has another three employees, Auger was faced with the sudden need to place her father in long-term care after her mother, his primary care-giver, became ill and passed away.

November 9

Give the Lord more than we receive

November 9, 2008

Thirty-third Week in Ordinary Time (Year A) Nov. 16 (Proverbs 31; Psalm 128; 1 Thessalonians 5:1-6; Matthew 24:36; 25:14-30) A capable wife, who can find her? The same question could (and should) be asked of husbands.

Ontario needs to learn Newfoundland's lessons

November 9, 2008

An article in the Oct. 12 issue begins with the headline, “Silence will doom Catholic schools.” It describes the view of an Alberta constitutional lawyer, Kevin Feehan. As one who has been involved in the Ontario school question since 1962, I say, “It depends.” If, in a year or two, Ontario Catholics get worked up so that even a few shout, “We’ll show them that Catholics won’t be pushed around,” it will make headlines and we lose our own schools. They enrol 660,000 students today. The entire system will disappear just as it did in Newfoundland in 1998.

Faith shines through disaster

November 9, 2008

They came in flashbacks — snapshots of memories from an unexpected tragedy. Before I went to the Middle East to pursue an internship there, I was told that Jordan was the safest country in the region. It was, until three years ago when Jordan had it’s own 9/11. Just before 9 p.m. on Nov. 9, 2005, triple suicide bombings rocked Amman, Jordan’s capital, including a wedding party at the Radisson SAS hotel. The attacks were blamed on al Qaeda and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, a Jordanian national who became a top al Qaeda leader based in Iraq. About 57 people were killed and 100 injured in those attacks.

20 years of mission for Catholic Christian Outreach

November 9, 2008

TORONTO - Twenty years ago, one young man had a vision to evangelize other youth with the simple and clear Gospel message. André Regnier, then a recent graduate of the University of Saskatchewan, answered what he believes was God’s call to start a university student movement, known today as Catholic Christian Outreach, with his wife Angèle. Although it began with a few students sharing the basics of the Gospel, as it celebrates this milestone year, the Regnier’s movement continues to touch the lives of nearly a thousand students across the country through weekly faith studies, Catholic prayer or social events and yearly mission projects in Canada and abroad.

Ontario students recognized for leadership

November 9, 2008

TORONTO - A total of 181 students from Ontario Catholic schools were honoured at the 25th annual Father Patrick Fogarty Awards dinner Oct. 25.

Learning the tools of the trade

November 9, 2008

TORONTO - Catholic high school students are being offered a chance to learn the special tools of journalism in a day-long workshop sponsored by The Catholic Register. The third annual Student Journalism Conference and Workshop will take place Nov. 29 at Brebeuf College School, 211 Steeles Ave. E. It will feature keynote speaker Fr. Thomas Rosica, C.S.B., along with a group of professional journalists to offer training in all aspects of publishing a newspaper.