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November 2008

November 9

Passion for journalism

November 9, 2008

Journalism is of great importance to the world, and for a student like me, it may be my future. Since Grade 11, I’ve known that journalism was the path I wanted to pursue as a career. My passion for writing began in elementary school. Where others found it to be work, I always had a desire to write creative stories. But it wasn’t until high school that I finally set my mind on a writing career.

Rediscovering the Bible

November 9, 2008

Things Hidden: Scripture as Spirituality by Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM. (St. Anthony Messenger Press, 238 pages, soft cover, $19.95). If ever there was a “Bible Year for Catholics,” surely it must be this year. Bishops from around the world have just finished meeting with Pope Benedict in Rome to discuss the place of Scripture in Catholic life and prayer. Throughout the Catholic world we are dedicating this year to St. Paul, the “Apostle to the Nations.” And into the marketplace for Scripture-centred books comes a familiar (and yet unexpected) figure: Franciscan Father Richard Rohr.

November 10

Catholic-Muslim forum calls for religious freedom

November 10, 2008

VATICAN CITY - Christians and Muslims must work together to protect religious freedom, they must learn more about each other and they must witness to the world the reality of God, said members of the Catholic-Muslim Forum. The forum participants, 28 Muslim and 28 Catholic representatives, met at the Vatican Nov. 4-6 to discuss their faiths' understanding of the obligation to love God and to love one's neighbour. The final statement said both Christians and Muslims recognize the dignity and sacredness of human life because each person is "created by a loving God."

November 11

Hallways Of Heroes

November 11, 2008

During Veteran's Week (November 5 - 11) the names and pictures of Canadian soldiers who lost their lives in WWI will be displayed in the hallways of Iona Catholic Secondary School in Mississauga. Every student and staff (1200 people) will receive the name of one of these soldiers and a poppy sticker on November 10. On this day students and staff will be asked to find the name of the soldier that matches the name they were given and place the poppy sticker on it as a means of acknowledging and honouring that soldier for paying the ultimate sacrifice.

November 13

Great expectations

November 13, 2008

The global Obama lovefest after the Nov. 4 U.S. presidential election suggests that much of the early days of President-elect Barack Obama’s tenure will be taken up with managing expectations. Around the world, people are comparing his election to that of John F. Kennedy’s in 1960 — the first time a Catholic became president — or the day Nelson Mandela was freed from a South African prison, or the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. And it is true, the election of an African American to the presidency is an historically momentous occasion; it marks a watershed in the long struggle to heal the deep-seated wounds of slavery and racial violence in the American psyche. It is a moment of great rejoicing.

Sober reflections on a night of change

November 13, 2008

It was just after 10:15 p.m. on Nov. 4 when I began walking with my wife and brother-in-law along Michigan Avenue toward Grant Park in downtown Chicago. For much of the evening, we had been at the Hyatt Regency waiting for U.S. election results to come in. We passed the time watching members of the media position themselves for a possible interview with Sen. Barack Obama, who was reportedly in a suite with his family waiting for a concession phone call from Sen. John McCain. When we left the hotel, which was shortly after Sen. McCain had begun his concession speech, only the staked-out reporters, who missed their scoop, seemed to be unhappy by the news that Sen. Obama had been declared the next president of the United States and that he was already on his way to Grant Park to address a jubilant crowd of some 250,000 people.

Leaders like Merton embody the struggle into holiness

November 13, 2008

This Dec. 10 marks the 40th anniversary of the death of the celebrated monk-poet Thomas Merton (1915-1968). By the time of his death, Merton, born in Prades, France, a citizen of the United States and a monk for 27 years in the Trappist Abbey of Our Lady of Gethsemani in Kentucky, had an international following of enviable proportions, a publication record of staggering range and an influence by no means limited to the Catholic world. Merton was, and remains, a phenomenon, an utterly engaging figure, controversial, iconic, the paradigmatic monk for our century.

Obama the right man, despite pro-choice stance

November 13, 2008

Along with a clear majority (54 per cent) of American Catholics who voted in the recent U.S. presidential election, I cast my ballot for Democratic candidate Barack Obama. And along with at least some of these Catholic voters, I picked Obama after a time of soul-searching. I agreed with his liberal, interventionist policies on the economy, his ideas about America’s relationship with its friends and enemies, health care reform, the deplorable war in Iraq and other matters. I disagreed with Republican candidate John McCain’s stands on virtually every issue, from economics to Iraq.

True religion is caring for others

November 13, 2008

Christ the King (Year A) Nov. 23 (Ezekiel 34:11-12, 15-17; Psalm 23; 1 Corinthians 15:20-26, 28; Matthew 25:31-46) God’s disappointment and anger are evident when we read chapter 34 in its entirety. Those appointed as shepherds of the people have shown a shocking lack of concern for their welfare. Instead of tending to the needs of the people they used their positions to enrich themselves and increase their power.

Faith in a war zone

November 13, 2008

TORONTO - It wasn’t the kind of assignment he had been used to, but Capt. Joseph Nonato says his mission in Afghanistan so far has been an eye-opening spiritual journey. “My favourite times are when we can have an open discussion about faith, prayer and belief,” he wrote in an e-mail to The Catholic Register from Kandahar.

Call goes out for peacekeepers for Congo

November 13, 2008

OTTAWA - A number of Catholic and Christian organizations have asked Canada to intervene in the crisis that has gripped the Democratic Republic of Congo. “The whole civilian population is being held hostage,” said Development and Peace advocacy officer Mary Durran.

Christianity's bright lights

November 13, 2008

Northern Lights: An Anthology of Contemporary Christian Writing in Canada, ed. by Byron Rempel-Burkholder and Dora Dueck (Wiley, 260 pages, $24.95 paperback). I have sometimes thought that faith works in our lives like the lens of a camera, capturing and framing events and emotions as they are in motion, bringing stillness to the moment and finding God in the detail of the encounter. At other times I am certain that faith does its best work in hindsight and retrospection, discerning meaning and mission.

Faith has place in politics

November 13, 2008

WINNIPEG - Any anthology of Christian writing in Canada cannot help but examine the intersection of faith and politics. In Northern Lights, readers can examine this through the eyes of someone who has lived it for almost three decades. After almost 30 years as a member of Parliament, United Church Minister Bill Blaikie has taken on a different campaign — to encourage Christians to talk to each other, and the world, about who they are.

Care workers must look after selves too

November 13, 2008

TORONTO - Care providers need to be animated by a deep compassion for their patients, be present in the moment but also learn to take care of themselves, says Dr. Mary Vachon. Vachon delivered the keynote address Nov. 6 to a room of more than 60 attendees at the Practical Ethics in Home-based Care conference in honour of St. Elizabeth Health Care on its 100th anniversary. St. Elizabeth’s provides community and home care services as a charitable, not-for-profit organization.

Theology matters

November 13, 2008

TORONTO - Theology students have an important role to play in a society that continues to advocate relativism, Professor Edward J. Monahan told graduating students from the University of St. Michael’s College at its Nov. 8 convocation. Monahan and two other professors — William J. Smyth and Janine Langan — were awarded with honorary doctorates, the Doctor of Sacred Letters.

ShareLife shows where money goes

November 13, 2008

TORONTO - A small poster has cropped up in parishes around the archdiocese of Toronto in ShareLife’s latest change to ensure transparency and accountability. As the fund-raising arm for the archdiocese for more than 30 years, staff at ShareLife decided it was high time to publish the breakdown of how funds are spent in its 2008 Annual Update.

School lockdowns are a scary reality

November 13, 2008

The world is becoming a scarier place every day. Tune into your local TV news station right now and I’m sure you will see a report about another fatal incident. That’s why I never enjoy watching the news. I prefer being ignorant to the harsh realities of this world.

Third World 'Just Us'

November 13, 2008

As the economic crisis hits the developed world, it’s easy to forget that other countries continue to struggle with poverty. But Marion Sandilands, Asia program officer of CHF, formerly Canadian Hunger Foundation, says it’s just as important to remember that a billion people live on one dollar a day.

Pius XII exhibit opens at Vatican

November 13, 2008

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican opened a major exhibit on the life and pontificate of Pope Pius XII, highlighting the late pope’s actions on behalf of Jews and others who suffered during the Second World War. The retrospective show — featuring photos, articles of clothing and documents — opened Nov. 4 in an exhibition hall adjacent to St. Peter’s Square.

November 14

Toronto trustees forced to repay questionable expenses

November 14, 2008

TORONTO - Alcoholic drinks, Internet gaming and personalized vehicle licence plates were some of the $30,000 worth of questionable expenses charged to taxpayers by Toronto Catholic District School Board trustees, according to a Nov. 12 audit report. The report by Ernst & Young, which did not identify trustees by name, said $914,013 of the $943,783 in trustees' total expenses from Dec. 1, 2005, to May 28, 2008, were deemed eligible. Eligible expenses included Internet connection charges, office furniture, charitable donations and advertising expenses, the report said.