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March 2009

March 20

Let's work wonders

March 20, 2009

The theme for the 2009 ShareLife parish campaign is “You can work wonders.” We should all take a moment to consider those words. They represent much more than a call to mail in a cheque, or go online to make a credit-card donation, or drop $100 into a collection basket. That’s not to diminish the importance of fundraising. It’s vital, of course. The 2009 ShareLife appeal must raise $14.3 million to fund its commitments to 33 charitable agencies. So give and give generously.

Bishops to intervene in human reproduction case

March 20, 2009

OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada has granted leave to the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada to intervene in a case that challenges whether Canada’s Assisted Human Reproduction Act will apply to all provinces. The bishops want to ensure the act will protect human dignity surrounding procreation and related genetic research for the sake of the common good. The act prohibits or limits such activities as human cloning, surrogacy, sex selection, the sale of human eggs or sperm, animal-human hybrids and in vitro fertilization while promoting health, safety and human dignity.

European leaders condemn Pope's condom stance

March 20, 2009

VATICAN CITY - Government officials in Germany, France, Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium publicly criticized Pope Benedict XVI after newspapers reported that he said the use of condoms could increase the spread of AIDS. On his March 17 flight to Cameroon, Pope Benedict had told reporters, "One cannot overcome the problem with the distribution of condoms. On the contrary, they increase the problem."

March 22

Pope Benedict brings hope and comfort to Africa

March 22, 2009

YAOUNDE, Cameroon - Arriving in Africa, Pope Benedict XVI said the church’s message of hope and reconciliation was sorely needed by a continent suffering disproportionately from poverty, conflict and disease. At a welcoming ceremony March 17 in Yaounde, the Pope said he was making his first visit to Africa to respond to the many men and women who “long to hear a word of hope and comfort.”

National Catholic Mission to air on Vision TV

March 22, 2009

TORONTO - A little prayer, a little penitence and a little preparation are all on their way to tens of thousands of Canadian living rooms. The National Catholic Broadcasting Council will again present the annual National Catholic Mission on Vision TV April 6 and 7. Check local listings for times in your area.

Canadian Catholic School Trustees honour retired archbishop Joseph MacNeil

March 22, 2009

Edmonton Archbishop-emeritus Joseph MacNeil will be honoured in June with Canada’s top Catholic education award. MacNeil is to receive the Justice James Higgins Award. Sponsored by the Canadian Catholic School Trustees’ Association , it recognizes exceptional service in Catholic education.

Where have good manners gone?

March 22, 2009

TORONTO - From the catwalk to the classroom, former fashion model Judi Vankevich is a role model of good manners for kids. Vankevich, a.k.a. the Manners Lady, is a mother of three and former beauty pageant contestant who says learning manners was a staple in her family when she was growing up in Mississauga. “I realize that Canadians have a worldwide reputation for having good manners,” she said.

Toronto archdiocese investigates claims against Development and Peace

March 22, 2009

TORONTO - The archdiocese of Toronto and ShareLife are leading an investigation into the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace’s policies based on a web site’s report that it is funding “pro-abortion groups.” In a March 17 statement, Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins said, “ShareLife was established in 1976 as a direct result of our commitment to uphold the sanctity of life at all stages... Be assured I will not allow any money raised in the archdiocese of Toronto to be used for pro-abortion activities or organizations.”

Members sought for Toronto Catholic District School Board's advisory committee

March 22, 2009

TORONTO - The Toronto Catholic District School Board is creating a new community advisory committee. The board is calling for nominations to the committee “to enhance opportunities to provide input and advice to the supervision team.” It alluded to provincially appointed supervisor Norbert Hartmann’s Aug. 26 report entitled “Strengthening Public Trust and Confidence ” which had mentioned this committee.

Dr. Maria Fischer-Slysh of Toronto donates $1 million to Ukrainian Catholic University

March 22, 2009

TORONTO - You can’t buy miracles, but a $1-million gift to the Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv is helping a miracle carry on in tough economic times. “UCU is a set of miracles and it’s an important work and presence for the church,” Jesuit Father David Nazar wrote to The Catholic Register from Lviv shortly after the university announced a gift of $1 million from Toronto resident Dr. Maria Fischer-Slysh.

Archdiocese of Toronto explores Sr. Carmelina Tarantino's sainthood cause

March 22, 2009

TORONTO - The journey to possible sainthood for Sr. Carmelina Tarantino has begun. A panel of theologians and historians, under the auspices of the archdiocese of Toronto, has officially started an examination of the life of the Toronto nun to ascertain her candidacy for sainthood. The inquiry was to be opened at a Mass celebrated at St. Paschal Baylon Church March 16 by Archbishop Thomas Collins.

Ontario Minister of Education, Kathleen Wynne, says no to charter schools

March 22, 2009

TORONTO - It’s no to an American-style educational overhaul and yes to continued support for Ontario’s publicly funded education system, albeit on a tighter budget, says Kathleen Wynne. The education minister said Ontario won’t be following U.S. President Barack Obama’s proposals on merit-based teacher salaries or charter schools.

March 23

Football is Scotland's other religion

March 23, 2009

Me I’m a football fan. I don’t mean North American football; I mean the Beautiful Game. The word “soccer” doesn’t conjure up the Beautiful Game well in the Canadian mind; to most of us soccer is a child’s game, not the dazzling athletic contest the rest of the world adores. I got caught in football’s snare when staying in a German seminary during the 2006 World Cup. Thinking it the polite thing to do, I watched the first German game on the communal TV. A week later, the seminarians were asking me the scores.

We must surrender to God's will

March 23, 2009

Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year B) March 29 (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51; Hebrews 5:7-9; John 12:20-33) Ignorance is the breeding ground for human sin. This is especially the case when the ignorance refers to the quality of one’s knowledge of God. It is paradoxical that one can be quite religious in the conventional sense and have little or no direct or personal experience or knowledge of God. True knowledge of God consists in far more than what is gleaned from books, teachers, culture, family, friends and authority figures. In these cases a personal quality is lacking and the deeper levels of the heart, mind and soul remain untouched. This can easily spin off in either of two directions — fanaticism on the one hand or apathy on the other.

Adjusting to married life

March 23, 2009

It amazes me: as I write this, I have been married only two and a half weeks, yet my marriage has already been full of lessons. Those who’ve been married for many years might laugh and say there are many more to come. But right now I’m incredibly excited and awestruck at the fruits brought into my life by my marriage to my husband Joseph. The wedding was an incredible, unforgettable day that seemed to go by too fast. It was snowy on Feb. 14, the sun illuminated the church through the stained-glass windows and the translucent material of my veil softened my view of everyone around me so that it almost didn’t seem real. The look on Joseph’s face was all that mattered to me, and as his eyes met mine, my heart actually started beating faster. It was a real-life chick-flick moment, but my reality was so much sweeter.

Poor economy brings more interest in volunteering

March 23, 2009

TORONTO - As she prepares to journey to South Africa this month, lay missionary Rachel Beggs says she is looking forward to caring for children with HIV/AIDS and teaching at a school run by the Missionary Sisters of the Precious Blood in Marianhill, near Durban. Beggs decided a year ago to volunteer overseas, an experience the 27-year-old piano teacher hopes will help her find a job when she returns to Peterborough, Ont., at the end of August.

Becoming a priest

March 23, 2009

Editor’s note: Today we begin our annual series that profiles the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses.

Ontario high-school chaplaincy too valuable to lose

March 23, 2009

TORONTO - Catholic school boards should invest adequate resources into high school chaplaincy, says the Ontario Conference of Catholic Bishops. In a pastoral letter issued this month, the conference said while it recognizes the budgetary constraints that school boards face, chaplaincy is too important to be cut.

Paul Roorda's art views the Gospel through skeptical eyes

March 23, 2009

TORONTO - A worn, century-old Bible, powdered blood and butterfly wings aren’t exactly what you’d expect to see in most artwork. But Kitchener, Ont., artist Paul Roorda says re-using materials in creating his art helps to portray the themes of resurrection and transformation. In his exhibition “Skeptic’s Gospel and Other Remedies for Truth,” Roorda explores questions about faith and doubt, life and death, humanity and divinity. The exhibition opened March 13 and runs to April 22 at the Institute for Christian Studies in Toronto.

New understanding of the Old Testament

March 23, 2009

The Acceptable Year of the Lord: Preaching the Old Testament with Faith, Finesse and Fervour by Karen Hamilton (Novalis, softcover, 475 pages, $35). I am comfortable speaking to the teaching and miracles of Jesus and I am pretty confident in recounting the stories of the Acts of the Apostles and Paul’s journeys. Like many other Roman Catholic preachers, I would rather be afflicted by one of the plagues that visited Pharaoh than attempt to demonstrate competency in speaking about the people, places and things of the Old Testament. Further to this, I find making connections between God’s chosen nomadic people and the families with whom I worship difficult.