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March 2009

March 30

A military career in not un-"Christian"

March 30, 2009

Over the past few weeks I have read and re-read the articles in The Catholic Register beginning with Sheila Dabu’s article on Capt. Joseph Nonato and his feelings on faith and the circumstances in which he found himself in Afghanistan. The subsequent rebuke of Capt. Nonato by two letter writers left a rather sour taste in my mouth. There seems to be a lack of knowledge and understanding of soldiering and the role that faith plays in the lives of soldiers. Every person has the right and freedom to choose what they believe is best for them in their lives. The “armchair theologian” approach of those who believe a military career is un-“Christian” purports that those who choose to serve their country in uniform are condemning themselves in the eyes of God. If, in reaching that conclusion, they think that any Christian, let alone a Catholic, wilfully seeks violence as an occupation, then they are grossly and sadly mistaken.

March 31

What would Jesus text?

March 31, 2009

Imagine how rapidly Christianity or any socio-political movement would have swept across the breadth of the ancient world if given the benefit of today’s ubiquitous communication technologies. The Vatican’s recent announcement of a new YouTube channel to communicate its message to the world, and its exploration of other ways to use new media, if not surprising, is certainly an astute and pragmatic move.

Youth can lead today rather than tomorrow

March 31, 2009

Last year I wrote about my eldest daughter’s life-changing school trip to the Dominican Republic to build houses in an impoverished mountain village. She vowed it would be the first of many such endeavours. That experience led to her involvement with Free the Children , a charitable organization involving “a network of children helping children through education.”

Peace takes time and patience

March 31, 2009

Living Gently in a Violent World: The Prophetic Witness of Weakness by Stanley Hauerwas and Jean Vanier (InterVarsity Press, softcover, 115 pages, $10.20). I opened Living Gently in a Violent World in a St. Hubert’s restaurant in downtown Montreal. I was steaming mad. A snowstorm was howling, my fiancé’s Scottish debit card had ceased to work in Canadian bank machines and I had had an argument with the francophone ticket seller in the bus station. I suspected that the woman was giving me a hard time because I was an anglophone, and I said so. We missed the bus. We agreed I would sit in a restaurant to calm down while Mark found a bank that could help him. When I restlessly flipped open the book of essays by Stanley Hauerwas and Jean Vanier, my eye fell on the following passage:

Taizé retreat draws 300 to Saint Paul University

March 31, 2009

OTTAWA - The world-renowned Taizé form of prayer was practised by nearly 300 young people at Saint Paul University in Ottawa March 13-15. Led by Brother Emile, the first Canadian to join the Taizé community as a brother in France, the retreat joined people in music, prayer and special readings, allowing them to connect with themselves and those around them. Although Brother Emile has been sharing Taizé with Canadians in retreats for more than a decade, the full weekend retreat has alternately been held in Montreal and Toronto for the past two years. This March, Brother Emile was to make only short visits to Montreal, Toronto, Peterborough and London for evening retreats.

Canadian Catholic Students' Week celebrated

March 31, 2009

Fourteen campuses across Canada celebrated Catholic Students’ Week March 23-27, hosting a variety of events that touched on catechesis, liturgy and mission. This was the second year for the event, an initiative of the Canadian Catholic Students Association (CCSA) in collaboration with the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace.

Survey looks for Catholic volunteer youth ministers

March 31, 2009

A national online study of the roles and needs of youth ministers completed last year has been revived in the hopes of reaching a greater percentage of volunteer youth ministers. The survey, available online at www.ustpaul.ca/YMsurvey or in French at www.ustpaul.ca/sondagePJ , was launched again to get a better idea of the needs of volunteers since nearly 90 per cent of respondents to the original survey were paid youth ministers. Volunteer youth ministers may not necessarily have the same training or access to training resources, said Fr. Daniel Renaud, a professor at Saint Paul University in Ottawa who teaches a theology course in youth ministry.