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October 2009

October 26

African synod closes with calls for a fairer global order

October 26, 2009

VATICAN CITY - After three weeks of discussion and strategizing, the Synod of Bishops for Africa ended with calls for spiritual conversion and social reforms on the African continent. The more than 200 participating bishops published a message to the world Oct. 23, appealing for a fairer global order based on Gospel values and telling corrupt Catholic politicians in Africa to "repent or resign" in the name of the common good.

October 29

Many questions to be answered in Catholic-Anglican union

October 29, 2009

Bringing a small fraction of Anglicans into the Catholic Church will not advance the cause of full communion between Catholics and the larger Anglican Communion of 77 million believers worldwide, according to Catholic and Anglican theologians with experience in ecumenical dialogue. Meanwhile the dissident, disaffected Anglicans who are being invited to enter the Catholic Church are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Toronto Catholic board won’t expand single-gender schools

October 29, 2009

TORONTO - In the wake of calls to open all-boys schools by the Toronto public system, the Toronto Catholic District School Board said it has no plans to follow suit. There are four all-boys schools in the Toronto Catholic school board right now, one — St. Michael’s Choir School — which is open to elementary school-age children.

Bishops release funds to D&P

October 29, 2009

OTTAWA - Canada’s Catholic bishops will release funds to the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P), at the same time increasing their oversight of the agency. “Aware that Development and Peace is already engaged in this process of renewal, the bishops decided, in the interval, to support Development and Peace and its 2010 Share Lent collection,” said a statement released Oct. 23, at the close of the five-day Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops annual plenary in Cornwall, Ont.

October 30

Protect yourself againt Swine Flu

October 30, 2009

As the great procrastinator Hamlet might have put it: To vaccinate or not to vaccinate, that is the question. With cases of H1N1 influenza (a.k.a. the Swine Flu) on the rise and deaths beginning to mount, millions of Canadians apparently remain unconvinced that immunization is necessary. Polls indicate that up to half the population either distrusts the evidence of an impending health crisis or doubts the safety of the vaccine and will not vaccinate. Health officials are ringing the alarm for a coming pandemic, but skeptics are seeing a hot-air balloon and a boy hiding in the rafters.

Finding a Catholic home

October 30, 2009

Coming from an Anglican family of church musicians, I was received into the Catholic Church just over five years ago on the Feast of Sts. John Fisher and Thomas More. Some other members of my family have also converted, but not all of them. Until now, we have been aware that becoming Catholic meant relinquishing some of our cherished heritage. So the Apostolic Constitution announced by the Vatican is quite a gift for my family and an answer to literally years of prayer. Two years ago, when news first spread of the request from the Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC) for union with the Holy See, it was apparent that TAC Primate John Hepworth was serious about his vision for “the end of the Reformation of the 16th century.” The Oct. 20 announcements in the Vatican and London bring that vision one great step closer to being fulfilled.

It's the church's way, not my way

October 30, 2009

In what must be one of the most intelligent and genuinely Christian statements from the Church of England in several years, Fr. Ed Tomlinson of Kent, England, has caused something of a scandal by writing an acutely orthodox and perceptive piece about death. “In the last few years it has become painfully obvious that many families I have conducted funerals for have absolutely no desire for any Christian content whatsoever,” he writes. “I have then stood like a lemon, wondering why on Earth I am present at the funeral of somebody led in by the tunes of Tina Turner, summed up in pithy platitudes of sentimental and secular poets and sent into the furnace with ‘I did it my way’ blaring out across the speakers! To be brutally honest I can think of a hundred better ways of spending my time as a priest on God’s Earth. What is the point of my being present if spiritually unwanted?”

Forward in faith together

October 30, 2009

The news that Benedict XVI has made the way straight for Anglicans wishing for communion with Rome burst over Britain like fireworks on Bonfire Night. British media reaction was typical: misleading and hysterical. “The Pope’s power grab” shouted The Economist. “Rome has parked its tanks on the archbishop of Canterbury’s lawn,” shrieked the Times. “Pope announces plans for Anglicans to convert en masse,” enthused the Telegraph. The real story is dramatic, if not quite as dramatic as the headlines. For two years traditionalist Anglican groups, including Forward in Faith and the breakaway Traditional Anglican Communion (TAC), have been negotiating with the Vatican for eventual inclusion within the Roman communion. In response, Benedict XVI has drawn up an Apostolic Constitution that details how these Anglicans may be reunited with us while retaining their liturgical traditions and current leadership. This Apostolic Constitution has not yet been released to the public, but that hasn’t stopped the media from commenting upon both it and traditional Anglicans. In Canada, Michael Valpy of the Globe and Mail likened our brethren to “the boils of Job.”

Time: enemy or friend?

October 30, 2009

Last week, my aunt was taken to emergency and we heard she might not have many days. How much time, no one knew. My mother and I felt we must take the time to drive up next day and see her. We arranged our time accordingly. Making good time, we arrived in early afternoon. We bought parking time and searched the hospital; she was still in emergency, a volunteer informed us, but time had passed and she may have been moved. The person who knew was on her time off.

We must look out for each other

October 30, 2009

32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Nov. 8 (1 Kings 17:10-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44) The poor widow of Zarephath probably didn’t know quite what to make of Elijah’s request. She was at the end of her tether — almost nothing to eat and drink and the end loomed all too near. Not only that, she was not even an Israelite nor was she a worshipper of Israel’s God. But she was a humble person with a good heart — the very definition of one who is right with God.

Silence prominent in new Mass instructions

October 30, 2009

If it’s been a while since your mother asked whether you could just be quiet for a minute, get ready. Mother church is about to start asking again. Catholics have been fighting over the words in the 2008 amended typical edition of the Roman missal, but perhaps the most noticeable change will be in the non-speaking parts. Before the opening prayer, after each of the readings and after communion, the new instructions for how to celebrate Mass will ask for a period of silence.

The Christianization of vampires

October 30, 2009

TORONTO - There is no doubt that vampires have experienced a renaissance in popular culture, says Jennifer Harris, Christianity and Culture professor at Toronto’s University of St. Michael’s College. But more interesting, she said, is how the modern vampire takes root in Christian culture. The Christian elements in vampire stories began with Bram Stoker’s 19th-century novel Dracula, she said. Stoker introduced into romantic literature the religious tools for repelling vampires. He was probably inspired by “scientific” publications such as Benedictine monk Dom Augustine Calmet’s 1746 treatise, in which the monk questioned and explored popular evidence of vampirism.

Catholic educators must stand up for rights

October 30, 2009

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - Catholic schools need to fight for and preserve their “Catholicity” in a social and political climate that is becoming increasingly hostile to publicly funded Catholic education, say some educators. John Kostoff, Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board’s director of education, says Catholic educators need to “take a step back” and re-assess their goals and identity.

All Saints party replaces Halloween

October 30, 2009

WINNIPEG - If you walked near Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish on Oct. 31, you likely heard the sound of children’s voices ringing with laughter as they celebrated one of their favourite evenings of the year — All Saint’s Eve. On Halloween evening 17 years ago, Mary Richard and her husband, Louis, were handing out candies at their home when they opened the door to a child wearing a particularly gruesome costume.

Being still and finding God

October 30, 2009

For many years at my cottage, my friends and I would haul a bag of popcorn and a heap of blankets up a huge hill and then lay them down to watch the stars. At first, our conversations were typically childish, consisting of funny stories or statements on the latest fad. As the night went on, it became so dark that we could hardly see our hands in front of our faces. The stars were all we could see and they became so big and bright to our eyes that it was as if we could touch them. It was while watching this speckled wonder that our conversations would go much deeper and become much more philosophical.

Pennies for life raise $100,000

October 30, 2009

TORONTO - What can a penny buy today? More than you think. Twenty-five ago, when Mary Hughes was a youthful 75-year-old, she heard her grandchildren teasing their father about having a sore back because he couldn’t pass a penny on the sidewalk without bending to pick it up. It got her thinking about all the stray pennies people pass by without notice or exile to their piggy banks. What if all those pennies could be collected and put towards a good cause, she wondered.

More funds for Philippines relief

October 30, 2009

TORONTO - With Filipinos still digging their homes out of the mud, and many more with no homes to return to after Typhoon Ketsana swept through the region just north of Manila Sept. 26, Canadians continue to add to the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace’s relief fund. Following an initial $50,000 contribution, Development and Peace has raised a further $108,000 to help Caritas in the Philippines. That total does not include $70,000 sent in so far by Toronto parishes to ShareLife.

DiCarlo's religious supply superstore opens

October 30, 2009

TORONTO - It’s a place where priests can shop and feel at home and even get a nice cup of espresso while they discuss their purchases. DiCarlo Religious Supply Centre Inc. , which recently celebrated the grand opening of an 11,000 square-foot outlet that includes a 5,000 square-foot showroom, is well-known as a friendly place for clergy and the public to find what they need.

October 31

Dioceses put pandemic plans into high gear

October 31, 2009

TORONTO - As Canadians come to grips with an expected H1N1 flu pandemic, Catholic dioceses across Canada are taking extra precautionary steps to guard against the flu that has so far claimed the lives of 95 Canadians. Steps were in place in many dioceses to stem the spread of H1N1, also known as swine flu. But they are being ramped up in some dioceses.