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March 2010

March 12

Ontario education plans don't take into account what Catholic colleges do best

March 12, 2010

A government that pins its economic recovery plans on sending more kids to colleges and universities is probably good news for Ontario's Catholic liberal arts colleges, but college administrators are worried about whether the government sees the value of philosophy, literary studies and history. Ontario's Liberal government made post-secondary education the centrepiece of its March 8 throne speech, promising to increase the post-secondary education participation to 70 per cent, from a current 62 per cent, to create 20,000 new spaces at colleges and universities this year and to boost international students by 50 per cent over five years.

Canada's Christian numbers projected to fall over next two decades

March 12, 2010

In the next 20 years Canada is expected to be less Christian, and a little less religious. According to Statistics Canada, the most dramatic change in Canada’s religious landscape will be an increase in the number of Muslims. Muslims currently make up 35 per cent of all non-Christians. By 2031 they will be half of the non-Christian population.

Montreal exhibit details the contributions of the Irish in Quebec

March 12, 2010

MONTREAL - When I learned of a new exhibit — The Irish O’Quebec — at Montreal’s prestigious McCord Museum , I knew I had to see it. The reasons were obvious: my maiden name was O’Donnell (the Irish part of me). My great-grandfather John Patrick O’Donnell had immigrated to Quebec in the 1860s so stories like his would be represented somewhere in this exhibit. My mother’s maiden name was La Branche (the French Canadian part of me). I had the perfect dual heritage. To top it off, I learned the guest curator of this exhibit was historian Dr. Lorraine O’Donnell. The exhibit is mounted with the usual creativity found in Quebec museums. McCord Museum, originally one of Montreal’s grand old mansions now added on to and owned by McGill University, has a strong link with Montreal’s past. Any museum exhibit has to have a rationale and the one behind this one is obvious: how did two distinct cultures — the French Canadian settlers and Irish immigrants — manage to blend so seamlessly in French Quebec? This exhibit provides the answers, as we move through the 17th century onward learning of both famous and ordinary folk of this mixed culture.

Toronto Catholics raise $3.7 million for Haiti

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - At almost $3.7 million, Catholics in the archdiocese of Toronto collectively made one of the largest donations from a North American diocese for Haiti earthquake relief. It is the largest donation from a Canadian Catholic diocese.

Clergy at forefront of campaign to raise $300,000 for Toronto seminary repairs

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - After nearly 100 years, the stained glass windows that dazzle the St. Augustine’s Seminary chapel are showing their age. As their 2013 centennial approaches, the seminary hopes to raise the $300,000 needed to have the chapel windows repaired before the frames and fills deteriorate completely.

Safety on the job must come first, students told

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - The one thing a high school student wants is a part-time job and many will work just about anywhere to earn a little extra money. But students need to put a little thought into where they work, for their own good. Rob Ellis brought this to light when he spoke recently to Grade 12 students at Francis Libermann Catholic High School. That’s because in 1999, his son David went to work in a bakery. He never returned from his second day on the job, losing his life while cleaning a large mixer. David had not received proper on-the-job training.

Parishioners lament passing of Latin Mass

March 12, 2010

On the first Sunday of Lent, the devotees of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass offered by the Fraternity of St. Peter (FSSP) in Edinburgh ambled tranquilly from St. Andrew’s Church to our parish hall for tea, cookies and conversation. Some of the cookies had jam in the middle. I was happy. But hours later, the devotees of the Extraordinary Form of the Mass offered by the FSSP in Toronto left St. Theresa’s parish in a state of great agitation. Congregants wept. Choristers wept. The choir director managed to keep his composure until he was alone. Then he wept. After a sleepless night, he wrote to tell me all about it: the FSSP was leaving Toronto, its priest called elsewhere. There would no longer be a Missa Cantata, the sung Latin Mass, at St. Theresa’s in Scarborough.

Ordinand aims to be a 'real deal' priest

March 12, 2010

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. Luis Calleja Jr. was born and raised in Toronto and is an only child. He felt called to the priesthood at 18, but only responded after several years of soul searching. He stayed at Serra House to discern his vocation while studying philosophy at St. Philip’s Oratory. He then entered St. Augustine’s Seminary in 2005.

Bringing faith to politics

March 12, 2010

Religion and politics are two highly contentious realms. But many people see them as even more problematic when combined, which could be why this is usually avoided at all costs in Canada. A democracy is supposed to ensure representation of widely varying views, but believers know that things often seem stacked against any expression of faith in politics.

Quebec Court decision another step back

March 12, 2010

A recent decision by the Quebec Court of Appeal that placed the state’s interest ahead of parental rights should be on the radar of everyone interested in preserving Catholic education. The case involved Catholic parents from Drummondville who sought a court order to exempt their two sons from attending a classroom program called Ethics and Religious Culture (ERC). ERC was launched in 2008 and is compulsory in Quebec from Grades 1 to 11 in both private and public schools, including Catholic schools. The program was created to help foster harmony between cultures and religions and, to that end ERC examines multiple world religions, moral codes and belief systems and treats each with equal weight and merit.

The church has regained her orthodoxy - and none too soon

March 12, 2010

It’s a wonderful time to be Catholic. The culture may often be crass, materialistic and amoral but the church has regained its stability. Serious Catholic lay-people are more informed than ever, there is a renaissance in Catholic journalism and scholarship and the new generation of young priests is arguably more committed and courageous than at any period since the Counter-Reformation. Whether we like to admit it or not, there was a time when the priesthood attracted some men, albeit a minority, who wanted a comfortable life and instant respect, who were sexually confused, who simply saw no alternative. They sometimes did terrible damage. Thankfully that is mostly history.

None so Irish as the Irish of America

March 12, 2010

My illustrious ancestor Michael, father of Martin, father of William, father of Michael, father of me, had the great good sense to be born in Ireland before sailing for America. By the rules laid down by Canadian multiculturalism, this happy accident gives me the right to call myself Irish, write nostalgically about a country I’ve never seen and poke gentle fun at everything Irish. As they say in Boston, wicked. I mention Boston because Boston is the capital city of Irish America, and when I went to study there, I thought I might discover my roots among the famine memorials. Instead I was shell-shocked by Boston’s outrageous manners, an indescribable rudeness the locals call honesty. For a brilliant reproduction, watch Martin Scorsese’s The Departed, a film I loved for its assurance that there were places in Boston worse than Boston College.

The final judgment will be up to God

March 12, 2010

Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year C) March 21 (Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:8-14; John 8:1-11) The God of Exodus was the God of mighty signs and wonders. But the God of Isaiah is set on outdoing Himself as He describes His intended liberation and restoration of the people of Israel. They are to forget all of the things that God has done in the past because they will pale in comparison to what God has in mind for the future.

Food a spiritual experience from planting to table

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - Food forms a relationship between people, the Earth and God and thus should be a spiritual experience from production to consumption. Fr. Jim Profit, S.J., underscored this message during an evening of Lenten reflection hosted at the Newman Centre by the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace and Faith Connections March 8.

Taizé continues to inspire

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - More than 300 people gathered at the midtown Holy Rosary Church March 5 for the archdiocese’s annual ecumenical Taizé event, led by Br. Emile of Taizé, France. Christians of different traditions celebrated an evening with the music and prayer of Taizé, characterized by short and reflective songs that are repeated in a meditative manner, translated into several different languages.

Schoenstatt meets Winnipeg

March 12, 2010

WINNIPEG - On Oct. 18, 1914, in a small chapel sitting in a valley in Schönstatt, Germany, Fr. Joseph Kentenich called a meeting with a group of young men from a seminary nearby. During the meeting, 29-year-old Kentenich and the young men prayed together and offered what they called a “Covenant of Love” to the Blessed Virgin Mary. With that act began a community they hoped would bring spiritual renewal to the Catholic Church. Fast forward 96 years.

Building a bridge between police, students

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - He’s taught students about the dangers of bullying and domestic violence, played side-by-side with the boys’ soccer team, even baked muffins for a school awareness campaign. He is Constable John-Paul DiCecca of the Toronto Police Service, one of 30 School Resource Officer’s assigned to Catholic and public high schools across the city. What’s happening at Michael Power/St. Joseph highlights what some studies are indicating about the School Resource Officer program.

Catholicity put into action in Burlington school

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - St. Paul Elementary School student David Buitraeo of Burlington, Ont., says he was anxious about getting his head shaved in front of the whole school. But since it was to raise funds for the Haiti earthquake relief effort, Buitraeo volunteered to do so, along with some other students and teachers. “Since we are in Grade 8, we thought we should be leaders in the school,” he said. It’s these kinds of actions merging faith and Catholic social justice teachings that principal Lori Naar says reflects the Catholicity in a Catholic school.

Faith helps athletes focus

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - Sudbury’s Marymount Academy Catholic High School volleyball player Jordana Ealdama says sport has a spiritual connection. “If you believe in yourself and let God in your life, you can achieve your greatest goals,” Ealdama, 16, told The Catholic Register from Kenora, Ont., where the school’s senior volleyball team was playing at the Ontario championships. Coach Tammy Jutilla said she’s tried to instill in her players the importance of having faith and trust in God’s plan, and knowing “where that strength is going to come from.” It’s not all about winning but also about dedication and playing as a team, she said. Jutilla said the team’s success this year has been due to its commitment to improving and working together.

Importance of retreats not lost on educators, students

March 12, 2010

TORONTO - One of the things that differentiates Catholic high school students from their public counterparts is participation in sacrament-based retreats. Fraser Garteside, a teacher from Francis Libermann Catholic High School, is the school’s chaplaincy leader and has planned and led retreats for two years. “It’s vitally important that students have an awareness and engagement with their spiritual life,” Garteside said.