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July 2010

July 2

Church leaders seek PM's commitment to eliminate nuclear weapons

July 2, 2010

Nuclear Explosion [images/stories/misc/misc09/nuclearBomb.jpg]Canada's Christian church leaders have asked Prime Minister Stephen Harper to get serious about banning nuclear weapons. Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican and Protestant bishops and leaders sent a letter to Harper June 25 urging him to "publicly and prominently" recommit Canada "to the energetic pursuit of the early elimination of all nuclear weapons."

July 5

Collins appointed liaison for Anglicans wishing to join Catholic Church

July 5, 2010

OTTAWA - Toronto's Archbishop Thomas Collins is throwing out the welcome mat for all Anglicans in Canada who wish to become Catholic. The archbishop has been named the liaison for groups of Anglicans who might want to avail themselves of the Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus (AC). The AC offers a special structure so Anglicans can join the Roman Catholic Church corporately, while retaining aspects of their identity and patrimony, such as their liturgy. “This is not an initiative by the Catholic Church,” said Collins. “It’s a response to groups of Anglicans that have indicated an interest in doing this.”

July 6

Icon course at Living Water College

July 6, 2010

Living Water College [images/stories/arts/arts10/livingwater.jpg]A course on iconography is being offered this summer at Living Water College, a Christian liberal arts college in Derwent, Alta. The program, which runs from July 18-30 will be taught by Frank C. Turner, the school’s director of fine arts, who studied for many years under Vladislav Andreyev, a contemporary master iconographer, and Fr. Gianluca Busi of Bologna, Italy.

July 7

Court of appeal gives conscientious objector to Iraq war a reprieve

July 7, 2010

Jeremy Hinzman [images/stories/canada/canada10/hinzmanhs.jpg]TORONTO - The federal government can't send Jeremy Hinzman and his family back to the United States just yet. A unanimous decision of the Federal Court of Appeal has ordered Citizenship and Immigration to consider the AWOL American soldier's religious, political and moral beliefs before deciding whether the Hinzman family can stay in Canada. The Hinzmans reside in Toronto.

July 8

South African Church leaders work to stem threatened xenophobic attacks after World Cup

July 8, 2010

South Africa protesters [images/stories/international/international10/southafrica.jpg]CAPE TOWN, South Africa - While human rights activists express fears that xenophobic attacks will erupt in South Africa after the soccer World Cup, Church leaders are taking action to see that this does not happen. A delegation of religious leaders, led by Johannesburg Archbishop Buti Tlhagale, president of the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, raised concerns about the possibility in a meeting with South African President Jacob Zuma.

July 9

Order of Canada recognizes nun's role in caring for humanity

July 9, 2010

Order of Canada [images/stories/canada/canada10/orderofcanada.jpg]Of the 74 people named to the Order of Canada on Canada Day, only one of them has spent a lifetime explaining to the world how to be human. Sr. Simone Roach was named to Canada's highest honour for contributions to nursing, particularly her role in helping to write the first code of ethics for nursing in Canada. But that's just one small outgrowth from decades of scholarly dedication to the subject of caring.

July 10

Cuban Church leaders help free political prisoners

July 10, 2010

Cuba Lady in White [images/stories/international/international10/cubaliberate.jpg]HAVANA - Following a July 7 meeting with Cuban President Raul Castro, Cardinal Jaime Ortega Alamino of Havana said the release of 52 political prisoners is under way and will continue over the next four months. An announcement on the cardinal's web site said the process leading to the release began with a May 19 meeting with Castro by Ortega and Archbishop Dionisio Garcia Ibanez, president of the Cuban bishops' conference. Spanish diplomatic sources July 8 said Spain's foreign minister has agreed to take in the 52 prisoners set for release.

July 12

D&P apology to Campaign Life clears the air

July 12, 2010

D and P Campaign Life [images/stories/canada/canada10/dp_camplife.jpg]TORONTO - The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace has formally apologized to Campaign Life Coalition for "inaccurate" statements in a memo that called the pro-life lobby part of "the far right fringe element of North American society," linked Campaign Life with violent activists and accused it of misrepresenting facts and distorting reality to serve their ends. Development and Peace formally retracted the statements in the memo and apologized in a June 30 letter to Campaign Life national president Jim Hughes.

July 14

There's a new app for the new Mass

July 14, 2010

Mass app [images/stories/canada/canada10/mass_app.jpg]TORONTO - The new Roman Missal is coming to an iPhone near you. The new iPhone application is called the “The New Mass: The New Translation” and was released on July 7. The application allows cellphone users who have an iPhone or iPod device to download the missal for 99-cents and then read it on their screen.

University of Victoria pro-life group wins partial victory in battle with student union

July 14, 2010

baby hand [images/stories/misc/baby.jpg]Youth Protecting Youth, the student pro-life organization at the University of Victoria, has regained its status as an official school club after being denied funding and recognition for the past two years. The club filed a petition to the British Columbia Supreme Court against the University of Victoria Students’ Society (UVSS), which had withheld the club’s grants, on May 3. In the petition, it requested its club status and funding be reinstated and that the Students’ Society declare the previous actions of denying it the same rights as other clubs illegal. The UVSS had been retaining grants to Youth Protecting Youth that all university clubs are entitled to on the grounds that the club violated the school’s regulations against harassment.

Chalice honoured as one of Canada's best charities

July 14, 2010

Chalice [images/stories/logos/chalice.jpg]From its origins in the basement of a church in Springhill, N.S., to receiving the top rating among Canadian international aid organizations from MoneySense financial magazine, Catholic charity Chalice has come a long way in sharing Christ with those in need. The Charity 100, a study released online through MoneySense in June, was designed to provide Canadians with an accurate picture of the top 100 charities in the country. Grouping organizations by category, such as health services, hospital foundations or environment, the study ranked each charity under a variety of criteria.

.xxx domain won't stem porn web sites

July 14, 2010

xxx [images/stories/misc/misc10/xxx.jpg]A new Internet domain exclusively for pornography was approved by the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers in June. Although some proponents of the domain say this will make it easier for people to block pornographic content, critics say that unless regulations make the .xxx domain a requirement, explicit content online will grow since people won’t be required to shut down porn sites on other domains.

Ouellet’s impact on Quebec a work in progress

July 14, 2010

Cardinal Marc Ouellet [images/stories/canada_bishops/ouellet4.jpg]OTTAWA - History has yet to determine the legacy Cardinal Marc Ouellet has left Quebec, say those who know him. But his longtime friends reveal a much different picture than the mainstream media’s depiction of a man ambitious for the papacy, a hardliner out of touch with Quebec and a harsh “ayatollah” who will be remembered for opposing abortion.

Crusading cardinal

July 14, 2010

Cardinal Jaime Ortega [images/stories/international/international10/ortega.jpg]Every Sunday morning for seven years the Ladies in White attended Mass at Havana’s Santa Rita Church then marched in peaceful protest for husbands, fathers and sons locked up as political prisoners in Cuban jails. For the most part, the marches were silent and easily ignored by the Castro government. Then last March, to mark the seventh anniversary of the “Black Spring,” when 75 dissidents were arrested, hastily tried and harshly sentenced, the Ladies in White became bolder, marching into off-limit Havana neighbourhoods. The government dispatched agents to disrupt the marches and harass the women. That brought Cuba’s crusading 73-year-old cardinal into the fray. Cardinal Jaime Ortega celebrated Mass with the women at Santa Rita and then took up their cause with the government of President Raul Castro.

Web makes it easier for cheaters to prosper

July 14, 2010

Spurred on by new technology, particularly the Internet, cheating in Canadian high schools and post-secondary institutions is evolving to the point that students and teachers differ over what qualifies as cheating, according to research recently released by the Canadian Council on Learning (CCL). According to the CCL study, nearly three-quarters (73 per cent) of first-year students across Canada admitted to committing one or more serious acts of academic dishonesty on written work while in high school (including cheating on essays or assignments) and nearly 60 per cent admitted to serious acts of cheating on tests in high school. The survey included 20,000 students at 11 post-secondary education institutions.

Good riddance to Toronto’s zone of conflict

July 14, 2010

For many citizens of Toronto, this writer included, the time that has passed since the G20 summit of world leaders in the city has been a season of grief. For the Christians among us, it has also been a time of prayer for the city — that the bitterness will not linger, that the healing of the few physical and many more moral injuries will be swift. We have been outraged by the damage wreaked on shops and banks by a small band of hooligans, whom the police did nothing to stop. The reputation of our city as a place of calm and justice has been damaged by police strong-arm tactics against peaceful demonstrators and bystanders. And we were offended by the stripping of Torontonians of their rights to freely walk streets distant from the justifiably sequestered G20 site.

God gives us second chances to get it right

July 14, 2010

17th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) July 25 (Genesis 18:20-32; Psalm 138; Colossians 2:12-14; Luke 11:1-13) We are all familiar with the fire and brimstone story of Sodom — perhaps a bit too familiar. There are many strange overtones to the story. First of all, despite the alleged enormity of their sin God is somewhat in the dark and has to go down to check things out Himself — never mind His omniscient nature. Abraham stands before God as if before a human being. Then there is the haggling and bargaining that Abraham engages in. He almost sounds like an auctioneer! And in the course of his haggling he upbraids God and “shames” Him into behaving as God should! We might also ask if it is proper for God to nuke an entire city for the failings of its inhabitants.

Guarding lives, working with humility, like Jesus did

July 14, 2010

This summer I have my first-ever paid job, where my boss hands me a rewarding paycheque after every two weeks of work. I am employed as a lifeguard at a summer camp. Each day I wake up for my morning routine and bike down to the pool in time to open it up for eager swimmers. Lifeguarding is definitely one of the most physically demanding responsibilities I have had. In addition to guarding in the sweltering heat — always careful to keep my eye on the pool and its patrons — there is always work to be done after public swimming hours. My co-workers and I have to maintain a clean and healthy pool. This involves vacuuming, brushing, clearing deck garbage, testing chemical levels and ensuring the pumps are working smoothly.

Prairie school leads student on path to holiness

July 14, 2010

St. Therese School of Faith and Mission [images/stories/ysn/ysn10/sttherese_institute.jpg]Bruno, Sask. - Nestled in the prairie community of Bruno, the St. Therese School of Faith and Mission, which offers a nine-month Catholic formation program for adults, is proving to be one of the first fruits of the new evangelization as it brings its students into a deep relationship with God. Sylvie Quiring, a recent alumnus of St. Therese, said the school’s unique programming, with a strong emphasis on both personal sanctity and the duties of the apostolate as an outflow of this, has been an experience of total love and acceptance.

Romeo Meleca's 'Pilgrimage of Love'

July 14, 2010

Romeo Meleca [images/stories/toronto/toronto10/meleca.jpg]TORONTO - For nearly 30 years, Romeo Meleca has shared Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross each time he has made his yearly 240-km trek to the Holy Cross of Teopoli in Gravenhurst, Ont. “I’m always thinking, when I have pain, I think of God, (of) Jesus dying, nailed on the cross. I want to do more and more for Him,” Meleca said, sporting his trademark red banner, a pilgrimage shirt and hat. During the walk, he also carries a wooden cross adorned with a red banner.