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January 26, 2011
As mud and water claim lives and homes around the world, Catholics in Canada are exploring ways they might help. Floods have claimed 680 lives in Brazil and left 21,500 homeless in the worst natural disaster to hit South America’s largest country in 40 years. In Australia floods have killed 30 people, 20,000 have been forced out of their homes and 60 towns submerged in the western state of Queensland. Colombia was hit with mudslides just before Christmas that killed 301 people, injured 292, destroyed more than 5,000 homes, damaged over 300,000 homes and flooded 1.32 million hectares of farm land.
TORONTO - We can't have unity without penance, or conversion, or forgiveness, or the Holy Spirit, Auxiliary Bishop William McGrattan told about 200 people gathered for Evensong at Toronto's St. James Anglican Cathedral Jan. 23. The traditional Anglican version of the evening and night prayers of the Divine Office included music from the 16th through the 20th centuries by the Choir of St. James Cathedral and members of the St. Michael's Choir School. Prayers were offered by representatives of the Catholic Eastern rite churches, Protestant churches, Orthodox churches and Anglicans.
ST. JOHN’S, Nfld. - The trusted friend and colleague who saved Archbishop Martin Currie’s life two years ago is being investigated in the theft of more than $500,000 from the archdiocese of St. John’s. The archdiocese has laid a complaint with the Royal Newfoundland Constabulary over cheques Bill Power wrote to himself. An employee of the archdiocese for 38 years, Power was the comptroller and business manager for the archdiocese who also managed the business of the Catholic cemeteries.
Rose of Sharon [images/stories/canada/canada11/rosesharon.jpg]TORONTO - When Ontario Finance Minster Dwight Duncan receives the pre-budget submission from Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto, he’s not going to be surprised by the spending priorities of the 28 agencies Catholic Charities funds. But Catholic Charities hopes to catch Duncan’s attention with their reasons for increased social spending. Catholic Charities agencies serve Toronto communities by supporting teenaged mothers, helping the deaf, caring for young people with developmental disabilities, providing day care and counselling couples and families in crisis. They want Duncan to put money in service of the poor. They’re asking for: * a $100 a month healthy food supplement to welfare payments to try to reduce reliance on food banks for 375,000 people every month who visit an Ontario food bank; * raising the Ontario Child Benefit for low-income families to $1,500 by 2013. The $1,100 OCB is scheduled to rise to $1,310 by 2013;
Walter Kelly [images/stories/toronto/toronto11/walterkelly.jpg]TORONTO - Sgt. Ryan Russell didn’t go to church on Sunday, and despite his Catholic baptism had no fixed address as a Christian. But he wore a St. Michael’s medallion and kept a copy of the Policeman’s Prayer in his hat. With that, Toronto Police Service head chaplain Walter Kelly knew Ryan’s funeral should proclaim the Gospel and comfort the bereaved with Christian hope. Sgt. Russell’s mother, Linda, helped Kelly decide to base his funeral sermon on the Sermon on the Mount, culminating in the Golden Rule. She told Kelly, “Yeah, that’s it. From a child on, he was always a giver — always sensitive to other people ahead of himself.” Close to 13,000 police, firefighters and EMS workers crowded the Toronto Convention Centre for Sgt. Russell’s funeral Jan. 18. Hundreds of citizens lined the streets as police marched down University Avenue. The police came from across the country to pay tribute to the 35-year-old officer killed Jan. 12 by a stolen snow plow. His death leaves a grieving wife and a two-year-old son.
Kobo Bible [images/stories/features/freature11/kobobible.jpg]Everyone who reads has at some time or other been psychologically kidnapped by a book. A great book carries us away. They are populated with friends, allies, enemies, protectors and persecutors. Great books teach us how to fall in love, answer when challenged, hope when hopes are dashed, cry when we are hurt and laugh for the sake of laughter. Few of us would honestly name the Bible as a psychological surround sound experience. For most, it’s hard to immerse ourselves in the world of the Bible. I recently began a new journey into the Bible’s gated and guarded world when I received a Kobo Reader for Christmas. A Kobo Reader is a simple electronic device that connects to the Internet and lets you download books that can be read on a small screen. There are thousands of books to choose from and I started with the oldest of them all, the Bible. For many good reasons, the Bible isn’t a book that sweeps us away. First, it isn’t a book. It’s a collection of books assembled 1,700 years ago from literature that dates as far back as 1,200 B.C. The books of the Bible were written in either Hebrew or Greek, and some were written about people who spoke other, equally distant languages, including Aramaic, the language of Jesus.
January 27, 2011
Bishop Ruiz [images/stories/international/internation11/ruiz1.jpg]MEXICO CITY - Retired Bishop Samuel Ruiz Garcia, known as the champion of the poor and indigenous in southern Mexico, died Jan. 24 of complications from long-standing illnesses. He was 86. The bishop headed the diocese of San Cristobal de Las Casas from 1960 to 2000, and from 1994 to 1998 mediated a commission looking for an end to the conflict between the Mexican government and the indigenous Zapatista National Liberation Army in Chiapas state. For his work with the state’s indigenous population he received death threats and, in 2002, was the recipient of the Niwano Peace Prize for his work “raising the social standing of the indigenous communities of Mexico” and for his work toward “the reclamation and preservation of their native cultures.” Bishop Ruiz had suffered from arterial hypertension and diabetes for a decade and had obstructed arteries, some cerebral damage and difficulty moving his body. The severity of his illness led to his transfer Jan. 12 to a Mexico City hospital from one in the state of Queretaro.
Knights of Columbus [images/stories/logos/logos09/KofC.jpg]Markham, Ont. - The Knights of Columbus has more than 14,000 councils around the world but none quite like the one opened recently in a small Toronto-area parish. The council that opened last May at Jesus Melkite Catholic Church in Markham, Ont., is, according to Grand Knight Hisham Marrow, the world’s first and only Christian Arab council in the 129-year history of the Knights. “Our mission is to help rebuild the churches in the Holy Land,” said Marrow, adding the council also helps the Christian Arab community and churches in Canada. The council has 40 members, all parishioners. But Marrow hopes to extend membership to other Christian Arab parishes. Along with collecting donations to rebuild churches in the Holy Land, the council will be raising money by selling homemade rosaries, said Marrow.
As a privileged youth never wanting for food, I got a taste of what the underprivileged experienced during a 24-hour “starve-a-thon” at my school in November. It was a life-changing experience. We hoped that through our efforts we would be able to make a difference by helping in some small way to end world hunger. Fasting and reflecting with my friends made me realize how much I have to be thankful for: food, shelter, family and friends. For us, resources are so readily available we take them for granted. At times during the starve-a-thon, I found myself feeling extremely hungry — I could have eaten anything. And that was after just 24 hours. Being hungry helped me understand that 24 hours is only a short time compared to the lifetime that many people are left to go hungry. Despite this, we too often criticize our blessings, unhappy with what we have. It’s not until something is taken from us, such as food, that we realize life’s difficulties and acknowledge how incredibly lucky we are.
WCACYM [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/wcacym.jpg]Vancouver - The sun, fossil fuels, hydroelectricity and food are all sources of power and methods to propel us forward in our daily routines. And from Jan. 20 to 23, a group of youth ministry workers delved deeper into the idea of finding fuel for a journey. Organized by the Western Canadian Association of Catholic Youth Ministers (WCACYM), the annual gathering entitled “Fuel Up” took place at the archdiocese of Vancouver’s Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry. About 50 youth ministers from all over Western Canada came together to pray, discuss, network and learn about their role in the Church, as well as the youth they serve. “Is Christ the source and summit of my life, my work and my ministry?” asked Msgr. Mark Hagemoen, former director of the Youth Ministry Office in Vancouver and one of the keynote speakers for the event.
Haim Gutin [images/stories/features/freature11/haimgutin.jpg]Toronto - Despite the ongoing Israeli-Palestinian conflict, more than 77,000 Canadian pilgrims and three million people worldwide visited the Holy Land last year. That is a single-year record, according to the Israeli government, and reflects the success of recent policies to attract more visitors to the birthplace of Christianity. Increasing tourism is an investment in improving the lives of both Israelis and Palestinians, said Haim Gutin, Israel’s Consul and Commissioner for North and South America. Speaking at a Jan. 18 press conference, Gutin said pilgrims appear to have a heightened understanding that terrorism is a “global problem,” not just an issue for the Holy Land. “(Terrorism) happens everywhere. It happened last week in Arizona,” he said, referring to the Jan. 8 attempted assassination of American Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords and the killing of six people. “We don’t ignore political issues, but that’s for politicians,” Gutin said.
Life Teen Edge Camp [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/edgecamp.jpg]Mississauga, Ont. - Most Catholic youth would agree that church is the place to be on Sunday mornings. But for more than a dozen Catholic teens at Merciful Redeemer parish in Mississauga, Ont., church is the place to be on Friday and Saturday nights. The parish is one of 1,200 around the world that offers the Life Teen program and one of 500 parishes offering a program called Edge. Both are parish-based youth ministry programs designed to help youth learn more about their Catholic faith and develop a deeper relationship with God. Life Teen is for students in Grades 9 to 12 while the Edge program targets students in Grades 6 to 8. Similar programs, Life Teen discusses more mature topics and has more of a focus on discussion and activities as opposed to games and skits. Jobin Puthuparampil, a Grade 12 student at St Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School, attends Life Teen because it is a place to ask and discuss a wide range of topics, including the core philosophical teachings of the Church.
January 28, 2011
PARIS — The French Senate has rejected legislation that would have permitted any adult to request a "quick and painless death." Under the draft Bioethics Law amendment, French citizens would have been entitled to seek medical help to die when "in a terminal state, or with a serious and incurable illness causing physical or psychological pain." The right would have applied when the pain "cannot be alleviated or is considered unbearable," enabling doctors to bring about the patient's death "as the outcome of a deliberate act." During the Senate's Jan. 26 debate on the amendment, Catholic pro-life groups conducted a vigil and protest, during which about 700 people pretended to be dead.
Students from Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Barry’s Bay, Ont., joined an estimated 400,000 American pro-lifers at the annual March for Life in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 24. Organized by the pro-life group at the Catholic liberal arts college, 20 students and three staff members attended the march and with the opening prayer vigil Mass held at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception. “We walked, prayed the Rosary, prayed the Divine Mercy Chaplet and sang chants,” said second-year student Kathleen Dunn, president of the school’s pro-life group. “It was really amazing to be a part of it.”
January 30, 2011
As the situation in Egypt intensifies, the worry at the turn of the year that Christians were under assault everywhere in the middle east becomes that much more serious. It doesn’t help in the least that Vatican-Egyptian relations are at a low point. And this week’s odd contribution to conspiracy theory thinking about Christian intentions in the Middle East is bound to make things worse. The story of how legendary investigative journalist Seymour Hersh provoked one of the oddest controversies in some time, and re-animated one of the hoariest conspiracy theories normally found in the pages of a Dan Brown novel, might actually be an object lesson in how the mainstream media can truly lose its way. In a speech (you can read the speech here) in Doha, Hersh slammed the Bush administration and the Obama administration for entrusting a military leadership in its wars; in Iraq, Afghanistan and other Special Forces skirmishes in Yemen and in contention with Iran; to a group of officers and advisers who are members of The Knights of Malta and other ‘dangerous Catholic organizations’. "Many of them are members of Opus Dei. They do see what they're doing -- and this is not an atypical attitude among some military -- it's a crusade, literally. They see themselves as the protectors of the Christians. They're protecting them from the Muslims [as in] the 13th century. And this is their function." What might be even more sad than Hersh’s comments has been the reaction to the speech. Foreign Policy Magazine first spotted the speech and made mock of it at the same time, even going so far as to explore just who the Knights of Malta were and the role they play in conspiracy thinking. For many this was just evidence that Hersh was on to something which led to some intriguing interplay between on-line pundits, summarized in this piece entitled “Seymour Hersh The Knights of Malta and Me”. Whereas FP magazine saw the comments as evidence of a journalist losing it others took the assertions more straight on as evidenced in this posting to the Huffington Post “Seymour Hersh: Military branch Being Run by Crusaders”. What seemed to matter to no one is whether mere membership in the Knights or Opus Dei was proof of anything let alone a conspiracy of incredible magnitude. Clearly suggesting that American Forces are on a crusade in the Middle East only adds fuel to the fire of Christain-Muslim antagonism, a fire that grew hotter this month in the square off between the Vatican and Egypt over attacks on Coptics. While the Vatican makes no link between the current unrest and the possible suspension of on-going dialogue, the Vatican is making clear that it hopes it can continue to hold mutually beneficial talks on religious freedom, an issue of vital importance to Benedict. Given the upheavels in Tunisa, Lebanon and now Egypt and Yemen and the on-going violence in Iraq, this is a story that will continue to preoccupy many.
January 31, 2011
Richard Alway, who was supervisor of the Toronto Catholic District School Board. [images/stories/education/Alway.jpg]TORONTO - After two-and-a-half years of provincial supervision, the Toronto Catholic District School Board has officially regained its local powers. “All of us share a strong commitment to publicly funded Catholic education, and we collectively have a vision for the Toronto Catholic District School Board that focuses on student achievement, fiscal responsibility and public accountability,” said board chair Ann Andrachuk in a statement after the board officially took charge of its affairs again on Jan. 28.
Egypt protest and army [images/stories/international/internation11/egyptprotest1.jpg]ROME - Police and military officials will not be able to stop demonstrators in Egypt or other countries of North Africa, said the former rector of Rome's Pontifical Institute for Arabic and Islamic Studies. "Ordinary people cannot tolerate any more the appalling conditions of human degradation in which they live. They say, 'Enough is enough' and believe that they have nothing to lose," the former rector, Fr. Justo Lacunza Balda, said in an e-mail to Catholic News Service in Rome. "Therefore, neither the police nor the army will stop people in the Arab countries from demanding freedom and human dignity," he wrote Jan. 28 as massive protests intensified in Egypt. The demonstrations began Jan. 25 as people took to the streets to protest unemployment, corruption and rising prices.