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March 2011

March 25

Sendai Catholics reach out to people hit by Japanese disasters

March 25, 2011

Uchidate Noboyuki, 33, pauses as he digs through the remains of his house that was destroyed by the earthquake and tsunami. (CNS photo/Carlos Barria, Reuters) [images/stories/international/internation11/japansendeicatholicsreach.jpg]SENDAI, Japan — Despite the post-tsunami chaos, parishioners of Kita Sendai Catholic Church have been busy delivering food aid to victims of the deadly quake and tsunami. Hiroko Haga, one of the parishioners, told the Asian church news agency UCA News that persistent distribution difficulties in the city have meant that "people must stand in line for three hours to buy a slice of bread," so parishioners reach out not only to the homeless but also to the elderly and to nursing mothers for whom the endless lines would be too arduous. The ongoing efforts of the parishioners form a natural extension of charitable activities in which the church was already active, reported UCA News. Violent aftershocks — as strong as magnitude 6 on March 24 — and the continued disruption of gas supplies forced parishioners to cook meals with propane. Food was supplied by a variety of organizations, including Caritas Japan, food banks and ecumenical groups.

Canadian government falls after non-confidence vote

March 25, 2011

Prime Minister Stephen Harper's government has been defeated in the House of Commons on a non-confidence motion. [images/stories/canada_people/StephenHarper2.jpg]OTTAWA - The House of Commons has found the Conservative government in contempt of Parliament in a non-confidence motion that has triggered a May election. A Liberal motion passed by a vote of 156-145 Friday afternoon. Prime Minister Stephen Harper will now ask Gov. Gen. David Johnston to dissolve Parliament, sending Canadians to the polls for the fourth time in seven years. The non-confidence vote derails a voter-friendly federal budget tabled on Mar. 22 that had proposed millions of dollars in new spending. It also kills more than 30 pieces of pending legislation, including Bill C-393 that is supported by Canadian bishops and aims to make affordable generic drugs available to the world's poor to treat illnesses such as tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS. Harper said he was disappointed by the defeat of his government because it heralds an election he maintains Canadians do not want. A federal election will cost taxpayers upwards of $300 million. Canada now faces its fifth election in little more than 10 years.

March 26

Secularization pushing out religion in health care

March 26, 2011

Toronto Auxiliary Bishop William McGrattan speaking at the annual Cardinal Ambrozic lecture. (Photo by Vanessa Santilli) [images/stories/canada_bishops/mcgrattanhealthcare.jpg]TORONTO - Secularization influence has reached not only into the religious sphere, but also health care, Toronto Auxiliary Bishop William McGrattan told an audience of about 50 people at the annual Cardinal Ambrozic lecture March 24. "At the outset of our reliance and dependance on rational thought we attribute to the Enlightenment, certain forces have gradually eroded not only the authority of religion, but also social groups," said McGrattan. "Social groups such as health care professionals and medicine." McGrattan discussed the relationship between health care and Catholic spirituality at the annual lecture, hosted by the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute. The lecture took place at the University at St. Michael's College. And secularization has influenced our concept of spirituality at its very core, he said.

March 28

Conference sheds light on what Anglicans will find in Catholic Church

March 28, 2011

MISSISSAUGA, Ont. - About 140 ex-Anglicans and their Catholic friends spent March 24 to 26 getting a feel for what may turn out to be their new spiritual home in the Roman Catholic Church. A conference on Anglicanorum Coetibus at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre in Mississauga gave people an up-close look at what a future personal ordinariate for former Anglicans might look like. Until now, Catholic-leaning Anglicans have found themselves with a choice between a "theologically alien though culturally familiar" church, or jumping to a Roman Catholic Church that is culturally alien though theologically secure, Dominican theologian and historian Fr. Aidan Nichols told the conference. A former Anglican himself, Nichols said there is more to feeling at home in a church than theological agreement.

March 29

God poses no danger to society, individuals, pope says

March 29, 2011

Pope Benedict XVI waves after leading the Angelus prayer from the window of his apartment overlooking St. Peter's Square at the Vatican. (CNS Photo) [images/stories/faith/faith11/godposesnodanger.jpg]VATICAN CITY - Asking questions about God is not a threat to individuals or society, just as a secular society that respects freedom of conscience is not a danger to religion, Pope Benedict XVI said. "If we are to build a world of liberty, equality and fraternity, then believers and nonbelievers must feel free to be just that: equal in their right to live as individuals and in community in accord with their convictions, and fraternal in their relations with one another," he said. The pope's remarks were broadcast in a video message to thousands of people attending the launch of the Vatican's "Courtyard of the Gentiles" initiative March 26 in Paris. The video message was shown in the square in front of the city's Cathedral of Notre Dame. The initiative, sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Culture, aims to promote friendly and respectful discussions between Christians and atheists or nonbelievers.

March 30

We gain life by living in the Spirit

March 30, 2011

Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year A) April 10 (Ezekiel 37:12-14; Psalm 130; Romans 8:8-11; John 11:1-45) Death is our greatest fear. People have stood in the presence of death from the primal origins of humans up until the present. They are filled with both dread and wonder — what happens after death? Where does the individual go? Does he or she live again or continue to live in another place? Prehistoric people buried their dead reverently with flowers and grave goods and all human cultures since have surrounded death with memorials, rituals and awe. The sting of death is even more painful when it is unjust and unfair — especially when visited upon whole communities of people. It can seem like the light of life is snuffed out forever. In the sixth century BC, Ezekiel dealt with these feelings that he shared with his fellow Israelites. Israel lay in ruins with her population either dead or in exile. The temple was destroyed and its worship silenced. Would Israel continue? Was this the end of the line? Ezekiel’s vision (vv.4-6) assures the Israelites of two important things. First of all, God is faithful and has not abandoned them — they are still His chosen people. Secondly, God is the author and giver of life. By human standards, Israel is finished, but by God’s standards, Israel’s life has barely begun. Just as the graphic and somewhat macabre image of bones coming to life signifies a return from destruction and death, so it will be for Israel. God will raise her from the ashes of destruction and defeat and breathe life into her.

Toward Jerusalem

March 30, 2011

Christ we set our face towards Jerusalem (Luke 9:51). We must enter into the twin questions of death and sin. We’re surrounded by them all the time. Lent asks us to turn to them, not by way of giving up, nor to fight or overcome them, but simply to be with Christ who set His face towards both. Every day we face death, often unaware. This unawareness is a gift, because we mostly aren’t ready to face the vastness; God doesn’t ask us to stand always at the edge of the abyss. Rather, He showers us with life, in the flesh, and encourages us to grow strong in this. Still, we receive the gift of life amidst death.

Fulfill our duty

March 30, 2011

A sorry trend of modern times is that election campaigning often exposes the ugly side of democracy. As voters, we should stand on guard to prevent that ugliness from overtaking us. Instead of a busy spring session of Parliament the nation has been dragged into an election campaign that already is typified by anger. Many voters are rightfully peeved to be called to the polls for the fourth time in seven years at a cost of more than $300 million for a five-week exercise that portends the status quo, another Conservative minority. Canadian armed forces are fighting in Afghanistan and Libya and the country faces a lengthy list of social, environmental and economic challenges as it climbs out of the recession. The times call for strong leadership but instead our MPs, just 29 months after the last election, are out on the hustings and Ottawa is all but deserted. Piled on top of all that annoyance is exasperation at the schoolyard behaviour of many candidates, particularly the party leaders. The campaign was less than an hour old last week before the honourable members were calling each other liars. That was followed by the inevitable attack ads that individually offend candidates and collectively degrade our democracy. It’s enough to drive any voter to despair and cynicism.

Beware selective history

March 30, 2011

History can be used as a weapon, and modern Catholics know this better than most. Not all of us have the time or the will to defend the faith, but we’re duty-bound to at least be able to put up a partial defence when yet another condemnation is thrown at the Church. The attacks based on history are monotonously regular: Galileo, Inquisition, Holocaust and Crusades. The last one is particularly poignant today, because every time a horror is committed in the name of Islam, relativists give us, “Yes, but what about the Crusades?” Okay, what about the Crusades? They were almost entirely defensive in nature, an attempt to gain back Christian lands that had been conquered by Islamic armies, often with the utmost brutality. Palestine, Syria and Egypt were at one point almost entirely Christian. By the eighth century Muslim armies had conquered North Africa and most of Spain and were determined to move into other Christian territory. Roman Catholic Spain was invaded by Islamic soldiers and occupied; it was only armed resistance by the Christian knights and people of the region that led to the country being liberated.

York Minster hospitality testifies to Christian unity

March 30, 2011

My husband phoned from work. “Can we go on the Latin Mass Society’s pilgrimage to York Minster?” he wheedled. York Minster, rebuilt from 1080 to 1472, is in York, 258 kilometres away from Edinburgh. “Do we have to walk?” I inquired suspiciously. “We can take the train,” said Mark. “I’m looking for tickets on the Internet.”

Openness to grace makes reconciliation possible

March 30, 2011

Michael O’Brien, the leading Catholic novelist in the English language, has sent millions of words into print. He has painted numerous sacred images which tell their own stories, pictures being worth thousands of words. Yet the words he spoke on March 28 at Saint Paul University in Ottawa had an uncommon power, for they were a personal testimonial of grace. “I am proud to say that I am a Roman Catholic. It is beautiful, beautiful, beautiful that we have a Saviour who dwells with us in this magnificent Church. This is our home. The Church is full of Judases, but it is overwhelmingly full of saints.” Regarding the Judases, O’Brien knows of what he speaks. The artist was speaking as part of a panel organized by the Cardus Centre for Cultural Renewal, Canada’s leading Christian think tank, and Conversations Cultural Centre, a project of the Catholic movement Communion and Liberation. The panel addressed the Indian residential school system under the title, “From Darkness of Heart to a Heart of Forgiveness.” The evening was sombre, with the weight of sin clearly felt, and also hopeful, with the liberation wrought by mercy also evident.

Loving our enemies

March 30, 2011

Lorenzo Rosebaugh, an Oblate colleague shot to death in Guatemala two years ago, used to share at Oblate gatherings some advice that Daniel Berrigan once gave him. Lorenzo, contemplating an act of civil disobedience to protest the Vietnam war, was told by Berrigan: If you can't do this without becoming bitter, then don't do it! Do it only if you can do it with a mellow heart! Do it only if you can be sure you won't end up hating those who arrest you! That's hard to do; but, in the end, it's the ultimate challenge, namely, to not hate those who oppose us, to not hate our enemies, to continue to have gracious and forgiving hearts in the face of misunderstanding, bitter opposition, jealousy, anger, hatred, positive mistreatment, and even the threat of death. And to be a disciple of Jesus means that, at some point, we will be hated. We will make enemies. It happened to Jesus and he assured us that it will happen to us.

Advance polls fall on Easter

March 30, 2011

You could vote on Good Friday, Holy Saturday or even Easter Monday, but you don’t have to and nobody should take offence that Elections Canada has chosen dates for advance polling that coincide with Easter, said Philip Horgan. “Let’s not get too bogged down in minutia when there are bigger issues at stake here,” said Horgan, president of the Canadian Catholic Civil Rights League. The bigger issues for the league include documenting the voting records of MPs on issues such as euthanasia and appealing an Ontario judge’s decision that would decriminalize street prostitution and bawdy houses. So their noses should not be out of joint over a voluntary advance polling date.

Short Film Festival looking for entries

March 30, 2011

THORNHILL, ONT. - The youth ministry at St. Joseph the Worker parish wants to know what awaits society when the new generation rises up to ignite a revolution of love. And they’re hoping people under the age of 30 will show them at the first annual St. Joseph’s Short Film Festival. Youth are asked to make a film, about five to seven minutes long, with the theme A Revolution of Love. The film festival is aimed at encouraging youth to employ their creativity, experience and knowledge with a media they’re familiar with into a concrete expression of what it means to follow Christ, said Vladimir Mamaradlo, lay pastoral assistant at St. Joseph the Worker parish in Thornhill, Ont.

WeStand program shows students the global village

March 30, 2011

Matthew Homen, a Grade 11 student and member of WeStand. [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/westandgroupmatthew.jpg]TORONTO - The WeStand human rights and social justice program, an initiative started by staff at Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School in Toronto, offers senior students an opportunity to learn about social justice issues and to be agents of change in the world. “The philosophy of our program is to give a sense of history so that students understand what has happened in the past, but also to connect it to situations that are happening today so that they can be students who are part of change,” said Michael Xuereb, the director of WeStand and head of the religion department at Marshall McLuhan. Currently in its first year, the 36 student members are participating in 15 hours of a series of after-school and weekend sessions, which began in February. In the sessions, the students are introduced to social justice issues from around the world, both from the past and the present.

Moral judgments left up to readers in Sheilagh’s Brush

March 30, 2011

Sheilagh’s Brush by Maura Hanrahan (Inanna Publications and Education Inc., 160 pages, softcover, $22.95) [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/sheilaghsbrush.jpg]Life is a challenge and each day there is a possibility that new problems may arise, from tensions in relationships to the hardships of child-rearing and earning money for survival. However, in the end, what really matters is whether the final decisions and outcomes of these struggles are morally acceptable. In her novel Sheilagh’s Brush, Maura Hanrahan highlights the hardships that people may face in life — primarily from a female perspective. Sheilagh’s Brush is an insightful read in which Hanrahan depicts the story in a non-judgmental way, allowing readers to decide whether or not the characters’ actions are moral. The story unfolds in the pre-Depression era in Rennie’s Bay, a small fishing village in Newfoundland with Catholic roots that is disconnected from the rest of the world and its faith.

Trust in God while seeking your vocation

March 30, 2011

Stephanie Kelly, 20, is a journalism student at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, N.B. [images/stories/ysn/ysn11/stephaniekellyysncolumn.jpg]If you were given a glimpse into your future, what would you see? It’s impossible to predict, but that doesn’t stop us from trying. As students, we are faced with uncertainty every day. At a young age, we face pressure to decide our life’s mission. Before we leave high school, we are expected to make decisions that will map out several years of our life and decide our careers. Every student has moments when they feel their lives are crumbling around them and there is no way out. Those moments usually involve a library, a term paper and more than a few cups of coffee. When those moments arise, we need to remember one thing: we are not alone. Put your trust in God and you will never be led astray.

A return to Poland ‘saved’ seminarian’s vocation

March 30, 2011

Paul Hrynczyszyn will be ordained a priest in the spring. [images/stories/toronto/toronto11/paulhryn.jpg]Editor’s note: This is one in our series of profiles on the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses. When Paul Hrynczyszyn was 15, his mother forced him to attend a Catholic youth retreat over the March break. Now, 11 years later, he is about to be ordained a priest. “I thank God and I thank her to this day for forcing me to go, because it was life changing,” he said. “It was at that moment I rediscovered my faith. I fell in love with Jesus Christ.”

Fighting consumerism key in fight against climate change

March 30, 2011

Dorothy McDougall [images/stories/toronto_people/dorothymcdougallmar30.jpg]TORONTO - Climate change deniers aren’t what worries KAIROS’ Dorothy McDougall. She worries about Christians who can’t let go of a lifestyle that contradicts the Gospel. “This is about the accumulation of stuff and the planned obsolescence of stuff,” said McDougall, the ecumenical church-based group’s climate change expert. “For Christians to be in solidarity with those who suffer the ravages of climate change in Africa, in Latin America and in the north means transitioning to a carbon-free economy.” But most of us don’t want to give up our throw-away lifestyles and don’t want to ask what Jesus would think of houses full of stuff, she said.

St. Jerome’s, union reach settlement

March 30, 2011

St. Jerome’s University, Waterloo, Ontario [images/stories/education/education10/sju_logo.jpg]St. Jerome’s University took two steps toward peace between professors and administrators March 24 as a first contract between the faculty’s union and the university and a plan to set up a senate-like body to oversee academic matters by May 2012 were ratified by the university’s board of governors. The union contract will see St. Jerome’s faculty keep pace with colleagues at the University of Waterloo in terms of salary and benefits. St. Jerome’s is the Catholic college federated with the University of Waterloo. It was how the school is governed, rather than money, that inspired the professors and librarians to seek union protection. But in the end, governance issues were not part of union negotiations. A separate working group with representatives from the board of governors, administration and academic staff was struck to report on possible reforms to how St. Jerome’s runs itself.