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June 2011

June 1

Our goal should be to be in harmony with God’s will

June 1, 2011

A group of Christians, of different traditions, was discussing business at a Canadian Council of Churches meeting. I didn’t realize the word “discernment” kept coming up until a guest leaned over to me. She’s fluent in English, but it’s not her first language. “What does ‘discernment’ mean?” she asked. I opened my mouth with a ready answer but an inward pause. It’s simple enough to define, at first blush, but less simple to understand. And why is it so often so difficult to do? Christian traditions have produced many ways of discernment; it’s an art, a science, a way of the cross, traversed with blood and anguish. It might seem, too, that trying to consult God just makes things tough; don’t our atheistic friends have an easier time of it? How does it differ from decision-making? Does discernment involve faith? A secular definition of “discern” speaks of coming to see, or otherwise recognize; such as discerning a sail on the horizon. A spiritual definition of discernment might also refer to seeing: learning to see as God sees. “Now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face-to-face,” says St. Paul (1 Cor 13:12); St. Augustine picks this up, saying faith means knowing now, darkly, what we shall then see directly.

Courting trouble

June 1, 2011

Last year Parliament overwhelmingly rejected a private member’s bill introduced by former Bloc MP Francine Lalonde that would have amended the Criminal Code to legalize euthanasia and assisted suicide. That should have been the end of the story, or at least the end of a chapter until either the government or a private member put the issue back before Parliament. But Canadian law on this contentious issue is again under threat, but this time MPs have no say in the matter. It shouldn’t be that way, of course. Canadians elect Members of Parliament to make laws. But much the way on-demand abortion was legalized in 1988, Canadian law on end-of-life decisions will be made by judges if proponents of euthanasia and assisted suicide succeed in cases currently before the courts. The first challenge is from a Vancouver woman who helped her terminally ill, 89-year-old mother commit suicide in Switzerland, where assisted suicide is legal. Lee Carter admits she abetted her mother’s death. That would mean she broke Canadian law that prohibits a person from aiding, encouraging or counselling another’s suicide, or intentionally causing a death. But backed by the B.C. Civil Liberties Association, she has asserted in B.C. Supreme Court that the Criminal Code is unconstitutional.

Don’t spare the beauty for the new Roman Missal

June 1, 2011

Canadian parishes will begin preparing soon for the new translation of the Mass, to be implemented in Advent 2011. Yet one decision needs to be made sooner; parishes must order their copies of the new Roman Missal (the book of prayers for Mass used at the altar). The missal must be beautiful. Anything that is not beautiful should never be on the altar. Our supreme worship of the Lord requires beauty. We too require beauty — which is why we dress up for important functions, decorate our homes by the season and use beautiful things for special occasions. Mercifully, the age of ugly vessels upon the altar is largely passed, and increasingly one sees beautiful vestments, church decor and architecture. Most people never see the missal. Yet the priest who offers Mass and the servers who assist him need to be constantly reminded that what they are doing is not routine. The long tradition of missals that were themselves works of art was aimed at assisting the priest to be mindful of just that.

Punk album flew under responsibility radar

June 1, 2011

The case of a punk rock band giving back its government grant following a public outcry shines light again on the world of government funding for the arts and revives the issue of where to draw the line. Vancouver’s Living with Lions recently released an album called Holy S**t, complete with graphics that included a resurrection figure appearing to be created from excrement. Before the album was recalled, the last line of the band’s acknowledgements read, “We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Department of Canadian Heritage,” the standard acknowledgement for all organizations receiving Heritage funding, and not something taxpayers expect to see on such vulgar packaging. Through Canadian Heritage, our taxes fund all kinds of projects, many of them beneficial or at least non-controversial. In this case, funds were directed through the Foundation Assisting Canadian Talent on Recordings (FACTOR), which provides loans and grants to promote and foster Canadian talent. In its statement about the Living with Lions CD, FACTOR noted that “the record in question was packaged with graphics and liner notes that some may consider offensive. This material had not been submitted to FACTOR prior to its release. We have communicated to the record label that there has been a negative reaction from some members of the public regarding the content.”

Peter Stockdale: Only in Canada do we challenge the self-evident truth

June 1, 2011

Canada’s Supreme Court has been asked to adjudicate whether religious freedom means the freedom to actually say something is really true that you believe to be really true. It’s true. We’re that far gone. We’re that far down the path toward a state of total social incoherence. We are at the point where it takes the top jurists in the land, and a small army of lawyers, to decide whether what is staring us in the face is also right in front of our noses. The case in question is Catholic parents in Quebec who objected to the provincial education ministry imposing a mandatory ethics and religion program on all schools, public and private. At the surface level, the program is dishwater comparative religion. People who go to synagogue believe this. People who go to Catholic Mass believe that. People who go to mosque believe something else again. We’d like to teach the world to sing in neutral harmony.

Divine light shines within

June 1, 2011

Pentecost Sunday (Year A) June 12 (Acts 2:1-11; 1 Corinthians 12:3-7, 12-13; John 20:19-23) What does the Spirit do? The term is tossed around so much in religious circles, usually as a vague appeal to a higher and somewhat ambiguous authority. Over the centuries it has sometimes been misused to justify questionable ideas and practices. In the New Testament there is a range of images for the work or action of the Spirit. We are all familiar with the image of the Spirit portrayed by Luke in Acts: rather noisy and flashy but very vibrant. It descended on the assembled followers of Jesus on the harvest feast of Pentecost. In the Scriptures the harvest is often used as a metaphor for the final days. It is time to gather in that which belongs to God. For Luke, the Spirit will be the great unifier. Its first function in Acts was to overcome the barrier of language but it does not stop there. All human divisions and separations must give way to the reconciling and transforming power of God’s Spirit. God is One and humanity must be the same.

Submissions sought for annual scholars’ conference

June 1, 2011

TORONTO - The Fellowship of Catholic Scholars is seeking scholarly papers to be discussed for its annual conference this October. Six of the scholastic works will be chosen for discussion at the conference to be held in Toronto. The theme for the Oct. 15 conference is “The Catholic Mind and the Prophetic Voice of the Arts.” The scholars’ group is looking for papers that delve into topics such as the vocation of the artist, the relation between imagination and artistic production, culture as a part of evangelization and esthetic pleasure. “Generally speaking, it’s a critical engagement and dialogue with society, in this case, with respect to the arts,” said Andrew Fuyarchuk, a member of the fellowship’s executive. Fr. Giorgio Di Cicco, former Poet Laureate of the City of Toronto, will be keynote speaker.Already, the conference has a good slate of speakers, but more submissions are needed. Proposals will be accepted until the end of June. And you don’t have to be a member of the fellowship to submit a paper.

A Catholic apologist brashly gets it right

June 1, 2011

Michael Coren shows he is a defender of the faith in his book Why Catholics are Right. (Photo courtesy of Michael Coren) [images/stories/arts/arts11/michaelcorenbookcover.jpg]One thing needful in our confused time, it has long seemed to me, is a lively polemic in favour of the Catholic faith. Thanks to Michael Coren we have one in his new book Why Catholics are Right. It is sure to confound and infuriate enemies of the Church while delighting and instructing Catholics who take the time to read and learn from it. Even the title is provocative; today’s ecumenist likes to gather around the campfire interspersing choruses of “Kumbayah” with choruses in praise of other denominations, even other religions, and here comes brash Coren suggesting that Catholics have got Christianity right and all others are (to a greater or lesser degree) wrong. Well, who does he think he is making such triumphalist assertions? In our local paper a retired United Church minister was apocalyptic while unfavourably reviewing Coren’s book; now I cannot say how Coren reacted to this review, but I have long rejoiced in any criticism emanating from the United Church of Canada, which I consider the pons asinorum of contemporary churchmanship.

KAIROS Day of Action in support of indigenous rights

June 1, 2011

On June 20, KAIROS will be reminding the Canadian government of its pledge to support indigenous rights in Canada. The ecumenical group of 11 Christian churches and organizations has planned a Day of Action on Parliament Hill that day, part of its Roll with the Declaration campaign, to make sure the government doesn’t forget it endorsed the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) in November 2010. Roll with the Declaration is a campaign run by KAIROS which will bring Canadians from coast to coast to Ottawa to support indigenous rights. “Endorsement is but one small step — a necessary step, of course — for the Canadian government,” said Julie Graham, the KAIROS education and campaign program co-ordinator. “We don’t want it to be something written down on paper and forgotten about.”

Going back to basics to focus on our faith

June 1, 2011

If you won the lottery tomorrow, what would you do? Most Catholics would say they’d donate to charities and give a hand to those in need. If only we all had time and money, we could do the things we want to do and be the good Catholics we want to be. It’s easy to think that way, but it’s not true. We have time and we have money. The problem is how we spend them. Somewhere along the way, we’ve lost the concept of what we want and what we need. This balance is especially difficult for students. We don’t think twice about spending $4 on a coffee, but hesitate to give a homeless person our spare change. We say we can’t afford to sponsor a child overseas, but we all have laptops and iPods. It’s all about setting your priorities. There’s nothing wrong with having possessions, but they shouldn’t hold us back from living our lives for others. In a society that pushes us to be the best at all costs, we can easily be distracted by greed and vanity. We need to go back to the basics and never lose sight of what really matters: our relationship with God.

WYD jerseys to unify pilgrims

June 1, 2011

EDMONTON - Canadian delegates at this summer’s World Youth Day will be wearing their nation’s colours on a soccer jersey designed and produced in Edmonton. Erwin Fung, a volunteer with Edmonton’s Office of Youth Evangelization, designed the jersey and has made it available to dioceses across Canada. About 3,000 young Catholics from across Canada are expected to attend the Aug. 16-21 event in Madrid, Spain. In Sydney, Australia, in 2008, the Canadians wore a stock hockey jersey with the WYD logo screen printed on it. “But because this is Spain and the national sport is soccer, Erwin designed this soccer jersey that’s gone across Canada,” said Andrew Papenbrock, director of Youth Evangelization. So far 3,500 jerseys have been ordered nationwide. “It’s a great unifying thing,” Papenbrock said. “In Madrid when you see this jersey you will know we are from Canada.”

Chaldean Catholics celebrate consecration

June 1, 2011

TORONTO - On May 28, more than 10 years of progress came to fruition for the Toronto Chaldean community, as the Good Shepherd Chaldean Church was officially consecrated. The Saturday evening consecration — meaning that the parish is now officially allowed to conduct spiritual activities including holy Mass — marked the end of a long process for the largest congregation of Chaldeans in Canada. It was followed by a Sunday Mass celebrated by Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly, the patriarch of the global Chaldean Catholic Church, which is an Eastern Church in full communion with the Roman Catholic Church. “This was a very significant event for us,” said Deacon Wamid Shamoon. “Since building this church in 2001, the community… we were all waiting for this moment.”

Teens launch CD to raise funds for youth ministry

June 1, 2011

OSHAWA, Ont. - While some youth raise funds at their parish by having bake sales or car washes, the youth in St. Gertrude’s Life Teen Band decided to do something a little different: they recorded a CD. And on June 4, the band celebrated the launch of Sing with a Joyful Heart with a concert at St. Gertrude’s parish in Oshawa. All funds raised from the concert and CD sales will support the parish’s new Edge and Life Teen programs, parish-based youth ministry programs designed to help youth learn more about their Catholic faith and develop a deeper relationship with God. “We hope this CD stays with the band members as they leave high school, get further education and eventually enter the work force, get married or enter religious life,” said Eamonn Doyle, band leader. “And hopefully the CD will act as a reminder of how their faith grew during the process of making this.” The CD is made up of 14 songs — with half sung by the entire group and the other half sung by soloists.

Brian Lilley brings Catholic perspective to news desk

June 1, 2011

OTTAWA - It’s rare for an outspoken, socially conservative Catholic to host a prime time news and opinion program on a mainstream media network, and Sun Media’s Brian Lilley is not wasting his moment. When his 9 p.m. (ET) program Byline launched April 18 on the new Sun News channel, Sun Media’s senior parliamentary reporter waded right into one of the most politically incorrect subjects inside the Ottawa Queensway — abortion. “I like a good debate, so I jump right in and say, ‘let’s talk about this,’ ” said Lilley in an interview in the conference room of Sun Media’s brand new newsroom and studio in Ottawa. “It’s assumed that a lot of these issues are settled. The abortion issue is settled and we don’t need to ever discuss it. That is the prevailing view. And then it’s discussed in the dying days of every election campaign as an issue to scare people,” he said, noting none of the major political parties are pro-life.

More funding sought for seniors’ home care

June 1, 2011

TORONTO - The Ontario Community Support Association wants to make home and community care a funding priority in Ontario to allow seniors and those affected by illness to live in their own homes as long as possible. The OCSA, the voice of the province’s non-profit home and community care sector, launched its Aging With Dignity campaign in May. “What we need to do is help people live healthily in their own homes rather than waiting until they’re sick and going into long-term care,” said Susan Thorning, CEO of the OCSA. “(We have) a health-care system that focuses on sickness, on getting sick people well, on doctors and hospitals. We need to do a little bit of a shift and focus on prevention and wellness.” Keeping people healthy and at home through part-time preventative care, Thorning said, is not only good for the individual but is also more cost-effective than long-term care.

Salvadoran soldiers indicted for 1989 slayings

June 1, 2011

MADRID - Spain’s National Court has invoked a special law to order the arrest and trial of 20 former Salvadoran military officers for the 1989 murder of six Jesuit priests, their housekeeper and her daughter. Five of the six Jesuits were naturalized Salvadorans of Spanish birth. In announcing the charges, the Spanish court invoked its universal jurisdiction law, which says that some crimes are so grave they can be tried anywhere. Issuing an indictment May 20, Judge Eloy Velasco Nunez said El Salvador’s juridical process “was a defective and widely criticized process that ended with two forced convictions and acquittals even of confessed killers.” Among those he indicted were a former Salvadoran defense minister. A 1993 UN Truth Commission report said high-ranking Salvadoran military officials were responsible for ordering the murders and ordered a cover-up.

French arm of D&P demands restored funding to Mexican group

June 1, 2011

Members of D&P in Francophone Canada have demanded restoration of funding to the Mexican human rights organization that apparently endorses a campaign for legal access to first trimester abortions throughout Mexico. [images/stories/logos/logos11/dplogo2011.jpg]New funding rules and the process of setting new directions for the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P) are running into stiff opposition in Quebec and New Brunswick. Members of D&P in Francophone Canada used their regional assembly meeting to demand restoration of funding to Centro PRODH, the Mexican human rights organization that has drawn heat for apparently endorsing a campaign for legal access to first trimester abortions throughout Mexico. D&P had ended its funding relationship with Centro PRODH based on doubts expressed by Mexico’s conference of Catholic bishops. In April Archbishop Terrence Prendergast and D&P cancelled an Ottawa speaking engagement with Centro PRODH executive director Fr. Luis Arriaga. Arriaga was photographed accepting an award from an organization that promotes legal access to abortion.

Youth Speak News retreat weekend

June 1, 2011

TORONTO - The Youth Speak News team of writers gathered at the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto May 27-29 for the annual Youth Speak News retreat. The weekend combined faith, journalism workshops and fun.

Musicians prepare for missal changes

June 1, 2011

TORONTO - Some 500 parish musicians from across Southern Ontario came together May 28 for a crash course to prepare them for the implementation of the third edition of the Roman Missal. The musicians gathered at Toronto’s Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary parish for a day-long symposium on the impending changes. The new missal, which will be used in English-speaking churches around the globe beginning on the first Sunday of Advent, contains changes in almost all parts of the Mass — changes especially important to musicians, according to event organizer Bill Targett. “The musicians are on the front line,” said Targett, director of the archdiocese of Toronto’s Office of Formation for Discipleship.

June 2

Pope says Moses mediated for Israel as Christ mediated for mankind

June 2, 2011

VATICAN CITY - Moses was willing to sacrifice himself to God for the sins of the people of Israel, just as Jesus Christ later sacrificed himself for the sins of humanity, Pope Benedict XVI said. In his weekly audience June 1 in St. Peter's Square, Pope Benedict said that the intercession of Moses, in which he asked God's forgiveness on behalf of others, invites Christians to recognize their sins and be saved through God's mercy. The explanation about the role of Moses was the latest in a series of papal audience talks emphasizing the importance of prayer and its transformative power. Pope Benedict recounted the story from the Book of Exodus when Moses, who had been fasting for 40 days to prepare for receiving the Ten Commandments, is told by an angry God that in his absence the people of Israel have made a golden calf to worship.