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January 2012

January 24

This time, the court hears the voice of the people

January 24, 2012

It is all too common (and often exasperating) when the ground beneath us shifts on morality issues and common decency. It is easy to shake our head and say, “This sort of stuff wouldn’t have happened in the Canada I grew up in.” These shifts occur for many reasons, from the silent majority saying nothing about the latest “Politically Correct” silliness to politicians bowing to the pressure from small, but effective, special interest groups. Sadly, the courts are also to blame by too often protecting the rights of offenders ahead of the rights of victims and the community at large.

When Catholics meet over a cup of tea

January 24, 2012

When I was a child in Toronto, there was tea and coffee after the 11:30 Mass. I remember chairs set up in the parish hall, and urns on long tables placed end to end. There were cookies and, on exciting occasions, baked goods for sale by the youth group or the Catholic Women’s League. And there were an awful lot of grown-ups. Certainly there were more grown-ups than there were kids my age. Thus, although I enjoyed seeing the same adult faces week after week, I did not appreciate after-Mass coffee as much as my parents seemed to do. But being an adult myself now, I throw myself whole-heartedly into after-Mass coffee. I find its dynamics, rituals and potential for community building absolutely fascinating. I would no sooner miss after-Mass coffee than I would leave church before the organist’s postlude or forget to make my thanksgiving prayers.

Troubled airwaves

January 24, 2012

So, people constantly ask in exasperation, “What’s the world coming to?” In the U.K., what it’s coming to are television and radio advertisements to promote private, for-profit abortion services. This regrettable development is the result of a regulatory change that, critics say, means abortion will be advertised into family homes as casually as toothpaste and breakfast cereal after new rules kick in April 30.

More Anglican moral excesses are about to catch a wave

January 24, 2012

LONDON, ENGLAND - It’s more tragedy than Trollope, but my golly the Church of England has unwittingly become a producer of contemporary folly. The latest episode concerns a controversial gay dean who has threatened to take the Church of England to court after he was blocked from becoming a bishop. There are lots of deans, canons, bishops and such like in the Anglican Communion. In this case, however, the Very Rev. Jeffrey John, dean of St. Albans, just north of London, is quite well-known.

Fighting back against Obama’s divide-and-conquer approach

January 24, 2012

It’s rare that a bishop indicates publicly how he intends to vote. But recent events provoked just such a response in the United States. President Barack Obama announced on Jan. 20 that his health care plan would require all employers to purchase health insurance for their employees which would cover contraception, sterilization and abortion-inducing drugs. While churches with a moral objection would be exempt, universities and hospitals would not be. The upshot would be that Catholic institutions would be forced to purchase products directly contrary to the dictates of a conscience properly formed by the teaching of the Church.

Miss America knows gifts are from God

January 24, 2012

MILWAUKEE — All smiles, Susan Kaeppeler, fourth-grade teacher at Kenosha’s St. Joseph Academy’s lower campus, was greeted with the red-carpet treatment when she arrived to class Jan. 16 after a whirlwind weekend where she saw her oldest daughter, Laura, crowned Miss America. The 23-year-old brunette won the Miss America title in Las Vegas Jan. 14. “Some of the parents decorated her classroom, and made some posters and put them up in the gym as the school day began,” said Pauline McTernan, St. Joseph development director.

Loretto Sisters to host trafficking conference

January 24, 2012

TORONTO - For 400 years Loretto Sisters have been working to raise the dignity of women. It started with girls’ schools in 17th-century England, but now the Sisters want to take on criminals who sell girls into sexual slavery. “We have to read the signs of the times, so we have to say ‘What would (Loretto founder Mary Ward) think was needed now if she were here today?’ ” said Sr. Maria Lanthier, co-ordinator of a March 24 conference on human trafficking. “This is one of the biggest issues that keeps women down — trafficking. It’s the second biggest criminal industry in the world.”

Religious leaders meet with minister to discuss Office of Religious Freedom

January 24, 2012

TORONTO - Minister of Foreign Affairs John Baird met with a group of religious leaders in Toronto Jan. 18 to continue discussions on the soon-to-launch Office of Religious Freedom. “The only thing the minister said is that this office is for religious minorities abroad — not at home — and it has a budget of $5 million,” said Imam Abdul Hai Patel, who was in attendance at the consultation. But there was not a clear answer as to how this is going to be enforced, he said.

Bishop Campbell passes after long illness

January 24, 2012

ANTIGONISH, N.S. - Bishop Colin Campbell, bishop emeritus of the diocese of Antigonish, died Jan. 17 after a lengthy illness. Bishop Campbell had been living in a Halifax nursing home for the last number of years after retiring in October 2002 for health reasons. “As you are probably aware Bishop Campbell had been experiencing serious health concerns over the past few years; however, his health was in serious decline over the past few months, “ Fr. Paul Abbass, diocesan spokesman and vicar general, said in a statement on the diocese’s web site.

January 25

Consecrated life means living for God, others, pope says at audience

January 25, 2012

VATICAN CITY - Consecrated life entails giving oneself completely to God and living for others, Pope Benedict XVI said. Speaking at his weekly general audience Jan. 25, the Pope continued his catechesis on Christian prayer, looking at the Last Supper, when Jesus instituted the Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood. The Pope said Jesus prayed for God's intercession for his disciples, who, like himself, "do not belong to the world."

More victims than expected make claims against Antigonish diocese

January 25, 2012

Money for sexual abuse victims in the diocese of Antigonish is being spread thinner than expected as the number of people seeking compensation has grown to about 140. At the same time, the diocese of Antigonish has had to borrow $2 million in bridge financing to make its second payment on a $15 million class-action settlement reached in 2009. The unexpected number of claimants, plus a number of victims who have opted out of the settlement to pursue individual lawsuits, could have triggered a collapse of the 2009 settlement. Victims had the option of withdrawing from the class action if it exceeded more than 70 claims. The diocese had the option to withdraw if anyone “opted out,” said John McKiggan, the lawyer for class action plaintiffs.

Making spiritual changes on our journey with God

January 25, 2012

My main resolution this year has been to attend my church’s noon choir rehearsal every Sunday and to be punctual. During 2011, my choir attendance was sporadic at best, despite the fact that I feel closer to the Lord when I praise Him in song. I decided to make my New Year’s resolution faith-based. At the time of writing, three Sundays have passed, and I have yet to be on time for choir rehearsal, for various reasons. However, I still take my resolution seriously and refuse to give up on the promise I have made to myself.

Student-run clothing line shines a light on sweatshops

January 25, 2012

TORONTO - Environmentally friendly and ethically manufactured fashions for a good cause: this is the premise of Clothes Matter, a second-hand and locally made clothing line based in Toronto. Officially launched in the fall, Clothes Matter was founded by Shurley Sun, 17, a Grade 12 student at Loretto Abbey. Sun started the non-profit clothing line to raise money for 1Focus, a student-run charity aimed at making change, one year at a time. This year’s 1Focus mission is to raise $10,000 for schools run by the Loreto Sisters in Darjeeling, India.

Friar’s Essay winners announced, students take home an iPad2 and Kindle Fire

January 25, 2012

TORONTO - Natalie Wong is the first-place winner of the Friar’s Essay Contest sponsored by the Franciscan Friars of the Atonement and The Catholic Register for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. High school students between the ages of 14 and 18 were asked to submit an essay no longer than 500 words answering the question: “What must be changed in order to attain Christian unity in the Church?” Students were asked to reflect on the Scripture passage of 1 Corinthians 15:51-58, given the theme for this year’s Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Jan. 18-25: “We will all be changed.”

Sprucing up your prayer life can help bring you closer to God

January 25, 2012

TORONTO - With the busy schedule of a university student, Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt was finding it difficult to fit prayer into her regular routine during her school years. To remedy this, her spiritual director suggested she get creative, recommending a variety of different prayer styles. “She said Jesus is not expecting the friendship to look any one way,” said Nicholas-Schmidt, program director at Faith Connections, the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto’s youth ministry. “How can we talk to Jesus in a way that fits in with our lives no matter where we are on the journey?”

Showdown may loom as Catholic schools keep up with changing times

January 25, 2012

TORONTO - The Marshall Medium student newspaper was looking for hot topics for its spring 2011 issue. So when 12th-grader Erica Lenti pitched a story about the gay-straight alliances springing up in Ontario schools, the newspaper staff was sold. Lenti interviewed staff and students at Marshall McLuhan Catholic Secondary School in Toronto and the article passed through editing. But when Lenti picked up a copy of The Medium, she learned her story had been pulled. Her facts were incorrect, she was told. Her take: school administrators wanted nothing to do with the topic.

Ukrainian Synod coming to Canada

January 25, 2012

OTTAWA - This year the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada marks the 100th anniversary of the arrival of his first bishop, Blessed Nykyta Budka, with a number of special events planned in celebration. The anniversary will be marked with events that are historically significant in themselves, said Winnipeg Ukrainian Catholic Archbishop Lawrence Huculak, including the annual Synod of Ukrainian Catholic Bishops in Winnipeg Sept. 9-16, gathering bishops from around the world. Huculak said Canada’s hosting of the Synod comes “as an affirmation of Bishop Budka’s life and the life of Ukrainian Catholics in Canada” who came here for economic or political reasons to make better lives for themselves.

Evangelization can never be just a marginal concern, pope says

January 25, 2012

VATICAN CITY - Evangelization must never be a marginal concern for the church, Pope Benedict XVI said. From bishops to religious and the lay community, "All elements of the great mosaic of the church must feel themselves strongly called on by the Lord's mandate to preach the Gospel, so that Christ may be proclaimed everywhere," the Pope said in his message for World Mission Sunday. The annual observance will be marked Oct. 21 at the Vatican and in most countries.

January 26

Congo's bishops: Elections 'stained,' council must acknowledge errors

January 26, 2012

KINSHASA, Congo - Months after Congo's general elections, the nation's bishops continue to speak out about the legitimacy of the results. "We believe that the electoral process is stained by serious irregularities which raise questions about the published results," the bishops' conference said in mid-January. "We call on the organizers to have the courage and honesty to draw the necessary conclusions." The bishops called on members of the National Electoral Council to "have the courage to question their own practices, or if not, step down."

Vatican signs treaties against drug trade, organized crime, terrorism

January 26, 2012

VATICAN CITY - The Vatican has signed three international treaties supporting the fight against the illegal drug trade, financing terrorism and organized crime. By signing onto these international legal instruments Jan. 25, the Vatican "confirms its intention as well as its effective and practical commitment to collaborate with the international community in a manner consistent with its nature and mission, with a view to guaranteeing international peace and justice," wrote Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, the Vatican secretary for relations with states.