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May 2012

May 18

More than half of Ontarians against funding Catholic schools

May 18, 2012

TORONTO - The majority of Ontarians are opposed to the public funding of the Catholic education system, according to a survey by Forum Research. Of 1,072 randomly selected adults polled on May 14, a standard sample size for Ontario, 53 per cent disagreed with current economic support of Catholic schools. This is a four-per-cent jump since Forum Research last asked the question in January. Forty per cent of respondents favoured funding Catholic boards while six per cent were unsure.

Salt+Light doc on St. Peter’s Seminary windows takes home Gabriel glory

May 18, 2012

Fr. Michael Prieur has lived at St. Peter’s Seminary in London, Ont., for more than 50 years. For 40 of those years, he never paid attention to the stained glass windows in the chapel. “And then one day I wondered why St. Jerome was dressed up like a cardinal when there was no such outfit in the days that he lived,” Prieur told The Catholic Register.

May 19

NATO summit, protests provide some lessons for Catholic school students

May 19, 2012

CHICAGO - With world leaders descending on Chicago for the May 20-21 NATO summit, some Catholic school teachers were incorporating lessons about the political-military alliance for their students. And with thousands of people coming to the city to demonstrate and draw attention to focus on issues ranging from war to the environment to poverty, they included a lesson or two about the history of protests, too. "Since the time of Christ, people have been protesting," said Mary Lee Calihan, principal of Old St. Mary's School. "What's a useful form of protest? What have people done? What has been effective?"

May 20

Dominican boils down 700 years of European art history

May 20, 2012

TORONTO - There’s no time like the present, except of course the past. Dominican art historian Fr. Marius Zerafa knows the past and refuses to romanticize it. “Human nature has remained very much as it was in the Old Testament,” he told The Catholic Register in an interview. The golden age of sacred art was never quite so golden as it’s generally portrayed. Even 450 years ago, cardinals and bishops at the Council of Trent worried over the degeneration, immorality and self-indulgence of contemporary art.

US, UK faith-based agencies aim to halt trafficking at London Olympics

May 20, 2012

WASHINGTON - More than three dozen U.S. and British faith-based investment firms have banded together to get the Summer Olympics' major sponsors and tourist hotels to sign a pledge saying they will work to stop human trafficking around the Olympic Games. So far, the campaign has had some success.

One man’s vision guides St. Peter’s Seminary's first century

May 20, 2012

LONDON, ONT. - As St. Peter’s Seminary in London gears up to celebrate its 100th anniversary with ceremonies and lectures and the publication of a lavishly illustrated history book, the overriding feeling being expressed is grateful amazement that the place is here at all. There are only two other English-speaking seminaries in all of Canada — St. Augustine’s in Toronto, which was conceived at roughly the same time, and the newer St. Joseph’s situated three provinces to the west in Edmonton.

Kirkpatrick bishop appointment means there's a new lawman in town

May 20, 2012

TORONTO - Msgr. Wayne Kirkpatrick is about to join Toronto's team of bishops with the credentials of a lawman. But he's a canon lawyer who has never forgotten that canon law has a purpose. "Canon law is very pastoral," Kirkpatrick told The Catholic Register May 18, the day his appointment as auxiliary bishop was announced. "The law of love is supreme. And that's reflected in our canons. The (1983) Code (of Canon Law) is developed from the teachings of the Second Vatican Council." The 54-year-old Kirkpatrick studied canon law at Saint Paul University in Ottawa, taking his licentiate in 1990. His studies in canon law prepared him for work as judicial vicar, chancellor of the diocese of St. Catharines and his current job as moderator of the St. Catharines' curia.

Bishops: Canadians experience 'worrisome erosion' of religious rights

May 20, 2012

OTTAWA - Canada's Catholic bishops have published a defense of freedom of conscience and religious freedom as these universal rights come under increasing threat around the world. The Catholic community and other religious groups are "experiencing a worrisome erosion" of these freedoms, said Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops president Archbishop Richard Smith in an open letter introducing the "Pastoral Letter on Freedom of Conscience and Religious freedom" published May 14 at www.cccb.ca. (Right-click and save-as to download the letter as a PDF)

Violence in Latin America seen as a threat to US security

May 20, 2012

WASHINGTON - In a country that has seen more than 50,000 deaths in six years, it took the finding of 49 headless bodies, some also missing arms or legs, to shock Mexican officials. The discovery of the bodies, on a road about 120 miles from the United States, highlighted a problem addressed recently during a spring meeting at the World Bank headquarters in Washington. Outgoing World Bank President Robert B. Zoellick warned that the violence doesn't solely threaten Latin American citizens. It also poses a security threat to the United States, he said. "The U.S. (needs) to take it seriously as a nation," he said, addressing an audience gathered for a forum on "Reducing Murder Rates in Central America: Searching for Solutions."

May 21

Faith in the footlights: Religion gets a curtain call on Broadway

May 21, 2012

NEW YORK - Can it be? Has Broadway found religion? According to one recent article, a bumper crop of faith-themed shows, like "Jesus Christ Superstar," "Godspell," "Book of Mormon" and "Sister Act," has transformed Broadway into a "highway to heaven." So why the great awakening on the Great White Way?

To filmmaker, 88-year-old WWII POW documentary subject is still 'Daddy'

May 21, 2012

WASHINGTON - Paul Loong was determined to survive the POW camps where he was held by the Japanese for three years. While imprisoned, Loong kept a journal that had a chance of surviving him if he never made it out alive. But Loong did. And he made his way to the United States, got married and had a daughter, Theresa, who accidentally stumbled upon her father's journal. She eventually picked up a video camera and started asking him questions about what he had written when he was in captivity. The result is an hourlong documentary, "Every Day Is a Holiday," which airs in May and June on public television stations. (Check local listings for dates and times.)

Blair says without faith, world would head for tragedy, disaster

May 21, 2012

LONDON - Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair made an impassioned defense of religion, saying the world would be heading for tragedy and disaster without faith. In a May 14 interview in front of more than 4,300 people at an Anglican conference in the Royal Albert Hall, London, Blair also revealed that he had once been rebuked by an official for proposing to end a speech with the words: "God bless Britain."

May 22

Church offers aid, prayers to people left homeless by Italy earthquake

May 22, 2012

BOLOGNA, Italy - Church agencies stepped up efforts to support local parishes providing assistance to nearly 5,000 people left homeless by a magnitude 6 earthquake in northern Italy. Caritas Italy, part of the Catholic church's international aid network, was among the first agencies to respond May 20 by sending staff to the affected communities about 22 miles north of Bologna. The Italian government was assessing damage May 21 and considered declaring a state of emergency.

Pope calls on Chinese Catholics to be faithful to church, Pope

May 22, 2012

VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI called on Chinese Catholics to be faithful to the Pope, asked that mass media worldwide promote mutual respect and dialogue, and prayed for those hit by a deadly earthquake near Bologna and a school bombing in Brindisi. After reciting the "Regina Coeli" prayer with those gathered in St. Peter's Square May 20, the Pope denounced a May 19 bombing of a high school in southern Italy, calling it "a vile attack."

The Catholic Register wins 15 awards at Church Press gala

May 22, 2012

TORONTO - With associate editor Michael Swan taking three first-place prizes, The Catholic Register led all Catholic publications by winning 15 Awards of Merit on May 11 at the annual Canadian Church Press awards banquet. In total, The Register won four first-place awards, six seconds, three thirds and two honourable mentions. “It was a remarkable year for our team of reporters, editors and designers,” said Publisher and Editor Jim O’Leary. “We work hard to bring our readers quality journalism so it’s heartening when a panel of impartial judges recognizes the work we do.”

Anglican archbishop suspended after rape allegations found unproven

May 22, 2012

SYDNEY - The governing body of the Traditional Anglican Communion has suspended Archbishop John Hepworth, whose allegations that he was raped more than 40 years ago as a young Catholic priest by three other clerics were found to be unsubstantiated by investigators. The disciplinary action by the College of Bishops makes Archbishop Hepworth ineligible to continue in his role as bishop ordinary of the Anglican Catholic Church in Australia and as head of the Traditional Anglican Communion, the breakaway group seeking membership in the Anglican ordinariate established by Pope Benedict XVI.

Pope tells Cardinals, 'We are on the Lord's team, the winning team'

May 22, 2012

VATICAN CITY - "We are on the Lord's team, the winning team," Pope Benedict XVI told members of the College of Cardinals at the end of a luncheon he hosted to thank them for their friendship and support. At the end of the meal in the frescoed Sala Ducale of the Apostolic Palace May 21, the Pope told the Cardinals that St. Augustine once described history as "a battle between two loves," love for oneself and love for God.

Irish bishops support idea of national day of atonement for abuse

May 22, 2012

DUBLIN - Irish bishops said they would support the establishment of a national day of atonement where the church, the government and wider society could seek forgiveness for abuse suffered by former residents of state-funded, church-run institutions. A spokesman for the bishops said they would not oppose the idea of such an event provided it was "sensitively organized" and not rushed.

Vowing change, Legion head admits he knew of US priest's transgressions

May 22, 2012

ROME - The head of the Legionaries of Christ admitted he knew about the sexual improprieties of a U.S. priest based in Rome and did too little to restrict his high-profile ministry. But more important than his failure to limit the priest's ministry, he said, is the need to reassure members "that things are handled differently now."

Evangelization starts at home

May 22, 2012

My seven-year-old recently made his First Communion. He is one of two children to take this life-changing spiritual step in our rural Nova Scotia parish. That’s right, one of only two. I’m sure there are other children in our countryside community who should have joined them, but for many reasons those children did not prepare for the sacrament. Most don’t even attend Mass, even though their parents did so as children.