Browse › 2012 › November

November 2012

November 1

Supreme Court to hear prostitution appeal

November 1, 2012

OTTAWA - The Supreme Court of Canada has agreed to hear an appeal of an Ontario Court of Appeal ruling that upheld most of a lower court’s decision to strike down some of Canada’s prostitution laws. The federal government had applied for leave to appeal to the Supreme Court in late May. Prostitution is not illegal in Canada, but activities surrounding it are: soliciting for the purposes of prostitution, running a brothel or bawdy house and living off the avails of prostitution or pimping. But in a landmark ruling March 26, the Ontario Court of Appeal rendered a decision that legalizes brothels and allows prostitutes to hire protection and other staff. Public solicitation and pimping remain illegal but the court ruled that prostitutes have a constitutional right to work in safe environments such as an organized brothel. However, the Ontario court suspended implementation of its decision for one year to give Parliament time to amend the criminal code. The Catholic Civil Rights League welcomed news of the appeal. “With our partners REAL Women of Canada and Christian Legal Fellowship, we have been intervenors in this case from its beginning in Ontario Superior Court,” said league executive director Joanne McGarry. “Our position was and remains that while the law is not perfect, any liberalization of it would not improve prostitutes’ safety, and would make it easier to lure and exploit vulnerable girls and women “Evidence from other jurisdictions suggests that when legalization occurs, the illegal side of the business continues to flourish,” she said in a statement. REAL Women of Canada national vice president Gwendolyn Landolt says she and the other two groups expect to file their intention to intervene by next April. Landolt said REAL Women would like to see prostitution itself prohibited. “We do want to see that women who are prostitutes have an option to get off the streets, into safe houses and to receive treatment,” said Landolt, who noted many have problems with alcohol or drugs and sell sex to maintain their addictions. “They need help. You don’t encourage them by widening the law.” She said cases where prostitution laws have been loosened have not brought more safe conditions for prostitutes. “Brothels do not protect women,” she said. “In the Netherlands, one-third of brothels had to be shut down because the criminal element became involved. “Prostitution is inherently dangerous, no matter what circumstances are involved.” Landolt warned about the consequences to women and children who are being trafficked into, out of or across Canada into the sex trade. Canada is already a transit country for traffickers bringing sex slaves into the United States, she said. Aboriginal women and children are especially vulnerable to trafficking. “Human trafficking is one of the most lucrative criminal undertakings in the world,” she said, along with the sale of illegal weapons and the drug trade.

Toronto remembers the Holocaust

November 1, 2012

TORONTO - Pope John Paul II called for the healing and purification of memories in 1994 as he looked forward to the new millennium. The 32nd annual Toronto Holocaust Education Week will try to put that healing and purification in context by concentrating on a "Culture of Memory." Schools, parishes, libraries, synagogues, theatres and art galleries will all take part in eight days of events examining the history of the Nazi plan which killed off six million Jews in the name of a "final solution." The Toronto event is the largest annual Holocaust education undertaking in the world. The Nov. 1 to 8 program will open with a conversation at the Royal Ontario Museum between authors Nathan Englander and Sara Horowitz about how literature has dealt with the Holocaust, 7:30 p.m., Nov. 1. Englander is author of a short story collection called What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank and Horowitz teaches a course at Toronto's York University called "Imagining Anne Frank: The Girl, the Diary, the Afterlives." The closing night will feature the Artists of the Royal Conservatory ARC Ensemble performing music by composers who survived the death camps. The Nov. 8 performance at the Beth Tzedec Congregation synagogue will close with a candlelight commemoration of the 74th anniversary of Kristallnacht and Canadian war veterans honouring Remembrance Day. Other notable events include a lecture by Polish theologian and sociologist Zbigniew Nosowski on efforts of the Polish Church to promote interest in Poland's Jewish roots and Polish Catholics who restore Jewish cemeteries at the University of St. Michael's College Nov. 7. Reinhold Boschki, a University of Bonn professor of education and advisor to the German conference of Catholic bishops, speaks about the future of Holocaust education at Kehillat Shaarei Torah Nov. 7. Sr. Audrey Gerwing will moderate a discussion following a screening of The Ninth Day, a film about Abbe Henri Kremer on a nine-day leave from the Dachau concentration camp at St. Gabriel of the Sorrowful Virgin Church Nov. 7. The complete program can be downloaded at http://holocaustcentre.com. Most events are free.

75 years living the Gospel

November 1, 2012

The Felician Sisters this year look back on 75 years of careful, quiet and competent work on behalf of people the rest of us have brushed aside. A human scale and a human touch have been their hallmark. “Our goals are more modest in terms of structures and things like that,” explains Felician Sister Shelley Marie Jeffrey. “We just think it’s more important to touch people’s spirit than to be behind something that people will look at and say ‘Wow.’ ” In 1937, in the teeth of the Great Depression, most of the sisters were Polish immigrants or daughters of Polish immigrants. They arrived in a poor, immigrant neighbourhood near Dundas and Bathurst Streets where men were unemployed or on the road or both and women were struggling to keep families together and their kids in school. The sisters set themselves up as go-betweens, translating and interpreting the English world to the Polish immigrants, helping the kids with homework, gathering women to talk over troubles and challenges, keeping the youngest safe and occupied. In the forms of after-school programs, youth drop-ins, ESL classes for adults and computer classes, the work the Felicians began in 1937 continues today. “We still work with immigrants. There are a lot of families whom we serve that are new to Canada,” Jeffrey said. In 1937 the broken economy produced its share of broken people. That hasn’t changed either. The sisters still feed and clothe people who are never going to be contributors to the economy. “The people we serve are the lepers of society,” Jeffrey said. “I don’t mean that in a derogatory way. But they’re the outcast people that we don’t want around. They’re mentally ill.They’re addicted. They don’t present themselves very well.” Hot meals and clean clothes available at the St. Felix Centre only open the door to what the Felicians really offer to the poor, said St. Felix Centre executive director Paddy Bowen. “We are not in the business of changing people. We are in the business of accepting them — where they are and what they are.” Foundations and governments mostly want agencies to fix the poor — get them jobs, find housing, cure addictions and illnesses. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the sisters are there for a different purpose, said Bowen. “We are actually not in the fixing or changing or transforming arena. Although, what you find of course is that there is nothing more transforming than being accepted,” she said. The next step after acceptance is community. By offering people meals in a human-scale, intimate dining room and allowing time to sit and talk, the sisters have for years invited people into their community. It’s that sense of community that makes the St. Felix Centre a little different from the 75 other drop-ins in Toronto. The St. Felix Centre community extends well beyond the poor, homeless and socially isolated. The centre runs with just seven full-time staff and 450 volunteers. But this last year the invitation has gone a step further. The Felicians no longer live in the gingerbread mansion that was their convent back in 1937. A group of women and their children now occupy the house, which will soon undergo renovations so it can comfortably house even more. “We developed that program specifically not to be a rooming house,” said Jeffrey. “But to be a community. That’s what we know. We know the value of it and we know the challenges of it.” It’s a classic case of a religious order sharing its charism — letting everybody in on their mission. “Our call is to live in Franciscan community. It is to live in simplicity. It’s to be responsive,” Jeffrey said. “We’re not unique in that, but we find ways to be unique. We’ve never specialized in one ministry. There are no two people in our community doing the same thing.” Nor are the Felicians satisfied to keep doing the same thing year after year. The neighbourhood around the St. Felix Centre is changing rapidly with injections of new money , condos and professionals who choose a downtown lifestyle. The sisters have been looking around to see where their talent for creating community might be needed more. At 2195 Jane St., a 46-year-old, 11-storey tower operated by Toronto Community Housing Corp., the sisters have launched a weekly communal dinner for Jane- Finch residents. Depending how local partners and the community react, the program may expand to seven days a week. For the sisters, discernment means slowly and carefully figuring out what people really need and how they can help. “Given our resources, given our experience, what can we offer that other people can’t?” is the central question, said Jeffrey. “The Felicians are down to under 40 in Canada,” said Bowen. “How often do we see a group of people who just selflessly dedicate their lives to living for other people? “The new evangelization is terribly challenging but it’s also really exciting,” said Jeffrey. “Our main approach to evangelization here is, we don’t try to evangelize except by the way we live the Gospel values.”

Your faith can guide you in estate planning

November 1, 2012

What is the difference between a Catholic estate plan and a purely secular estate plan? The answer is simple: a Catholic estate plan is one that takes our Catholic faith into account when making decisions surrounding end-of-life issues. Here are just a few examples of how our faith can come into effect: o Living Wills — Power of Attorney (POA) for Personal Care: this allows us to appoint someone to make decisions for us with respect to life support, artificial feeding and other medical measures in the unfortunate event that we become incapacitated. When creating a POA for personal care we should do our best to ensure it adheres to Church teaching on end-of-life issues. Do your research before you see your lawyer so you can instruct him/ her properly as to what you are trying to achieve. If you have any questions, you can consult your priest, the Catechism of the Catholic Church and the Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute (CCBI). CCBI is affiliated with the University of St. Michael’s College and seeks to promote and protect the dignity of the human person through ethics research and education in health care and the life sciences. The institute is a wonderful resource you can use to explore the Catholic Church’s position on everything from organ donation, assisted suicide and other end-of-life issues (www.ccbi-utoronto.ca). o Having a Funeral Mass: The sad truth is that there are many children who are no longer practising the faith. Many practising Catholics assume that when they pass away that non-practising family and friends will know to have a funeral Mass celebrated for them. Unfortunately this is not always the case. The best way to ensure that you have a funeral Mass is to make your wishes known. o Masses in your Will: Many people don’t know this, but you can put it into your Will to have a Mass said for the repose of your soul. The Development Office of the Archdiocese of Toronto has the wording you can share with your lawyer. o Using Catholic Advisors: Lawyers, accountants and financial advisors are kneeling in the pews beside us every Sunday and we just don’t know it. As Catholics, we are used to saying, “Peace be with you” and then leaving our parish as soon as Mass is over. The archdiocese of Toronto has spent the last five years building a list of advisors that you can access. If you would like assistance in finding a lawyer to help you with your Will and POA preparation, contact the Development Office. o Estate Planning Checklists: Have you ever wished that you could find a simple tool to guide you through everything you need to do in your Will preparation and estate trustee selection? The archdiocese of Toronto has Will planning and estate trustees’ checklists that you can use. And best of all they were written with our Catholic faith in mind. Catholic action items include: suggesting that you put in your Will a request of the guardian of your children that they receive all of their sacraments as well as prompting your estate trustee to contact your parish when you pass away to request that they update the parish records. If you would like the checklists, contact the Development Office. o Burial Preparations: In the early days of the Church we used to bury our dead in catacombs. As time went on, we began burying our dead beside our parishes — as is the case with the quaint country parishes we drive by in rural areas with small cemeteries beside them. As cities grew, parish burial was no longer feasible due to space constraints. We began to have centralized locations that serviced multiple parishes — as is the case today with Catholic Cemeteries. A Catholic cemetery is much more than just a geographical location. It is consecrated ground and in a very real sense, a part of our parish. It has been set aside for God. Have you pre-planned your funeral arrangements with Catholic Cemeteries? If not, consider contacting them. They can answer any questions you may have, including ones surrounding cremation. o Where do we recognize Christ: An elderly woman once shared that when she was a little girl during the Great Depression her father lost his job just before Christmas. When Christmas day came, there was no dinner and no presents. This must have been very hard on her father. A knock came at the door and when her father answered it, there was a man with Christmas dinner and a shoebox gift for all the children. When she opened her shoebox she found a pair of red mitts inside. It was especially cold that winter and her exact words were that she thought they were a gift from heaven. She swore to herself that when the day came that she was able to give back to someone else, she would. It was at that moment that she recognized Christ. All of us can ask ourselves where in our lives we have recognized Christ. It is a very personal question and one that is best left to prayer. Your Will could be your opportunity to make that gift you always wanted to, but never thought you could. Perhaps you have been at your parish for over 30 years and want to remember your parish in your Will. Or perhaps there was a special priest who visited you or a loved one while sick and you want to honour that act of kindness with a gift to the seminary or The Shepherds’ Trust. You may want to help support people in need with a gift to ShareLife. There is no right or wrong answer. Pray about where the Lord has touched you in your life and direct your gift there. Ask God. He will never steer you wrong. The Development Office of the Archdiocese of Toronto has a free Catholic estate planning kit as a service to parishioners. To receive yours call (416) 934-3411 or e-mail [email protected].

Notre Dame sisters on the move

November 1, 2012

TORONTO - When Angela Farrell was unsure about a career change, she turned for guidance to the sisters at the Notre Dame convent in Toronto. “I think of the convent as the North Star,” she said. “This is the true north and you orient from there.” So she is saddened now to learn that her North Star will soon be dark. After 60 years, the convent on Kingston Road in Toronto’s east end is closing. The packing has already begun and the nuns, several in their 80s, are to all be moved by next August, although the date is not set in stone, says Sr. Eileen Power. She is clear the sisters are not leaving Toronto, but will cease to live in community as they move to other locations in the city. “We have been engaged in a process of long-term planning for some time now in our congregation and in our province and many other communities are doing this too,” said Power, the local house leader. “The location is no longer meeting our housing needs.” The convent and property will be sold but Power said she has no idea who the buyer will be. “Only God knows that right now,” she said. The convent has housed up to 20 people but is currently home to just 11 sisters, some of whom have lived there more than 40 years. The youngest is in her early 40s but most are retired. There are about two dozen Notre Dame sisters living in Toronto, said Power. “The sisters here are looking to the future with hope and courage and they are hearing God’s call in this,” she said. When Farrell was growing up in the neighbourhood, the convent was a much busier place. The Sisters of the Congregation of Notre Dame provided teachers for many east-end Catholic schools and, in 1941, founded Notre Dame High School, which still operates nearby the convent. Farrell almost always lived close to the sisters. A graduate of Notre Dame, she has taught religion and belonged to the chaplaincy team at the school the past 12 years. “My whole growing up was shaped by the presence of the sisters and there was always a sense of structure and security in knowing they were there,” she said. The order has been in Toronto for 80 years. The first nuns arrived in 1932 at the invitation of Archbishop Neil McNeil to bolster Toronto’s Catholic teaching community, originally settling in a convent near St. Brigid’s Church. Over the years, the sisters taught in more than 20 elementary schools and several high schools. They’ve also been active in parishes through outreach to the poor, catechetics, retreats and social justice initiatives. As their numbers increased, and after Notre Dame High School was built, the sisters obtained a plot of land near the school for a convent. It has been occupied since 1952 but, with vocations in dramatic decline, some difficult decisions were required. “I think most families experience this,” Power said. “The kids grow up and move away and three or four bedrooms are empty and the parents say, ‘We need to do something now.’ We don’t have a lot of younger people at the moment here in Toronto.” Power said it is important that the order prudently manage its resources. “We pool our resources as sisters and then we support people who are doing other ministries,” she said, highlighting activities for social justice in Central America, Africa, Japan, France, the United States, as well as across Canada. Nancy Devitt-Tremblay, a Notre Dame graduate (class of 1974), says the sisters gave the incredible gift of education to her mother’s generation. “My mother grew up in an inner-city parish at a time when her brothers didn’t go to high school,” said Devitt-Tremblay, a teacher at Senator O’Connor College School. “If Notre Dame hadn’t opened, she probably wouldn’t have had a high school education.” Ursula Thomson was a part of that generation. One of 16 members of the first graduating class in 1944, she keeps in touch with Notre Dame nuns almost 70 years later. She is grateful for the kindness, intelligence and devotion of the sisters. The relocation process for the 11 nuns still in the convent will be co-ordinated between the leadership and administrative team in Halifax, Power said.

Shepherd’s Trust cares for the priests that cared for us

November 1, 2012

TORONTO - A stack of Monopoly money sits on Marisa Rogucki’s desk, but she isn’t preparing for board game domination. Rogucki plans on taking the colourful bills to one of her clients, an elderly priest suffering from dementia. When he was younger, the priest would carry money in his pocket, readily available to be given to those he thought were more in need than himself, said Rogucki. “At this point in his life, he can only remember things that he has done in the past.” So now, to provide him with a sense of security in the long-term care facility where he resides, she’s bringing the priest the fake money so that he may share it with the staff and residents at the facility. “It might actually make him feel a little bit better about himself because now he doesn’t have any money in his pocket,” she said. As the priest’s power of attorney, Rogucki “tries as much as possible to give him a semblance of a life that he’s had before.” Rogucki co-ordinates the care of the 83 retired priests under the The Shepherds’ Trust, a retirement fund for priests of the archdiocese of Toronto. According to Rogucki, the plan is for the fund to be self-sufficient within seven to eight years. “This money will protect those retired now and those in the future for whatever they may need, whether it’s housing (or) health care,” she said. “My role as co-ordinator for the retired priests, for the archdiocese, is to care for their well-being, emotionally, physically, mentally, spiritually.” Rogucki has power of attorney for priests when they have no family or no family close by. She’s been taking care of priests up to and at the time of their death for the past eight years. About six years ago, she recalls her first death experience with one of the priests. Rogucki was travelling back and forth to his home. “We had just finished saying the rosary when he passed away. We all watched him just take his last breath,” she said. “Having had the opportunity to be by his side was very momentous, was very touching, something that I’ll never forget.” But priests are living longer, says Msgr. Ken Robitaille. “It’s important to always tell people that priests never retire,” he said. “We’re priests for life.” Robitaille was ordained at age 23 and retired in 2001. When priests retire, he said, they leave behind administration work. If they’re healthy enough, they will continue to do parish work, like helping out on weekends, which Robitaille has been doing for years. The monsignor, now 82, lives on his own and receives a monthly pension from The Shepherds’ Trust, but the organization is much more than a distributor of cheques. The trust keeps track of all the retired priests’ needs. It also helps priests find homes. There is no specific Shepherds’ Trust residence, so priests can live in different locations across the city and Canada or move back to their homelands. Some live with family or in facilities that care for those who need extra help. In Robitaille’s case, he lives in his own apartment. “Marisa helps us to find a place when we retire, nursing homes and things like that,” he said. “I’m looking after myself, but it’s more and more difficult because I have arthritis now.” Robitaille remembers a time years ago when there was no retirement support system and no pension fund for priests. “Before the (Second) Vatican Council, priests didn’t retire, they stayed on in the rectory until they died,” he said, because there was nowhere else to go. Younger, healthier priests would run the parish. “But after the Vatican Council, two things happened: priests are living longer and then all the social systems have changed with pensions and health plans,” said Robitaille. “Also after the Vatican Council, all priests and bishops had to retire at the age of 75.” The Shepherds’ Trust money goes directly to the diocesan priests, “and they are responsible for their own needs, whether it’s clothing or housing,” Rogucki said. For their religious order counterparts, the monies raised from religious order parishes is sent to their respective orders for their care. “We are happy the way we are cared for. And we are grateful for what the people give every year in The Shepherds’ Trust collection to maintain this retirement fund,” said Robitaille. “Fifty years ago, we didn’t have enough money to save. We weren’t making enough money to become part of the Canada Pension Plan.” Robitaille wants the laity within the diocese to know “that their priests are happy and being well taken care of.” And as for the younger priests coming into the priesthood, Robitaille said they can expect to be taken care of with a health plan and pension in their senior years. Still, when asked why people should donate, a question Rogucki has been asked many times over the years, she asks a question in return. “Who is the Church?” Her answer: “We are the Church.” Catholics look to priests during baptisms, communion, confirmation, marriage and death, she said. “So we have to put back into the Church what we got out of it when we needed it.” Being with the priests makes Rogucki happy. She organizes monthly luncheons and help for the priests for everyday things, including setting up utility bills and the Internet.

Pro-life activist Linda Gibbons counts on Christ’s strength

November 1, 2012

OTTAWA - Pro-life activist and Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medalist Linda Gibbons is back in prison, certain she is doing God’s work for praying outside an abortion facility. Police moved in and arrested her Oct. 30 after the 64-year-old great-grandmother prayed outside of the Morgentaler abortuary on Hillsdale Avenue in Toronto, breaking a temporary injunction prohibiting demonstrators from coming too close to the facility and impeding its business. Gibbons carried her usual sign depicting a picture of an infant and the words: “Why Mom? When I have so much to give.” Police moved in after about an hour and a half and arrested Gibbons. “We will remain free in our love, we will not be coerced by the government to turn our backs on the unborn child,” Gibbons told CCN in an exclusive phone interview from Toronto days before her latest arrest. “If that lands us in court, that’s a gift, another providential opportunity to do the Lord’s work. “When hoping and praying become a criminal activity, where is our freedom?” she asked. Gibbons said her fellow inmates often ask her how she can stand the confinement, and being away from her family. “I always tell the girls, ‘One day at a time with Jesus.’ It is Christ’s strength that gives you that fortitude to persevere,” she said. The injunction dates back to 1989 after the former Morgentaler clinic on Harbord Street was firebombed. Morgentaler built a bigger and more secure facility at the Hillsdale Avenue location that is covered by the temporary injunction creating a bubble zone around it. Gibbons recalled the first time she was arrested. She and some fellow pro-lifers were in the alley behind the facility praying in a circle. They were not blocking the entrance or talking to people or doing anything that might impede Morgentaler’s business operation, she said. She knew she would lose her job at military headquarters if she was arrested. But the words of Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane came to her: “Can you not pray with me for one hour?” She realized her job “is something I must lay down.” “Anything I put before Christ is not where I should be at the moment,” she said. “Doing the will of Christ is my first duty and the duty of the moment.” In between arrests Gibbons used to try to get a job so as to maintain her apartment, but she realized hanging onto her home or an income was unrealistic. “For 20 years, I have had no government support; I’m on no government program,” she said. “Pro-lifers have are carrying me through.” A great-grandmother of two, Gibbons does miss her family when she’s in prison. “I see this as a cost of doing business with the government,” she said. “I’m trying to leave a legacy for my grandchildren, so they don’t have to live in a society burdened by abortion.”

Every bequest is appreciated

November 1, 2012

TORONTO - Quentin Schesnuik was visiting St. Cecilia’s Church for an estate planning presentation when he spotted a little girl giving a leaf to the pastor. Fr. Joseph Tap Van Tran thanked her for the leaf, blessed her and kept the gift. “At the moment she gave it to him, she meant it with all sincerity,” said Schesnuik, manager of planned giving and personal gifts for ShareLife, the charitable fundraising arm of the archdiocese of Toronto. Similarly, whenever somebody puts the Church in their will, they should mirror this sincerity, he said. “At the end of the day, it should be about how you make that gift… A lot of times people use their will to make the gift they always wanted to in life but just never thought they could.” Any gift left to ShareLife in a will is turned into cash which lands in the ShareLife Legacy for Life Endowment Fund, said Schesnuik. “An endowment is an investment that’s set aside for the long-term support of ShareLife,” he said. “Within the endowment, the principle is protected… And the principle is used to generate income to fund ShareLife programs.” As the endowment grows, it strengthens the ShareLife allocations as a whole, he adds. “The income that the endowment generates goes into general funding, so in a very real sense, the money is used to help fund all ShareLife agencies and grant recipients.” The endowment fund currently sits at $2.8 million. Last year, it generated about $80,000 in income, said Schesnuik. “Sometimes you could have a will where someone says, ‘I have a Harley Davidson and I want it to go to ShareLife.’ In that case, the estate trustee would contact us and we’d work with them, take possession of the Harley Davidson, sell it and use the proceeds to put in the endowment.” When a person decides they’d like to donate to ShareLife, their lawyer contacts ShareLife and asks for their legal title, said Schesnuik. “Knowing the proper legal title is really important because the law is all about language and the interpretation of language,” he said. By knowing this, the lawyer knows exactly where to direct the funds. ShareLife’s legal title is The ShareLife Trust. One hundred per cent of the proceeds bequeathed to ShareLife support ShareLife, adds Schesnuik. But your estate doesn’t just mean your house, it means your total assets. “It’s your assets minus your liabilities,” said Schesnuik. “If somebody has more liabilities than assets, there won’t be anything left to distribute.” He emphasizes that it’s not necessarily about the amount left behind. “God loves a cheerful giver, and so, it’s in that spirit I think that person should make a cheerful gift.”

November 2

Gifts in kind are sometimes not so kind

November 2, 2012

Grandpa’s stamp collection, your first car, a box of beat up old coins, a comic collection from the 1980s, crystal figurines in a living room glass display, a really old pocket watch and great Aunt Betsy’s tarnished tea set all have one thing in common… The owners usually believe their items are worth more than they really are. Chances are we have all imagined having the “big win” that we occasionally see on TV shows like Antiques Road Show. Especially when we have invested time into collecting something we care about. We naturally think that others will recognize the same value we place in it. One gift I especially remember handling for the archdiocese of Toronto was from a parishioner who was gifting to their parish a mid-1990s Jaguar. The car was beautiful. It really was. It had only 74,000 kms, was driven in the summer and for the most part was stored indoors for the winter. The person donating it was the first owner. The car had never been in an accident and the interior was immaculate. The donor was in his late 70s, had all the servicing records and took really good care of it. He had moved into a condo downtown and no longer wanted to drive. For various reasons we had to sell the vehicle to a dealer. We got $3,500. And while the donor did not mind (he knew well in advance), I must admit that if it were not for that pesky little thing called “a conflict of interest,” I would have bought the car. The best part of the transaction was when the dealer who was buying the Jaguar told me to call him right away if I ever got a hold of a mid-1990s Volkswagen Jetta that ran on diesel. It seems construction people really like them because the same diesel that goes into the equipment can go into the car. We could expect to fetch a few thousand more for the Jetta than what we got for the Jaguar. It can be a hard, cold world. Another interesting gift was a collection of old stamps. There were two big books of them. They looked very old and really valuable. Using a contact in the numismatics and stamp collecting world, we were able get the collection into an auction. The collection fetched less than $500. The dealer who facilitated the sale told me that if we ever got a hold of some Chinese stamps that depicted the Cultural Revolution to give him a call as they are “hot.” It seems there are some wealthy Chinese business persons who like to use stamps to diversify their wealth. The key to valuating a donation for gift in kind purposes is not what we believe the item is worth, or even what an insurance appraisal says it’s worth, but what the item is worth in a free and open fair market. The Canada Revenue Agency sets a guideline surrounding this. If a gift in kind is made, either in life or through a Will, the tax receipt will be for the fair market value. A good example is a diamond ring. While there may be an appraisal for insurance purposes that says it’s worth $10,000, if potential buyers on a free and open market are only willing to pay $5,700, then the tax receipt will be for $5,700. This is the fair market value. There is a way that you can check to see what your gift in kind may be worth for receipting purposes. Try going onto ebay.ca or Kijiji.ca and watch an online auction to see what it (or a very similar item) sells for. Do this a few times, average the amount, and then you will have a pretty good idea as to what you can expect your tax receipt to be. If you don’t like what you see (or do like what you see) consider keeping the item in your family. An old Coke machine in the basement or a well-framed Olympic pin collection may look better in a family members’ basement than a tax receipt for a few hundred dollars. But who knows? Perhaps you do have the special item that is one of a kind. I once handled a painting that sold in auction in London, England, for more than $100,000. I knew we were on to something when three people showed up to see the painting with white gloves and an ultraviolet light. One never knows! (Schesnuik is the Manager of Planned Giving and Personal Gifts for the Development Office of the Archdiocese of Toronto.)

Pro-lifers must adapt their message, MPs say

November 2, 2012

TORONTO - Political lobbying is not just about what you say, it’s how you say it, according to a pair of Conservative MPs. That was just one of the tips Stephen Woodworth and Brad Trost gave to those attending the National Pro Life Conference. “Although I am in Parliament, I happen to believe that the world does not stop and end inside the House of Commons,” said Woodworth, MP for Kitchener Centre. “The real important work that needs to be done is outside the chamber of the House of Commons.” Much of this has to do with language and scope, Woodworth told those attending the third and final day of the conference hosted by Alliance for Life Ontario in Toronto Oct. 25-27. Woodworth said too many MPs are pre-occupied with the word abortion. By adjusting the language and widening the scope of the message, the pro-life movement will garner more support by avoiding sensitive words — something Woodworth admits is easier said than done. “People don’t necessarily take away from words the meaning that I take away from them,” Woodworth said. “We have members of Parliament who are actually suggesting, in relation to Motion 312, that the Prime Minister should have a veto over the independence of backbench MPs.” Woodworth said some MPs “couldn’t see the democratic tradition and the value of backbench independence” and “they were willing to sacrifice because of their pre-occupation with the word abortion.” Although Motion 312 — Woodworth’s motion for a debate on when life begins — did not mention the word abortion, it led to its failure. But Woodworth does not completely blame the failure on those MPs pre-occupied with abortion — pro-lifers are at fault too for not being able to adapt how they communicate their message. “If you simply go in with your truth and you fail to recognize the truths that others are concerned about, you won’t make that connection, you won’t develop that relationship and you won’t be listened to,” he said. “If you cannot convince someone that a child is a human being before birth you are not going to convince them about abortion.” While Woodworth focused heavily on how to convey the message, Trost addressed how to understand a politician’s position on the pro-life cause. “The weakest link in Canada’s pro-life movement has been political,” said Trost, MP for Saskatoon-Humboldt. “In Canada we know the political aspect is very important and the political aspect needs to change and evolve and we need legislation to start moving it forward.” As a Liberal turned Conservative, but a constant pro-life supporter, Trost cautioned the audience to never assume which way a politician will vote. “People don’t actually know what they’re voting for or what they’re voting on (when electing politicians),” said Trost. “Politicians can do one thing in Ottawa and another thing in the constituency. People are shocked when they find that out.” He continued by stressing the importance of checking an MP’s voting records to see who stands strongly on either side of the issue, but also exposes those in the middle who’d be easier to influence. “If you don’t know where your MP has voted, get involved, talk to them. A lot of these people who have come in from professional careers may not have fixed views. "

Campus Catholic identity

November 2, 2012

Liberal arts students, when asked to describe what university life promises, would generally respond with a similar romantic concept: days spent learning new and radical ideas, afternoons debating conspiracy theories, nights at a postmodern art show. Engineering students are less likely to identify with postmodern art shows, but are more likely to be proud of stories which make their workload seem i mp o s s i b l e . Students have their own sense of what it means to be part of their department. Whatever the particular narrative happens to be, students know it, are influenced by it and make it a part of their campus identity. Even the reputation of a university, as a serious institute of research or as a party school, is developed on the ground and it can have a profound effect on a student’s university career. So what kind of reputation, true or false, surrounds our nation’s Catholic colleges and universities? Canada has at least 20 Catholic post-secondary institutions, many of which operate in close association with secular partners, such as St. Joseph’s College at the University of Alberta and St. Jerome’s University at the University of Waterloo. Without a purposeful effort to develop a unique identity, we are likely to revert to Catholic clichés of piousness or orthodoxy. It is for this reason that my alma mater, St. Thomas More College at the University of Saskatchewan, set out over the last number of years to explore the meaning of its Catholic identity. Following extensive consultations with its students’ union and other stakeholders, STM has successfully integrated its legacy as a Basilian-founded college with the dynamic needs of a growing province. The Basilian belief that education is a means to achieve good, rather than an end in itself, grounds the educational philosophy of the college. And in this world of financial austerity, the ability of Catholic colleges to differentiate themselves from secular institutions is necessary for their existence. Without providing something that their non-religious counterparts do not, it is hard to justify public funding for Catholic post-secondary institutions. But this has lead to a misguided strategy. Rather than trying only to answer “what they do,” the focus of Catholic institutions must also be on “who they are.” Generally, each has the ability to invoke the Church’s academic history as a source of its character, calling upon a tradition which views faith and reason as complementary components in scholarship. Then, incorporating the local oddities and traditions of every school, our colleges should be able to say definitively this is who we are. The foremost goal of Catholic post-secondary institutions should include developing robust, local identities. It is also essential to their ongoing success to ask identity questions from a student-centric point of view. “What is unique about a person who studies here? What do they value?” With these thoughts in mind, our colleges can develop constructive and meaningful campus cultures, a process which goes a long way in meaningfully connecting students to their campus and community.

Groundbreaking at St. Thomas More

November 2, 2012

SASKATOON - St. Thomas More College, a Basilian-founded institution federated with the University of Saskatchewan, is expanding its walls to accommodate increasing enrolment. The official groundbreaking of its three-storey, 12,000 square-foot expansion occurred mid-October. The $8-million project is designed to serve the varied and growing needs of its students. New classroom and seminar spaces will move 75 per cent of the college’s classes inside its own walls. Currently, about half of STM classes are taught elsewhere on the University of Saskatchewan campus. At focus groups early in the design process, students said that classes located on-site allowed for a more comfortable atmosphere to discuss scholarly work from a Catholic point of view. “This new building, our first major expansion in many years in spite of significant enrolment growth, ensures adequate classroom space to foster the nurturing scholarly learning environment for which STM is already well known,” said STM president Terry Downey. “This new facility will enhance community for students, promote further opportunities for closer faculty-student and student-student academic engagement and ensure a continuation of the uniquely inspiring learning experience that is the STM academic tradition.” In addition, new study, office and research spaces will give students a place to meet outside the classroom, while the construction of a large, indoor atrium offers a more social gathering place. The project follows through with a vision set out by Fr. George Smith, the Superior General of the Basilians and a former president of STM, who intended to make the college a second home for its students. STM Students union president Desireé Steele is enthusiastic about the project. “I look forward to welcoming friends into a building made hospitable to the different aspects of student life. More classrooms, study and lounge space means that more students will be able to enjoy learning at STM,” she said. “The increased opportunities for STM to explore and share the riches of our Catholic faith will no doubt broaden our interactions with our university and diocesan community, giving fuller realization to the Basilian mission which formed this institution.” The expansion, to be finished in 2013, was recently put on the fast-track with two major donations. David and Karen Holst from Warman, Sask., and Allan Markin of Calgary have each contributed $500,000. The announcements were made in conjunction with the Oct. 15 groundbreaking. The project also received early commendation from the Catholic community, including support from the Saskatoon diocese and school board. The donations coincide with another $1-million gift the college received earlier. Local philanthropists Les and Irene Dubé made the donation in support of STM’s parallel campaign to establish an endowed chair in Catholic Studies. The chair will support scholarship in the area of Catholic Studies through teaching, research and ecumenical dialogue and be a source of intellectual leadership in the province’s Catholic community. “STM is near and dear to our hearts,” said Irene Dubé. “We are strong believers in the importance of a college that encourages students to explore both faith and reason, and the chair in Catholic Studies will be a vital contributor to this environment.” This is not the Dubés’ first donation of this magnitude. A previous $1-million donation was made in support of the college’s social justice program. To recognize their longstanding commitment to the college and its students, the chair will be named in their honour. St. Thomas More College was founded in 1936 through an agreement between the University of Saskatchewan and the Basilians to provide Catholic education in the province. Since then, it has grown to house 40 tenure-track faculty members and more than 2,000 registered students.

Study finds Catholic grads are like public counterparts

November 2, 2012

A recent study has reported that Catholic school graduates view the role of faith in the public square similarly to graduates of public schools. Cardus, a Christian think tank that focuses on bringing faith into public life, conducted the study, called “A Rising Tide Lifts All Boats.” It covers grads from schools in all provinces except Quebec, which the report covers separately. The study compares graduates now ages 24 to 39 from government-run public schools with grads in the same age group from various kinds of schools: Protestant private schools, non-religious private schools, religious home schools, Catholic separate schools (government-funded), and Catholic independent schools (private with some government subsidies). Catholic schools in B.C. are independent. Graduates were compared on a wide range of topics in addition to religion. However the study gives little information about what their actual responses were; it just reports how other grads compared to grads from public schools. In total, 1,868 graduates were surveyed. In addition, the results were controlled for family socioeconomic and religious background. The study revealed some interesting facts about faith in the public square. “What struck me the most was that Catholic schools were the same as public schools in many respects,” said Ray Pennings, the study’s project leader and the director of research at Cardus. The study showed grads from both kinds of Catholic schools were less involved in volunteering their time with their congregations than grads from Protestant schools, religious home schools and public schools. But they scored the same as public-school grads on their views on the importance of religion in public life. “You would have expected to find some spiritual differences, but they weren’t there (for Catholic grads),” Pennings said, “which is distinct from the Protestant schools, where we were getting measurable differences.” Pennings added graduates from Protestant schools said their faith made an impact on their cultural engagement. They gave more time to their church than Catholics, but were less political. Catholic-independent-school grads volunteered more than Catholic-separate-school and public-school grads outside their congregation, but were less politically engaged. “I am surprised by the results,” said Doug Lauson, superintendent of the Catholic Independent Schools of the Vancouver Archdiocese (CISVA). He said he would have expected religious training provided by schools would have an effect on how students lived their faith after graduation. But Lauson noted that the sample size for Catholic-independent-school grads was low. “Only 23 were sampled from the whole of B.C., and I don’t know how many of those were from our diocese.” However, he added, secularization in society is a factor not only for Catholic schools but for Protestant ones as well. He said CISVA is looking at ways to address this issue with students. “Young people are in a bit of a difficult situation, because in school they learn one set of values, and then they go to the shopping mall and they’re surrounded by a different set of values,” he said. “Our graduates should be aware of the world out there and should be prepared to defend their faith in a world that is very secular, and where the practise of your faith is allowed but frowned upon.” With regard to employment, the study showed grads from both types of Catholic schools were similar to public-school grads. All three groups obtained managerial occupations (managerial professionals, lawyers, scientists, architects and university teachers) at the same rate. With regard to how workplaces are run, the three groups held the same views on ethics and efficiency. Catholic independent grads scored well in post-secondary education. They came in second to non-religious independent grads in total years of education, but were more likely than any other grad in the study to have a university degree. They also scored the highest in obtaining masters degrees. Lauson said CISVA schools always aim to prepare students for university. “We general ly provide education to students to enter university if they choose to,” he said. “Our graduates are required to obtain more credits because we offer more subjects than government-run schools.” He also said CISVA focuses on developing “skill sets” for students to learn for the 21st century. The Ministry of Education recently recognized them for their unique teaching methods. The complete Cardus survey is at http://www.cardus.ca/research/education.

Pre-plan dividing up your estate to avoid problems

November 2, 2012

Make sure special items go to the person to whom it means the most A funeral is a time that should bring people together, not drive them apart. Unfortunately we have all heard sad stories about how arguments occur while people are grieving. It is especially sad when the arguments are over material possessions of the person who has passed away, over who should get what. We all have something that reminds us of a loved one. Perhaps it is a special broach that grandma loved, a weathered ring that reminds us of our father’s strong oversized hands, a dining room table that the family always used on special occasions or a gold necklace that our mother wore every day. Attachments don’t always have to be logical, except of course to the person who has the attachment. A parishioner, who we’ll call John, once told me that he had a special attachment to a juice container. His mother had the same juice container for more than 30 years. Every day during his childhood he had a glass of juice out of that container. Eventually he got older and moved away from home to start his own family. But the juice container remained. And every time he returned to visit his parents he would open the fridge and pour a glass of juice out of that same container. It reminded him, perhaps in an unconscious way, of his childhood. One day, John went home, opened the fridge and saw right away that the juice container was gone. He asked his mother, “Where is the juice container?’ His mother replied, “Oh that old thing? Your sister wanted it, so I gave it to her.” John’s immediate reaction was one of annoyance. He felt that a wrong had been done to him. Why should she get the juice container? And while he didn’t let his mother know, John must have revisited that annoyance every time he visited his sister’s home and got something out of the fridge. If John could get emotional over a piece of plastic at a time when he was level-headed, imagine what could happen if a similar event occurred during an emotional time — such as during a funeral. All it would take is one careless word during a difficult time and a relationship could be strained — or worse — damaged. Spare your loved ones this. One way you can help is to consider asking each family member if there is something of yours that they are especially attached to. Wait until the moment is right and then ask the question simply and plainly. If siblings both name the same item, then ask if there is something else that means a lot to them. Once you have gathered all the information, and when everyone is together, have a conversation to share with them on which specific items you intend to give to whom. This way everything is out in the open. Of course you do not want to start dividing up all of your possessions, just those few special items that mean something to each loved one. And keep the conversation light. Ask why they like the item so much. Who knows, perhaps some good memories will surface and you will share a few laughs as you reminisce about good times. And you may learn something you never knew before.

Parishioners’ bequests help St. Cecilia’s to raise the roof

November 2, 2012

TORONTO - Struggling with parish finances, Fr. Joseph Tap Van Tran needed money for restorations at St. Cecilia’s Church in Toronto’s west end. His prayers were answered through substantial bequests from various parishioners totalling approximately $800,000. Due to this generosity, the parish is getting a new roof along with exterior work, such as brick work on external walls, stone work around the windows and restoration of the front stairs. Nestled between houses near High Park Avenue in the Junction, the church is immersed in scaffolding, a testament to the help of bequests. “It’s a blessing that we got the donations,” said Tran, pastor at St. Cecilia’s Church and The Mission of the Vietnamese Martyrs, a community that shares the parish. “St. Cecilia’s is not a rich parish. The financial resources are very limited. We would not be able to repair the roof, which is a major renovation, but with the money from the bequests we are able to do it.” One particularly large bequest came in the form of a house, along with all of its contents, said Tran. Everything was sold and the funds are being given to the parish. Upon hearing about the large bequests from members of the community, Tran said he felt joy and a strong sense of thankfulness to both God and the donors. “As Catholics, we know the church is the house of God,” he said. “It’s the place we experience God’s love and experience His presence in a special way.” Established in 1895, St. Cecilia’s is a fairly old parish, said Quentin Schesnuick, manager of planning giving and personal gifts at ShareLife. For parishes that need major work done, bequests can go a long way. “You get a few gifts in your will and what happens is the parishes can go ahead and do the projects and (renovations) to repair the parishes for the next generation,” he said.

November 3

Fr. Stan Chu Ilo and finding the path to spiritual joy

November 3, 2012

TORONTO - The greatest challenge for Christians today is forgiveness, says Fr. Stan Chu Ilo. “The more you forgive, the freer you become, and the more you forgive, the healthier you become spiritually, physically and otherwise,” he said. Ilo’s healthy habits of spiritual joy not only include forgiveness, but also involve being patient with ourselves, others and God. Ilo is author of Discover Your Divine Investment: The path to spiritual joy, which he says will surprise readers with the fact that God is not done with them. There are stories in his book that he promises will draw people out of the ordinary human experience. Ilo has purposely stepped away from the more heavy, speculative and abstract style of his past works to what he calls “theology of the marketplace.” The challenge facing the Church today, said Ilo, is “communicating God’s word and communicating the truth about what we believe and what we hope for and what we celebrate (and) how we live. We need to find a good way of communicating God’s work.” Ilo says Discover Your Divine Investment, published by Catholic Register Books, is intended to start a conversation with and be more accessible to the average Catholic or Christian. By book’s end, he hopes readers will walk away happy to be alive, happy God has kept them going and hopeful for the future. “God speaks to us within the very ark of our humanity,” said Ilo. “Being attuned to this divine harmony is what this book is trying to tell people.” While some look to palm readings and astrology for answers, Ilo urges readers to be introspective. “Shakespeare said the fault is not in our stars; the fault is in us,” said Ilo. He promotes a more “reflective practice that attunes our daily actions and choices to the deepest hunger of our souls.” Ilo believes that if people do this on a consistent basis, they will find a pattern to what makes them happiest. “That which makes me happiest and promotes the joy, happiness and fulfilment of people around me, if I do that on a consistent basis, is the purpose of my life,” he said. For the author, “life is play,” and he would like people “to strike a balance between playfulness and seriousness” in their own lives. “God invested in the cosmos, invested in every human being,” so Ilo wants each individual reader to grasp that not only does God love him or her, but that everyone’s life, happiness and self-actualization is important to Him. “You are a treasure of inestimable value, no matter your age, no matter your sex, your sexuality, your race, no matter your history, no matter your past,” he said. Ilo, originally from the Ebo ethnic group in eastern Nigeria, arrived in Canada 10 years ago after studying in Rome. He had planned on a temporary stay before heading back to Europe, but three months into his visit, Ellen Mary MacAdam, to whom the book is dedicated, convinced him to stay. Ilo calls MacAdam, 91, his second mother. “She said to me, you come from Africa, life must be hard and lonely for you, so I thought to invite you to have a meal and to assure you that there are people like us who will be here for you in case you need someone to talk to.” He credits her with helping him discover the treasure within himself through Catholic education. MacAdam sponsored his graduate studies in Canada. He went on to doctoral studies and now teaches at the Faculty of Theology at the University of St. Michael’s College in the University of Toronto. “She represents, to some extent, what I consider an ideal way of living, how through love we can cross borders of race, of religion, of creed, of social or economic class.” To order Discover Your Divine Investment, at $14.99, call (416) 934-3410 or visit www.catholicregister.org.

Proper planning ensures your legacy

November 3, 2012

After a lifetime of diligent saving and investing, many Canadians find themselves in the fortunate position of being able to support those charitable endeavours that they deem most worthy. Supporting charities is a distinguishing trait of Canadians among global economies, and we are ever-ready to lend a helping hand when there is need. The methods by which Canadians can support their charity of choice have broadened over the past few years, and we now have the opportunity to be even more generous while receiving more tax incentive than ever before. One of more popular strategies is the designation of a charity as the beneficiary of a Registered Retirement Savings Plan (RRSP) or Registered Retirement Income Fund (RRIF). This allows donors to receive income during their retirement in a tax-efficient manner, and then pass on the remainder of their retirement accounts to their chosen charity. If an individual designates a charity as the beneficiary of their RRSP or RRIF, there are a few key points to remember: o The proceeds from the RRSP or RRIF can flow directly to the named charity after the donor passes away, avoiding the delay of probate and the cost of executor fees. Many banks or brokerages will not withhold taxes at source, so the entire amount of the RRSP or RRIF will be donated. o The funds which flow from the RRSP or RRIF to the charity will still be reported as income to the donor in the year they pass away, and there will be taxes owing. The estate will be able to claim the charitable donation on the final tax return, which will offset the tax liability. The example below illustrates this in more detail. o The donated amount can result in a tax credit of up to 100 per cent of your net income in the year you pass away. This means that designating an RRSP or RRIF to charity will result in zero tax liability in most cases. To illustrate these key points, take the example of Andrew, who has designated his parish as the beneficiary of his RRIF. His RRIF is comprised of stocks and bonds valued at $100,000 at the time of death. This means that if Andrew is in the top tax bracket, he will have taxes payable of $46,400. The donation will allow his estate to claim a tax credit of $46,400. Thus, Andrew’s parish receives the benefit of his donation, and Andrew’s family and estate do not incur any tax payable because of his generosity. Proper planning can ensure your philanthropic goals are met and you get the benefit of tax incentives to reward your generosity.

Supportive Catholic community helps Toronto singer become a star with The Tenors

November 3, 2012

TORONTO - Victor Micallef, a member of the internationally acclaimed singing group The Tenors, began his successful musical career with a stroke of good fortune. “I was always attracted to music,” says Micallef. “My sister was taking piano lessons when I was about three or four years old and my family couldn’t afford both of us taking lessons, so I just watched her take lessons and she hated it. She just couldn’t stand it,” he laughs. “One day she turned to our parents and said she didn’t want to take lessons any more… that was victory for me!” After his fortuitous piano incident, Micallef was led by his late father to the opportunity that would one day become his career and passion: singing. “I was a very shy boy… I didn’t like singing in front of people. One day (my father) went to my parish priest (at St. Paul the Apostle in Toronto) who was Fr. Jimmy Zammit, and he just said: Vic wants to sing. I did a double take! I was petrified,” says Micallef, who soon afterwards began working as a cantor at the church. “That was my early childhood education… Fr. Jim and my father influenced me to sing. It was good because, from a young age, I was singing in front of a large audience.” Now, Micallef sings with The Tenors (formerly The Canadian Tenors) in front of much larger audiences that have included Celine Dion, Oprah Winfrey and Queen Elizabeth II. Much of his success, attests Micallef, comes from his Toronto upbringing in his Catholic parish and high school, Michael Power-St. Joseph in Etobicoke. “MPSJ always seemed like an arts school,” says Micallef. “It was a great school to be at. The memories that were the fondest for me were the after school and the pre-school things… it was something that I loved to do — to stick around after school with my friends and make music.” Micallef credits his experiences and teachers during his high school years as an integral factor in his current success. And the Toronto Catholic District School Board has since honoured Micallef, awarding him the TCDSB Alumni Award last year. “I was totally blown away. I was absolutely honoured to be recognized in that way,” says Micallef. “Singing for the Queen and meeting all of these stars and being in those circles — it has its drawbacks too. I love my family, but I’m away a lot. When they came to me and said we recognize you as being a good representative, I was like, really?” he laughs. “I do practice going to church and educating my four-year-old son in the same way… even more than that just trying to be a good person… As an alumni winner, you have a responsibility to be a good example,” says Micallef. “Even with the other Tenors, they know me as the family guy who goes to church,” he laughs. “I try my best to be an example. I’m still that shy boy — we’ll be at a big event somewhere… and they’ll be like, ‘OK, Vic, lead us in prayer, we love when you do that!’ ” Despite his grounding in faith and family, Micallef and the other members of The Tenors are in the midst of a whirlwind tour across North America as they rebrand not only their name, but also seek to create a strong image on which their group is based. “Part of the rebranding was learning about what we represent as a group, and part of that is inspiring people and trying to give a message,” says Micallef, who also noted that dropping Canadian from the name was not a matter of being unpatriotic, but was done to retain their international appeal. The Tenors released their newest album on Oct. 30, and that will be followed up with a December DVD release of the group performing live from Las Vegas. “We’re really excited about this album — it’s like the next step. We have writing credits on it, and we’ve written with world-class writers,” says Micallef. Particularly evocative of their image and mantra is the name of the album, Lead With Your Heart, which almost came too late. “This one song came to us really late in the game and we already had all of our songs for the CD. It was written with us in mind and it was called ‘Lead With Your Heart,’ ” says Micallef. “It appealed to us right away and the words were just so right… that’s what we represent. So we called the album that.” Looking forward, Micallef hopes that the same programs that nurtured his love of music and performance will continue on in high schools and create opportunities for other TCDSB students. “I’ve been very, very fortunate, because it could have been the exact opposite where people didn’t care… or if I didn’t have teachers who persuaded me to go sing in musical theatre,” says Micallef. “The people around me, like Fr. Jim and my teachers at school and my father, they all fed me and led me to doing what eventually would become my life.” For young people and any others hoping to pursue a career in the arts, Micallef offers a simple piece of advice. “Always follow your heart… it does tell you a lot. It’s that instinct. When you’re singing, or making these choices always try and ask yourself who you are and what do you feel happy doing.” For more on The Tenors go to www.tenorsmusic.com.

Wills and Codicils — what you need to know

November 3, 2012

We are all familiar with the term “last Will and testament” but the term “Codicil” is less well known. Derived from the Latin “Cōdicillus,” which means “a little book,” a Codicil is a document that amends a Will. A Codicil must follow the same formalities as a Will. It must be in writing. Unless it is entirely in the handwriting of the testator or the testatrix (the person making the Will), it must be signed, dated and witnessed by two individuals in the presence of the testator/testatrix. After an individual makes a Will, he or she may wish to change the Will. Circumstances may have changed or assets previously bequeathed may have been sold. Rather than have the entire Will re-executed, individuals often use a Codicil if the change is small. However, with document processing technology, Codicils are becoming less popular. Before document processing, Wills were typed. Because of the strict rules regarding the formal execution of a Will, there could be no typographical errors. If an error occurred, the entire page would be retyped. Otherwise, manual change would have to be initialed by each of the testator/testatrix and the witnesses. For that reason, it was common to make small changes by Codicil. Is it Ever Appropriate to Use a Codicil? There are times when it is never desirable to use a Codicil. These include: o a change of the guardians or custodian nominated for children; o a reduction of a bequest; o removal of a beneficiary. These are decisions that will inevitably cause embarrassment or hurt for the person removed or excluded. Rather than have disappointed heirs fretting over what conduct precipitated the change, it is more appropriate to simply do a new Will. Only the last Will is made public. No one need know that another person was selected as a guardian or a legacy was reduced or revoked. Codicils Precipitating Will Challenges A change could precipitate a Will challenge. It is not uncommon for excluded individuals to challenge the Codicil on the basis that the change was made based on inaccurate information or on the grounds of duress or undue influence. This could be avoided if the affected individual was unaware that a change had occurred. Making your Own Codicil If the change is small, an individual might be tempted to prepare a Codicil where there is an emergency or a lawyer is not available. For example, if someone is in imminent fear of death and was in a remote location, he/ she could prepare a handwritten document to make a change to his/her Will. Individuals should not make changes to a Will without consulting a lawyer. Lawyers’ fees for preparing Wills are modest compared to fees for contested Wills. Homemade Wills and Codicils are a great source of litigation. Recently, individuals have prepared Wills or statements of testamentary intent on their computers and send them via e-mail. While a handwritten document will be accepted as a holograph Will, an e-mail or an electronic document is not acceptable, as it has not been signed and witnessed and there is no way to verify that the document was typed by the owner of the e-mail address. Finally, we have all seen on television a video recording made by a testator/testatrix who wishes to address his/her beneficiaries after his/her death. Video Wills are not acceptable or admissable either as Wills, Codicils or “explanations” to either. The safest way to change a Will is to use a lawyer who will either prepare a new Will or, more rarely now, a Codicil. (Rocchi is a Partner at Miller Thomson Law Firm.)

Charitable estate planning in 60 seconds

November 3, 2012

A simple way to reduce your tax burden through giving The average person should be able to read this in 60 seconds. Here is a simple idea on how you can combine a portfolio of securities, charitable giving and the reduction of your estate’s tax burden. The government does not require you to pay capital gains on securities that have gone up in value if you gift them directly to a registered Canadian charity. Many people do not know that the archdiocese of Toronto is able to receive gifts of securities for all our 225 parishes and archdiocesan charities. If you are considering a gift to the Church in your Will and have a portfolio of appreciated securities, consider gifting them directly to the Church instead of selling them and then donating the cash. This could help save your estate capital gains taxes. Talk to your lawyer about how to draw up the instructions for your estate trustee to do this as this simple strategy could help save your estate a lot of money in taxes. A helpful hint: When drafting your Will make sure your lawyer has the proper legal wording if you intend to include your parish in your Will. If you attend St. Patrick’s parish, for example, the proper legal title would be: Roman Catholic Episcopal Corporation for the Diocese of Toronto, in Canada for the benefit of St. Patrick’s parish. Because the archdiocese has eight St. Patrick’s parishes, the proper mailing address needs to be included to ensure that your gift goes to the right place. Have your lawyer contact the archdiocese beforehand to request the proper legal title. Call (416) 934-3411 or e-mail [email protected].