Browse › 2013 › May

May 2013

May 16

Guidelines for the long haul — revisited

May 16, 2013

Twenty-five years ago, I wrote a column entitled “Guidelines for the Long Haul.” Revisiting it recently, I was encouraged that my principles haven’t swayed during the past quarter-century, only taken on more nuance. I still recommend those same commandments, nostalgically revisited, somewhat redacted, but fully re-endorsed:

God gives us His promise of friendship

May 16, 2013

Trinity Sunday (Year C) May 26 (Proverbs 8:22-31; Psalm 8; Romans 5:1-5; John 16:12-15) How does one describe that which is infinite and beyond human comprehension? In other words, how do we talk about God?

Philadelphia abortionist convicted of murder

May 16, 2013

PHILADELPHIA - A Philadelphia jury May 13 found Dr. Kermit Gosnell guilty of murder in the deaths of three babies born alive during abortions and acquitted him of a fourth similar charge. He also was convicted of involuntary manslaughter in the death by a drug overdose of a patient who had an abortion.

Church should be less serious, more loving, says Pope

May 16, 2013

VATICAN CITY - The Catholic Church needs to revive its loving and tender side, which gets lost when the Church becomes too serious, Pope Francis said.

May 17

O’Connor’s Estate House rises up from the ashes

May 17, 2013

TORONTO - One year after a devastating fire destroyed years of work, Senator O’Connor College School’s heritage house restoration project is almost complete.

The reward of loving Mary, our other mother

May 17, 2013

Mary and I have always had an awkward relationship. Let me make this clear: I’m the awkward one. She has always been the tender, grace-filled, Immaculate Mother of God. But something in me has always resisted intimacy with Mary. It must be the judgmental Protestant I imagine lurking behind my shoulder with eyebrows raised saying, “Are you worshipping Mary?”

Youth flock to adoration with cardinal

May 17, 2013

TORONTO - Action must flow from adoration, Cardinal Thomas Collins told those gathered for the Office of Catholic Youth’s first Solemn Eucharistic Adoration with the Cardinal for young adults.

The social justice of adoption combats the injustice of abortion

May 17, 2013

OTTAWA - One of the most powerful forms of social justice is adoption because it unleashes purpose, love and mercy, says Ryan Bomberger, co-founder of the Radiance Foundation.

Atlantic bishops back EI fight

May 17, 2013

The bishops of Atlantic Canada have declared themselves on the side of fishermen, loggers and other seasonal workers in their fight against new Employment Insurance regulations.

Youth rally to march for life and against gendercide

May 17, 2013

OTTAWA - A March for Life crowd of more than 20,000 that spilled out from Parliament Hill May 9 included thousands of youth chanting confidently as they demanded an end to abortion.

MP Warawa gets his say in House of Commons

May 17, 2013

OTTAWA - Conservative MP Mark Warawa defied Tory party efforts to muzzle him and spoke on the gendercide of baby girls May 9 in the House of Commons.

D&P funds for Myanmar on hold

May 17, 2013

The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (D&P) is not ready yet to commit $50,000 to help internal refugees in Myanmar.

May 18

Salt + Light joins forces with Chinese media to spread the Word

May 18, 2013

TORONTO - Salt + Light TV is collaborating with Chinese Catholic media to reach Chinese audiences in Canada and beyond.

Pro-lifer finds ‘healing in the revealing’

May 18, 2013

TORONTO - For Debbie Fisher the only way to overcome the trauma caused by having an abortion is to break the silence and speak out against the life-ending medical procedure.

Church needs to accept the media doesn’t get it

May 18, 2013

MONTREAL - The relationship between the Church and the media will always be one of tension — something the Church must accept, Gatineau Archbishop Paul-André Durocher told a conference on the New Evangelization and Catholic Communications.

Photography, a Jesuit and discernment

May 18, 2013

TORONTO - It’s easy for Jesuits to say (as they do), “Find God in all things.” It’s harder to photograph God in all things. Award-winning Jesuit photojournalist Fr. Don Doll never took that challenge lightly.

May 19

Gendercide horror driven home

May 19, 2013

OTTAWA - Participants in this year’s National March for Life May 9 came away equipped with a new awareness of the horrors of female gendercide.

Rethinking the parish concept

May 19, 2013

The ideals of parish life aren’t hard to identify. Priests everywhere remind people in front of them on Sunday they are the Church — a community bound together by sacrament and the word of God. It isn’t just the building that is named after a saint but every family and each individual whenever they come together to worship and reach out for the kingdom of God.

Novena pays homage to the ‘left behind’ side of the Trinity

May 19, 2013

TORONTO - Our Lady of Good Counsel parishioners came together over nine days of prayer to pay homage to the sometimes forgotten side of the Holy Trinity.

May 21

Mideast Christians in dire straits

May 21, 2013

JERUSALEM - Extremism in Syria and Iraq is growing and could jeopardize the safety of all Christians, warned Church leaders in the region.