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May 2013

May 24

Living faith through the written word

May 24, 2013

Faith can be explored through prayer, through social activities and through art. And so writing for a religious publication, such as The Catholic Register, has been a step in my journey of faith in a number of ways.

Toronto Catholic board rejects ban on GSAs

May 24, 2013

TORONTO - An attempt to ban gay-straight alliances in Toronto Catholic schools has failed.

‘Radical’ web site to rein in Catholics

May 24, 2013

THORNHILL, ONT. - With youth leaving the Catholic Church en masse, Fr. Mario Salvadori has launched a “radical” parish web site to stem the urge to flee.

Iraqi family sponsored by Cardinal Collins reunites in Toronto

May 24, 2013

TORONTO - Though it took a few hours longer than expected, six members of the Makhoo family — Iraqi refugees sponsored by Toronto's Cardinal Thomas Collins — finally arrived in Canada May 23.

Knights of Malta open field hospital to aid Syrians

May 24, 2013

When bombs fall in the Syrian city of Aleppo, it’s bad news for the municipal hospital in Kilis, Turkey. The Turkish border town of 80,000 has taken in 35,000 Syrian refugees from Syria’s civil war — the majority suffering physical and psychological trauma.

U.S. Boy Scouts vote to allow openly gay youths to belong to Scout troops

May 24, 2013

GRAPEVINE, Texas - The Boy Scouts of America's National Council voted late May 23 to allow openly gay youths admittance as members into the 103-year-old organization, effective Jan. 1, 2014.

Students offer ideas to Minister of Education

May 24, 2013

Farren Tropea believes schools can do a better job raising awareness about mental health education. Other members of Ontario’s Student Advisory Council want a greater emphasis on promoting inclusiveness. And others want schools to address First Nations issues.

May 25

100 years of memories at Holy Name

May 25, 2013

TORONTO - Ellen McIntrye fell in love with Holy Name Catholic School after she enrolled her daughter for kindergarten there in the 1980s. Today she’s teaching Grade 8 at Holy Name and looking forward to the east-end school’s 100th anniversary.

Human rights museum in the wrong, say Ukrainians

May 25, 2013

Members of the Ukrainian Canadian Congress are demanding that the new Canadian Museum for Human Rights more fully recognize abuses suffered by Ukrainians in Canada and in the former Soviet Union.

May 26

Rights league to honour Fr. de Valk

May 26, 2013

Updated 05/27/13 TORONTO - The Catholic Civil Rights League has chosen pro-life activist, writer and editor Fr. Alphonse de Valk, CSB, as winner of this year’s Archbishop Adam Exner Award for Catholic Excellence in Public Life.

Young architects explore the sacred, secular

May 26, 2013

TORONTO - Those who have come to believe secular universities are phobic about the sacred, allergic to transcendence, divorced from the spiritual, God-free zones have not encountered Ryerson University Associate Professor of Architecture Ed Wojs.

May 27

Being priest was 'everything' to man ordained two days before he died

May 27, 2013

MAUMEE, Ohio - Ordination "meant everything" to Fr. Scott R. Carroll.

Tanzanian bishops' head warns of growing threat from militant Islamists

May 27, 2013

OXFORD, England - The head of the Tanzanian bishops' conference warned of a growing threat from militant Islamists and urged police and government to act more forcefully against violence and intimidation.

May 29

Vatican officials decry persecution of Christians around the world

May 29, 2013

GENEVA - More than 100,000 Christians are killed each year because of their faith, and millions more face bigotry, intolerance and marginalization because of their beliefs, a Vatican official said.

Vatican organizing worldwide, simultaneous eucharistic adoration June 2

May 29, 2013

VATICAN CITY - Vatican officials are making strategic phone calls to some of the world's most far-flung dioceses, trying to verify that in each of the world's inhabited time zones there will be an organized hour of eucharistic adoration coinciding with 5-6 p.m. Rome time June 2.

Religious art on the decline due to phobia of secular institutions

May 29, 2013

TORONTO - Religious artwork is too sentimental for the art world, James Elkins told a Toronto audience May 23.

May 30

Truly heroic

May 30, 2013

When Lee Rigby was hacked to death in broad daylight by two self-proclaimed Muslim fighters on a London street, the British soldier was not alone. Christ was with him in the person of three extraordinary women.

Finding God in the midst of it all

May 30, 2013

Late one pleasant evening, I was putting out the garbage. A neighbour stepped out with her garbage, too. Seeing me, she came over; I know her only by sight, but I like to get to know my neighbours, so I was pleased. Momentarily.

Seeing the two sides of celibacy

May 30, 2013

Recently an op-ed piece appeared in the New York Times by Frank Bruni, entitled, “The Wages of Celibacy.” The column, while provocative, is fair. Mostly he asks a lot of hard, necessary questions.

God’s compassion shown in many ways

May 30, 2013

10th Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) June 9 (1 Kings 17:17-21, 22-24; Psalm 30; Galatians 1:11-19; Luke 7:11-17) Pain, suffering and death definitely challenge human endurance and put faith to the test. Most prayers plead for relief from pain, suffering or misfortune. For some, the experience leads to a deepening of faith and trust in God. For many others who feel that their prayers were unanswered, cynicism and a loss of faith in a benevolent higher power may be the unhappy result.