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September 1, 2013
TORONTO - After two decades as the Institute for Catholic Education’s executive director, Sr. Joan Cronin is moving on.
TORONTO - As if church bombings weren’t bad enough, northern Nigeria is also suffering from oversimplification in Western media reports. Reports of Islamist terrorism directed at Christians in Nigeria very often lack context and depth, said Bishops Anselm Umoren, auxiliary bishop of Abuja, Nigeria.
Toronto’s patron is St. Michael. Canada’s patron is St. Joseph. So why name the seminary established to train priests for Toronto and Western Canada after a fourth-century North African bishop?
When you consider the gifts St. Augustine’s Seminary has given the local Church, there is plenty to celebrate, says Fr. John-Mark Missio, co-ordinator of the seminary’s 100th anniversary liturgical celebrations. In fact, it’s something the entire Church should celebrate.
CAIRO - Two weeks after the churches he used to pray in were ransacked and burned in the Egyptian port city of Suez, Istafanos Youssif sat "searching for God" in a Cairo convent.
St. Augustine’s Seminary is not only a training ground for priests but it has been a centre for deacon formation since the permanent diaconate came to Toronto 41 years ago.
September 2, 2013
At the end of an internship in New York, I picked up a book called Discovering the Feminine Genius by Katrina J. Zeno. It discussed a topic ever-relevant to Catholic women, and at many points I felt the tug to lend it to Catholic men. It had me thinking about the larger picture of women in the world, theologically and practically, and about my own journey.
Editor's note: The Register's Evan Boudreau asked four alumni of St. Augustine's Seminary to reminisce about their time at the seminary. Here is what they had to say.
In 100 years St. Augustine's Seminary has prepared some 2,000 men for priesthood. They're all memorable, but here are four who for different reasons are more remembered.
WASHINGTON - As speculation mounted about Western air strikes on Syria, a committee of U.S. bishops called for a political solution, and Catholic leaders in Europe warned military intervention could lead to an escalation of hostilities.
September 3, 2013
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis has stuck with a long-standing tradition by appointing a seasoned member of the diplomatic corps to replace Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone as the top Vatican official.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Benedict XVI emerged briefly from prayerful retreat to celebrate Mass with a group of his former doctoral students.
VATICAN CITY - On the evening of Sept. 7, days before U.S. lawmakers vote on President Barack Obama's proposal for a military attack on Syria, Pope Francis will lead thousands in St. Peter's Square in a prayer vigil for peace.
September 4, 2013
This week marks the start of another school year. For young children, it means sharpened pencils, new sneakers and perhaps a tradable lunch. But for post-secondary students, it could mean a new routine, fending for oneself, learning a new language, making new friends and finding a new home. Big changes.
AMMAN, Jordan - For decades, Arab Christians have been fleeing the Holy Land and the rest of the Middle East in droves, mainly because of violence.
JERUSALEM - Pope Francis' appeal to pray for peace in Syria has a particular urgency for Catholics in the region, who say their countries are most likely to suffer the brunt of any attacks on Damascus.
BEIRUT - Lebanon's Maronite Catholic bishops warned against military intervention in neighboring Syria.
September 5, 2013
The chemical weapons massacre that killed 1,429 Syrians, mostly civilians, many of them children, was a monstrous act. “Abhorrent and repugnant,” said Canada’s Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird. “A moral obscenity,” said U.S. President Barack Obama.
Late afternoon sunshine brought gold and charcoal shadings. I felt dusty and worn. We’d started early, when it was relatively cool, but the heat grew quickly and we’d wandered through several hot places in the north of Galilee this July day.
We need to give to the poor, not because they need it, though they do, but because we need to do that in order to be healthy. That’s an axiom which is grounded in Scripture where, time and again, we are taught that giving to the poor is something that we need to do for our own health.