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November 13, 2013
TORONTO - Demand for doctor-assisted suicide isn’t about dying, it’s about disability, the director of a Quebec disability rights organization told a national anti-euthanasia symposium in Toronto Nov. 8.
TORONTO - Priscilla Coleman strongly believes that having an abortion can lead to developing a mental illness.
Massimo Nosetti, organist and composer, died Nov. 12 at the age of 53 after being diagnosed with cancer in October.
November 14, 2013
MANILA, Philippines - After days of watching televised scenes of dead bodies scattered around Tacloban, Order of Augustinian Recollect members organized a group of priests and a brother to bless bodies of people who died while fleeing the flood brought on by Typhoon Haiyan.
Christ the King (Year C) Nov. 24 (2 Samuel 5:1-3; Psalm 122; Colossians 1:12-20; Luke 23:-35-43) The historian Lord Acton observed that “All power tends to corrupt; absolute power corrupts absolutely.” A thorough study of history or a perusal of the newspaper offers convincing proof. When human beings are in a position to exercise absolute power over others without accountability disaster usually follows. No one should have too much power or be untouchable.
This past weekend I re-read A Grief Observed, C.S. Lewis’s personal account of dealing with the death of his wife from cancer. I searched the book for some words of comfort to help deal with my own pain at the loss of a family member.
Before John F. Kennedy it was unthinkable that a Catholic could overcome religious prejudice in the United States to be elected president. Kennedy proved otherwise, of course, and now 50 years after his assassination the full impact of that victory is evident in how the relationship between politics and religion has fundamentally changed — and not necessarily for the better.
MANILA, Philippines - Normally the trip from Maasin to Tacloban takes about three hours, but with the fallen trees and debris, getting aid there takes longer, said a priest from Southern Leyte province.
Christmas came early to our house this year. Very early. Pre-Advent early.
One of the lovelier aspects of Catholic culture is the love that Catholics have for their priests. Most priests have many stories of how complete strangers have shown special warmth and affection upon seeing the Roman collar. As for one’s own portion of the flock, parish priests and chaplains know how eager Catholics are to love their priests.
A few years ago I interviewed then Bloc Quebecois MP Francine LeBlanc. In 2010 she introduced a bill in Parliament to legalize euthanasia. At that time there didn’t seem a snowball’s chance in hell of it passing, but the introduction of the bill was at least a chance to talk about the issue.
Selflessness. That most admirable quality seems to be fighting extinction in our me-first society.
November 15, 2013
When I was a child, I picked up what was to later become a revolutionizing piece of literature in my little, boxed world. Growing up, I had never known of “black” or “white.” My friends were all great because they made me laugh and it didn’t even matter that we had different coloured skins.
TORONTO - The Newman Centre at the University of Toronto’s downtown campus is hosting a Teaching Series on the Sacraments to help students deepen their understanding of sacramental life.
OTTAWA - Quebec’s Catholic bishops warn the Charter of Quebec Values could have “heavy consequences” and represents a “crucial” stage in history for the people of the province.
TORONTO - Doing the right thing is important. But who gets to do it matters almost as much, medical ethicist Fr. Mark Miller told about 70 people gathered for a Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute lecture.
HALIFAX - Catholic Christian Outreach Halifax students are promoting evangelization by sporting new threads.
TORONTO - People working in the public health field need to think more about the ethical dimensions of what they are doing, a St. Michael’s Hospital scientist argues in a commentary published this month in the Canadian Journal of Public Health.
TORONTO - If you are what you pray for, Toronto is now one with the thousands of Christians around the world who suffer for their faith.
OTTAWA - Psychiatrist Tim Lau has a prescription for happiness based on what he has learned from his patients, his wife and his six children.