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October 2014

October 30

It’s time for a new apostolic exhortation

October 30, 2014

“Argh,” I said to my husband. “Just thinking about the Synod on the family is making my stomach hurt again.”

Synod backtrack not becoming of Church

October 30, 2014

Well, what a firestorm that turned out to be. A few lines of gentleness regarding gay men and women leading to outrage among the Catholic right; Church leaders from countries where homosexuality is illegal passing comment on how Christians should deal with homosexuality; and then a very public back-tracking on what was seen by the majority of people as essentially a very moderate, gentle and essentially Christ-like move into the world of dialogue and openness.

Death is not the final word

October 30, 2014

“In the sight of the world, he is now dead.”

A lamp under a bushel basket and a cooler of food

October 30, 2014

For some time, we’d noticed several big coolers and baskets by the front door of a neighbour. Sometimes, while walking our dog, we’d see someone pull into the driveway and drop some food in a cooler or basket.

Drawing spirituality from chaste women

October 30, 2014

Ancient Greece expressed much of its psychological and spiritual wisdom inside its myths. The Greeks didn’t intend these to be taken literally or as historical, but as metaphor and as an archetypal illustration of why life is as it is and how people engage life both generatively and destructively.

God’s Spirit dwells in us

October 30, 2014

Dedication of the Lateran Basilica (Year A) Nov. 9 (Ezekiel 47:1-2, 8-9, 12; Psalm 46; 1 Corinthians 3:9b-11, 16-17; John 2:13-22) In ancient Israel the temple was a rich metaphor for the life-giving presence of God. For people of the ancient world, temples were theology books in stone. Their mathematical proportions and symbolic structures were meant to reflect divine and cosmological principles. The temple was often referred to as the navel or axis of the world.

In death, we learn the story of love

October 30, 2014

My sister and I used to get season’s tickets to the ballet. They brought colour, beauty and music to long winters, and gave us an opportunity to visit. They also took us to performances we wouldn’t normally select, which is how we ended up at a performance of Swan Lake. We had tickets, so we went.

Be ready with God's weaponry; devil is real, pope says

October 30, 2014

VATICAN CITY - Christian life is a constant battle against the devil, who is not the stuff of legend, but really exists, Pope Francis said in a morning homily.

Divisions aside, Christians must work together to evangelize, pope says

October 30, 2014

VATICAN CITY - Although divided by ancient disputes and new developments, Christians in Europe still have an obligation to work together to help confused men and women find the answers to their spiritual thirst and their search for life's ultimate meaning, Pope Francis said.

Nuncio says 'unfair situation' in Middle East needs 'adequate response'

October 30, 2014

UNITED NATIONS - Peace in the Middle East "can only be sought through negotiated settlements and not through unilateral choices imposed with the use of force," said Archbishop Berardito Auza, the Vatican's UN nuncio.

Church leaders deplore European plans to reduce refugee rescues

October 30, 2014

OXFORD, England - Catholic bishops and aid agencies criticized a move by European nations to scale down the rescue of migrants and refugees in the Mediterranean Sea, where hundreds drown each month attempting to reach Europe.

Poverty message lost among Synod's squabbles, cardinal says

October 30, 2014

MANILA, Philippines - Cardinal Luis Antonio Tagle of Manila said the Synod of Bishops on the family was more than a series of discussions on divorce and gay unions and that the impact of poverty on families, especially in Asia, was a major concern of participants.

October 31

Ontario must learn lessons from Quebec education loss

October 31, 2014

TORONTO - Ontario supporters of Catholic education should heed the lesson of Quebec before it’s too late, said a former education professor and ombudsman at McGill University in Montreal.

Students split on religious studies

October 31, 2014

BRAMPTON, ONT. - The law might give some students a pass from religious studies in Catholic high schools, but that doesn’t mean non-Catholic students are opting out of religion class.

Coming home to Catholicism

October 31, 2014

I wasn’t in the habit of regularly going to church until five years ago. I was bored by the Mass as a child and found very little reason to attend if I could help it. As a pre-teen, I openly resisted Christianity. I rarely went to church in those years of adolescent angst. Even when my parents dragged me to church, I felt uhappy to be there.

Caregivers seek permanent residency upon arrival in Canada

October 31, 2014

TORONTO - A Toronto organization is petitioning Ottawa to establish a federal caregiver program that includes instant permanent residency for foreign caregivers.

Dominicans return to parish life

October 31, 2014

Toronto’s Dominican priests are back in the parish ministry business, this time running the 127-year-old downtown francophone parish of Sacré Coeur.

Bishops object as Catholic universities offer same-sex benefits

October 31, 2014

The decision by a Jesuit university in Nebraska to provide benefits to spouses of gay employees has prompted a strong protest from the local archbishop, the latest skirmish in a battle that seems likely to widen as gay marriage becomes more common.

Pagé honoured by law society

October 31, 2014

Canada’s own appeal tribunal judicial vicar and professor of canon law Msgr. Roch Pagé has landed the Canon Law Society of America’s highest honour.

Police chief, teacher honoured for protecting vulnerable kids

October 31, 2014

TORONTO - Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair and Toronto middle school teacher Lisa Felton were honoured by Toronto's four child protection agencies for their efforts in protecting vulnerable children.