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March 2015

March 18

Patriarch rejects calls for outside military intervention in Syria

March 18, 2015

VATICAN CITY - The head of the Melkite Catholic Church rejected outright all calls for an international military intervention in Syria and urged Pope Francis and all Christian churches to "promote a concrete and realistic road map" to peace in the beleaguered nation.

March 19

We’ll find hand of God in sex ed curriculum

March 19, 2015

The release last month of the Ontario government’s revised physical education and health curriculum is an opportunity for Catholic schools to again demonstrate an approach that is both distinctive from but supportive of secular goals.

Picking the wrong battle

March 19, 2015

A country that deems it progressive to kill your grandmother but conservative for the state to dictate your choice of hat might be going, in a technical sense, nuts.

God takes pleasure when we use the talents He has given

March 19, 2015

For the past six months, while undergoing treatment for cancer, I was working on a reduced schedule. The medical treatments, while somewhat debilitating, left me still enough health and energy to carry on the administrative duties in my present ministry, but they didn’t allow me any extra energy to teach classes or to offer any lectures, workshops or retreats at outside venues, something I normally do. I joked with my family and friends that I was “under house arrest.” But I was so grateful for the energy that I still had that being unable to teach and give lectures was not deemed a sacrifice. I was focused on staying healthy, and the health that I was given was appreciated as a great grace.

The transforming light of Christ’s face

March 19, 2015

The Fifth Sunday of Lent (Year B) invites us to consider John’s Gospel story from Chapter 12 — a fitting climax to Jesus’ public ministry. It is the last official act before the events of His passion next Sunday.

Lent is a season of unsettling lessons learned

March 19, 2015

Lent has a way of unsettling us, of shaking up our easy routines and making us question what more we should be doing as part of our Christian obedience.

Humble, loving servant can’t lose

March 19, 2015

Passion (Palm) Sunday (Year B) March 29 (Isaiah 50:4-7; Psalm 22; Philippians 2:6-11; Mark 14:1-15:47) Receiving instruction directly from God is not a ticket to an easy or conflict-free life. The Suffering Servant of Isaiah is a case in point. This Servant was most likely an unknown prophetic figure in the community of Israelite exiles in mid-sixth century B.C. Babylon. He must have been an exceptional individual, since he was the source of comfort and encouragement for so many.

Christian disciples united by legacy of John Paul II

March 19, 2015

I had the pleasure this past week of hosting George Weigel, one of the Church’s leading public intellectuals, in Toronto and Kingston. I had long wanted to host Weigel, a mentor and friend and colleague for more than 20 years, and thought that 2015, the 10th anniversary of the death of St. John Paul II, would be the perfect year to do it.

Francis’ blessing

March 19, 2015

Two years ago the demands of office caused a tired Pope Benedict XVI to resign the papacy. He was 85. Now we have Pope Francis, 78, musing about a short pontificate as he begins his third year on the job.

Toronto Catholic board could see 300 teacher cuts

March 19, 2015

TORONTO - Budgeting blunders that left an unexpected deficit, coupled with a potential two-per-cent cut in provincial grants, could leave the Toronto Catholic District School Board with more than 300 fewer frontline educators in September.

SSPX bishop excommunicated — again — for illicit ordination

March 19, 2015

A traditionalist bishop who has denied the Holocaust has been automatically excommunicated along with the priest he illicitly ordained a bishop.

Supreme Court’s Loyola decision a victory for religious freedom

March 19, 2015

OTTAWA - Montreal's Loyola High School has won the right to teach its students the Catholic faith from a Catholic perspective.

Development and Peace pleased with Lent app results

March 19, 2015

When the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace launched its Share Lent “Sow Much Love” campaign, it didn’t know just how much love it might get. Thanks to its first-ever mobile phone app, it is getting a better idea.

March 20

Learning the value of my education

March 20, 2015

Nelson Mandela once said, “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Most people think education is a rather simple process: you go to high school and graduate, then move on to college and graduate, and ultimately find a job and start living your life. However, it often isn’t that straightforward.

High school chaplain fights cancer with faith

March 20, 2015

TORONTO - Fifteen hundred students at St. John Paul II Catholic Secondary School cheered excitedly during a 2013 assembly to welcome students back to school after a long summer vacation.

Pope accepts cardinal's decision to renounce duties, rights of office

March 20, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis accepted Scotland Cardinal Keith O'Brien's decision to renounce all "duties and privileges" associated with being a cardinal.

Teen Ranch stays true to its Christian roots

March 20, 2015

Over the past 48 years, generations of teens have been introduced to their faith at Teen Ranch Canada. Ann Stevens, who is now in charge of staff development at the Caledon, Ont., ranch and a former camper herself, is one of these people. She was 13 years old when she and her sister first came to the Christian camp in the early 1970s.

Pope Francis calls death penalty 'unacceptable,' urges abolition

March 20, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis came out squarely against the death penalty once again, calling it "unacceptable" regardless of the seriousness of the crime of the condemned.

In Holy Year, Pope wants to share experience of mercy he had as teen

March 20, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis' decision to convoke a special Holy Year of Mercy has its roots in the event that led a teenage Jorge Mario Bergoglio to the priesthood.

March 21

Camp memories will last a lifetime

March 21, 2015

Packing your child up and shipping them off to camp away from everything familiar might be one of the most lasting gifts a parent can give a child.