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June 2015

June 18

Catholicism is what it is and not what we want it to be

June 18, 2015

In the 1970s there was a marked contrast between the Catholic faith as it was taught in my elementary school and as it was taught in the church around the corner. At school, it wasn’t taught as much as it was assigned, and religion class often morphed into art class. At the church, the faith took on much larger dimensions, as if in school we had been looking at it through the wrong end of a telescope, and only when we went to Mass were we able to see it the right way round.

Faith in the crosshairs

June 18, 2015

In a matter of days the U.S. Supreme Court is expected to release its decision on same-sex marriage. While it has ruled on issues related to gay unions in the past, this time it will address the big question: is marriage a fundamental right afforded to every citizen under the 14th Amendment of the U.S. Constitution?

From border to academia, enthusiasm for papal encyclical runs high

June 18, 2015

WASHINGTON - Long before Pope Francis' encyclical on care for creation was released, it was providing a boost for a group of women struggling to keep the negative influences of modern-day life from erasing valued Mexican traditions and treasured cultural practices along the Mexico-Texas border.

Ours is a religion of culture

June 18, 2015

Two recent papal-related events highlighted that Catholicism is meant to be a religion of culture. Every culture, as St. John Paul II taught, answers the fundamental questions of life and different cultures are differentiated by their response to the mystery of God.

Papal fan club takes to the media after encyclical

June 18, 2015

Rabbi Arthur Waskow, author of a rabbinical letter on climate change, said he can sum up his response to Pope Francis’ groundbreaking encyclical on the environment in one word: Hallelujah.

People are destroying the earth, Pope says in encyclical

June 18, 2015

[Read the Pope's encyclical on the environment here.] VATICAN CITY - The earth, which was created to support life and give praise to God, is crying out with pain because human activity is destroying it, Pope Francis says in his long-awaited encyclical, Laudato Si', on Care for Our Common Home.

Moral awakening

June 18, 2015

Corruption is a child of greed and vanity. It tempts those blinded by arrogance and seduced by money. It is found across society, in business, sports, the Church, but particularly in politics.

June 19

Hiring a new dean for King’s University

June 19, 2015

Throughout my undergraduate experience I was actively involved with many leadership opportunities on campus. In my final year, I was blessed with the opportunity to help shape the future of my alma mater.

St. Jerome’s students learn the value of a coffee bean

June 19, 2015

WATERLOO, ONT. - Students at St. Jerome’s University don’t have to wonder where their coffee is made.

Emanuel AME Church: the latest victim of violence against black churches

June 19, 2015

For many, the massacre at a black church in Charleston, S.C., is simply another mass shooting. But for African-Americans, church violence has historic dimensions.

Religious leaders decry arson at Jerusalem church

June 19, 2015

JERUSALEM - The Council of Religious Institutions of the Holy Land issued a strong condemnation against an early morning arson attack on the Benedictine Church of the Multiplication at Tabgha on the Sea of Galilee on June 18.

Church leaders see encyclical as opening new wave of climate action

June 19, 2015

MEXICO CITY - Pope Francis aims to touch the hearts of people so that they act to stem climate change and change their lifestyle to reduce negative impacts on the planet in his encyclical on the environment, said a priest at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina.

Conscience vote Motion 590 passes with Trudeau's support

June 19, 2015

OTTAWA - Justin Trudeau has joined Parliament in overwhelmingly passing a motion in Parliament in support of holding free votes on conscience matters.

Academic DeMarco takes rights league’s Exner Award

June 19, 2015

TORONTO - The Catholic Civil Rights League once again highlighted the power of the pen by awarding author Donald DeMarco the award for Catholic Excellence in Public Life.

Pope Francis chides world powers for failing to push for peace in Syria

June 19, 2015

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis on June 19 criticized world powers for their failure to find a solution to the Syrian conflict, saying the country’s Christians had been united by “the blood of the martyrs” lost in war.

June 20

Sisters to leave legacy with Providence Village

June 20, 2015

The Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul are striking out on a bold new future that is rooted in a proud past.

The Paulists’ ministry of presence will be missed

June 20, 2015

TORONTO - For several years now, my office at the Paulist Ministry Centre has been flanked on either side by the office of a Paulist Father. I have appreciated the Paulist presence more each day, the priests who’ve occupied those rooms, and the spirit and community present with them. I’ve learned about their community through their actions and words, and through encountering the day-to-day life of the people at St. Peter’s parish and the Ministry Centre.

The Paulist century in Canada

June 20, 2015

Paulist priests preached their first mission in Canada 156 years ago. Fifty-six years later they arrived in Toronto where they came to operate St. Peter’s parish and open the Newman Centre on what is now the campus of the University of Toronto. Due to declining numbers they are being forced to cease Canadian operations and return home. Here is a timeline of their years in Canada.

Paulist presence ends, legacy lives

June 20, 2015

TORONTO - The Paulist Fathers don’t want to leave Toronto, they have to. That strange uptick in vocations after the Second World War has now worked its way through the system and there aren’t enough priests left to staff the ambitious little empire of Paulist ministries that once dotted cities across North America. So, after a century in Toronto, the U.S.-based Paulists are going home.

Catholic health cannot support assisted suicide

June 20, 2015

OTTAWA - For the Catholic Health Alliance of Canada, there is no debate about euthanasia and assisted suicide.