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September 1, 2017
It was interesting to monitor the shock expressed around the world to recent news that Iceland has almost eradicated the birth of Down syndrome babies by prenatal tests and abortion.
Making something out of nothing. When somebody pulls that off, it tends to evoke wonder and admiration.
Not many 18-year-olds can say they’ve written for a national newspaper. And fewer still can say they’ve been given the chance to not only report on current events, but to give their opinions on relevant social issues.
Janelle Younge was 14 when she called Toronto’s Catholic Children’s Aid Society. When the social worker arrived and saw bruises spread across Younge’s face and arms, she wanted the girl out of the house right away, before her father got home.
VATICAN CITY - Environmental destruction is a sign of a "morally decaying scenario" in which too many people ignore or deny that, from the beginning, "God intended humanity to cooperate in the preservation and protection of the natural environment," said the leaders of the Catholic and Orthodox churches.
Mary’s Meals is about lots of little acts of love, said founder Magnus MacFarlane-Barrow.
September 2, 2017
In an emergency ward, in another country, I lay on a table awaiting the physician. Lightning flashes of pain shot through my body, weak from days-long inability to take in water and food.
John Smillie was just 15 when he stumbled into the world of Catholic comics. In October 2015, he posted a drawing on his Facebook page of the child Jesus tugging on the dress of an exasperated Mother Mary, yelling “Mom, mom, mom….”
EDMONTON - Dr. Nhung Tran-Davies will never forget the January day she saw the Alshablis, a family fleeing war in Syria, walk through the doors of Edmonton International Airport.
HOUSTON - As the waters from Hurricane Harvey rose and fell, prayers uttered in Texas ranged from pleas for protection to asking God for the courage to live with charity and great patience, said Bishop Brendan J. Cahill of Victoria.
September 3, 2017
I don’t always find it easy to pray. Often I’m over-tired, distracted, caught-up in tasks, pressured by work, short on time, lacking the appetite for prayer or more strongly drawn to do something else.
Earlier this year protesters in a small Guatemala village blockaded a giant silver mine operated by a Canadian company and for a month stood their ground despite being regularly tear-gassed by paramilitary police.
September 4, 2017
23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time, Sept. 10 (Year A) Ezekiel 33:7-9; Psalm 95; Romans 13:8-10; Matthew 18:15-20 Sin ultimately affects an entire community. There is no such thing as a private sin. Sooner or later, misdeeds make an impact on the physical, psychological and spiritual environment.
Provincial superiors of the English and French Canadian arms of the Jesuits wrote to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau Aug. 11 asking him to put pressure on the government of Honduras to protect the life of Jesuit Fr. Ismael “Melo” Moreno.
September 5, 2017
VATICAN CITY – After leading thousands of pilgrims in praying the Angelus, Pope Francis offered prayers for flood victims in Texas and Louisiana following a devastating hurricane that caused massive flooding.
VIENNA – Many people become more vulnerable to abuse and exploitation when safe, legal and affordable opportunities for immigration or asylum are lacking, a Vatican official told global leaders.
VATICAN CITY – Colombia's transition to a just and lasting peace requires a commitment on behalf of all the nation's people to taking the first step toward reconciliation, Pope Francis said in a video message.
TORONTO – Parents have a lot of things to worry about on the first day of school. Whether or not their child arrives safely should not be one of them.
BOGOTA, Colombia – Milena Cardenas was 6 years old when rebels of the M-19 guerrilla group seized the Colombian Supreme Court in 1985. The army counterattacked and more than 100 lives were lost, including 12 of the 25 judges. Eleven cafeteria employees also disappeared; Cardenas' mother was among them.
WASHINGTON – Mercy Sister Rita Parks stood near the large crowd in front of the White House that was almost silenced after U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions announced shortly after 11 a.m. on Sept. 5 that the Trump administration was ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, or DACA, program.