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March 2019

March 28

Vandals, arsonists target French Catholic churches

March 28, 2019

MANCHESTER, England - Vandals and arsonists have targeted French churches in a wave of attacks that has lasted nearly two months.

Vanessa Santilli-Raimondo: My Lenten promise extends to 54 Fridays

March 28, 2019

When I first started thinking about what I would do for Lent this year, the last thing I imagined was a fast that would encompass 54 Fridays, running until Easter of next year.

Editorial: No place for guns

March 28, 2019

It turns out that banning assault weapons doesn’t have to be so difficult after all. All it takes is courage, resolve, leadership — and a touch of common sense.

Autonomous weapons systems threaten peace, says Vatican official

March 28, 2019

VATICAN CITY - The growing use of autonomous weapons systems poses serious risks to global peace and stability, a Vatican representative told a U.N. meeting in Geneva.

Charles Lewis: The miracle of St. Augustine's Seminary

March 28, 2019

Consider this a non-poetic, nonrhyming ode to St. Augustine’s Seminary. I love the Toronto school and I want to explain why. And then I hope you will love it, too.

Toronto Catholic school board launches new interfaith youth alliance

March 28, 2019

Sixteen-year-old Mariam Khoshaba is determined to see a future of world religions united in purpose — even if it’s one name tag at a time.

March 29

Jesuits combining policy and prayer

March 29, 2019

Canada’s Jesuits are tweaking their sexual abuse policy less than three years after their last update, but as they do so they’re matching their policy with prayer.

Speaking Out: Do smartphones have a place in class?

March 29, 2019

Whether it’s online shopping, banking or even dating, it’s as if we can live our lives entirely online. This is why the news about the banning of cellphones in all classes across Ontario next school year came as a surprise to me. The exceptions to the ban are when they are used as part of a teacher’s lesson, or for students with medical or special needs.

Pope issues child protection law for Vatican City State

March 29, 2019

VATICAN CITY — To better protect minors and vulnerable adults from all forms of abuse and exploitation, Pope Francis approved a new law and a set of safeguarding guidelines for Vatican City State and the Roman Curia.

Asylum funds allocated poorly, advocates say

March 29, 2019

OTTAWA - Refugee advocates are welcoming a federal budget pledge to spend $1.8 billion over five years to accelerate the processing of asylum claims, but concerns are being raised about how funds will be allocated.

Readers Speak Out: March 31, 2019

March 29, 2019

Offensive statement Re: Shedding light on Pius’s wartime papacy (Mar. 17): This article surprised me and made me very sad, not because of the presentation of the topic, but because of one statement: “Polish concentration camps in 1943.”

A little boost for dementia strategy

March 29, 2019

OTTAWA - Matt Dineen’s long pursuit of improving lives for people living with dementia took a small but significant step forward in the federal budget.

Silent Voice bridges communication gap

March 29, 2019

Twelve-year-old Kisanet hardly remembers the time when she was not deaf.

March 30

God's Word on Sunday: Embracing change is a vital part of living

March 30, 2019

Fourth Sunday of Lent, March 31, 2019 (Year C) Joshua 5:9, 10-12; Psalm 34; 2 Corinthians 5:17-21; Luke 15:1-3, 11-32

Grieving women find comfort in ‘quillows’

March 30, 2019

Her father died nearly seven years ago and she is still struggling to come to terms with the loss.

Marriage scores big on family satisfaction scale

March 30, 2019

OTTAWA - Canadian married couples with children are a pretty happy lot — at least more happy than their unmarried counterparts.

The many lives of St. Michael’s

March 30, 2019

EDMONTON - Isabella Mraz Nelson kneels and gently places her hand on her great-grandfather’s headstone.

March 31

Pope goes on a mission for migrants

March 31, 2019

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis wanted to go to Morocco in December to draw attention to the need for international co-operation in assisting migrants and in alleviating the situations that force people to seek a better life outside their homeland.

Gerry Turcotte: There’s a light ahead in our Lenten journey

March 31, 2019

During Ash Wednesday Mass on the St. Mary’s University campus, professor of psychology, Fr. Peter Doherty, offered an inspiring homily. He spoke of the importance of the Lenten journey and the need for us to reach out and to support others, as well as the need to reflect on the importance of the “journey” of Lent — emphasizing that Lent isn’t a time period, but a process leading to discovery.

African floods ‘wiped out entire villages’

March 31, 2019

NAIROBI, KENYA - More than two million people in Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Malawi have been affected by a cyclone that has killed more than 700 people, with hundreds still missing in Mozambique and Zimbabwe.