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January 8, 2020
Rise Up showed no signs of slowing down in its 20th year.
I am writing this column late in December, thinking of the annual ritual of making resolutions. I do not think in my life I ever followed through on a New Year’s resolution — but I have made resolutions at other times of the year that I have stuck to like glue.
WASHINGTON -- CNN reached an undisclosed settlement Jan. 7 with Nick Sandmann, a Kentucky Catholic high school student who sued the cable news outlet for defamation over its coverage of an incident that occurred after last year's March for Life.
January 9, 2020
A pastoral plan three years in the making which resulted in a two-thirds reduction of parishes in the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth has put the archdiocese in a position to succeed amid the realities of the modern Church, said John Stevens.
VATICAN CITY -- Hope is the virtue needed to approach the coming year, especially when the looming threat of war surrounds a humanity scarred by violence, Pope Francis said.
It seemed fitting that Pope Francis began the new year by pointing a spotlight at women, given that integrating women into the everyday running of the Church will be a major theme of the new decade.
Room for all Re: New Mass at 50: a face-to-face issue (Dec. 22): I find much beauty in the Latin Mass. I grew up with it. But I also find beauty in the Novus Ordo in its simplicity and its native tongue, or mix of Latin and English.
ERFURT, Germany -- Bishop Gerhard Feige of Magdeburg voiced skepticism about a recent proposal by German theologians for Catholics and Protestants to reciprocally open access to Communion.
Whether Canada’s faith life is hidden, secret or just ignored, it represents a rich vein of news for any enterprising journalist, as far as Winnipeg Free Press columnist John Longhurst is concerned.
January 10, 2020
An island nation that is more than 90 per cent Catholic is using the story of a shipwreck to remind Christians what ecumenism is really about — kindness, welcome and the bonds of our common humanity.
Changing the world an inch at a time with nothing but a word, a prayer, a hope or an intuition isn’t the sort of thing we very often notice, let alone celebrate.
With gratitude, generosity and mindfulness as his three foundational pillars, Fr. Darrin Gurr wants to examine a spirituality of stewardship. The result is a helpful guide to those who want to find meaning in acts of generosity, but the book lacks originality and some of its themes remain undeveloped.
VATICAN CITY -- The newly established "Sunday of the Word of God" is an invitation to Catholics across the world to deepen their appreciation, love and faithful witness to God and his word, Pope Francis said.
OXFORD, England -- The French bishops' permanent council has approved a recommendation to remove gender references for parents on baptismal certificates.
This new year my resolution was to be less punctual. Why? Because punctuality has always been both my obsession and my curse.
January 11, 2020
MONTREAL -- Unlikely as it might seem, the Irish are once again in the eye of a controversy storm, this time over the naming of a Montreal commuter rail station in historic Griffintown neighbourhood.
During a pre-Christmas trip to Toronto, New York Times columnist David Brooks offered a small vignette that can provide us with a new year’s resolution but, more, a spiritual shift for life.
January 12, 2020
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jan. 19 (Year A) Isaiah 49:3, 5-6; Psalm 40; 1 Corinthians 1:1-3; John 1:29-34 One of the most unsettling questions that we can ask of ourselves is: “Who am I, and why am I here?”
VANCOUVER -- When Myka Kollmann isn’t buried in textbooks at the University of British Columbia, she can often be found playing games with, running errands for, and laughing with recovering drug addicts at Luke 15 House.
As I write this it is the feast of the Holy Innocents (Dec. 28), the memorial day for children who endured the wrath of King Herod as he set out to ensure that the Light of the World would never be allowed to shine in the darkness of his kingdom. As it was 2,000 years ago, so it often is today.