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January 7, 2021
As 2020 closed, it was regrettable that the public observations of the 850th anniversary of the martyrdom (Dec. 29, 1170) of St. Thomas Becket did not take place due to pandemic restrictions.
January 8, 2021
The journey home has gotten a little easier for some of Toronto’s 8,500 homeless people in shelters and out on the street any given night.
For 65 years, Sr. Sue Mosteller has been a Sister of St. Joseph, but her relationship with St. Joseph himself reaches back even further. As a 17-year-old boarding student at the congregation’s Toronto girls’ school (up from the United States, and an Anglican to boot), Mosteller and her sister were called into the office and given a piece of devastating news — far away in Ohio, their father had died.
Canadian churches faced new restrictions as public health officials tried to contain a post-holiday surge of COVID-19.
In a year marked by event cancellations, pandemic restrictions hindered competition plans for many high school athletes looking to obtain their diploma while also pursuing athletic ambitions in 2020.
Pope Francis spoke for the common good on Christmas Day when he called for the world’s nations to ensure that those who are poor receive their fair share of the vaccine for the coronavirus.
January 9, 2021
A new, eco-friendly Mass wine is awaiting approval from the Archdiocese of Montreal to bring a locally-made wine back to the altars of Quebec churches.
A few weeks ago, I was on an intimate online call with one of our political leaders. Well, when I say it was an intimate call, it was intimate in the way a private audience with the Pope is intimate, namely there were as many people on the call as the bandwidth could support.
January 10, 2021
Black and white photos of their beloved “Cely,” smiling confidently, began to play on the screen for friends and family unable to say their final goodbyes in person. So many people tried to log on that the funeral home website crashed before the memorial service resumed online.
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time, Jan. 17 (Year B) 1 Samuel 3:3b-10, 19; Psalm 40; 1 Corinthians 6:13c-15a, 17-20; John 1:35-42 We hear many voices calling us each day — some of them important and true, but most consist of noise, disinformation and outright dishonesty. But a communication from God has some distinct characteristics that make us stop and listen.
January 11, 2021
VATICAN CITY -- Recognizing "the gifts of each baptized person" -- women and men -- Pope Francis ordered a change to canon law and liturgical norms so that women could be formally installed as lectors and acolytes.
VATICAN CITY -- Christians are called to lead and lift people up by being close to them and sharing God's love, not by judging them, Pope Francis said.
January 12, 2021
VATICAN CITY -- Human rights organizations have called on the European Union to intervene in Bosnia-Herzegovina, where over 1,000 migrants have been stranded in sub-zero temperatures awaiting relocation after their camp burned down.
January 13, 2021
VATICAN CITY -- Australia's financial crime watchdog agency said it over-estimated by the equivalent of more than US$1.5 billion the amount of money transferred from the Vatican to Australia between 2014 and 2020.
Dinner table conversations at my house often turn to the fond reminiscing of the teenage life of my parents.
While University of Toronto students are still closed off from campus due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the institution’s interfaith book club is still coming together in an ecumenical spirit online.
VANCOUVER -- The Delta Hospice Society has been forced to issue layoff notices to clinical staff at its 10-bed hospice in Delta, B.C., effective Feb. 25, as the B.C. government moves to take over the hospice due to its opposition to on-site euthanasia.
Four years ago, CBS online news posted a story about Down Syndrome in Iceland. Better put, a story about the elimination of all babies in the womb who would likely be born with Down Syndrome.
January 14, 2021
Ontario’s plan to help poor people has left a lot of blanks yet to be filled, said the executive director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto.
VATICAN CITY -- Both Pope Francis and retired Pope Benedict XVI have received the first dose of the vaccine against COVID-19 after the Vatican started vaccinating its employees and residents Jan. 13.