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May 2021

May 5

Pope Francis to institute formal 'ministry of catechist'

May 5, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- While millions of laypeople around the world are recognized as catechists in their parish or diocese, Pope Francis is preparing to formally institute the "ministry of catechist."

May 6

Inadequate housing for migrants cited in coroner report

May 6, 2021

A coroner’s report into the COVID-19 deaths of three migrant farm workers last year has highlighted the role crowded, inadequate housing played in spreading the deadly virus on Ontario farms, plus a jumble of overlapping jurisdictions overseeing the living and working conditions of temporary foreign workers.

Pope Francis tells new Swiss Guards they represent a church that welcomes

May 6, 2021

VATICAN CITY -- Meeting new recruits to the Swiss Guard, Pope Francis thanked the young men for having chosen to serve the successor of St. Peter and he thanked all the guards for their diligence and service.

Teacher rides for suicide prevention

May 6, 2021

With his departed friend Chris and his junior high students top of mind, Tyler Weber pushed himself to a personal best bike ride of 225.8 kilometres in just over nine hours in a journey to raise awareness of suicide prevention.

Cathy Majtenyi: Show some care for those caring for us

May 6, 2021

A woman passes by a crowd protesting public-health measures to curb the spread of COVID-19. Her destination? The hospital, to visit her husband, intubated and fighting for his life from the virus.

Website launched to report sexual misconduct by Canadian Catholic bishops

May 6, 2021

A new system launched to report abuse by Canada’s Catholic bishops is the next step within the Church to make sure all instances of abuse are exposed and eliminated, Gatineau Archbishop Paul-André Durocher said.

May 7

COVID variants raise concern in classrooms

May 7, 2021

The death of a Catholic school student in Brampton, Ont., has highlighted the demographic shift of those most affected by COVID-19.

Development and Peace reconciles with two exiled partners

May 7, 2021

Two of Development and Peace’s 24 exiled partners have been welcomed back by Canada’s Catholic development and aid organization and the remaining 22 may re-apply once the organization finalizes a new partnership policy in the coming weeks.

Francis Campbell: The doctor is giving good advice. Let’s take it

May 7, 2021

In our corner of the country, we fancy ourselves as extremely welcoming and hospitable folk.

May 8

ShareLife campaign off to a steady start

May 8, 2021

Support for the 2021 ShareLife parish campaign is off to a promising start as the fundraising arm of the Archdiocese of Toronto has accumulated over $3.2 million following the first of three ShareLife Sundays.

Peter Stockland: Long ago debate an echo for today

May 8, 2021

Unfurling Bernadette Devlin, Quebec’s Catholic bishops, Irish nuns and William F. Buckley Jr. in the same thought, never mind one sentence, might be considered psychologically, even rhetorically, impossible. Well, there it is. Impossibility vanquished.

May 9

God's Word on Sunday: God has made our life mission very clear

May 9, 2021

Ascension of the Lord, May 16 (Year B) Acts 1:1-11; Psalm 47; Ephesians 1:17-23; Mark 16:15-20 When is the Lord going to return and fix our broken world? Christians have been asking that question for 2,000 years — in fact, the failure of Jesus to return quickly was a major issue for the first Christ-followers.

A backbench MP who gets things done

May 9, 2021

Liberal MP John McKay doesn’t give a damn whether he’s in cabinet or not. But he does give a damn.

May 10

Pope thanks health care workers, urges equal access to care for all

May 10, 2021

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis expressed his gratitude for all those who are committed to caring for the sick and supporting those in great need.

Put health before profits by making vaccine more available, Pope says

May 10, 2021

VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis called for a global fight against the virus of "closed nationalism" and lack of concern for the poor by supporting "the temporary suspension of intellectual property rights" that prevent the widespread manufacturing of COVID-19 vaccines.

May 11

As Israeli-Palestinian violence escalates, Christian leaders voice concern

May 11, 2021

JERUSALEM - Christian leaders in the Holy Land expressed deep concern over growing Israeli-Palestinian violence, as the two sides clashed in Jerusalem and Israel launched airstrikes into Gaza, responding to rocket attacks.

Coroner rules 1971 massacre victims in Belfast were 'entirely innocent'

May 11, 2021

DUBLIN - A coroner in Northern Ireland ruled that a priest and nine lay Catholics who were shot dead by British troops almost 50 years ago were "entirely innocent" and their deaths were unjustified.

May 12

Speaking Out: St. Joseph a model for youth

May 12, 2021

The first day of the month marked St. Joseph the Worker’s feast day, an incredibly relevant devotion for today’s youth. There are many reasons to foster devotion to this model of strong masculinity each year, but especially in 2021, a special year dedicated to St. Joseph declared by Pope Francis on Dec. 8.

Faith Connection rallies around homeless initiative

May 12, 2021

While most Torontonians are following public health orders to stay home, many of the city’s homeless are still trying to find one.

Putting faith into action

May 12, 2021

When Carl Hétu was a teenager growing up in Quebec, he recalls a conversation he had with his father that helped shape the man he would become.