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May 2023

May 11

The new evangelization begins with ourselves

May 11, 2023

On the fifth Sunday of Easter in the Byzantine rite we commemorate the Samaritan woman at the well who meets Jesus and hears the Gospel preached. To Jews such as Our Lord the Samaritans were distinctly the “other,” worshipping God in a way that the Jews rejected. Among the many important aspects of this Gospel passage one that merits greater discussion in our day is the preaching of the Gospel to those who are not “us.” We encounter in the Gospels many occasions when Jesus meets non-Jews such as when He meets the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mark 7:24-30), or when the Roman centurion requests healing for his slave (Luke 7:2-10), or when He heals the Gerasene. Our Lord does not limit His saving ministry to His fellow Jews; He comes as the promised Messiah calling all people to salvation.

Rules shape us

May 11, 2023

The golfer who sits unshakeably atop the game’s pantheon as the sport’s greatest player ever is also regarded by many who follow its 500-year history as a paragon of rule-bound propriety.

In child care, time to burst Ottawa’s bubble

May 11, 2023

“By the fifth year of life if everything is continuous and safe then emotional intimacy begins… The first issue is always to establish strong, deep emotional connections with those who are raising you. And that should be our emphasis in society. If we did this, we would send our children to school late, not early.”

Thousands gather for annual March for Life protest in Ottawa

May 11, 2023

On a 25-degree blue sky May day in Ottawa, Canada’s national pro-life movement made clear it has no intention of calling “may day” in the battle against abortion and Medical Aid in Dying.

May 12

Universities increasingly go international

May 12, 2023

King’s University College principal David Malloy found something more precious than gold on an April trip to India — students.

From one Catholic novelist to another

May 12, 2023

Acclaimed and prolific Canadian Catholic author Michael O’Brien once said, “If creators of Christian culture hope to produce work that will bear good fruit, we must draw our life from the true source — our living Saviour. He is real. He is present.”

God's Word on Sunday: We need to view world via the lens of Christ

May 12, 2023

Sixth Sunday of Easter (Year A) May 14 (Acts 8:5-8, 14-17; Psalm 66; 1 Peter 3:15-18; John 14:15-21) The Samaritans fare rather well in the pages of the New Testament. Despite the fact that there was considerable antipathy between the Samaritans and the Judeans, they are often portrayed as eager and open to the words of Jesus. The tension sprang from their questionable ethnicity and theology. In the eyes of the Judeans, the ethnic purity of the Samaritans had been compromised by intermarriage with non-Jews.

UK bishop denounces new IVF method resulting in first baby born with DNA of three people

May 12, 2023

An English Catholic bishop has denounced the first reported births of "three-parent" babies in the UK as "deeply concerning."

It's unfair, humiliating if only the rich can build a family, Pope Francis says

May 12, 2023

Starting a family and having children has become a kind of herculean task when instead it should be valued and supported by everyone, Pope Francis said at a meeting in Rome on Italy's severe decline in population growth.

Ukrainian bishops hopeful for President Zelenskyy's Vatican visit

May 12, 2023

Ukrainian church leaders have cautiously welcomed news of a Vatican visit by their country's president, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, after a fresh wave of Russian missile attacks in anticipation of a counteroffensive by Kyiv's forces.

May 13

Canadians help keep hope alive in Holy Land

May 13, 2023

Despite living under dark clouds of uncertainty and fear, Christians in the Holy Land are still a beacon of light and a much-needed presence there, says Joseph Hazboun.

May 15

Pope Francis, Zelenskyy talk about humanitarian situation provoked by war in Ukraine

May 15, 2023

After literally hundreds of public prayers for peace in Ukraine and 443 days after Russia launched an all-out war on the Eastern European country, Pope Francis welcomed Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the Vatican.

Archdiocese of Toronto welcomes seven new priests

May 15, 2023

Seven men handed their lives over to service in the Church, service to the Eucharist, service to the Gospel at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto on Saturday, May 13.

Embattled Waterloo trustee vacates seat

May 15, 2023

Wendy Ashby, the trustee for the Waterloo Catholic District School Board (WCDSB) mired in controversy because of her past Twitter activity deemed anti-Christian has reportedly resigned from her position.

Caritas Internationalis elects new president, stressing local connections in aid

May 15, 2023

Caritas Internationalis, the global Catholic charity network, elected Archbishop Tarcisius Isao Kikuchi of Tokyo to be its new president following a Vatican-mandated overhaul of its leadership.

Pope Francis issues new 'fundamental law' for Vatican City State

May 15, 2023

Pope Francis updated the "Fundamental Law of Vatican City State," opening the possibility that laypeople can be members of its governing commission and emphasizing that the independence of the city-state is essential for the mission of the Holy See.

May 16

New report says Germany's Catholic Church faces major decline in membership, revenue

May 16, 2023

Germany's Catholic Church will be forced to give up a third of its properties in the face of dwindling membership and revenue, according to a new report, with many buildings facing demolition unless converted to other uses.

May 17

Gaza priest helps calm traumatized community

May 17, 2023

Even before the ceasefire between Israel and the Palestinian Islamic Jihad had been called on the evening of May 13 after five days of fighting, Fr. Gabriel Romanelli of Gaza Holy Family Parish was already tentatively going over travel details for a trip to Egypt with some of the Catholic Scouts youth leaders, which had been long in the making.

Wildfires put Alberta parishes on high alert

May 17, 2023

So far Catholic parishes in the path of devastating wildfires that have swept across Alberta have only been evacuated as a precaution, with no parishes reporting any damage by mid-month.

Concerns still surround Caritas upon relaunch

May 17, 2023

With a new president in place, Caritas Internationalis is out of the Vatican’s penalty box and back on the ice. And for Development and Peace-Caritas Canada executive director Carl Hétu, the relaunch of the world’s second largest humanitarian aid network’s central co-ordinating office in Rome is good news.