Browse › 2023 › November

November 2023

November 1

Fate of captured Ukrainian Catholic priests unknown

November 1, 2023

The fate of two Ukrainian Greek Catholic priests remains unknown almost a year after their capture by the Russian National Guard amid Russia‘s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, according to Forum 18, an Oslo, Norway-based news service that covers religious and intellectual freedom violations in several countries.

Chaplain General pauses ban on religious language for Nov. 11

November 1, 2023

Canada’s military ordinariate is pleased that the Chaplain General has put a temporary pause on the new Public Reflection Policy that would have prohibited overtly religious language by chaplains at Remembrance Day ceremonies.

Assisted death up 31% in 2022

November 1, 2023

A new Health Canada report revealed the number of euthanasia deaths in 2022 was 13,241, 31.2-per-cent higher than the 10,092 Canadians who requested assisted suicide in 2021.

Synodal Catholics walk together

November 1, 2023

The months leading up to the now concluded first phase of the Synod on Synodality were marked by anticipation and anxiety in influential Catholic circles. While the majority of Catholics might remain perplexed or indifferent to the Synod, invested Catholics saw change on the horizon.

Into the deep: suicide and the truth of death

November 1, 2023

Touch anyone and you touch grief, the grief of losing someone beloved. There’s grief, and there’s the grief born of a tragic death such as from suicide. Socially, and even as a Church, we often don’t know how to respond.

November 2

Verbatim: A statement to the Synod on Synodality from Cardinal Charles Maung Bo

November 2, 2023

A statement to the Synod on Synodality from Cardinal Charles Maung Bo, Archbishop of Yangon, Myanmar and president of the Federation of Asian Bishops

Neighbours fight St. Felix Centre’s respite centre

November 2, 2023

A new respite centre to be run by the St. Felix Centre in downtown Toronto is facing strong opposition from community stakeholders.

Editorial: Take a democratic stand now

November 2, 2023

The federal government’s ideological assault on the integrity and traditions of the Canadian Armed Forces chaplaincy is a matter for democratic resolution either by approval (boo! boo!) or, preferably, overturning.

Piercing God’s heart

November 2, 2023

Demotion of God from public ceremonies has officially begun with the Oct. 20 directive that our chaplains can’t use words such as “God,” “Heavenly Father” and “prayer” under the pretext of not wanting to displease a few discontented atheists.

Consecrated virgins commit to the ultimate groom

November 2, 2023

A woman standing in a church wearing a white dress and veil is an instantly recognizable image, but for a small yet growing number of Catholic women, the groom that awaits them at the altar is not a nervous young man but Jesus Himself.

Engaging anti-Semitism rejects Christian roots

November 2, 2023

Some months ago in this space, I discussed the relationship between Catholics and Jews. I return to this question in the wake of the brutal, sadistic violence perpetrated by the terrorist organization Hamas against Jewish Israelis on Oct. 7.

Tender is the night when we connect

November 2, 2023

Before I leave the house, I always check outside to see how many layers of clothes I need on the colder evenings. It did not feel too cold, and so I dressed lightly with only three layers, which were topped off with a hoodie and my omnipresent leather jacket. However, as I approached the downtown area the heavens opened, and I found myself driving through a deluge of rain.

Catholic colleges shine a light of hope

November 2, 2023

As a newcomer to Vancouver, and in only the second year of my presidency at Corpus Christi and St. Mark’s College, I am still in a stage of wonder, discovering new things every day, about the city and indeed about the colleges themselves.

Learning trust on faith’s hidden precipices

November 2, 2023

One of my favourite things about public speaking is the conversations that happen at the end of the event. After ideas, emotions and (hopefully) the Spirit whirl around a large room with many hearts, something is distilled between two previous strangers. There is such immense trust in these brief encounters. A story to share. Words of gratitude. Another perspective.

November 3

Students embrace sacrifice for freedom

November 3, 2023

Calgary business leader and philanthropist Murray McCann is touched each year by a gesture performed by students from Calgary’s St. Mary’s University in remembrance of those who gave their lives for the freedom they now enjoy.

Christ Himself must lead the Church’s journey, not a fellowship of listeners

November 3, 2023

On the eve of the Synod on Synodality, Pope Francis released his Apostolic Exhortation "on the climate crisis," emphasizing the need to "rethink... the question of human power." The Synod is also about the meaning and limits of power with the seeming goal of turning the Catholic Church into a sort of procedural republic, a fellowship of listeners who through “conversations in the Spirit” learn to find a word from God in each other’s experiences. But they will still have to find ways to distribute power, or ways will be found for them.

Synod was a true dialogue of the Church in the Third Millenium

November 3, 2023

Three of us from Concerned Lay Catholics agreed to make the trip to Rome. We saw this as an opportunity to connect with and learn from similar organizations working in other parts of the world, and to learn as much as possible about the official Synodal process itself. We had connections to people both inside and outside the process, so we were confident that our experience would be balanced and well-informed.

God's Word on Sunday: The faithful carry the weight to glorify God

November 3, 2023

31st Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A) Nov. 5 (Malachi 1:14-2:2. 8-10; Psalm 131; 1Thessalonians 2: 7-9, 13; Matthew 23:1-12) Why would God be concerned with people giving glory to His name? Does God need any additional glory?

Trial date set for alleged Alberta church arsonists

November 3, 2023

Two men from High Prairie, Alta., charged for setting fire to St. Bernard’s Church in Grouard, Alta., on May 22 are slated for trial almost a year to the day later.

Vatican confirms papal trip to Dubai for climate conference

November 3, 2023

Pope Francis will travel to Dubai in the United Arab Emirates Dec. 1-3 to participate in the U.N. Climate Change Conference, the Vatican press office confirmed.