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December 18, 2023
A Catholic priest can bless a gay or other unmarried couple as long as it is not a formal liturgical blessing and does not give the impression that the Catholic Church is blessing the union as if it were a marriage, the Vatican doctrinal office said.
With the predictability of the liturgical year, the church hall of St. Willibrord Church in Verdun, Que., is for the first weeks of December a hive of excited preparation as volunteers fill boxes with food and toys for over 200 local families.
Following a series of attacks on Christians in the Gaza Strip by Israeli forces Dec. 16, including the killing of a mother and daughter at a Catholic church, the Israeli Defense Forces said that it "takes claims regarding harm to sensitive sites with the utmost seriousness." However, the statement did not make any mention of the shooting deaths of the two women in the Holy Family Parish premises.
December 19, 2023
The winter chill of December welcomed my first season of Advent in Toronto. My first Christmas away from home. Away from all those Christmas traditions I’d grown to love.
Federal Justice Minister Arif Virani said Dec. 13 that the Liberals are contemplating pausing plans to broaden the eligibility of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to individuals solely with a mental illness beginning March 17. Cabinet will weigh the feedback offered by a joint parliamentary committee, medical professionals and other stakeholders.
A new declaration from the Vatican on pastoral blessings does not change the Catholic Church's teaching on marriage, Catholic experts told OSV News, but seeks to extend the church's accompaniment to those in irregular situations.
December 20, 2023
St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal is home to not only the heart of St. Brother André Bessette but also to a collection of close to 1,000 crèches gathered from every corner of the world.
Holy Land Catholic leaders have appealed for an immediate ceasefire in Gaza and Canadian support in dealing with the unfolding humanitarian catastrophe.
While faith cannot change anything in moments of great darkness such as the one Israelis and Palestinians are currently living through in the Israeli-Hamas war, it can, Cardinal Pierbattista Pizzaballa said, create "a small light" which will give "orientation."
With the Christmas season now in full effect, it’s important to note that the holiday can often be looked at with a certain degree of ambivalence. For most, it’s a time of celebration and reverence amplified by the presence of loved ones. But for others, it can be a very emotionally challenging and lonely time of year.
These are dark days, and we are battle weary. There are a multitude of wars raging, geo-political, cultural, ecclesiastical, domestic and physical, and the northern winter has us scuttling like burrowing animals, seeking out light and warmth.
December 21, 2023
Pope Francis, in his Dec. 10 Angelus address, advised the faithful that disconnecting from media and social media, “the pollution of vain words and chatter,” has become not just a fioretti, a little spiritual sacrifice, but an essential element of the modern, Christian life.
The RCMP’s Wood Buffalo detachment in Alberta is investigating a fire that devastated the former St. Gabriel Catholic Mission Church Dec. 15 in Janvier, a hamlet neighbouring the Chipewyan Prairie First Nation.
Calls for peace seem to ring hollow as we enter into a new year.
A statement on the persecution of Christians from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace.
The Vatican’s surprise — some might say bombshell — declaration that “irregular” domestic partnerships can be blessed by Catholic clergy will be welcomed like a Christmas gift by advocates and beneficiaries.
Pope Benedict XVI resigned the papacy in a state of nervous exhaustion. Cardinal Pell died during routine surgery after imprisonment for a crime he did not commit. Cardinal Zen is languishing in a prison in Communist China. Bishop Strickland was stripped of his governance of Tyler, Texas.
Fourth Sunday of Advent (Year B) Dec. 24 (2 Samuel 7:1-5, 8b-2, 14a, 16; Psalm 69; Romans 16:25-27; Luke 1:26-38) Does God need a house? Apparently not, for David’s plan to build one for God was emphatically rejected by God. It was something God neither expected nor requested. Instead, God called to mind the many blessings that had already been given to David — security, defeat of enemies, the throne of Israel, as well as peace and prosperity. God then turned the tables on David, vowing to make him a house in a much broader and deeper sense — an enduring relationship with all of David’s descendants.
As country star Craig Morgan looks back on his life, from his military service to his multi-decade music career, he said one thing has always remained the same.
When Pope Francis in 2019 declared the late Hungarian Cardinal József Mindszenty venerable, a step on the path to recognized sainthood, it marked long overdue recognition of the near-forgotten 20th-century shepherd’s Christian virtue. Earlier this year, Ignatius Press republished the Cardinal’s out-of-print Memoirs. This would be a worthy addition to reading lists over the holidays or in the coming new year.