God calls on us to forgo power, be a community of equals
32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B) Nov. 8 (1 Kings 17:10-16; Psalm 146; Hebrews 9:24-28; Mark 12:38-44)
Fear is often the enemy of generosity and can choke off the better parts of our nature. Many people are unwilling to share from fear of not having enough rather than conscious selfishness.
We are not alone in the truth
Once, across a crowded meeting room, I recognized a face. Our eyes locked. Weeks earlier, this person and I had attended the same retreat. We both knew we needed to steal away and talk, as soon as possible.
When the opportunity came, each of us took it immediately. We found a quiet place. We talked as though we’d known each other for years. “I had to speak to you,” said my new old friend. “I feel as though we met in Narnia, and back here in the regular world I have to touch you to know it was real.” I understood instantly.
God plants the idea, author writes about it
Irish Beth Maddock says she gets a lot of calls from God late at night or early in the morning. It is during these quiet hours of the night she “downloads” the ideas God plants in her mind.
TORONTO - Blessed Sacrament, the school and parish, pulled together May 1 for a barbecue to mark the joint success in raising funds for the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Family of Faith campaign.
Students inspired to play like champs
HAMILTON, ONT. - At Hamilton’s St. Thomas More Catholic Secondary School, members of the senior soccer teams are learning more than just tactics, strategy and skills specific to their sport; they’re learning how faith contributes to their game.
Christ remains at heart of religious life
Vowed life is a mystery, but only in the Catholic sense. There’s no mystery in the vows themselves. Poverty, chastity and obedience are pretty straightforward — no money, no sex, no turning your back on the demands of the community.
St. John’s Bakery revives an Easter tradition
TORONTO - At St. John’s Bakery, the spiced, sweet scent of freshly baked hot cross buns fills the air. The bakery revives this popular tradition every year in anticipation of the joy of Jesus’ resurrection. But more than preparing an Easter treat, the hands that make the hot cross buns are symbols of hope and community.
WASHINGTON - In 1964, when Jean Vanier quietly began what would become an international network, he had "no idea that this would be a revolutionary reality ... that it would grow," he remarked joyfully.
Connecting a community of Catholics online
One of the hardest things about moving to a small town is integrating into the community. After my last column was published, I was offered a job in northeastern Alberta and found myself moving to the town of St. Paul. It’s the centre of the diocese and at approximately 6,000 people it’s the smallest municipality I’ve ever called home.
School’s grant goes to the ‘Heart of the Community’
A Catholic school in southwestern Ontario is hoping to foster a culture of fitness within its community with the $100,000 it was awarded from the Aviva Community Fund.
Overcoming a globalization of indifference
Editor’s note: over the coming weeks, Fr. Thomas Rosica, CSB, will offer a series of biblical reflections on Lent.
On Ash Wednesday the Church begins her great Lenten journey with Jesus on the road to Jerusalem. For centuries, Lent has been a very intense spiritual journey and experience for the followers of Jesus Christ.
A call for community
It has been a month since recent high school graduates like me began their lives outside of the walls of high school. Be it post-secondary education or the workplace, beginning a new chapter in life is like moving away from a place you once called home. The “real world” — that is, the people and culture outside of your home — is seemingly heedless.
Catholics continue to answer the call
And together we work wonders
Catholic Education Week is a time to celebrate. We will celebrate excellence in academics, sports and innovation, but as a Catholic community we will also celebrate exemplary practices of community, charity and solidarity.
Community kicks in to redo Goderich school yard
A new outdoor learning pavilion unveiled this September at Goderich, Ont.’s St. Mary’s Catholic Elementary School symbolizes the community’s commitment to the town’s boast that it is Canada’s prettiest town.
“That pavilion to me ... symbolizes what a community can do when it pulls together,” said Vince Trocchi, St. Mary’s principal. “There is community pride and this school is a big part of the community and that’s why it is important to them. It looks just beautiful out in our yard.”
For the past three years the local parent council had been working towards upgrading the school’s outdated playground. When opportunity to partner with the school board to build an outdoor learning pavilion came up, it seemed like a natural fit.
With the board offering to match funds raised for a pavilion, which costs between $20,000 and $25,000, the St. Mary’s Parent Council turned to members of the picturesque community on the shores of Lake Huron to meet its $10,000 fundraising goal. Most of the money was gathered during the last school year.
“The board matched our fundraising efforts and what you see is the fruits of our labour in our yard and family and students just absolutely love it,” said Trocchi.
St. Mary’s is one of 12 schools across the Huron-Perth Catholic District School Board to partner with the board to build the pavilions.
“We did it on a phase-in process because obviously the dollars needed to be allocated on a yearly basis,” said Martha Dutrizac, director of education of the Huron-Perth board. “We worked with our schools to put a plan in place that would give them the time necessary to collect their dollars.”
Funding from the board’s end came from the capital projects’ budget, said Dutrizac. Once the school’s collected cash, bids to begin construction were sought from local contractors.
The pavilions will be used not only during instructional time but also after hours by the community, provided the intended usage doesn’t conflict with Catholic values. In Goderich not only did the townspeople get behind the project, but the municipality itself offered its support.
“Our custodian made some contacts with people and they hamade some arrangement that (we could use tables that would be stored for the winter) during the school year when tables wouldn’t be in high demand,” said Trocchi. “It’s a win-win for everyone. They don’t need to store it somewhere (because) we’re actually using it and we win because there are really nice tables in our pavilion.”
Trocchi believes if he were to have called on the community again to furnish the pavilion there is no question it would have responded with open wallets.
“We are very pleased that we have this great partnership with our municipality and we are very grateful that they were able to do this for us,” he said. “It was one of those things that, yeah, we probably could have raised the money for it but we have a wonderful community that is willing to help us save those dollars for other items.
“I’m really proud of the way this community has pulled together to help make these kinds of things happen.”