Features

Pope Leo XIII is depicted in this official Vatican portrait. The pope founded the Vatican School of Paleography, Diplomatics and Archive Administration in 1884, just a few years after he opened the archives to the world's scholars.

The Register Archive: A crowning achievement for Pope Leo XIII

By Catholic Register Staff

To mark The Register’s 125th year, we are re-publishing some stories from our archive. February 1893 marked the 15th anniversary of the reign of Pope Leo XIII (below), who would go on to serve 25 years, the third longest reign in history. This excerpt from The Register of Feb. 2, 1893 looks at the Pope’s election and his accomplishments:

Clergy joined the famous Selma to Montgomery march in 1965, a key moment in the history of the civil rights movement in the U.S. The march featured Martin Luther King Jr. and his wife Coretta (centre), as well as movement co-founder Ralph Abernathy and his children, who joined hands with the unidentified clergyman.

The Register Archive: Canadian clergy march for civil rights

By Catholic Register Staff

To mark The Register’s 125th year, we are re-publishing some interesting stories from our archive. As we celebrate Black History Month, here’s an article from March 20, 1965, reporting on a march in Ottawa that drew thousands in support of the civil rights movement in the United States. The event was held shortly after the historic Selma to Montgomery march in Alabama on March 7 that resulted in state troopers attacking demonstrators on what became known as “Bloody Sunday.”

Fr. Paul Woodcroft (left) Frank and Todd Woodcroft (Courtesy of the Woodcroft family). Craig Woodcroft (right) will be at the Olympics this month as a member of the men’s team coaching staff (Photo from Wikimedia Commons).

The Woodcroft Family: Passing the puck from the Flying Fathers to the NHL to the Olympics

By Tim Wharnsby, A Catholic Register Special

The backyard rink at the Woodcroft home on Cheritan Ave. in north Toronto was one busy locale back in the day.

As the 2018 Winter Olympics prepares to open Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, we look back at Canada’s hockey entry in the 1964 Games at Innsbruck, a team built and coached by Fr. David Bauer.

The Register Archive: Olympic team does us proud, even in defeat

By Catholic Register Staff

To mark The Catholic Register’s 125th year, we are digging into our archive to re-publish interesting stories from the pages of our past. As the 2018 Winter Olympics prepares to open Feb. 9 in Pyeongchang, South Korea, we look back at Canada’s hockey entry in the 1964 Games at Innsbruck, a team built and coached by Fr. David Bauer. A controversial scoring system meant Canada finished fourth and out of the medals despite a 5-2 record, but the team’s showing inspired words of comfort from columnist Fr. Tom Raby in The Register, in the Feb. 22, 1964 issue:

Madelaine Mulaire, left, and Olaf Sztaba developed a deep bond in the wake of a health crisis.

Life-saving act of kindness creates life-long friendship

By Agnieszka Krawczynski, Canadian Catholic News

COQUITLAM, B.C. – Eleven years ago, a very ill young father received the Christmas gift of a lifetime.

Priests feel growing need to link to technology, like social media, podcasting and livestreaming, to ensure that the Church keeps up with the Digital Age.

Parish priests subscribe to the digital age

By Jean Ko Din, The Catholic Register

As more people begin to congregate in digital public squares, the Church’s shepherds are looking for more ways to tend to their flock online. Luckily, there is an app for that — actually, many apps.

The Register Archive: One day in the incredible life of Saint Brother André

By Catholic Register Staff

As The Catholic Register marks its 125th year, we will dig into our archive to unearth interesting stories from the pages of the past. This week, we revisit St. André Bessette, the humble Holy Cross brother who was the prime mover in the building of St. Joseph’s Oratory in Montreal and is credited with countless healings through his devotion to St. Joseph. He died on Jan. 6, 1937 (his feast day is Jan. 7) at the age of 91 and was made a saint in 2010. The following article appeared in The Catholic Register on Aug. 25, 1927, shortly after Br. André turned 83 years old.

The Flying Fathers kneeling for prayer before a game.

Flying Fathers: Next generation of hockey priests ready to hit the ice

By Meggie Hoegler, The Catholic Register

It does not get more Canadian, or Catholic, than a hockey team made up of priests. Throw in a good comeback story and you have the makings of a Canadian classic.

Robert Trolly inspects the tiny vestments showing the colours of the Church’s liturgical seasons, including the purple and rose for Advent. Above, the Nativity set at St. George’s Parish atrium for the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd.

Catechesis of the Good Shepherd inspires the young in 37 countries

By Deborah Gyapong, Canadian Catholic News

OTTAWA – Children participating in the Catechesis of the Good Shepherd program across Canada are taught to use all their senses in order to enter deeply into the Christmas story.

This postcard depicts a scene associated with “The Huron Carol,” the oldest Canadian Christmas song.

Canadian Christmas carol tradition is centuries old

By Mickey Conlon, The Catholic Register

Homegrown Canadian Christmas carols go way beyond SCTV’s Bob and Doug McKenzie’s interpretation of “The 12 Days of Christmas,” the Rovers’ “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” and, for some of a certain vintage, the novelty song “Honky the Christmas Goose” sung by Toronto Maple Leafs legend Johnny Bower.