{mosimage}TORONTO - It’s not a job, it’s a mission. The seven Toronto men ordained to the priesthood May 10 were sent out on their respective missions even before Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins laid hands on them to make them eternally priests in service of the sacrament of the church.

Bishop aches for Sudanese homeland

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{mosimage}TORONTO-Sudan’s wounded healer is going home. Rather than trying to arrest him, the government in Khartoum is relying on Bishop Macram Max Gassis to build hospitals and schools, dig wells and inspire his people to look more to the future than to a past filled with mass rape, child soldiers, bombings and ethnic cleansing. “We are all traumatized. I am traumatized from the war,” said Gassis.

Mining company dropped from Jantzi index

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{mosimage}TORONTO - The complaints of peasants and indigenous people in Central America have reached the Toronto Stock Exchange and pushed Goldcorp Inc. off a socially responsible stock index that helps determine at least $33 million in mutual fund investment.

Fr. Bayda to be bishop of Saskatoon Ukrainian Catholics

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OTTAWA - When Fr. Bryan Bayda got the phone call from the apostolic nuncio (papal ambassador to Canada) telling him that Pope Benedict XVI had appointed him bishop of the Saskatoon Ukrainian Catholic eparchy, he experienced shock and disbelief.

Toronto deacons celebrate 35 years of service

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{mosimage}TORONTO - After 35 years the men ordained to the permanent diaconate for the archdiocese of Toronto are still discovering new ways to be deacons — new ways to serve God and the church.

Deacon Rob Kinghorn does it by walking some of the most dangerous streets in Toronto on Thursday nights between 8 p.m. and 1 a.m. and praying with the people he meets – transvestite prostitutes, crack dealers, the lost and the lonely.

New Catholics welcomed to Toronto archdiocese

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{mosimage}TORONTO - The Catholic Church formed a part of his life for about 30 years, but despite loving his community and parish priest, Elmont Cumberbatch, 68, said it wasn’t until this past Easter that he really felt at home.

Evangelical Christian agency ordered to abandon behaviour code

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{mosimage}OTTAWA - The Ontario Human Rights Tribunal has ordered an evangelical Christian charity to rescind its morality code and require employees to undergo anti-discrimination training.

Canada pledges $45M to World Food Program

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{mosimage}An extra $45 million for the World Food Program plus $5 million more for the ecumenical Canada Foodgrains Bank in Winnipeg will help avert a disaster in much of the world where rising food prices are pushing the 850 million people who live on a dollar a day towards starvation.

"It is a step in the right direction," said Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace director of international programs Gilio Brunelli.

Caritas telethon tops $200,000

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{mosimage}TORONTO - Caritas, an agency dedicated to the healing and recovery of patients with drug and alcohol addiction, had a significant increase in donors for its annual telethon April 27.

Jesuits honour Catholic activist

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{mosimage}TORONTO — If there’s more to do, then Susan Tomenson is one woman who can be counted on. On April 16 the Jesuits honoured the Catholic activist for her willingness to do much more than the minimum.

Croteau's 50-year challenge

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{mosimage}TORONTO - When he first started working as an Oblate missionary priest in the diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith, retiring Bishop Denis Croteau went head-to-head with the elements.