Fr. Michael Busch, rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral, at left, with Marc Ferguson of Buttcon Ltd., the lead contractor on the renovations the cathedral is undergoing.

St. Michael’s Cathedral remains a work in progress

By

St. Michael’s Cathedral re-opened this fall in plenty of time for Christmas, but the rededication was just one milestone in the $128-million restoration of Toronto’s Catholic cathedral. The work continues.

Natalie MacMaster and Donnell Leahy with their six children. The fiddling family joined forces to produce A Celtic Family Christmas and took to the road to showcase the CD.

Fiddling family shares tradition of Celtic Christmas

By

Mix eight parts family and a whole bunch of music, friends and dancing and you’ve got the recipe for a perfect Celtic Christmas in Natalie MacMaster’s family.

"The best Christmas music is most beautifully realized when egos are left at the door," writes Herman Goodden

Simple carols are the most beautiful

By

With the secularization of our culture galloping away on all fronts,  Advent and Christmas can be haunting and haunted times of year.

The Harmonknights perform a Christmas concert, one of 25-30 performances the Knights of Columbus troupe from Stoney Creek do annually.

Harmonknights ‘cram in’ extra cheer at Christmas concerts

By

HAMILTON – The audiences are generally well into senior years (and so are some of the performers), but the spirit in the rooms where the Harmonknights sing is forever young.

This Netherlandish miniature altarpiece portrays a nativity scene and was made 1500 - 1530. Made from boxwood, it measures 15.6 x 13 x 2.9 cm open and 14.7 × 9.6 × 3.9 cm closed. From the Thomson Collection at the Art Gallery of Ontario, Toronto.

AGO exhibit on miniature sculptures built to grow faith

By

If all you want for Christmas is to be more spiritual — pray more deeply, contemplate on a higher plain — there’s a 16th-century app for that.

If you purchase a real tree for Christmas, make sure it is composted afterwards, environmentalists suggest.

Dreaming of a greener Christmas in a post-'Laudato Si' Church

By

A greener Christmas might not be such a bad thing.

Donkeys and lambs are part of the Holy Spirit Catholic School’s nativity scene performance.

What the animals knew at Christmas

By

You may have wondered, and rightly so, why the ox and the ass appear so often beside the Christ child in various images of the Nativity.

The charity work that Chalice Canada works on has changed over time, from helping farmers to helping entrepreneurs.

Chalice’s gifts are changing with the times

By

From seeds for farmers to seed money for businesses, Chalice Canada has been evolving its charity work to match the fast-changing needs in developing countries.

Robyn Thomas's "A Christmas Story" is a Christmas tree made out of pages from 'The Walrus' magazine. 12 artists are displaying their Christmas tree artwork at Toronto's Gardiner Museum.

12 artists bring out the best in Christmas trees at Toronto's Gardiner Museum

By

Toronto’s Gardiner Museum has put up 12 artist-decorated Christmas trees again this year, but this time it’s about more than pretty baubles hanging from artificial trees.

Gerald Jordan from the Knights of Columbus, Toronto Council 1388, helps out in the kitchen at Good Shepherd Ministries, where the annual Boxing Day feast will feed more than 1,200.

Good Shepherd’s holiday meal a satisfying experience for all

By

Two simple words are all the payment Carla Martella needs for helping the Good Shepherd Ministries provide a holiday meal to the homeless and those in need.

Here is one of Fr. Thomas Raby's Christmas columns, published Dec. 24, 1960, when the the Cold War was escalating.

Fr. Thomas Raby: Just skip the fancy ribbons on my Christmas present

By

For five decades, Fr. Thomas Raby held a very special place for readers of The Catholic Register. His weekly column — The Little World of Fr. Raby — was a favourite, with stories and messages that continue to resonate, even three years after his death at age 95. At right, we present one of his Christmas poems, which were a tradition for almost 40 years. As well, here is one of his Christmas columns, published Dec. 24, 1960, when the the Cold War was escalating.

Page 7 of 10