FAITH/STORIES

TORONTO - Religious communities should invest more in continuing theological formation for their members, say a number of religious who believe it can only help in their ministry.

Sr. Ellen Leonard, C.S.J., Sr. Mary Ellen Sheehan, IHM, and Friar Darren Dias, OP, recently took part in a panel discussion hosted by the University of St. Michael’s College Faculty of Theology. They all believe continuing formation is key to their religious service.

MAPLE, Ont. - Jesuit provincial superior for English Canada Fr. Jim Webb could hardly wait to hit a few hundred guests at the annual Provincial’s Dinner April 14 with a piece of good news.

“This year we have nine novices, the most in 20 years,” announced Webb to a round of applause.

It’s the kind of news bound to hearten elders in the Jesuit community, such as Fr. Jacques Monet, who entered the Society of Jesus Sept. 7, 1949. But it’s not just about numbers, said Monet.

Editor’s note: This is one in our series of profiles on the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses.

Jeffery Oehring, 25, was born and raised in Walkerton, Ont. It was during his high school years that he began to wrestle with some of the big mysteries in life with the “God Question” being at the heart of it all.

“During my years in high school, one of the most important things for me was to try to figure out, ‘Why am I here? What’s the meaning of my life?’ ” he said. “One of the most frustrating things for me was when teachers and friends would come up to you and say, ‘So what are you going to do with your life? What do you want to be? What university are you going to? And what program are you going to study?’ ”

{mosimage}Editor’s note: This is one in our series of profiles on the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses.

Landorff José García Mariona, 34, was born in San Salvador, El Salvador. He is the oldest of three brothers, and his family immigrated to Canada in 1987.

{mosimage}Editor’s note: This is one in our series of profiles on the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses.

Silvio Eljuga, 41, was born in Zagreb, then part of communist Yugoslavia, now Croatia. During his youth he lived a life separated from God and the church. Different difficulties in his life, especially the war that raged in his country in the 1990s, urged him to rethink his attitude. 

“However difficult this situation was, God brought something good from this evil.

Editor’s note: This is one in our series of profiles on the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses.

Kim D’Souza was born into an Indian family living in Nigeria. During his childhood there, D’Souza was greatly influenced by his parish priest, an Irish missionary who gave him an ardent love for the faith and the Catholic Church.

{mosimage}Editor’s note: This is one in our series of profiles on the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses.

Stephen Crowley was born and raised in Peterborough, Ont., and attended St. Peter’s High School, Trent University and later St. Lawrence College in Kingston where he received a diploma in medical laboratory technology.

{mosimage}Editor’s note: today we begin our annual series that profiles the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses.

Luis Calleja Jr. was born and raised in Toronto and is an only child. He felt called to the priesthood at 18, but only responded after several years of soul searching. He stayed at Serra House to discern his vocation while studying philosophy at St. Philip’s Oratory. He then entered St. Augustine’s Seminary in 2005.

{mosimage}The way is now clear for the canonization of Quebec’s first male saint after Pope Benedict XVI’s decree of a miracle attributed to Blessed Brother Andre Dec. 19.

“During these days leading up to the majestic celebration of Christmas, we have another reason to exult as we have learned that the Holy Father has officially recognized the miraculous cure which was obtained by the intercession of Blessed Brother Andre,” said Fr. Claude Grou, CSC, rector of Montreal’s St. Joseph’s Oratory. “This important step has revitalized our expectations to see Brother Andre among the saints of the Catholic Church.”

{mosimage}TORONTO - After a gun-wielding 14-year-old killed his son Jason at the local high school, Anglican minister Dale Lang led a memorial service and publicly prayed for the killer and his family. That was 10 years ago, and to this day, the Taber, Alta., resident continues to share his story and message of forgiveness.

Lang was in Toronto Nov. 20 for a restorative justice conference to speak about forgiveness as a means to break a cycle of violence.