One year, perhaps 2,000 deaths and several unresolved issues.

A few weeks ago the Sunday New York Times Magazine ran a lengthy feature about a Vancouver Island man who had chosen to die by euthanasia. John Shields, a former priest who later married, was suffering from a rare disease that caused proteins to build up in his heart and painful nerve damage in his arms and legs, the Times story said.

It’s been one year since terminally ill Canadians have been legally free to choose medical intervention to end their lives. In that time, some 1,400 people have chosen assisted suicide.

The Church, like the world, needs heroes. We call them saints, people of heroic virtue who walk humbly and faithfully in the footsteps of Jesus.

One Saturday night years ago, my mother won a trip to Monaco and the French Riviera in a raffle. The next morning, I remember her putting more money in the collection plate than usual.

In the May 21 issue of The Catholic Register Peter Stockland wrote a sincere Comment piece about the need for renewal within organizations. I agree with him on this point.

As I write this, I’m fixated on a photo of eight-year-old Saffie Rose, the youngest victim of the Manchester bombing. Her picture is part of a newspaper photo array of the young victims of that awful night.

They call it the Summer of Sorrow.

Allowing for caveats, Canada could find itself with a trinity of powerful Catholic leaders in coming months.

In Toronto the priestly ordinations usually have a maternal character. The customary date is in May, Mary’s month, and usually falls the day before Mother’s Day, which is not a religious feast day, but certainly can be looked upon with the eyes of faith.