Oh, to be a fly on the wall when Pope Francis welcomes Prime Minister Justin Trudeau at a papal audience in coming days.

The request was simple: “I’m going south for a week, could you give me a ride to the airport and pick me up on my way back?”

The flag was unremarkable. It had red-and-white lettering on a grey background and read simply: National March for Life Ottawa.

In a recent Toronto Sun column, John Snobelen had four wise, albeit chilling, watch words for those in the not-for-profit world. They are: “The atrophy of purpose.”

This being Mother’s Day weekend, an editor asked if I’d like to write about it. Initially, I decided to pass because I’ve written about my wonderful late mother many times.

Students at St. Augustine School in Regina were abuzz in the fall of 1960 when we learned a priest was coming who would reveal a secret message from the Virgin Mary.

Canada Summer Jobs is a worthy federal program that subsidizes employment for thousands of high school and university students. Ottawa trumpets that “all small business, not-for-profit organizations and public-sector employers are encouraged to apply for funding” and hire summer students.

In mid-April The Globe & Mail gave two days of coverage to the suicide of Adam Maier-Clayton, just 27 years old. He lived for years with a variety of psychiatric disorders and unremitting pain. There is no doubt he knew suffering.

Bravo for Saskatchewan Premier Brad Wall, who has emerged as a white knight for Catholic education.

As the Ontario bishops completed their ad limina visit to Rome last week, I couldn’t help but recall one of my favourite stories about one of Ontario’s favourite bishops.