Canadian News

News and events from across the country.

Surveys seek input on Week of Prayer for Christian Unity

June 23, 2009

The Canadian Council of Churches wants to know who you will be praying with and for between Jan. 18 and 25 next year. Using its web site and Twitter account, the CCC has launched a pair of surveys to find out how parishes and congregations are praying during the annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. If the answer is that your Catholic parish doesn’t do much to observe the world-wide, Vatican-supported week for Christian unity, they want to hear that too.

Praying for a Tamil community in need

June 22, 2009

TORONTO - There have been protests with thousands of Tamils out on the streets, but on June 11 the young Tamil activists organized a different sort of gathering in a basement classroom on the campus of the University of Toronto. A student-organized Tamil multi-faith prayer service featured prayers from Sikhs, Christians, Hindus and Muslims and testimonials from young Tamils whose families have been devastated by the war in Sri Lanka.

Toronto's St. Anthony's parish celebrates its immigrant past

June 19, 2009

TORONTO - They sang multilingual songs, carried religious statues representing their former homelands and stopped traffic with a round-the-neighbourhood-block procession marking the 100th anniversary of St. Anthony’s parish. Pastor Fr. Tiziano Paolazzi, c.s., joined with more than 800 of his parishioners June 14 to celebrate a three-fold anniversary: Corpus Christi Sunday, St. Anthony’s feast day and the parish’s centennial birthday.

ShareLife optimistic about hitting target

June 19, 2009

TORONTO - While many Catholics continue to struggle with the uncertainty of job security and financial stability, ShareLife continues to see parishioners in the archdiocese generously giving to its campaign this year. Arthur Peters, executive director for ShareLife, is hopeful of reaching his team’s parish fundraising campaign goal of $12 million, although donations were short of the goal at The Catholic Register’s publication deadline. Peters reported a total of $9.7 million raised after the final campaign weekend June 6-7.

Jantzi index on the rebound

June 19, 2009

The Jantzi Social Index continued to keep pace with standard market indices through the May climb back to a shaky respectability. The Jantzi — which picks its 60 Canadian stocks based on environmental sustainability, labour and human rights performance and transparent governance — was up 10.68 per cent in May and 32.2 per cent over the previous three months.

Bioethics institute targets assisted suicide

June 19, 2009

TORONTO - The Canadian Catholic Bioethics Institute has fired an opening volley in what it sees as a summer-long battle for palliative care and against physician-assisted suicide. The CCBI has printed 1,600 postcards addressed to Parliament and distributed them to its friends and supporters. The postcards call for the defeat of Bill C-384, a private member’s bill that would remove physician-assisted suicide from the Criminal Code. The bill was introduced to Parliament May 13 by Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde. It’s expected to come up for second reading when Parliament resumes sitting in the fall.

Archdiocese of Toronto clergy appointments

June 19, 2009

The following clergy appointments have been made for the archdiocese of Toronto. They take place July 1-2 unless otherwise noted.

Truth and Reconciliation Commission set to look at Indian residential school abuses

June 18, 2009

OTTAWA - Justice Murray Sinclair has been appointed chair of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission looking into abuses at Indian residential schools. “It’s a very daunting task,” Manitoba’s first aboriginal judge said. “We have a long road to walk and we don’t have as much time as we could probably use to get there.” But Sinclair said he is committed to an accurate commission process that will treat all parties fairly, including those who have a positive story to tell.

Bishop Durocher brings message of solidarity with First Nations

June 12, 2009

OTTAWA - On behalf of Canada’s Catholic bishops, Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher brought a message of solidarity and hope with Canada's First Nations to the National Day of Reconciliation June 11. The day marked the first anniversary of Prime Minister Stephen Harper’s historic apology from the Canadian government for Indian residential schools. On Parliament Hill, Durocher spoke of Pope Benedict XVI’s words of deep regret, solidarity and hope spoken to aboriginal leaders in a private audience in late April in Rome.

Development and Peace faces new abortion-funding allegations from Peru

June 12, 2009

A Peruvian archbishop is accusing the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace of supporting pro-abortion groups in his country. In a letter dated May 28 but not sent until June 9, Archbishop Jose Antonio Eguren Anselmi, president of the Peruvian Conference of Catholic Bishops' Commission on the Family, Children and Life, tells Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops' president Archbishop James Weisgerber he is "personally concerned about any funding from Catholics of Canada to pro-abortion groups in Peru." It's the latest turn in a controversy that began in February when LifeSiteNews.com accused Development and Peace of funding pro-abortion advocacy in Mexico.