St. Michael's Choir School

Different rules

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has apologized for so many wrongdoings of late. He’s “sorry” about blackface; he’s “sorry” about SNC-Lavalin; he’s “sorry” about the conflict of interest with WE Charity — involving payments to three of his family members, exceeding a total of $300,000, in exchange for public relations appearances for the charity. This preceded Ottawa’s granting WE a nearly one-billion-dollar contract they then cancelled. Mr. Trudeau operates by different rules.

The reports were scattered at first, isolated news stories throughout the year of a statue toppled here, another spray-painted with graffiti there. This summer they have come more frequently — senseless acts of anti-Church vandalism that have grown bolder and more destructive.

A long-time fan of the Edmonton Oilers, I hold in my heart the glory days of the 1980s when my team won five Stanley Cups in seven years. It was an exciting time for both me and the city. Although I lived most of those years in Winnipeg, I remained a dedicated member of the Oilers’ diaspora.

Constant vigilance will be required from staff and parishioners at churches across Canada to safeguard against the rising tide of vandalism inflicted upon religious statues. 

BALTIMORE -- Thirteen years after naming a new residence hall at Loyola University Maryland in honor of the Catholic author Flannery O'Connor, Jesuit Father Brian Linnane, the university's president, removed the writer's name from the building.

A nearly three-year process of investigation and review at the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace has resulted in a slimmed-down national council with four bishops appointed to the development agency’s governing body.

While the WE Charity scandal marches on, Catholic charities that had hoped to put young volunteers to work through the Canada Student Service Grant have been left wondering when and if they will ever see federal funding to support volunteer programs.

Our calendar of liturgical seasons is rather bare compared to some of our sister Catholic Churches. That is never more evident than in our long season of “Ordinary Time,” an uninspired translation of a banal original (in Latin, “Sundays of the Year”).

The days of living-room Mass, celebrated while still in pyjamas, are no longer the only option as churches have slowly re-opened for public services. 

Every woman has her own experience with veiling. Except for her wedding, or if she’s fortunate enough to meet the Pope, some women may never wear a veil.