St. Michael's Choir School

The Rosary Apostolate that shares the mysteries reflected upon in the rosary with students may be Sr. Marilina Cinelli’s baby since its origins in 1997, but she takes no credit for all the good it has done for nearly a quarter century.

There’s a long-held perception that the voice of women in the Church is one that is seldom heard. It’s why Colleen Carroll Campbell sees the importance of galvanizing that voice so that it doesn’t get drowned out.

FRIBOURG, Switzerland -- Dominican Brothers Stefan Ansinger and Alexandre Frezzato are teaching people to sing 800-year-old Gregorian chant through free weekly lessons on their YouTube channel called OPChant.

Eight years ago, just weeks before I was ordained to the priesthood, I delivered a speech at the annual Ordinandi Dinner in Toronto that left me a marked man.

These are unprecedented times as the COVID-19 pandemic forces widespread cancellations and postponements at our churches, schools, business and in all manner of social activities. But although we are urged to practice isolation and distancing, the need has seldom been greater for us to unite spiritually as communities of faith.

At The Catholic Register, that means we remain committed to publishing the newspaper each week on schedule and to maintaining our digital media in order to fulfil our mission to provide timely, accurate and faith-based reporting on how this crisis is impacting our faith communities.

We will continue to constantly update our website, which has been receiving record numbers of visitors, and to interact regularly with our readers through our social media channels and through this newsletter. 

As an added measure, we have removed the pay wall to the digital edition of The Catholic Register, making this replica version of our print issue free to all our readers. However, we have been forced to implement some extraordinary measures which may impact your ability to reach us.

During the crisis, the staff of The Catholic Register will work remotely and continue to serve our readers and advertisers by publishing the newspaper and updating our digital media outlets as best as humanly possible.

That means most telephone calls to our office will go directly to voice mail, so please be patient as messages are retrieved remotely and calls are returned as soon as possible. We will be processing mail intermittently, which means it may take longer than normal to process subscription and renewal payments and other mail. 

Your patience and understanding as we journey through these trying times is greatly appreciated.

This crisis has created hardships for several of our advertisers which none of us could have predicted even a few weeks ago. Amid so much uncertainty, making advertising decisions is more challenging than ever. We ask you to continue to support our advertisers as best you can. We are immensely grateful to the advertisers who have continued their support of The Catholic Register during the crisis. That support is essential as we carry out our mission.

Your patience and understanding as we take care of each other through these trying times is greatly appreciated. May you experience blessings and good health as we continue on this difficult journey.

Sincerely,

Jim O'Leary Publisher and Editor

Church doors may be closed and the opportunity for a communal celebration of the Eucharist have ceased for the time being, but the Mass will go on, said Cardinal Thomas Collins.

VANCOUVER -- Discovering one’s vocation, whether it happens in a surprising instant or over many years, always feels the same way, says Sr. Maria Serra Garcia. It’s always like falling in love.

Coronaphobia

The coronavirus is dominating world news, shaking all kinds of human activities and becoming a hysteria rarely seen. The fear of it might be called coronaphobia, and it could be more dangerous than the virus itself.

School closures, business disruptions, stock market panic, grocery hoarding and widespread cancellations of Sunday Masses. Few if any of us have seen anything like this.

VATICAN CITY -- Pope Francis asked people to pray for all victims of COVID-19, including the health care workers who sacrificed their lives caring for others.