Faith

To his children, ordinand is 'Father' once again

March 19, 2010

Editor’s note: This is one in our series of profiles on the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses. Stephen Crowley was born and raised in Peterborough, Ont., and attended St. Peter’s High School, Trent University and later St. Lawrence College in Kingston where he received a diploma in medical laboratory technology.

Ordinand aims to be a 'real deal' priest

March 12, 2010

Editor’s note: today we begin our annual series that profiles the men who will graduate from St. Augustine’s Seminary this spring and be ordained to the priesthood for various dioceses. Luis Calleja Jr. was born and raised in Toronto and is an only child. He felt called to the priesthood at 18, but only responded after several years of soul searching. He stayed at Serra House to discern his vocation while studying philosophy at St. Philip’s Oratory. He then entered St. Augustine’s Seminary in 2005.

Canonization next step for Brother André

December 30, 2009

The way is now clear for the canonization of Quebec’s first male saint after Pope Benedict XVI’s decree of a miracle attributed to Blessed Brother Andre Dec. 19. “During these days leading up to the majestic celebration of Christmas, we have another reason to exult as we have learned that the Holy Father has officially recognized the miraculous cure which was obtained by the intercession of Blessed Brother Andre,” said Fr. Claude Grou, CSC, rector of Montreal’s St. Joseph’s Oratory. “This important step has revitalized our expectations to see Brother Andre among the saints of the Catholic Church.”

Forgiveness can help break cycle of violence

November 27, 2009

TORONTO - After a gun-wielding 14-year-old killed his son Jason at the local high school, Anglican minister Dale Lang led a memorial service and publicly prayed for the killer and his family. That was 10 years ago, and to this day, the Taber, Alta., resident continues to share his story and message of forgiveness. Lang was in Toronto Nov. 20 for a restorative justice conference to speak about forgiveness as a means to break a cycle of violence.

Deaf Catholic integration moves forward, ever so slowly

November 27, 2009

TORONTO - Alvera Nyabasa grew up going to church in her native Zimbabwe, but she had little idea what was going on before she moved to Canada as an adult. Like 80 per cent of the world’s 1.3 million deaf Catholics who live in developing countries, Nyabasa grew up in a church that simply didn’t know how to deal with her. Today, attending Sunday Mass with the De Salles Chaplaincy to Toronto’s deaf community is a happy occasion for Nyabasa and her two boys. There at St. Stephen’s Chapel on Bay Street, Fr. Harry Stocks says Mass in American Sign Language, or, if another priest is covering the Mass, it is simultaneously translated.

Silence prominent in new Mass instructions

October 30, 2009

If it’s been a while since your mother asked whether you could just be quiet for a minute, get ready. Mother church is about to start asking again. Catholics have been fighting over the words in the 2008 amended typical edition of the Roman missal, but perhaps the most noticeable change will be in the non-speaking parts. Before the opening prayer, after each of the readings and after communion, the new instructions for how to celebrate Mass will ask for a period of silence.

Toronto Sisters walk to aid Haiti projects

October 16, 2009

TORONTO - Sr. Theresa Rodgers and Sr. Teresa Garvey of the Sisters of St. Joseph in Toronto will don their walking shoes this month in support of two fellow Canadian Sisters working in Haiti. Rodgers, 67, said she and Garvey (who is in her mid-80s) originally were just curious to see how long it would take for them to walk from their residence (which at that time was 74 Wellesley St. W., above St. Joseph College) to St. Joseph Morrow Park in Toronto’s northern reaches where they worked.

Today’s priests must continue to have hope in a secularized world

October 8, 2009

TORONTO - Saving the priesthood in the era of sex scandals, skepticism about church authority and a disengaged laity is going to depend on hope, according to the author of a new book about the spirituality of parish priests. More famous for his writing on Catholic education, Msgr. Dennis Murphy has just launched A View From The Trenches: Ups And Downs Of Today’s Parish Priest — a 140-page examination of how priests are coping.

Reasons behind the fast

September 18, 2009

What’s a fast for? As Muslims make their way through the month of Ramadan and Jews get ready for Yom Kippur, that simple question can prompt many answers — depending on your point of view. “People do stuff like not eat in a very scrupulous way in order to avoid having to go to the trouble of being good people,” said Dan Merkur, psychoanalyst and University of Toronto lecturer in comparative religious studies.

Pilgrimage pain for graces gained

September 11, 2009

TROIS-RIVIERES, Que. - Some 80 pilgrims blended their voices in hymns to the Blessed Virgin as they wound their way through 100-km of Quebec’s countryside over the Labour Day weekend. This was part of the Marie Reine du Canada Pilgrimage , which has taken place every Labour Day weekend for seven years. Pilgrims from Ontario and Quebec gathered in St-Joseph-de-Lanoraie to walk to the Shrine of Our Lady of the Cape, just outside Trois-Rivières. They came to gain graces, to do penance, to turn to God and to grow in faith.