Feature

You can’t take them with you, so why not donate organs

November 2, 2011

TORONTO - Organ donation is a very Catholic act because it lives the Gospel values, said Deacon Michael Hayes. Hayes is a living example. He himself is an organ donor who has donated 70 per cent of both his liver and a kidney to help others survive. “When our earthly days are done, you can take nothing with you which you’ve received, only which you’ve given,” said Hayes, quoting St. Francis of Assisi.

Children lend their talents to planned giving campaign

November 2, 2011

TORONTO - A new archdiocese of Toronto “Planned Giving” poster campaign is using the Apostle’s Creed to inspire legacy gifts to the Catholic Church. It has a twist however. Instead of just words, the campaign features a poster of children’s drawings which brings the Creed to life. The poster encourages parishioners to consider legacy gifts in the form of donations through bequests or donations through an insurance policy or family endowment.

Mary’s special gift

November 2, 2011

A well thought out estate plan can also include gifts made during your lifetime. Gifts of securities have a special advantage in that if gifted directly to your parish or favourite registered charity of choice, you will not have to pay any capital gains tax. But more importantly, a gift of securities can be a wonderful way of making the special gift you always wanted to. One such gift was made by Ms. Mary Louis, a faithful parishioner at St. Anselm’s parish in Toronto. (Her name has been changed to respect her anonymity). For more than 40 years, Mary spent much of her life caring for others.

Shepherd's Trust - Giving back to a priest who gave to you

November 1, 2011

TORONTO - “He was always there for me.” “He anointed her.” These are just a few of the words Catholics Maria Silva-Alton and Betty Klauke have to say about priests who have meant so much to them over the years. Silva-Alton, a parishioner of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Brampton, Ont., says priests like Fr. Vid Vlasic have been invaluable to her and her family. Not only was he a mentor to her as a student when he was chaplain at Toronto’s Notre Dame High School, Silva-Alton said, Vlasic was also a friend.

Toronto Copts’ future remains in Egypt

October 31, 2011

TORONTO - While Toronto’s Coptic Catholics drive their kids to school each morning, show up for work every day and go home to their families in the evening, part of them is living in the Shubra district of Cairo. They fear for families back home in Shubra. They say relatives they left in Egypt are by turns fearful about the future and their personal safety or marching in the streets. But none predict a refugee crisis on the scale of Iraq’s exodus of Christians. An Oct. 9 army attack on Coptic demonstrators that killed 26 and injured more than 300 Shubra residents hasn’t really changed the situation, Toronto Copts told The Catholic Register after Mass at Holy Family Coptic Catholic Church Oct. 23.

Archbishop Collins looks forward to three 'great' Church events

October 27, 2011

The following is an address delivered by Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins at the 32nd Annual Archbishop’s Dinner, Oct. 27, at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, Toronto. This evening, as we come together for this great annual dinner in support of so many worthy causes, our joy is tempered by our sadness at the recent death of His Eminence, Aloysius Cardinal Ambrozic, who so faithfully served our family of faith as its spiritual leader from 1990 until 2007, and who now has completed his earthly journey. We continue to benefit from the blessings that flowed from his wise leadership, and I in particular will always be grateful for his warm welcome when I came from Edmonton to succeed him here as Archbishop. May his soul, and the souls of all of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

Lisa LaFlamme - Reading the news and keeping the faith

October 24, 2011

TORONTO - Lisa LaFlamme’s Catholic faith has helped her learn empathy, the concept of truth and “doing right by another person.” “Those are the same principles that guide good journalism as far as getting to the truth on something and particularly focusing on the oppressed in the world,” the new chief anchor and senior editor of CTV National News told The Catholic Register. She has taken these values with her to the prestigious position she assumed Sept. 5 when LaFlamme replaced Lloyd Robertson, the long-time anchor known as Canada’s “most trusted news anchor.”

Occupy movement is 'very biblical'

October 21, 2011

TORONTO - Nobody is claiming Occupy Toronto protesters are a Catholic crowd. Not many have Bibles and copies of Pope Benedict XVI's latest encyclical in their backpacks. But it's amazing how many echoes of Scripture and Catholic social teaching there are in the worldwide Occupy movement, say Scripture scholars and social teaching experts. "The issue is Mammon. To me it's very biblical," said Redemptorist Father Paul Hansen, director of the Redemptorist Biblical Justice Consultancy. Hansen spent a day among the protesters camped out next to the Anglican St. James Cathedral in downtown Toronto. The demands he heard reminded him of Jesus cleansing the temple (John 2:13-25).

Pilarski celebrates the gift of motherhood

October 19, 2011

TORONTO - At the height of her career, Dorothy Pilarski was training hundreds of women how to be successful in business. But Pilarski says her most rewarding endeavour has been as a mother to her two children. In her new book, Motherhood Matters: Inspirational Stories, Letters, Quotes & Prayers for Catholic Moms, Pilarski invites women to reflect on the vocation of motherhood. She shares personal experiences through inspirational stories on the joys and challenges of motherhood that show how she has shared the Catholic faith with her son and daughter. “We need a movement to reclaim motherhood to the dignity that Our Lady (gave) it,” Pilarski said.

Dance troupe rises from Haitian rubble

October 16, 2011

MISSISSAUGA, ONT. - The Resurrection Dance Theatre of Haiti is bringing its musical and dancing talents to the Greater Toronto Area to help it rise out of the rubble of the 2010 Haitian earthquake that devastated much of its home. The dance troupe will be coming to Canada as part of its “Rising from the Rubble” tour to raise funds for the rebuilding of its schools, while also bringing awareness to the continued plight of Haitians still recovering from the quake. “Since the earthquake, it’s more demanding for us to go on tour so we can rebuild our home,” lead dancer Walnes Cangas, 26, told The Catholic Register on the phone from Haiti.