Catholic Register Staff

Catholic Register Staff

Crisis of fear

Peter Stockland’s column “Be not afraid” references the over-the-top reaction to the pandemic, but it also has powerful theological implications.

Fr Yaw Cover SmallWalking on the Journey of Faith

By Fr. Yaw Acheampong

Fr. Yaw Acheampong wants us to take a walk with him … a Spirit-filled walk on the journey of faith. As a priest who has served in parishes and hospitals, he has seen the power of the Gospel at work, offering inspiration, comfort and healing. Through his thoughtful writing in The Catholic Register, Fr. Yaw has extended his pastoral mission as he invites readers to live the joy of their faith. This book is a collection of his columns that teach and reflect on the sacraments, the seasons of the Church, and our responsibility to each other and the world.

116 pages / Paperback / 5.5"x8.5" / ISBN 978-0-9948716-4-0 / © 2022 Catholic Register Books

Canadian orders:  $14.99 + $4.00 shipping 

US orders: $14.99 + $6.00 shipping 

International orders: $14.99 + $10.00 shipping 

First steps

Your March 22 editorial “Look to Rome” states your commitment to “reconciliation between Canada’s First Nations and its, shall we say, later arrivals.” Cheeky! But overlooking Indigenous beliefs that they always existed on the land, and that “settlers”  were not simply later arrivals but a deceiving, destructive, endless throng that led to extreme social dislocation and loss of life, land and culture? Read Thomas King, Bob Joseph or Jesse Wente for detail.

Pompous Peter

What is Peter Stockland afraid of? After reading his rather pompous and self-opinionated April 3 column, I was disappointed in his lack of knowledge and compassion.

I was baptized a Ukrainian Catholic. My wife and I were married in a Ukrainian Catholic Church in Kyiv, and our children were all baptized in this faith as well. Our church has a Patriarch (i.e., a separate hierarchy from Roman Catholics), but we recognize the spiritual supremacy of the Pope. In Ukraine, the Ukrainian Catholic Church follows the Julian calendar which means Easter will be celebrated next week.

The great 19th-century Russian writer Fyodor Dostoyevsky declared that beauty will save the world. Some years earlier, Our Lord anticipated — and no doubt inspired — Dostoyevsky by teaching us the necessity for salvation of experiencing the world and expressing our faith through the beauty in children’s eyes.

CCCB Easter messasge 2022

Backlash whiplash

The meeting of Indigenous representatives with Pope Francis makes me reflect on the relationship of Church and State in Canada, their partnerships in the residential schools and in State funding of Catholic education.  The media has made clear the responsibility of the Church regarding residential schools, but not so much that of the State. The Church is left holding the bag for many unfortunate things that transpired because of her role as the teacher of morality and spirituality.  

Listening hearts

I have never been more proud of the Catholic Church than when I heard Pope Francis’ response last week to our Indigenous community in Canada. It was not so much what he said, but an acknowledgement that he had listened.

Read the full text of Pope Francis' April 1 final audience with the Canadian Indigenous delegation that travelled to the Vatican.