In the short two weeks I spent in Poland for WYD, I underwent a profound spiritual revival, one which I had been searching for over the last few years.

I have begun my very first major pilgrimage. On July 20, I’ll board a flight to Warsaw, Poland, where for the following 12 days I’ll join thousands of others partaking in cultural and religious events at World Youth Day, created more than 30 years ago by St. John Paul II. This year’s event is being held in his homeland, Krakow, where he was archbishop.

In the UK, a Catholic teenager is suing his former employer and co-workers for religious aggravated assault. The teenager claims he was subjected to a “mock crucifixion,” tying him from a makeshift wooden cross. The court case addresses other indidents in which his co-workers drew crosses and phallic symbols all over the teenager’s body with permanent marker, setting spray deodorant aflame near his head and giving him a forcible wedgie that caused cuts and bruises.

St. John the Baptist, the Jewish preacher who baptized Jesus in the River Jordan, is celebrated annually in Quebec on his feast day, June 24. It’s a national holiday often accompanied by different Quebecois traditions. 

In a small farming village in southwestern Ontario a few weeks ago, the sun was shining, incense was permeating the air and the Most Blessed Sacrament was being adored in an outdoor procession. 

With summer fast approaching, students everywhere are itching for the end of the school year, and for many, it’s because there is a much-anticipated family vacation awaiting them. 

Imagine yourself as a tree. 

We all start off as small little seeds and the water is all of the blessings and gifts the Lord grants us in order to grow. Slowly over time, we grow into a tall, strong and beautiful tree. The fruits that we bear are everything that we have to offer to others and to the Lord. 

Justin Trudeau’s Liberals captivated Canadians during last year’s election campaign with its vision to create a new Canada — a humanitarian Canada focused on making the world a more optimistic and equal place. But in its good-natured desire for rapid change, the government’s efforts to protect the dignity of the human person have been misguided. 

I recently read an article about how Confirmation is often seen as a milestone, like graduation, rather than a sacred tradition. This led me to think back on my own experience with the sacrament.

There is no doubt that the events at Fort McMurray are a tragedy. But the tragedy lies not only in the destruction, but in the disruption of everyday life.