October 1st!  The mornings here in Toronto are crisp and cool, the days are still warm and welcoming, the leaves are changing colour.  It’s a favourite time of year for me.  And as I’ve written in the past, liturgically it’s a great time for saintly celebrations: we’ve got the Archangels, the Guardian Angels, St. Jerome, ...read more

The ‘Right to Die with Dignity’ issue regarding euthanasia and assisted suicide has created much debate and division in Canada. The province of Quebec began its public hearings earlier in September. The Bishops of Quebec presented their opinions today to the Special Commission on the issue of dying with dignity. They submitted a ten page ...read more

Earlier this year, Archbishop Michael Miller, of Vancouver, wrote: I urge you to recommit yourselves to the sacred cause of life and to help financially equip pro-life organizations, such as crisis pregnancy centres, to serve our communities. Even more, I urge you to become personally involved. Let us act in small and large ways – ...read more

The census is back in the news with the government potentially voting on keeping or scrapping the mandatory long-form. Several years ago (either 1991 or 1995), I was fairly unemployed and Fr. Bert Foliot, SJ, my pastor at the time, hooked me up to work for the Census Canada. All I had to do was ...read more

Just over a year ago I was handed a DVD by a friend and told, “you need to watch this.” It was a documentary film called “The Price of Sugar.” The protagonist in the film is Fr. Christopher Hartley, a half British, half Spanish priest who ended up serving as the pastor of a parish ...read more

John Paul II biographer George Weigel called him “the best English-language Vatican reporter in history.” His objectivity has even been described as “maddening.” John Allen Jr. will be in Toronto on Tuesday, September 28th, to offer the lecture: Covering the Vatican and the Church — A Vaticanista Reflects on Challenges Facing the Church Today. An ...read more

Season four of Lectio Divina gets underway this Sunday! Previously, Archbishop Collins has meditated on the Sermon on the Mount, the writings of St. Paul, and the Parables of Jesus. For the 2010-2011 season, Toronto’s chief shepherd will reflect on two books in Scripture. From September to January His Grace will focus on the Book ...read more

The Holy Land is considered holy because Jesus lived here. It is also holy because most of the prophets lived around here. But it is also important because here is where it all began: Christianity was born here. Today though, 2000 years later, we equate the Middle East with Muslims. We hear about Jews and ...read more

Work and rest are intimately tied to the life of the family: they influence decisions, influence the relationship between spouses, and the relationship between parents and children. That’s what Pope Benedict told the Pontifical Council for the Family today. The Council launched the official website for the 7th International Meeting of Families with a press ...read more

Ten days ago you may have seen a note on our Facebook page congratulating and offering prayers for Bishop Bergie as the new Bishop of St. Catharines.  Bishop Bergie had been serving as the Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of the Diocese of Hamilton. But that wasn’t the only change to take place in Hamilton. ...read more