It’s that time of year again! Or at least it’s a little earlier than what would normally be that time of year. It’s time for most of us in Canada to spring forward! (I say most as my colleague Gillian, a native of Saskatchewan, reminded me that parts of B-C and most of her province ...read more

When I ran out my front door the other day and began my sprint for the streetcar (the way I usually begin my morning commute) I couldn’t help but notice that it was snowing. “More snow,” I thought, “Does it ever end?” I am sick of the white stuff, wearied of the cold, irritated by ...read more

Today in the liturgical calendar the Church celebrates the feast of Saints Felicity and Perpetua. These two women were martyred at Carthage, in Northern Africa in 203. Their names may sound familiar as they’re mentioned in the Roman Canon at Mass. (“For ourselves, too, we ask some share in the fellowship of your apostles and ...read more

“Je me souviens,” the license plates read. Do you really? The question applies to both Quebecers and those living outside la belle province: Just what is your knowledge of the Quebec Church and its religious history? Most people will tell you one of two contradictory narratives. The first is that Quebec remains an uncompromisingly Catholic ...read more

Today has been another busy day of touring and walking and looking and thinking in the Holy Land. Our destination was Bethlehem – we were driven to the check point by our tour guide to meet with representatives of the Holy Land Christian Ecumenical Foundation, who then drove us from the security point into the ...read more

It has been another beautiful day here in the Holy Land. Today began early – our tour guide, Rivka (who is an extensive textbook of all historical matters) said a sunrise over the Sea of Galilee is not to be missed. What luck – my hotel room faces east. And so I awoke at 5:30 ...read more

Hope many of you had a chance to watch the Catholic Focus episode on the permanent diaconate the other night (if you missed it, it’s on Saturday, March 3rd at 7pm E-T). Can I say that it was a real pleasure to host that episode? Perhaps I need to explain myself. When I was growing ...read more

This morning I went swimming in the Mediterranean Sea. I like saying that. What average morning starts like that? But after a full day of traveling to the Holy Land Wednesday, the dive into the water was refreshing, welcome, and very, very salty. I arrived safely in Tel Aviv on Tuesday and touring began Thursday ...read more

Some of you may have seen the Fifth Estate Wednesday night which profiled a sexually abusive priest in the Diocese of London, Ontario. I’m sure all of you will agree that the abuse committed by this priest is horrendous: it should be neither covered up nor ignored. If you’re like me, you’ll also find it ...read more

My Catholic Focus – Once Upon a Blog – airs tonight, March 1st at 7pm ET (with a Sunday 7pm ET repeat as well). I’ve had the sincerest pleasure of seeing a Catholic Focus that includes Rocco Palmo (author of Whispers in the Loggia), Cardinal Sean O’Malley (one of the premier blogging US Cardinals in ...read more