What is this book about? Raymond Friel: It’s about being a human being, I suppose, a creature, trying to understand the Creator, trying to speak to the source of our […]
I don’t often express a disagreement with those who prepare liturgical texts, but on this feast I do. Saying that Christ is the King of the Universe, at least to […]
I remember long ago an anecdotal story of the conference of bishops of Brazil who ended their meetings about policies and procedures with the question: “Well gentlemen, how have we […]
Consider fresh water. We use it for cooking, cleaning, bathing, agriculture and for just about all our economic activities. Yet, of all the water on Earth, only 2.5% of that […]
My parents were children during the Second World War, and their memories of that time were lasting ones. They recalled doing paper and scrap drives with their pals, wearing underwear […]
All Souls Day is going to mean more to me this year than ever. I recently lost my brother to cancer. My thoughts are filled with memories, conversations and images of my […]
Messages from Heaven can come in conversations with strangers. Not too long ago, I had such an encounter with a woman on a bus. She was on her way to arrange […]
What is Sowing Seeds all about? Sowing Seeds: Inquiry, Faith and Early Learners is a book about students learning about their faith. It is about respecting the ability of children, […]
Death for a Christian is a bittersweet event. On the one hand, we are supposed to rejoice since the person that died has entered eternal life with God, the aim […]
It became so natural, but when Saint John Paul II was elected as Pope in Rome in 1978, it was almost beyond comprehension. He was the first non-Italian in centuries […]
It’s long been a truism that organized religion is beneficial to society through its volunteers, its schools, social programs and fostering of a population willing to sacrifice for the greater […]
I’m one of the lucky ones. I’ve never had to worry about having enough food. Yet in the city where I live, food security is an issue for many people. […]
This year it’s a salamander gratitude— something found under rosy, painted stones upended on the damp bed of a dead river. It’s alive but mute, a form of life discovered […]
I can already imagine the criticisms of Fratelli Tutti, the new encyclical by Pope Francis on fraternity and social friendship released yesterday, October 4. They’ll accuse him of interfering in […]
When I think upon my faith as a child, I know that it was a safety net that saw me through traumatic and happy times. Faith in God is an […]
Somewhere among my memorabilia files is a little reminder note written by a 7-year old me. It reads: “Tell mom to take me to see the poope.” (That’s not a […]
As I child, I found great comfort in knowing that there were guardian angels out there, guiding us and protecting us from harm. The prayer “Angel of God, my guardian […]
You ember-eating, living thuribles coughing a smoke heavy and holy into the face of a wilderness that turns away with twisted smile, you aren’t nearly as alone as the cold […]
I once heard a talk given by Bishop Paul Andre Durocher on the topic of grace. He filled his presentation with concrete images to break this open. He told the story […]
Today we celebrate Grandparent’s Day. If I had to choose the person who had the greatest impact on my devotional life, it would have to be my great-grandmother, Mary Taylor. […]
The celebration of the Birth of Mary seems to be eminently logical, as it is nine months after December 8, the commemoration of the day Mary was conceived by Saints […]
Labour Day is always bittersweet: as the last hurrah of summer, it is a little sad, but as the beginning of the hustle and bustle of autumn, it reminds us […]
To make today’s World Day of Prayer for Care of Creation truly inspiring, I’d like to suggest that we pray Pope Francis’ wonderful prayer below. But before we do that, […]
In the history of famous Christian conversions, that of St. Augustine stands second only to St. Paul’s in stature. In both cases, Christianity would have looked very different today had […]
What is Northern Light all about? Northern Light contains prayers, reflections and photographs that sketch a spiritual geography of Canada. They are responses to a series of questions: Where is […]
Amazing Friendships Between Animals and Saints tells a story of wonderful relationships between animals and saints. Beautifully illustrated, each story teaches us that we are united with holy creatures who […]
To make a courageous choice that leads to personal loss is difficult. Most of us choose self-protection over self sacrifice. To make such a choice when that loss is one’s […]
Suffering is something that we seem to want to avoid at all costs. These words of a saint who has been honoured through the ages, remind us that love comes […]
On the feast of a saint like Dominic, the founder of all things Dominican, it can be difficult to see a model for our lives – legendary saints like this […]
It can be easy to pray for certain things – for medical test results to be negative, for a troubled family member, for the world to recover from the coronavirus… […]
Ignatius of Loyola (1491-1556) was a man led by the Spirit into many places he never thought he would have gone. In the song “Loyola,” I try to capture a […]
If you’re like me, you are so over the pandemic. We’re tired of physical distancing, tired of wearing masks, tired of the anxiety and worry about our loved ones. And […]
If you wear the lauded Iron Ring of the engineer on your little finger, you have St. Martha to thank… or rather St. Martha via the poet Rudyard Kipling. In […]
I recall when I first met Brother Ignatius Feaver O.F.M cap almost 2 years ago. It was in his office where, even now at age 80, he accompanies others as […]
As a woman, I have always been inspired and fascinated by Mary Magdalene. When we consider Mary Magdalene as a model of faith and courage, the assumptions and interpretations of her […]
Who is God? For most of my life I have used the tradition of the Church and its liturgy as the best approximation for understanding who God is. My former […]
When I was asked to write about lessons I learned from the pandemic, my first response was: “In under 5000 words, correct?” My limit was 500, so here’s the short […]
Despite the strange circumstances we find ourselves in during this time of pandemic, we have much to celebrate this Canada Day. Over the past few years, I have had the […]
Everywhere you go in Rome, when you find Saint Peter or Paul, you always find the other guy hanging around. In front of Saint Peter’s on the Vatican – there […]
Mary Jo Leddy’s book Why Are We Here? A Meditation of Canada takes its title from the question of a Tsimshian chief to an explorer first arriving on the shore […]
Whether we have a caring father we’re in touch with often or he is nowhere to be found, whether he is a model of how to live or his life […]
If there was ever a time when we could relate to a group of humbled, hungry people wandering through an arid wasteland thick with poisonous snakes and scorpions, it is […]
I’m writing this from the privacy of my daughter’s former bedroom. It has pink walls. There is a long-forgotten teddy bear on the bed. It shares the space with the […]
One day, I was in a parking lot, getting into my car, when I was accosted by an older woman who was on a mission. She approached me aggressively and […]
I remember when COVID-19 started, just as the word “pandemic” was starting to be whispered, before life as we knew it changed so radically. That first week, it seemed harder […]
She was there at the birth of Christ. She was there at the birth of Christ’s Church. She is here, now, at Pentecost as the Church thinks of how to […]
A second story fear of Empire and its second-hand crush had them up all night huddled in a room trying to constitute community draft after draft no consensus inch by […]
What is this book about? The Joy of Keeping the Faith was written to assist new Catholics as they begin to live as fully initiated members of the Church. (Although, […]
Our youngest child of the six that we have parented, graduates this year. Perhaps because I have attended a graduation in May or June most every year for twenty years, […]
Many of us are hurting as we miss our parish communities during this time of isolation. It is good that we have technology to bring the liturgy to us, even […]
