ASH WEDNESDAY
Ash Wednesday represents both a personal and communal reckoning. Before God, we receive the ashes on our foreheads, drawn in the shape of the cross. We are reminded, rather bluntly, that we are mortal and will die. Much as we…
FAMILY DAY
February 16 is Family Day. It is observed as a statutory holiday in a number of provinces – Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Family Day in these provinces coincides with Louis Riel Day in…
ST. VALENTINE’S DAY
February 14. Is it the feast day of a saint? A throwback to pagan gods? A holiday for romance? A commercial opportunity for chocolate and candy makers, florists, card designers and fancy restaurants? And what about the little Valentine cards…
WORLD DAY OF THE SICK
Today, in a world community united in prayer for those who are sick, we are invited to consider the gospel of the Good Samaritan. We are also invited to join with a world community praying in celebration for the feast…
NOVALIS RESOURCES FOR LENT: “HOPE DOES NOT DISAPPOINT US”
The Jubilee Year of Hope may be over, but we can carry this important attitude with us into Lent. With the daily news bringing us story after story of war, loss, economic upheaval, violence and political instability, hope is an…
THE PRESENTATION OF THE LORD
Forty days after Christmas we come to a feast day that will lead us on a path to the cross. Also known as Candlemas, the feast of the Presentation of the Lord has layers of meaning. Jesus, the Light of…
ST. JOHN BOSCO
John Bosco (1815 – 1888), affectionately known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer. He worked in Turin and ministered to people who were harshly affected by industrialization and urbanization. He dedicated himself to supporting street…
SUNDAY OF THE WORD OF GOD
Now and then the Church invites us to slow down and reflect on what really matters. Today’s observance, Sunday of the Word of God, is a good example. Instituted by Pope Francis in 2019, it is an annual reminder that…
WORLD RELIGIONS DAY
World Religion Day is an interfaith observance initiated in 1950 by the National Spiritual Assembly of the Bahá’i of the United States, celebrated worldwide on the 3rd Sunday of January each year. Though initiated in the United States, World Religion…
ST. ANDRE BESSETTE: A HEALER AND A MAN OF PRAYER
He was a frail young man, born in 1845 in St-Grégoire-d’Iberville, Quebec, who couldn’t read or write – an orphan by the age of 12. He tried various trades without much success, including in the United States, where many went…