ST. PADRE PIO
St. Pius of Pietrecina (1887-1968) is generally better known by his more popular name: Padre Pio. He was canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002. Padre Pio was a man of deep humility, spirituality and compassion. Through his faith,…
Novalis Seeds of Faith
RITUAL, RESILIENCE AND RECOVERY
The soul-stirring pageantry during the opening of the 52nd International Eucharistic Congress earlier this month in Budapest came as a gift after a time of pandemic fast from communal celebration. It was a display of faith and community, as Catholics…
OUR LADY OF SORROWS
Today’s culture has begun to realize that recent decades of overzealous positivity have led to unsustainable expectations for happiness and success, often with dire consequences. The mantra in this burgeoning awareness of mental health is: “it’s okay not to be…
GRACE AND GRATITUDE – EVEN DURING A PANDEMIC
There have been so many heart-breaking stories over the past 18 months. Thousands of our elders in long-term care died of the virus, while countless others had to stay in their rooms alone for weeks on end. People in hospital…
BACK TO SCHOOL IN EXTRAORDINARY TIMES
When the pandemic began 18 months ago, I regularly thought of myself as living in extraordinary times. I am struck by how very much we have adapted. That which was unprecedented in human history has come to feel almost normal…
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR THE CARE OF CREATION
Since Pope Francis offered the world his reflections in the encyclical Laudato Si’, my consciousness of caring for Creation has been notched up. I have always thought that by not littering, recycling, reusing, reducing, composting, not wasting food, etc, I…
INTRODUCING OUR NEW LIVING WITH CHRIST WEBINAR SERIES!
One of the most encouraging developments of our recent pandemic confinements has been our webinars. We’ve had as many as 600 people participate in our discussions on everything from the climate change crisis to dealing with dementia in our parishes.…
ST. MONICA AND ST. AUGUSTINE
The feast of St. Monica and St. Augustine provide opportunities for much reflection and consideration. As North African Christians, for example, it is remarkable that most depictions of them present them as white Europeans. Failing to depict them as African,…
HEADING BACK TO SCHOOL (AGAIN)
If “back to school” is starting to feel like a regular occurrence, that’s no surprise. Canadian families and educators have had countless stops and starts to the school year since March 2020, and plans for the weeks and months ahead…
Q&A WITH MICHAEL AND CHRISTINE WAY SKINNER, AUTHORS OF THERE MUST BE A PONY IN HERE SOMEWHERE
All stories are true… and some of them actually happened. As an Irish/Indigenous Catholic storytelling family, this aphorism sums up our attitude to stories. The following event likely never happened, but when we heard it many years ago, we immediately…