This Canada Day, events such as the discovery of the children’s burial sites at the Kamloops Indian Residential School bring us to a more sombre reflection on the spiritual landscape of our country. My recent book, Northern Light: A Canadian…
How would you describe your book to today’s Catholic, whether they are in the pews or watching from the sidelines? This is a book for everyone who is wondering how lay Catholics can make more of a difference in the…
Sometimes we think that days like Father’s Day are a commercial gimmick to sell cards and make us spend money. This is partly true, but it can also be an opportunity for us to step back from all the goings…
There are about three dozen significant Catholic publishing houses in North America, each with its particular niche within the overall evangelizing mission of the Church. While we don’t try to compete directly, there is no doubt some friendly rivalry. And…
When it comes to our relationship with the Blessed Mother, it is valuable for our own prayer life to see how the liturgical celebration of the Immaculate Heart has been presented to us, and to see how the changes over…
In a patriarchal society, to be a father is, by definition, to hold power. Pater is Latin for “father” and “patriarchy,” literally meaning “rule of the fathers.” Ancient Israel was patriarchal in its organization, as is the Catholic Church. In…
Over the course of the COVID-19 pandemic, many Canadians turned to books for information, inspiration, or plain old escape. I know I did! Even with the public libraries closed for extended times, people found ways to get their hands on…
At the Last Supper, Christ mandated us to take bread and break it, to pour wine and share it in his memory. But this was no simple memorial, for he told us the bread was his body and the wine his…
Have you seen My Octopus Teacher? Last month it won an Academy Award for best documentary of 2020. Simple, heart-felt, straight-forward, it charts the year-long friendship that develops between the film-maker and a small octopus off the coast of South…
One of the most commonly depicted images in Christian art is that of the disciples at Pentecost. Around the world, there have been countless versions of the men and women gathered in a locked room in Jerusalem, each with a…