Pope Francis has slated September 1 as the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation. And we will certainly need all the prayers we can muster. The state of creation is not good: depending on whether we refuse…
As the mother of a son, I have always felt a connection with St. Monica. I mean, sometimes all you can do is pray! Her eldest son, Augustine (354–430), was a rather wayward lad who didn’t want his mother following…
Most years on August 14, my wife Nora and I make the one-hour drive northeast from Edmonton to the Marian grotto at Skaro to participate in the vigil Mass of Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven. The grotto was built by…
Although not observed this year, August 11 is generally recognized as a feast day of St. Clare of Assisi (1194-1253). Born into a noble and wealthy Italian family, at 17 years of age, upon hearing a young man (Francis of…
People have asked me a few times over the last couple of months about a particular title we published. It is Been Hoping We Might Meet Again: The Letters of Pierre Elliott Trudeau and Marshall McLuhan. At first blush, this…
Probably, most Catholics do not link Jesus’ Transfiguration on the mountain with the Exodus of the Old Testament. For us, it is a stand-alone, unique event which reveals Jesus as the Son of God. The Transfiguration surely is that (and…
Faith development and spiritual growth almost always require change. We are called by God to be consistently a work in progress. It is important to remember that God speaks and we respond. Our response can be varied in how we…
Are you a Martha or a Mary? I ask myself this question from time to time. After all, both types are necessary: without the “doers,” no one would get fed and nothing would get done. And without people who focus…
Being raised in Quebec, I knew early on who St. Joachim and St. Anne were. My grandfather was born in a town called St. Joachim in the Eastern Townships and my grandmother was born a bit further east in a…
July 22 used to be a memorial of St. Mary of Magdalene. Two years ago, Pope Francis raised that celebration to the level of a feast. There are now calls to raise it to a solemnity. That could be a…