Happy All Saints’ Day!
Having a feast for all the Saints is probably one of the most humble, practical, and happy things we can do as a Church. It is an act of humility because it makes us aware that there are countless saints…
Novalis Seeds of Faith
All Hallows’ Eve
Increasing critiques of Halloween have led many Christians to question the day’s festivities. Some argue that the day’s customs have roots in the ancient Celtic festival of Samhain, despite several scholars’ arguments to the contrary. Others, such as one official…
Cultivating Catholic Identity within Our Schools
Every Fall we have the great fortune of participating in When Faith Meets Pedagogy, a conference for Catholic teachers from across Ontario. The conference offers us the opportunity to meet with leading religious educators and discuss the many ways we…
World Mission Sunday
Our liturgical celebrations this weekend mark World Mission Sunday, an annual event in the life of the Church. But in one sense, every Sunday is a “mission Sunday.” At the end of each Mass, we are told to go and…
Cultivating a Grateful Spirit
Thanksgiving is a perfect time to assess the role gratitude plays in our lives. In North America, many of us are so profoundly blessed that we run the risk of taking it all for granted. Sometimes we forget to offer…
A Saint for Our Times: Saint Francis of Assisi
This weekend offers a most unique moment in the sanctoral cycle as churches offer the annual blessing for pets, a lively and always unpredictable way to mark both the October 4th feast of St. Francis of Assisi and the gift…
The Season of Saints
October is the season of saints. It begins and ends with a celebration of sainthood and the call to holiness. St. Therese of Lisieux brings in the month with the feast day of this Doctor of the Church on Oct.…
Saint Jean de Brebeuf
St. Jean de Brébeuf is a giant of Canadian history. His writings in the Jesuit Relations, for example, offer an invaluable window into life in 17th-century Canada, while his gift for languages, which prompted him to create the first Huron…
Cosmas and Damian
The Saints of God Cosmas and Damian were denounced in the persecution of Diocletian the Emperor. That much is sure. What follows almost sounds like a Monty Python sketch: They were crucified, then stoned, then attacked by archers and finally…
Media and the New Evangelization: Television as a Means of Sharing the Faith
Editor’s Note: As our team was planning themes and topics for our blog, we found ourselves discussing the New Evangelization. We thought that perhaps we should explore on our blog the meaning and purpose of the New Evangelization and how…