REMEMBRANCE DAY
Remembrance Day started out as a means to remember all those who died in World War I. It was to be the war to end all wars. Why did it not work? There are 32 armed conflicts going on at…
Category Canada
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION: MOVING BEYOND THE ORANGE SHIRT
Earlier this week, I saw a tweet from an Indigenous person lamenting that many Canadians would be wearing an orange shirt on September 30, and then for the next 364 days, it would be business as usual, with nothing changing…
“I Humbly Beg Forgiveness”: Reflections on Pope Francis’ Visit to Canada
The papal visit continues as I write, yet there is already so much to think about. I was moved as I watched Pope Francis arrive in Edmonton on Sunday. Despite his knee pain and limited mobility, I saw expressions of…
NATIONAL INDIGENOUS PEOPLES DAY
National Indigenous Peoples Day is a day recognizing and celebrating the cultures and contributions of the First Nations, Inuit and Métis Indigenous peoples of Canada. Novalis author Greg Kennedy, SJ penned this poem for today’s occasion. Canadian Indian Act III…
HEALTH AND HOPE
There’s nothing like a pandemic to remind us how fragile we are. Without warning, any sense of control we thought we had over our well-being went out the window. Medical officers of health and epidemiologists (people we’d probably never heard…
THE MEMORIAL OF STE. MARIE DE L’INCARTION
Sometimes reading the lives of the saints leaves us more conflicted than inspired. This is especially the case when the saint lived in a time and culture very removed from our own where values and practices are not only foreign…
ST. ANDRE BESSETTE
How do you feel when someone opens the door for you? You probably feel that the person is kind and considerate. Imagine a saint who touches the lives of thousands of people by his kindness, his faith and opening doors. This is…
IN REMEMBRANCE
Wars not only destroy human lives; they destroy homes and heritages, they ravage fields, trees, lakes and soil. But the life that God bequeathed to all creation is stronger than death. And so it was that, the chalky, bomb-pummelled, soil…
NATIONAL DAY FOR TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Today, on September 30, people across Canada observe the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. On this day we invite you to spend some time in prayer, reflection and education. Below is a special prayer we would like to share…
ST. JOHN DE BREBEUF, ISAAC JOGUES & COMPANIONS
On September 26, the Catholic Church in Canada recalls that group of 17th-century Jesuit missionaries who have become known here as the Canadian Martyrs, or the North American Martyrs if you are in the United States. It is a sombre…