THE HEART OF A MOTHER
Recently I was at a doctor’s appointment on what turned out to be the former maternity floor of the local hospital – the place where my son was born many years ago. I was instantly whisked back in time to…
Category Children
FAMILY DAY
February 16 is Family Day. It is observed as a statutory holiday in a number of provinces – Alberta, British Columbia, Saskatchewan, Ontario, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Family Day in these provinces coincides with Louis Riel Day in…
ST. JOHN BOSCO
John Bosco (1815 – 1888), affectionately known as Don Bosco, was an Italian Catholic priest, educator and writer. He worked in Turin and ministered to people who were harshly affected by industrialization and urbanization. He dedicated himself to supporting street…
A REFLECTION FOR FATHER’S DAY
Father’s Day is more than a date on the calendar. It’s a celebration of love and commitment. I think every father experiences, in his own way, the profound love God has for his children. From the moment a child is…
HITTING THE BOOKS: NOVALIS BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS FOR THE NEW SCHOOL YEAR
As the days get shorter and cooler, and as our regular routines take shape, we may have more time for diving into a book. Reading is much more than a leisure activity – it’s a way to make sense of…
FATHER’S DAY
You didn’t have to embrace the politics of Joe Biden to feel his anguish over the very public trial of his son Hunter on charges he failed to disclose his own addictions when he applied for federal approval to buy…
LIFE BEGETS LIFE BEGETS LIFE… (NATIONAL FAMILY AND LIFE WEEK: MAY 13-19)
For those who do not know, I am the proud father of my adopted children. Years ago, each of their birth mothers faced a harrowing choice. They were surrounded by messages and pressures that provided a path to terminating their…
WORLD DAY OF PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
“What do you want to be when you grow up?” Do you remember being asked this question as a child? Unlike many of my peers, my response was “I want to be a Sister.” I also wanted to be a teacher from the…
ST. JOSEPH: IN HONOUR OF REAL DADS
Adapted from There Must be a Pony in Here Somewhere: Everyday Stories of God’s Goodness by Michael and Christine Way Skinner (Novalis, 2020) I am proud that I was made a Dad through adoption. One night, when my son Patrick…
THE GREAT ADVENTURE OF PARENTHOOD
It’s strange that our over-regulated society does next to nothing to prepare young people for parenthood. We license driving an automobile, and insist on passing stringent exams for any number of professions, such as law, medicine and engineering. Yet there…