PENTECOST
On a Tuesday night at St. Ignatius Parish 14 young people stand ready to be anointed with oil. They have come from many different situations and different schools. Some of them are new Canadians. We often talk of how discouraged…
SPEAKING WITH THE HEART: WORLD COMMUNICATIONS DAY
Today is World Communications Day, which we mark every May, on the feast of the Ascension. This is appropriate: in today’s Gospel reading from Matthew, Jesus sends out the eleven disciples to “go and make disciples of all nations” –…
TO THE CHURCH ON MOTHER’S DAY
Dear Church, On this Mother’s Day, I am writing this letter on behalf of all mothers, explaining what we need from our Christian community. The first thing I would like to say is that motherhood is a complex reality. In…
NATIONAL FAMILY AND LIFE WEEK (MAY 7-14, 2023)
We adopted our first child when she was 11 days old. We were told by the social worker that her birth mother loved her dearly but could not offer the life she hoped for the child. Hearing this, we…
ST. JOSEPH THE WORKER
One of our Catholic Social Teachings is the dignity of work. People ought to be able to use their skills and knowledge to accomplish a purpose and to have self-worth and self-esteem. The work may not be perfect in the…
A PRAYER FOR VOCATIONS
The church is called by the Lord to serve the world so that the Gospel can be proclaimed “to the end of the earth.” Throughout history, as the world changed, the Church has been challenged to find new ways to…
EARTH DAY
Last week, the city of Ottawa was ravaged by another ice storm. The huge pine tree in my backyard lost many heavy limbs and the yard was full of the pine needles, twigs and branches. We are lucky that the…
WE ARE WITNESSES: EASTER SUNDAY
Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! After the 40 days of Lenten prayer, fasting and almsgiving, after the three intense days of the Triduum, here we are at the empty tomb, rejoicing! Today’s gospel is action packed. Mary Magdalene…
GOOD FRIDAY
The Good Friday service, with its sombre hymns, silence, bare altar and empty tabernacle, is one of most moving liturgies of the year. There’s something about knowing that around the world at this particular moment on a Friday afternoon, as…
HOLY THURSDAY
Can you imagine the tension building during that last Passover that Jesus celebrated with his friends in that upper room? The rejoicing of the crowds welcoming Jesus on that Palm Sunday may have quieted some of the threat, but the…