Pundits generally, and perhaps columnists in particular, do not often admit to making mistakes. Or, at least, to errors in judgement publicly expressed. Earning, as they do, their daily bread by purveying opinion, it doesn’t do, as they say in England, to be chopping and changing. So, it is a special kind of pundit who...
Month: April 2024
When Canada’s Ukrainian bishops sent out their Easter greetings letter this year, they dated it Easter, March 31. They also dated it Easter, May 5. The dual dates reflect the two different ways Ukrainians celebrate Easter. Some follow the Gregorian calendar that we do. Others, particularly Eastern and Orthodox Christians, use the Julian calendar. If...
Catholic high school football star eyes God over NFL draft as path to success
Days before the April 25-27 NFL draft, Theo Johnson was reconnecting with his Windsor, Ont., roots instead of focusing on being pegged by Bleacher Report as the 107th-ranked prospect. “I’m back in the places that built me up to who I am,” said Johnson. “Seeing my old high school reminded me a lot of the...
Audience erupts in anger as trustees oppose flying pro-life flag at Toronto Catholic schools
The International Pro-Life Flag will not fly over Toronto Catholic schools this May. Toronto Catholic District School Board trustees voted against an April 23 motion proposed by trustee Michael Del Grande that the pro-life flag fly outside all schools and the Catholic Education Centre during the month of May, just as the board voted to...
Our Lady of Fatima’s visit to Vancouver: a decade-long journey
For Ethelyn David, Catholic event organizing seems to be second nature. From Marian conferences to parish missions, she has been promoting and coordinating celebrations of faith and devotion across the Archdiocese of Vancouver through her Mediatrix Conferences organization. But she hadn’t intended to be front and centre in Our Lady of Fatima’s visit to Vancouver....
Celebrating the Easter art of pysanky
For decades, the Madonna House Apostolate has been practising the Ukrainian tradition of pysanky, the “writing,” or dying of ornate eggs. Now the tradition has taken on new significance by helping to create a sense of solidarity with people in Ukraine, says Madonna House community member Emmanuella Kim. The centuries-old Ukrainian practice of pysanky is...
Priests pumped to add voices to synod panel
They have yet to receive an agenda outlining what their Vatican visit will entail, but Fr. Fábio de Souza, Fr. Pierre Ducharme, O.F.M., and Fr. Daniel Ouellet told The Catholic Register they are ready to discern, listen and share at the “Parish Priests for the Synod” international meeting. At the Holy See’s behest, the Canadian Conference of...
Health Canada says online abortion pill provider not ‘directly’ providing drugs
Health Canada has determined a Canadian non-profit doesn’t directly distribute drugs despite the organization’s claim to have provided the abortion pill to over 100,000 women. After an enquiry last month from The Catholic Register, Health Canada opened an investigation on Women on Web. In an April 10 email, Health Canada told the Register it had...
Covenant signing a ‘local initiative,’ with hopes of more to follow
By Anna Farrow Montreal Correspondent Though Vancouver Archbishop Michael Miller called the Easter accord between the Kamloops First Nation and two British Columbia Catholic dioceses a significant and historic “milestone,” there appear to be no plans for other Canadian bishops to immediately follow suit. Andrew Ehrkamp, director of communications for the Archdiocese of Edmonton, noted...
Kamloops First Nation, Catholic dioceses forge new path with Sacred Covenant signing
The journey to the Easter Sunday signing in Kamloops of a sacred covenant between the Tk’emlúps te Secwépemc (Kamloops First Nation) and Catholic bishops from Vancouver and Kamloops took several years, and it was the efforts of two men that began the process, say Kamloops Chief Rosanne Casimir and Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller. Both...