SASKATOON—National and provincial leaders of the Catholic Women’s League of Canada have arrived in Saskatoon, holding meetings ahead of a three-day national convention that will bring hundreds of League members from across the nation to the prairie city on the South Saskatchewan River. League president Shari Guinta and her national executive – which includes provincial...
Author: Paul Schratz
I hadn’t expected Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič to be as forthright as he was. He described the shock of arriving in Canada during the residential school crisis and finding flags at half-mast for months and irresponsible statements being made. My interview with Canada’s Apostolic nuncio appears here. For him, the key to preventing what we’ve seen...
‘I will never forget you’ is national March for Life theme
Thousands of pro-lifers packed onto Parliament Hill and spilled out onto Wellington Street May 9 for the 27th annual National March for Life. The crowd gathered on the Hill at noon with its members bearing both homemade and professionally crafted signs pledging to stand fast for the unborn and vulnerable. The march’s theme “I will never...
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...
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....
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...
Vancouver Archbishop signs Sacred Covenant with Kamloops First Nation
Almost three years ago, reports of underground anomalies near a former Kamloops residential school caused a firestorm of media mistruths about mass graves, which became a focus of Pope Francis’ visit to Canada in 2022. Now, the Church and the Kamloops First Nation are about to acknowledge historical and recent painful experiences and continue “walking...
Archdiocese of Montreal suing Quebec government over MAiD forced upon hospice
In what could prove to be a landmark case for religious and conscience rights in Canada, Montreal’s Archbishop Christian Lépine has taken on the Attorney General of Quebec. In an appeal for judicial review submitted to the Quebec Superior Court on Feb. 5, Archbishop Lépine asked for an immediate stay of the application of an...
In pastoral letter, Canadian bishops praise those who witness on social media, but warn ‘don’t be naive’
Catholic institutions and media outlets must hold themselves to the highest standards, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said in a Jan. 24 pastoral letter that focuses on social media. As a communication tool, social media has great potential to “serve a fundamental human good: the building of bridges among people by the sharing of...
Something’s happening among 18 to 34 year olds: a search for truth
When it comes to supporting Catholic education, the audience that came to hear Father Deacon Andrew Bennett’s fundraising talk for Catholic Pacific College was as committed as it gets. By the time he had finished, however, they were not only aware of how much Canada needs inspired Catholic young people, but they could also see...