When 1,800 Grade 7 students descended on Surrey’s Pacific Academy Nov. 4 and 5 for Anointed, this year’s Spirit Day for confirmation-age youth, it looked – and sounded – like they were having the time of their lives. So we reached out to students, volunteers, parents, and catechists to make sure. The consensus was clear:...
Category: Canada
The Catholic journalism course Telling Truth in Charity offered by Canadian Catholic News and the St. Monica Institute is one reason to be optimistic about the future of Catholic journalism in Canada, writes Catholic Register publisher Peter Stockland.
Hong Kong lawmaker blasts petition signed by Vancouver Archbishop Miller urging Jimmy Lai’s release
A legislative council member from the pro-Beijing New People’s Party has criticized a joint petition signed by 10 Catholic bishops, including Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller, that called for the immediate release of pro-democracy media mogul Jimmy Lai. “The Catholic leaders’ call for Lai’s release is a striking example of religious power being commandeered for...
Prominent lawyer to challenge MAiD for mentally ill
In a surprise announcement, prominent Canadian human rights lawyer Julius Grey told a group of anti-euthanasia protesters he is prepared to launch a legal action against the law that allows Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) for those with mental health problems. At a Nov. 18 gathering in Montreal’s Place du Canada, Grey said, “I do...
Torched Alberta church’s parishioners looking forward
More than two years since a suspicious fire destroyed St. Jean Baptiste Parish in Morinville, Alta., the criminal investigation has borne no suspects or arrests. Although the devastation that occurred on June 30, 2021, lingers with congregants who attended Mass in this 114-year-old house of worship, there is a greater desire to focus on the...
Catholic social teaching puts high interest rates on the naughty list
By Aimee Rae Canadians with heavy mortgages or credit card debt are watching Dec. 6 approach with the nervous optimism of kids waiting for Santa to declare if they’ve been bad or good. That’s the date when the Bank of Canada next sets interest rates, an announcement that for many Canadians could determine whether Christmas...
Vancouver artist depicts mother’s sacrificial love in Marian Christmas stamp from Canada Post
Vancouver artist Adrian Horvath has been designing postage stamps for Canada Post for years, from an Endangered Turtles of Canada set to a collection of Snow Mammals. He even worked on the famed Star Trek series of stamps the post office issued in 2016 and 2017. But Horvath’s latest work holds special importance for him as a Christian. His design for...
Chaplain General pauses ban on Remembrance Day service religious language
Canada’s military ordinariate is pleased that the Chaplain General has put a temporary pause on the new Public Reflection Policy that would have prohibited overtly religious language by chaplains at Remembrance Day ceremonies. The Epoch Times reported Oct. 31 that Chaplain General Guy Belisle has at least temporarily backed down on the prohibition in order...
Vancouver’s Archbishop Miller joins call for Hong Kong government to release pro-democracy activist Jimmy Lai
Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller is among a group of 10 Catholic leaders from around the world this week who called upon the government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region to release prominent Hong Kong pro-democracy activist and Catholic Jimmy Lai, who has been imprisoned there for nearly three years. Noting the situation in...
7 ways to take part in day of penance for peace called for by Pope Francis
Amid the ongoing Israel-Hamas war in the Holy Land, Pope Francis has called for a day of prayer and fasting on Friday, Oct. 27. At the end of his general audience on Oct. 18, Pope Francis said the 27th will be “a day of penance to which I invite sisters and brothers of the various...