Ryan Gosling and Margot Robbie in Barbie, a film with a message, but one that’s largely redundant, writes Alan Charlton. (OSV News photo/Warner Bros.)
I suppose many of my gender and age have little awareness of Barbie dolls – except perhaps a shared feeling of outrage at how expensive they are when one is buying one as a gift for a little girl. That being said, I approached the movie Barbie convinced that I would be able to comprehend little of...
Facebook screen capture.
As Meta, the parent company of Facebook and Instagram, began restricting Canadians in August from accessing and sharing news content on its platforms in response to Bill C-18, The Online News Act, it wasn’t only news organizations feeling the effect. Whether the average Canadian understands or opposes Meta’s response to Bill C-18 — the new...
Catholic Street Missionaries attend to the needs of the poor on the streets of Vancouver. Volunteers recently spent 24 hours praying and fasting in preparation for their work on the street. (Catholic Street Missionaries photos)
“Don’t forget the poor; be generous to them.” With those words, Canossian Sister Elisa Grignoli called about 30 Catholic Street Missionaries to reflect on their mission to the poor and homeless before heading out to the streets of Vancouver. With the simplicity her order is known for, she said Jesus’ words from the Gospel of Matthew –...
Agassiz First Nation athlete Syvawn Paul, right, and her brother Cyrus George compete in the 6000m mixed doubles event at the North American Indigenous Games in Halifax, which Paul was able to attend with some financial help from the Archdiocese of Vancouver. (Contributed photos)
Sts’ailes First Nation athlete Syvawn Paul has been paddling a canoe since she first rode out in one at the age of six. But she wouldn’t even have competed in this year’s North American Indigenous Games in Halifax if it hadn’t been for some unexpected money from the Archdiocese of Vancouver. The Agassiz canoeist won...
Archbishop J. Michael Miller celebrates Mass under the shade of a gazebo at Fraser River Heritage Park before the procession to Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. After several years of cancellations and smaller numbers, the annual pilgrimage drew at least 4,000 people this year, organizers say. (Paul Schratz photos)
The largest annual event in the Archdiocese of Vancouver is again the largest annual event in the Archdiocese. After a two-year pandemic-caused hiatus and last year’s return with only half the typical number of participants, massive crowds flocked to this year’s pilgrimage to Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in Mission. Despite the sweltering heat, more...
Simona Mascitti, and her younger sister Sasha Mascitti are products of the elite Coquitlam soccer program and the Our Lady of Fatima community in Coquitlam. (Contributed photos)
Soccer fans now know that Spain’s women’s team has been crowned the new Women’s World Cup champions, and congratulations to the players for a wonderful display of talent and teamwork. Sadly, we also are aware that Canada did not advance beyond the group stage. This is a huge disappointment based on expectations going into the...
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Wildfires wreaking devastation across British Columbia and the Northwest Territories appear to have spared Catholic churches, though the same can’t be said about numerous other buildings.
St. Matthew’s parishioners Kathleen Furtado (right) and Vanessa Potusek (middle) exchange one of 100 Plastic Bank rosaries, made from recycled ocean plastic, with a fellow pilgrim from Venezuela. (Contributed photo)
In a blend of faith and environmental activism, World Youth Day pilgrims from Vancouver gifted rosaries crafted from recycled ocean plastic to other travellers in Lisbon, Portugal, to spotlight the dual themes of religious devotion and ecological stewardship. 100 rosaries were distributed by pilgrims from various Vancouver Catholic parishes, including Christ the Redeemer Parish in...
Catholic media in Canada have started offering journalism courses in preparation for the relaunch of Canadian Catholic News (CCN) this fall. (B.C. Catholic file photo)
As Catholic press struggle to find journalists, they’re starting to train their own
A smoke plume rises from the wildfire near Yellowknife that forced Bishop Jon Hansen to flee his diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith. Despite the devastation, Bishop Hansen saw moments of humanity as well. (Contributed photo)
Bishop Jon Hansen, CSSR, of the Mackenzie-Fort Smith diocese was one of thousands of thousands of people forced to flee a wildfire near Yellowknife as hundreds of fires continue to sweep through the Northwest Territories and Western Canada. Bishop Jon Hansen, CSSR Bishop Hansen related his journey from his diocese, which includes the Northwest Territories and parts of Saskatchewan and Nunavut, in an email update to parishioners the day after he completed a 12-hour evacuation drive from Yellowknife to Grande Prairie, Alta., to shelter with family. I am one of the lucky evacuees who have family in Alberta so I am very comfortable staying in the home of my niece and her husband. That’s not the case for all who were forced to leave. As I drove, I saw many tents and campers for the entire length of my journey. There will also be many families in hotels and evacuation centres across Alberta and British Columbia. I gathered the quote below from one of our information sources, Cabinradio.ca, a fantastic media source for up-to-the-minute information about the fires. Bishop Jon Hansen was forced to flee a wildfire in his diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith to take refuge in Grande Prairie, Alta. (Google Maps) “Approximately 63 per cent of the NWT population is currently under evacuation order if we use the most recent community population numbers provided by the NWT Bureau of Statistics. That’s about 28,904 residents, though this number doesn’t account for non-residents such as tourists or people here on short work contracts whose home province is elsewhere and would also be evacuating the NWT right now.” Presently there are various levels of crisis in the NWT. A number of communities including Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith, and Inuvik have fire at their doorsteps and we are just waiting to see what the weather will do to move the fires forward or to aid the firefighters and help hold the fires back. Other communities have already been breached including Behchoko (three homes lost) and Enterprise which was, according to reports, about 90 per cent wiped out. I drove through there yesterday and it was the closest image to an apocalyptic wasteland that I have ever seen. For some communities such as Hay River and Katlodeeche, this is the second time they have been evacuated this summer after having to do the same a year ago due to floods. On a brighter note, there is nothing like a crisis to bring out the best in humanity. There was a traffic stop at Big River outside of Fort Providence. This is the only place on the 700-km stretch between Yellowknife and High Level where you can stop for gas. With more than 5,000 vehicles passing through a gas station with four pumps, you can imagine that it could have been a place of chaos, and there was some of that. However, the prevalent mood was very neighbourly. People got out of their cars to stretch their legs and walk their dogs and spent time talking and laughing with one another. I was also surprised to see the many farm yards in northern Alberta that were freshly mowed and had big, hand-painted signs, offering free camping to all those equipped with tents and RVs. The next few days are now just a matter of waiting to see what will happen next. All our staff and clergy are safe and accounted for, although they have been scattered to the wind by plane and by road. Keep the prayers coming as we ask for the miracle of rainfall in abundance for our parched land.