By Michael Swan Four letters and 26 promises from Canada’s bishops to Indigenous Canadians set an agenda for reconciliation that bishops like Calgary’s Bishop Bill McGrattan intend to act on before February turns into March. McGrattan has scheduled meetings with members of the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund committee in his diocese. The committee — there are...
By Michael Swan Canada’s Catholics are not done with reconciliation. Four pastoral letters from Canada’s bishops released today urge Indigenous and non-Indigenous Catholics to seek ways to journey together, build relationships, know and understand their history and end the two solitudes in the country and in the Church of Indigenous and settler societies. “We are called to...
Cardinal Collins retirement to be filled by Montreal’s Bishop Leo
On hearing that Montreal Bishop Frank Leo would succeed him as Archbishop of Toronto, Cardinal Thomas Collins immediately thought of Toronto’s first bishop, Michael Power. At a parish feast day Mass in Our Lady of Lourdes, downtown Toronto, Collins reminded the congregation how Toronto’s first bishop also came from Montreal and was also, as a...
Pope Benedict XVI at a general audience at the Vatican in 2007. “The life, writings, and Petrine ministry of Benedict XVI were immensely formative for me and for all Catholics of today,” writes J.P. Sonnen. (CNS photo/Paul Haring)
By J.P. Sonnen With profound sorrow and immense gratitude I learned of the impending death of Benedict XVI while on holiday at the iconic Chateau Lake Louise in Alberta. In the breakfast room with my wife and a close friend we discussed the news of his kidney failure and the impending funeral. Looking out the...
Richard Leskun says he was pressured repeatedly to put a do-not-resuscitate order on his wife Marilynn at Abbotsford Regional Hospital. Then staff offered to euthanize her. (Contributed photos)
By Terry O’Neill Richard Leskun remained at his wife Marilynn’s side nearly 24 hours a day after she was admitted to Abbotsford Regional Hospital, the result of a fall from her wheelchair. Over the next several days Leskun found himself not only caring for his 71-year-old wife, but also fending off efforts by medical staff...
A monk walks down a hallway toward Father Dunstan Massey’s The Temptation of St. Benedict. The work was the first of Father Massey’s frescos completed in 1974. (Nicholas Elbers photos)
By Nicholas Elbers It’s hard to imagine Westminster Abbey without Father Dunstan Massey’s artistic fingerprints brushed and carved over and into seemingly every surface. Throughout the corridors, halls, and church of the Mission abbey, paintings and carvings bear the distinctive style of the Benedictine monk and prolific artist who passed away Dec. 26 at the...
By Nicholas Elbers “Canadian Doctor Loses License For Not Wearing Mask While Euthanizing Patient,” reads the headline. Another one reports, “Canadian Dentist Now Offering Euthanasia As Alternative To Cavity Filling.” And, “New Canadian Operation Game Just Has You Murder The Patient.” Straight news or fake news? It might be hard to know, given the rapid...
Fraser Health Authority documents received by The B.C. Catholic under a freedom-of-information request show the implementation of euthanasia caused “ethical dilemmas” for some care providers. A doctor who headed the authority’s palliative-care team resigned in protest. (Adobe)
By Terry O’Neill B.C.’s largest regional health authority has finally taken the wraps off unpublished documents showing the introduction of assisted suicide in Fraser Health Authority hospitals and residences sparked emotional concern and opposition among health-care staff. The documents, requested by The B.C. Catholic under a freedom-of-information request, show the implementation of euthanasia became “an...
Detective Constable Marty Cayer, centre, has added a second vocation to his Vancouver Police responsibilities. The Catholic deacon now serves as a VPD chaplain. Shown with him are Vancouver Police Sgt.-Maj. Ray Gardner and Sgt. Dave Moe. (Terry O’Neill photos)
By Terry O’Neill Marty Cayer’s business card describes him as Detective/Constable #2023 with the Youth Investigative Unit of the Vancouver Police Department. Since October 2021, however, the 22-year veteran officer has embraced a second vocation that he considers even more important: that of a permanent deacon, currently serving at Christ the Redeemer Parish in West...
Archbishop J. Michael Miller receives his pallium as Archbishop of Vancouver from Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. In his homilies following the death of the Pope Emeritus the Archbishop spoke about the gifts of the Pontiff he worked for in Rome for three years. (CNS photo/L’Osservatore Romano) (June 29, 2009)
In the days following the death of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Archbishop J. Michael Miller spoke about the life and legacy of Pope Benedict XVI and offered prayers for the Pontiff he worked with in Rome for three years. During his homily for the First Vespers of the Solemnity of Mary Mother of God on...