Pope Francis greets Canadian Father Michael Brehl, superior general of the Redemptorists, as the pope leads an audience with students and staff of the Alphonsian Academy at the Vatican Feb. 9, 2019. CNS photo/Vatican Media
Fr. Michael Brehl, leader of the Canadian Redemptorists, has been named new bishop for the Diocese of Pembroke. The Toronto-born, 69-year-old Brehl will assume the seat at the head of the Ontario diocese vacated by Bishop Guy Desrochers when he was named Archbishop of Moncton in July 2023. Bishop-elect Brehl brings a wealth of leadership...
By Jenny Connelly Missionary zeal and closeness to the poor remain as the burning heart of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, the order of priests and brothers who founded the Archdiocese of Edmonton and were essential to the evangelization of the Canadian West. Recently, the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Lacombe Canada gathered in St. Albert for their...
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...
Vancouver’s St. Paul’s Hospital’s policy of not allowing euthanasia onsite is the subject of a lawsuit by the parents of a terminally ill woman who was transferred to another facility to be euthanized. (Terry O’Neill photo)
The parents of a terminally ill woman who was transferred to another facility to be euthanized after St. Paul’s Hospital refused to allow the procedure on its premises are suing the provincial government and Providence Health Care, the Catholic health-care provider that operates St. Paul’s. The couple’s lawsuit says their daughter’s Charter of Rights and...
The Court of Appeal of Alberta has granted the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition (EPC) intervenor status in the controversial case of a 27-year-old Calgary woman with autism seeking approval for medical assistance in dying (MAiD) against her father’s wishes. On May 17, the non-profit that opposes assisted suicide submitted a five-page application to intervene containing legal...
Steve Weatherbe holds a Christians for Israel sign in Victoria with other supporters. The group gathers to protest pro-Palestinian rallies in Victoria. (Contributed photos)
Sometimes, a free afternoon is all you need to start a counter-protest. Catholic pro-life organizer and retired journalist Steven Weatherbe was visiting Vancouver with his wife, who was attending a conference. He was at a loss for what to do with his afternoon, and then he saw a pro-Palestinian rally forming at the Vancouver Art...
Society’s loss of the ability to centre conversations on “a common set of facts” is a theme of recent essays that lament the state of journalism. (Tomasz Mikołajczyk/Pixabay)
By Catholic Conscience On May 12, Pope Francis marked the 58th World Day of Social Communications by saying a world increasingly permeated by artificial intelligence must never lose sight of the “wisdom of the heart.” The following essay from Catholic Conscience makes the point that communication also depends on truth, a point increasingly being lost in today’s...
Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Archbishop Emeritus James Weisgerber, and former National Chief Phil Fontaine (l-r) spoke about reconciliation and relationships at a diocesan “Continuing the Walk” adult faith dessert night April 18, 2024 in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
By Kiply Lukan Yaworski A former National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations and a former President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops spoke together in Saskatoon April 18, reflecting on their part in the history of Truth and Reconciliation in Canada, as well as their personal journey in becoming adopted brothers. Former...
(adobe)
By Peter Oliver, Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan In January 2024, the Catholic Health Association of Saskatchewan (CHAS) identified working with the Saskatchewan Bishops to develop a provincial response to medically-provided euthanasia (known as Medical Assistance in Dying or MAiD) as a top priority. Instinctively this felt right, but I’m prone to ask questions and I...
A death certificate for a Vicky Stewart, who died of meningitis at an Edmonton hospital. Her death is playing a role in a class action launched against the Archdiocese of Edmonton, one of its priests and his missionary order. Photo courtesy of Province of Alberta
An alleged murder that is part of a class action suit against the Archdiocese of Edmonton was actually death from meningitis, a government record obtained by The Catholic Register affirms. In court filings last February, lead plaintiff Sphenia Jones says she witnessed fellow student Vicky Stewart dying “after being hit in the head with a wood implement...
