After Jesus foretold a great upheaval in Sunday’s Gospel, surely it wasn’t mere curiosity that provoked his disciples to ask, “Teacher, when will this happen? And what sign will there be when all these things are about to happen?” (Luke 21:7, NAB) Yes, the apocalypse provides a thrilling narrative, whereby all humanity is inescapably pulled ...read more

Catholic Focus: “Faith Schools in Question” is now ONLINE. In my interview with Ontario Education Minister Kathleen Wynne, she admits that there have been no concerns about the integration of Catholic school graduates in greater society. This doesn’t seem like much of a revelation. But then how does this square with her party leader’s insinuations ...read more

I tried to play it cool. But, really, I was pretty thrilled to be riding a political campaign media bus. This wasn’t my usual beat. It’s not often that Salt + Light covers the minutiae of election politics. But when Ontario PC leader John Tory endorsed extending government funding to all private religious schools, people ...read more

You know that etiquette protocol of not discussing religion and politics?  It seems much of the province of Quebec has impolitely ignored the edict, discussing them both at the same time and in the most public of forums. I applaud them for it. I’m posting from Montreal, where McGill University’s Newman Centre is hosting an ...read more

A most fearsome alarm clock, the cold rain simultaneously woke hundreds of thousands of pilgrims camping at Downsview Park. You can imagine the sight of groggy pilgrims hurriedly hunting for the rain gear they forgot to bring. And, as biology dictates, the second item on the morning itinerary was the search for a bathroom. As ...read more

I signed up for WYD 02 rather late in the game. Wouldn’t it be equivalent watching the coverage from afar? And, frankly, due to some evangelical protestant leanings I held at the time, all the attention on the Pope made me uncomfortable. Still, realizing the opportunity may only come once, I squeezed into the lone ...read more

Catholics used to be predictable voters: they were Liberals in Canada (although Quebec was more conflicted) and Democrats in the United States. But, as polling after recent elections has shown, these associations have unsettled. Parties can no longer take their votes for granted. Could the majority of Catholics, perhaps sitting somewhere in the middle, be ...read more

How often do you receive a mass-email, whether it be a forward or a newsletter, and discover therein something stirring? Yeah, probably never. But today I was taken aback by a reflection on Ordinary Time by Dr. Karen Hamilton, General Secretary of the Canadian Council of Churches and, if you’ve met her you’ll know, a ...read more

When repentent Hummer driver starts spouting off about climate change, is there not a small, uncharitable part of you that wants to recreate the conclusion of Terminator 2? I mean you no harm, Arnie.  But—I know I’m not alone here — environmentalists just rub us the wrong way. Climate change activists frequently demand the impossible: ...read more

This past Saturday evening in Toronto, to celebrate Palm Sunday and World Youth Day, St. Michael’s Cathedral held likely its largest crowd since Archbishop Collins’ installation. The remarkable congregation consisted mostly of teenagers, making me feel like the old guy at my mere 27 years. In one sense, I cherish those years that separate me ...read more