BLOG: Fr. Peter Skudra
Lujan, Argentina, 1630 – A devoutly Catholic farmer from Portugal arrives in the northern Argentine town of Sumampa, in the province of Santiago del Estero. To his great dismay his faith is not well known or shared in his new hometown.  In order to feel more at home he takes it upon himself to build ...read more
Earlier today, the Permanent Council for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released a pastoral letter on freedom of conscience and religion. Issued by the CCCB’s Permanent Council, the letter expresses concern about an “aggressive relativism” in Canada that seeks to relegate religion to the private sphere. More than that, the Permanent Council explains why ...read more
Tepeyac, Mexico, 9 December 1531. A young woman appears to an indigenous peasant named Juan Diego. The woman, initially identified by Juan Diego as a teenaged Aztec princess, asks Juan Diego in his native language to have a shrine built in her name– she introduces herself as the Blessed Virgin Mary– on the site where ...read more
Today is Canada Health Day, and we thought it was the perfect opportunity to celebrate the contributions of Saint Elizabeth Health Care to Canadian society. Mary Rose Bacani interviews Shirlee Sharkey (President & CEO of Saint Elizabeth Health Care), Michael Decter (Chair), and Nancy Lefebre (Senior Vice-President of Knowledge and Practice) on Saint Elizabeth Health ...read more
Thousands of pro-life supporters from across Canada gathered on Parliament Hill in Ottawa yesterday for the 2012 National March for Life. Khoi Vu and I had the great privilege in taking part in this year’s events. Cloudy skies and a constant threat of rain did not deter the young, old, man and woman from coming ...read more
The rosary is a powerful prayer, and once you start praying you realize the effects it has on your life. But what is the rosary? It is necessary for us Catholics pray it? So the rosary is a form of prayer, and to understand it and to know more about it, Pedro invited Fr. James Phalan ...read more
Grown up in Portugal I always was told that our lady asked the three little shepherds in Fatima to say the rosary every day but some times we know that this just is not enough! And as I grew up, I learned how much the rosary has an effect and how much it helps on ...read more
When thinking about sites of Marian pilgrimage this May, our thoughts often fly to places overseas. Our Lady has also carved a special place for herself a little closer to home. Lying 150 kilometers east of Montreal on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, Cap-de-la-Madeleine was used as a Jesuit missionary station as early ...read more
Almost ten years after World Youth Day Toronto, the students of Neil McNeil Catholic Secondary School have built their own travelling cross.  Known as the “Witness to Faith Cross,” it is journeying to all the schools in the Toronto Catholic District School board during the 2011-2012 academic year.  A public affirmation of faith in and ...read more
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to be a Catholic priest? People have many different ideas about the priesthood – highly revered, considered peculiar, disregarded as irrelevant or simply misunderstood. On the other hand, many people have an idea that priesthood is a boring and secluded way of life! Think again. Come ...read more