BLOG: Fr. Raphael Ma, CR
This past Sunday, the Liturgy had us listen to the Passion of the Lord. It ended with these words: “They sealed the stone.” (cf. Matthew 27:66) Everything seemed over. For the disciples, that boulder signified the final end of their hope. ...read more
What is the connection between synodality, Lent, and Easter? In what sense is our journey through Lent and Easter synodal? The answer can be summarized by two key ideas: “walking together” and “transformation.”  ...read more
“My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” (Matthew 27:46) This is the cry that today’s liturgy has us repeat in the responsorial psalm (cf. Psalm 22:2), the only cry that Jesus makes from the cross in the Gospel we have heard. Those words bring us to the very heart of Christ’s passion, the culmination of the sufferings he endured for our salvation. “Why have you forsaken me?” ...read more
The Old Testament reading for this Sunday seems to be a series of non sequiturs, or sentences cobbled together like the collection of Proverbs. The “Servant of the Lord” goes from a teacher, to a listening and obedient student, to a victim of horrendous torture. ...read more
Join us in prayer for the intentions entrusted to us by Pope Francis. For April 2023, we join the Holy Father in praying for: A non-violent culture We pray for the spread of peace and non violence, by decreasing the use of weapons by States and citizens. Click the video above to watch a short ...read more
I was recently asked how we know if a dialogue is successful. Even in the church, there is a temptation to assess projects and ministries by worldly standards. ...read more
Thanks to dialogue with Indigenous peoples, “the Church has acquired a greater awareness of  their sufferings, past and present, due to the expropriation of their lands … as well as the  policies of forced assimilation, promoted by the governmental authorities of the time, intended to eliminate their Indigenous cultures,” according to a “Joint Statement” issued by the Dicastery  for Culture and Education and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development, and published on Thursday.   ...read more
Speaking of historical injustices and war crimes in his encyclical Fratelli Tutti, Pope Francis says "it is easy to be tempted to turn the page, to say that all these things happened  long ago and we should look to the future. For God’s sake, no! We can never move  forward without remembering the past; we do not progress without an honest and  unclouded memory." (Fratelli Tutti #249)  ...read more
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Statement by the CCCB on the “Doctrine of Discovery”
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops
March 30, 2023
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (“CCCB”) is grateful that the Dicastery for Culture and Education and the Dicastery for Promoting Integral Human Development have issued a Joint Statement addressing the concept of the “Doctrine of Discovery,” ...read more
1. In fidelity to the mandate received from Christ, the Catholic Church strives to promote universal fraternity and respect for the dignity of every human being. 2. For this reason, in the course of history the Popes have condemned acts of violence, oppression, social injustice and slavery, including those committed against Indigenous peoples. ...read more