When Christmas is near, we all become traditionalists. Even the most anti-establishment types among us are horrified by attempts to alter our treasured rituals. As one example, Toronto shoppers were aghast at the unveiling of the modernized Christmas tree in the Eaton Centre shopping mall. Replacing the traditional, Swarovski-bedazzled faux-fir of years past, this year’s ...read more

The seasons of Advent and Christmas seem to come so quickly and to be filled with many activities to say the least. In the everyday planning and preparations for family and community celebrations there are inevitably certain individuals who for whatever reason go unnoticed or unrecognized. They make important contributions.  They are invaluable in their ...read more

The Vatican has released Pope Benedict XVI’s schedule for Advent and Christmas. He will preside over nine services between the beginning of Advent and the Epiphany. He will: — Lead an evening prayer service with Rome university students in St. Peter’s Basilica Dec. 1. — Pay homage to Mary on the feast of the Immaculate ...read more

By now you’ve heard the great news for the Canadian Church: Toronto’s Archbishop has been named a Cardinal. All the local and national news outlets have been covering the story, including the CBC’s six minute phone interview with Archbishop Thomas Collins this morning. The Pope made the announcement following the celebration of Mass and the ...read more

The neighbourhood diner was packed after Mass on January 1st. Some patrons came to celebrate the New Year, while others were seeking a greasy antidote to their rough morning. As my friends and I waited for our brunch, I asked them whether they were looking forward to 2012. They all shrugged. One dismissed January 1st ...read more

Daniel’s family is made up of a mix of Italian, Lebanese and Columbian cultures. He shares with us how he melds those different traditions and shares the richness of each culture with his children. ...read more

Joseph reflects on how his family’s Christmas celebrations evolved over the years and what that evolution revealed to him about celebrating Christ’s birth. ...read more

I have been blessed not to have had any major experiences with illness, death or suffering, although, as all of us, I have had my share of pain. I’d like to conclude with four insights that I have learned about suffering. First, I remember an experience I had several years ago at the L’Arche Daybreak ...read more

Growing up on the West Coast, David rarely experienced a white Christmas. He shares his memories of rainy Christmases in Vancouver and reveals what his parents did to keep Christmas commercialism at bay in the LeRoss household. ...read more

Yesterday we looked at the work of deacons, in the context of the voice of illness. Yesterday was the Feast of the Holy Innocents. These were the baby boys that were massacred by King Herod when the Magi did not return to him to tell him the whereabouts of the newborn Messiah (Matthew 2:13-18). It made ...read more