Last time  I wrote about what makes a good homily and what is an image of a preacher.  At the preaching conference, most of the presenters dedicated their talks to how a homilist should prepare. “Prepare the homilist; not the homily” was a phrase used by Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto during the keynote opening ...read more

As I wrote last Sunday, last week I attended a preaching conference as part of St. Augustine’s Seminary 100th anniversary events. It was a who’s who in preaching, with all the talks by homiletics experts from all over North America. I think about homilies all the time. Not so much because I have to prepare ...read more

Pope Benedict wrote in the Apostolic Exhortation Verbum Domini that “the homily is a means of bringing the scriptural message to life in a way that helps the faithful to realize that God’s word is present and at work in their everyday lives.” (VD 59) Add to that the 18 pages that Pope Francis dedicated ...read more

On 27 April 2005, at his first General Audience, Pope Benedict XVI told the assembled crowds why he had chosen that name for his ministry as Bishop of Rome. Among other reasons, this was an homage to Saint Benedict, whose feast we celebrate today, who has played such a role in the spiritual and cultural ...read more

It was not too long ago that we heard about the Syrian civil war every night on the news.  As the original struggle of the Syrian people for greater liberty morphed into a violent tit-for-tat with Bashar al-Assad’s government, the eyes of the international community were fixed on the country, appalled daily by the skyrocketing ...read more

We’ve spent the last month looking at what it means to have euthanasia and/or assisted suicide legal in our country (see part 4, part 3, part 2 and part 1). Let me conclude by giving you some definitions to help you have this conversation with your family and friends. Passive Euthanasia: Some will claim that ...read more

Once again the eyes of the world were on the Vatican this week. Pope Francis met with six people who were abused by priests at some point in their lives. The three men and three women attended a special private Mass at the Santa Marta Residence, had breakfast with the pope, and then met with ...read more

Steubenville Toronto Day 3   The final day of #SteubieTO began with a men’s/women’s session titled God is Writing Your Story. Jackie Francois led the women’s session in the arena… while Mike Gormley to the men far away to the Coca Cola Court for their talk.   And the men’s session led by the amazing ...read more

Steubenville Toronto kicked off early yesterday evening with over 2300 teens and 200 plus volunteers. It’s electric in here. #SteubieTO pic.twitter.com/o6Rcwgjk8E — Steubenville Toronto (@steubieTO) July 4, 2014 As conference organizers ran around with earpieces looking like the newest member of the Secret Service, teens shuffled into the Mattamy Athletic Centre, ecstatic and excited to ...read more

For close to 40 years, Franciscan University in Steubenville, Ohio has been inviting young people into an encounter with Jesus Christ through the execution of the ever-popular and growing Steubenville conferences. This year, the Archdiocese of Toronto and the Office for Catholic Youth bring the city of Toronto the first ever Steubenville Toronto. Steubenville Conferences, ...read more