The census is back in the news with the government potentially voting on keeping or scrapping the mandatory long-form. Several years ago (either 1991 or 1995), I was fairly unemployed and Fr. Bert Foliot, SJ, my pastor at the time, hooked me up to work for the Census Canada. All I had to do was ...read more

Just over a year ago I was handed a DVD by a friend and told, “you need to watch this.” It was a documentary film called “The Price of Sugar.” The protagonist in the film is Fr. Christopher Hartley, a half British, half Spanish priest who ended up serving as the pastor of a parish ...read more

John Paul II biographer George Weigel called him “the best English-language Vatican reporter in history.” His objectivity has even been described as “maddening.” John Allen Jr. will be in Toronto on Tuesday, September 28th, to offer the lecture: Covering the Vatican and the Church — A Vaticanista Reflects on Challenges Facing the Church Today. An ...read more

Season four of Lectio Divina gets underway this Sunday! Previously, Archbishop Collins has meditated on the Sermon on the Mount, the writings of St. Paul, and the Parables of Jesus. For the 2010-2011 season, Toronto’s chief shepherd will reflect on two books in Scripture. From September to January His Grace will focus on the Book ...read more

The Holy Land is considered holy because Jesus lived here. It is also holy because most of the prophets lived around here. But it is also important because here is where it all began: Christianity was born here. Today though, 2000 years later, we equate the Middle East with Muslims. We hear about Jews and ...read more

Work and rest are intimately tied to the life of the family: they influence decisions, influence the relationship between spouses, and the relationship between parents and children. That’s what Pope Benedict told the Pontifical Council for the Family today. The Council launched the official website for the 7th International Meeting of Families with a press ...read more

Ten days ago you may have seen a note on our Facebook page congratulating and offering prayers for Bishop Bergie as the new Bishop of St. Catharines.  Bishop Bergie had been serving as the Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of the Diocese of Hamilton. But that wasn’t the only change to take place in Hamilton. ...read more

It’s hard to believe that Pope Benedict XVI’s visit to the United Kingdom has come and gone. After months of speculation and negative media, the trip unfolded smoothly and the Holy Father was warmly received by the majority of people. In this week’s Catholic News Service Vatican Report, Cindy Wooden and John Thavis review the ...read more

I remember speaking to Fr. David or Fr. Martin of The Priests sometime last year about the 2012 Eucharistic Congress that would be held in Ireland.  I was wondering out loud if Pope Benedict might visit the Emerald Isle for the event, and if the The Priests might be participating in some capacity.  They were ...read more

What a whirlwind trip! After four days spent in Scotland and in England the Holy Father is bidding farewell to the faithful of the UK. The Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the Right Honourable David Cameron, told the Holy Father that his messages were not only heard by the Catholics of the country but ...read more