Watch television, read newspapers and listen to the radio and you will know what is happening in the world around you. But as we know, the world is becoming more and more secular. Where is the Catholic voice in this world? Should Catholic media outlets cover secular issues or just the issues that concern the ...read more

Financial Reform under Francis In six months Pope Francis has implemented more changes to the Vatican’s financial system than his predecessor did during his entire pontificate. Since he was elected, Pope Francis has appointed a new interim prelate for the Institute for Works of Religion (IOR), commonly referred to as the Vatican Bank, created three ...read more

Working at World Youth Day has been an eye-opening experience both in terms of experiencing a new culture, but also being exposed to the richness of the universality of our Church through the different movements that are represented in the WYD organization. Some are new realities, some are just new to me like the Schoenstatt ...read more

Working at World Youth Day is like working inside a laboratory where everything happens fast, loudly and with an explosion of colour…and all of it is fueled by a faith that needs to be shared. Even so, there are days when a familiar face is a welcome site. This past week I got a visit ...read more

2010 was a monumental year for the Catholic Church and for its Shepherd. We saw Pope Benedict’s five International voyages, one “insider” exclusive papal Q & A released in book form, painful abuse scandal exposés, the first Canadian male saint, an Irish apostolic visitation and martyrdoms in the Middle East. All of these are just ...read more

Pope Benedict XVI embarks on his first of five Apostolic Voyages for 2010 this weekend. Before he heads to Portugal, Cyprus, Britain, and Spain, he starts it all off with Malta. The visit will celebrate the 1,950th anniversary of St. Paul’s shipwreck on the island that, according to tradition, occurred in the year 60 A.D., ...read more

There are two words foreigners learn almost immediately upon setting foot in Italian territory: “c’è sciopero.” That means “there’s a strike” For most North Americans this phrase causes instant terror. It certainly makes me think of the two month transit strike of 2001 in Vancouver, or the summer long garbage strike in Toronto in 2009. ...read more

At some point in our lives we’ve all heard the saying, “We make plans and God laughs.” God has laughed at me a few times. He’s still laughing at me and my plans. As I’ve mentioned in some of my previous blogs, I grew up in Vancouver and lived in Rome for several years. For ...read more