BLOG: Carissa Douglas
Today is the feast of St. Joseph, the patron saint of Canada. You probably won’t see people gathering for massive celebrations like they did two days ago for St. Patrick’s Day. There won’t be people in funny hats. No t-shirts with lillies. But why would there be? That doesn’t seem to fit our idea of ...read more
Last Sunday I was across the street from 960 Lawrence Ave. W., a medical centre in Toronto, at the 40 Days for Life Campaign. I had participated in the Campaign last year in Houston, outside the Planned Parenthood facility at 3601 Fannin St. and have been intrigued by this initiative ever since. The 40 Days ...read more
It’s funny the things you remember as a kid. In elementary school whenever St. Patrick’s Day would roll around we would inevitably talk about the great Apostle of Ireland’s use of three leaf clovers to educate people on the Holy Trinity — three persons in one God! Then of course the four leaf clover would ...read more
Last week, Fr. Thomas Rosica led a three-day mission, from March 11th to 13th, at St. Clement Parish in Etobicoke, Ontario. The theme was “Jesus of Nazareth: God’s Parable for Humanity.” For each of those three nights, from 7-8:30 pm, around 150 interested participants listened to Fr. Rosica speak about Parables for the Lenten journey ...read more
Boast of weaknesses?? Not exactly what one would see as a common practice today, but that is precisely what St. Paul delves into in his Second Letter to the Corinthians — which also happens to be the Scripture for this month’s Lectio Divina with Archbishop Thomas Collins: A Year with St. Paul. Specifically, Archbishop Collins ...read more
Gang violence and intimidation are no longer confined to inner-city school—increasingly, they have infected suburban neighbourhoods. Residents of Malton, Ontario have been shocked to find their own youth getting caught in the crossfire. Nearby Fletcher’s Meadow, an area within Brampton, runs the risk of developing similar problems due to rapid construction that outpaces community services. ...read more
[The Vatican Press Office released on Thursday the text of the Holy Father’s letter to the Bishops of the world regarding his decision to lift the excommunication of the four Bishops from the Society of St. Pius X and the subsequent controversy and fall-out. The letter, below, is powerful and honest read. In addition to ...read more
If I didn’t believe in or experience the love of Christ behind the teachings of the Catholic Church, I can’t imagine how I could possibly want to follow them! The Catholic Church maintains that love is at the heart of all her teachings. But when it comes to the teaching on homosexuality, people are divided. ...read more
As the deer thirsts for streams of water, so my soul longs for you, O God. – Psalm 42 This opening line from Psalm 42 came to mind last week as I returned from a look-out on the grounds of Westminster Abbey, in Mission B.C. I had just spent ten or fifteen minutes looking out ...read more
This year some friends and I decided to have a Lent Support Group. Our reasoning was that it’s really easy to forget or slip up on our Lenten promises when it’s just between me and God….yes, he sees all but he can’t exactly smack your hand when you reach for the chocolate or shoot you ...read more