Snow has finally starting falling in Saskatchewan, as January brings in a new year and its usual push for resolutions. At the same time, my social media feed is also full of gentle reminders that it is okay to just have made it through. I have been thinking about how these two extremes can be healthily connected at the heart of things. Just as snow falls gently over the ground, and fog wraps its way over the earth, it is a gently held intention that allows us to move peacefully through the season we are in.

Like the first baby born after midnight in the new year, the second day in 2024 marked the arrival of the first Globe and Mail editorial about child care.

In the recent flurry of jarring communiqués from the Vatican, a rather important instruction may have been missed by most. Within it, one key sentence may also have been overlooked. It’s the December instruction from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith on the proper handling of the ashes of the deceased following cremation of a baptized Catholic Christian.

This new year has rolled in with a sense of helplessness in the face of major crises facing humanity. How do we have any realistic expectation of overcoming:

I had the recent privilege of speaking with Linda Nicholls, Primate of The Anglican Church of Canada, at her Toronto office.

Pope Francis has called out Russia with full papal moral clarity for its invasion of Ukraine. It’s good to see the Canadian government also getting its own story straight. Better late than never.

Below is the introduction of Archbishop Francis Leo’s Pastoral Letter to the Archdiocese of Toronto. The complete pastoral letter is available archtoronto.org.

The Catholic Register editorial of Dec. 24 regarding the new Vatican declaration on blessing  “irregular” and same-sex couples asks: “If nothing changes, why the need for a 5,000-word text to say so?” Perhaps to darken, perplex and bewilder?

Dave Szollosy’s article “Pilgrims seeking peace register their voice” in The Catholic Register showed equal concern for both sides in the Israel-Hamas war.

The Christmas season is a time of rest for me. To clarify, I mean the Christmas season as we celebrate it in the Catholic Church, from Midnight Mass through to the baptism of the Lord.