Canada’s True North has reported that 83 churches have now been desecrated, vandalized or burned to the ground since the announcement that graves were found near residential schools in Kamloops, British Columbia. However, no actual graves have been excavated and no definitive wrong proven. But those who don’t like Catholics and the Catholic Church were given the green light to attack churches and frighten believers. And what has been the response to the destruction from the bishops and the government? Silence.
Every summer, I wait and hope for our plans to cooperate with the weather and give us a day or two on the lake with my parents’ beautiful boat. We need the sunshine to keep us warm enough and the wind to stay mild enough that we can pull the tube behind the boat. The driver and the wind work together to make waves, and the riders delight at the efforts to stay on or fall in. On these rare and perfect days, I might be the biggest kid of all.
If you’ve ever wondered: “Why do I need to confess my sins to a priest?”…we need to talk. I truly don’t mean to be insulting or condescending, but any Catholic who asks this question is in need of remedial catechesis. But, I get it. We haven’t been catechized properly, enough or at all — and we haven’t kept up studying our faith as adults.
In “How the Church Failed Sinead O’Connor” (Aug. 13-20 issue) Katherine Bennett implies that the Church is responsible for the sad life and death of singer Sinead O’Connor.
Part of the Canadian bishops’ contribution toward Health Canada’s consultation on palliative care.
One of the most oft-quoted passages of the New Testament is 1 Corinthians 13:1: “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.” The ensuing verses are probably the most popular option for the epistle in the Roman Catholic Nuptial Mass and why wouldn’t it be at an occasion when we are celebrating the love between the bride and groom?
A few years ago — let’s say 20 — I watched as the police handled a disturbance. An elderly gentleman was standing in the middle of the sidewalk talking animatedly to an invisible friend. It seemed to be a delightful conversation, and the man actually excused himself to his imaginary friend when the authorities intervened.