In 2013, I wrote a column for the National Post about Dr. Donald Low, a microbiologist at Mt. Sinai Hospital. He spoke about his cancer diagnosis, his fear of tremendous pain that might be looming and the loss of his dignity. He spoke without self-pity and urged Canada to make physician-assisted death legal. He died eight days later.
People new to, or wishing to grow deeper in faith, often ask me to recommend good Catholic books. The height of understatement is to say coming up with such a list is a daunting challenge in a tradition that, beginning with the Holy Scriptures, has an almost inexhaustible treasury of books.
“As Democrats, Christians, Catholics, have an advantage on that score.” (The Catholic Register editorial Sept. 22, 2024.)
Report by Bishop McGrattan at the CCCB annual plenary
A report by Calgary’s Bishop William McGrattan, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, at the annual plenary meeting in Quebec City.
In the 12 months since Hamas murderers invaded Israel, the Holy Land tables have entirely turned on those behind the worst massacre of Jews after the Holocaust.
Pope Francis often speaks about how the elderly are a treasure and has dedicated much of his pontificate to promoting a culture of encounter between generations.Inspired by this emphasis, Bishop Hector Vila recently invited me to the Diocese of Whitehorse to deliver several workshops and presentations geared toward exploring the value of life at all stages.
The liturgical calendar turns briefly in late September and early October to the role of angels in salvation. First, there is the Sept. 29 feast of the messengers Gabriel, Raphael and Michael – not celebrated this year because the feast falls on a Sunday – and then the Oct. 2 memorial of guardian angels.
Glen Argan’s Aug. 20 Catholic Register column made excellent use of Pope St John Paul II’s teaching about “the marriage of Mary and Joseph as more than a covenant, ‘an authentic communion according to the model of the Blessed Trinity.’”
First impressions suggest to many that the Man of the Shroud of Turin is lying down, as Christ would be in His tomb before the Resurrection. However, a different perspective comes from the research of Dr. Gilbert Lavoie (“Jesus’ burial cloth,” The Catholic Register, Sept. 22).
Excerpt from the CCCB Synthesis of Diocesan Reflections
An excerpt from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ Synthesis of Diocesan Reflections in preparation for the second session on synodality to be held in Rome Oct. 2-27.
This week, the mood at The Catholic Register is akin to that of expectant parents awaiting the moment when their any-time-now offspring will be in the world sharing life with them.