Quinton Amundson, The Catholic Register
Calgary finds sheep returning to flock
Anecdotes, facts and figures spotlighted in the Diocese of Calgary’s 2023 Impact Report, unveiled on April 7, exemplify a Catholic community on the upswing. Based on the data, the most remarkable success story of the previous calendar year was the stupefying rise in sacramental celebrations.
Trustee fights for pro-life flags on Toronto schools
Toronto Catholic District School Board (TCDSB) trustee Mike Del Grande hopes that on April 23, almost 200 TCDSB schools and the Catholic Education Centre will get the go ahead to fly the international pro-life flag annually during May.
Second St. John’s parish merger revoked
For the second time in a month, the Vatican’s Dicastery of the Clergy has ruled St. John’s Archbishop Peter Hundt did not follow the proper canonical procedure in closing and selling a Catholic parish.
The health program director for the non-partisan think tank Cardus wants Canadian Catholics to help champion better pediatric palliative care practices.
Rebecca Vachon said that “saturating each parish” with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB)’s Horizons of Hope teachings could organically encourage congregants to become effective standard-bearers for pediatric palliative care. The toolkit approaches palliative care through the lens of moral and pastoral theology.
Priests pumped to add voices to synod panel
They have yet to receive an agenda outlining what their Vatican visit will entail, but Fr. Fábio de Souza, Fr. Pierre Ducharme, O.F.M., and Fr. Daniel Ouellet told The Catholic Register they are ready to discern, listen and share at the “Parish Priests for the Synod” international meeting.
Bloc bills are an ‘attack’ on people of faith
The president of a global Christian persecution watchdog is sounding the alarm over multiple bills tabled by Bloc Québécois MPs calling for repeal of religious speech protections outlined in the wilful promotion of hatred and anti-Semitism sections of the Criminal Code.
CSS initiative ‘Giving Hope’ to community
On March 26, Catholic Social Services (CSS) in Edmonton launched its inaugural “Giving Hope Tuesday,” a special philanthropy occasion to encourage monetary gifts toward specific projects, programs and initiatives.
This idea is inspired by the Giving Tuesday tradition, hosted the first Tuesday following Black Friday as a national day of bequeathing monetary donations to non-profits and causes in need.
Future unclear for mould-infested Halifax church
April marks six months since the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth was forced to close the historic St. Theresa’s Church on North Street because of high levels of mould in the building.
And since then, according to archdiocesan spokesperson Aurea Sadi, more issues have emerged.
Judge’s ruling angers pro-life groups
Alberta’s pro-life community is denouncing a Calgary judge’s ruling to permit a 27-year-old woman with autism to receive euthanasia against the wishes of her father, who is opposing her in court.
Dioceses aim to build ‘culture of vocation’
The Benedict XVI Institute of Newman Theological College and the Catholic Archdiocese of Edmonton took the first step towards building a new “culture of vocation” in Canada on Feb. 2 by hosting a vocations rally at St. Joseph’s Basilica, which drew 300 people.