Renewing bonds between Muslim and Catholic youth
TORONTO - After a year on hiatus, the Muslim- Catholic Student Dialogue has relaunched with high hopes for more successful bridge-building between the Muslim and Catholic communities in the Archdiocese of Toronto.
Pope urges Cuba's youths, consecrated people to love and hope
HAVANA - In a hot and steamy cathedral after listening to a Daughter of Charity talk about her work with people with severe disabilities, Pope Francis set aside his prepared homily and spoke about serving those the world considers "useless."
LEADing youth to service
It is not surprising that the youth who participate in Franciscan LEAD are taking the next steps in living out their vocation. These youth already have a deep faith and the LEAD program encourages them to continue to say yes to God’s call in their lives.
Steubenville rocks Toronto
TORONTO - Limitless is the word to describe the future of the Catholic Church after downtown Toronto was witness to more than 1,600 youth in prayer and celebration at the second annual Steubenville Toronto conference.
VATICAN CITY - Following Jesus and doing the right thing gives believers a sense of peace, but sometimes "it comes wrapped in the cross," Pope Francis told a group of teenagers and young adults.
WARSAW, Poland - The Polish bishop overseeing preparations for World Youth Day 2016 has urged priests to ensure that no young people are excluded because of poverty.
Big dreams for SteubieTO
TORONTO - The Steubenville Toronto conference gets its “second kick at the can,” said Fr. Frank Portelli, as it follows last year’s successful launch with another highly anticipated conference.
MANCHESTER, England - When the Islamic State overran the Iraqi town of Qaraqosh last August, one of the priests there jumped into his car and joined the exodus of Christians on the road east in the hope of reaching the safety of Kurdish-controlled territory.
A house, but no home for children in foster care
Children are our future. While this truism emphasizes that children grow up to either perpetuate or change the legacies left behind by their forebears, it is questionable whether these implications are considered in the system that cares for Canada’s most vulnerable youth.
VATICAN CITY - Pope Francis' concern for those suffering on the margins and for small Catholic communities that have kept the faith alive through war or repression will take him to Bosnia-Herzegovina in early June.
Many faiths, one future
MISSISSAUGA, ONT. - The main shrine of Mississauga’s grand Fo Guang Shan Temple is typically used by Buddhists for weekly services or meditation. On May 2, however, a modest crowd of Catholics, Sikhs, Jews and Muslims joined with the Buddhists to address a situation that all grapple with — the future.
OCY to launch urban missionary program
TORONTO - When discussing missionary work, it is easy to picture evangelization in small rural communities in remote corners of the world. However, there is missionary work to be done in big cities as well.
RICHMOND HILL, Ont. - Cynthia Bettio said it is rare for a teacher to get an instant feeling of satisfaction from their students, but last semester, she witnessed her Grade 11 parenting class go from being unsure to empowered.
Ontario marks Catholic Student Youth Day May 7
TORONTO - The efforts of a few is bringing acknowledgement to all Catholic students as the province prepares to celebrate the first Ontario Catholic Student Youth Day on May 7.
BALTIMORE - For four hours April 27, Freddie Gray Jr. was patiently and prayerfully memorialized.
That peace, however, was extremely fragile.