Dr. Mona-Lee Feehan, author of the recently released marriage preparation book What God Has Joined: Preparing for Marriage in the Catholic Church, published by Novalis, is a faculty member at St. Stephen’s College in Edmonton. With marriage to be such an important topic at the Synod on the family, she was recently interviewed about her ministry and offered advice for new couples. 

In advance of the Synod on the Family, four Canadian bishops spoke at the recent bishops’ plenary meeting in Beaupré, Que., about marriage and family challenges in their respective dioceses. Using the Synod’s working document Instrumentum Laboris as their guide, they provided an insightful look at how the issue takes many shapes in the Canadian Church. Below are snapshots of their comments.

There’s not a lot of wiggle room in what Jesus had to say about divorce in the Gospel of Mark. 

The Church is gathering many of the world’s bishops in October to start talking about how the Christian life is really lived. They will meet in the Vatican at an extraordinary Synod of Bishops convened by Pope Francis to start to address the pastoral challenges of family life.

To meet Ministry of Education deadlines for implementation of full-day kindergarten, the Toronto Catholic school board has resorted to creating makeshift classrooms in gymnasiums and libraries for many of its youngest students.

Grade 12 student Ramy Elsayed has been master of ceremonies at school events, plays saxophone in the school band and is looking forward to joining his school’s work-placement program. In many respects, he is a typical student at St. Mary’s Catholic High School in Toronto. But Elsayed, 18, has autism. 

CAROLINE, ALTA. - Spring tune-ups, regular maintenance. We maintain a multitude of things. We also maintain our minds and bodies. Exercise, diet. But what about our spirit? 

In the summer of 2013, while looking for a property to open a retreat centre, Suresh Dominic looked into a blue sky and saw two clouds intersect to form a cross that pointed towards an abandoned school. He knew he had found his place. 

The weekend retreat on “mid-life” was neither in my calendar nor on my radar. But at the last minute, my wife, the scheduled attendee, needed to cancel.