Jade Cruz entered The Catholic Register’s Christmas drawing contest to show that we celebrate Christmas because it’s Jesus’ birthday.

Her drawing was one of more than 700 entries to the inaugural contest.

Cruz, 11, is one of the three contest winners depicting the Nativity of Jesus at the first Christmas of Bethlehem. The Holy Spirit Catholic School of Scarborough student took the top spot for the Grades 4 to 6 category.

“We should be thankful for Him because He always protects us and blesses us,” she said.

“We should also learn who His parents are and why He is the right hand of our Lord.”

When Catholics begin using the new Roman Missal on the first Sunday of Advent, they will find an “awesomeness” to the new translation that maybe wasn’t as present in the previous incarnation, said Ottawa Archbishop Terrence Prendergast.

The Roman Missal’s new translation will mark the shift from using current principles of “dynamic equivalence” to “formal equivalence” on the first Sunday of Advent. Its aim is an improvement of the liturgy, said the Ottawa archbishop.

“It’s a historic moment in the life of the Church and the English-speaking world,” said Prendergast.

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The new, more literal translation of the original Latin text will give particular attention to maintaining biblical references and avoid simplifying the words and phrases into contemporary terms. The current translation, in effect for almost half a century, was primarily concerned with how the translated text would be understood by the community for which it was being translated and was often simplified to reflect contemporary English usage.

The arrival of a newborn baby usually brings cheers, not a doomsday prediction for the world.

But that’s how Philippine-born Danica May Camacho, symbolically called the world’s seven billionth baby, was introduced by international media on Oct. 31. Her birth was used in news stories to indicate the UN’s concerns about global overpopulation.

Overpopulation theorists charge that there are not enough resources to feed and care for seven billion people. They advocate for “population control” like contraception and abortion especially for Third World countries.

The Niagara Catholic District School Board and King’s University College at the University of Western Ontario have signed a partnership agreement to promote the life-long process of Catholic education. 

The partnership reflects the Niagara Catholic board’s focus on “building a strong Catholic identity and community to nurture the distinctiveness of Catholic education,” said John Crocco, the NCDSB’s director of education.

Crocco said the agreement will provide faith formation for the adult faith community at King’s College and the Niagara Catholic board, including individuals at the diocesan level.

LIMA, Peru - Most of the environmental battles Brother Paul McAuley fights seem endless, mainly conflicts between indigenous communities and loggers operating on their lands or oil companies that have spilled toxic substances into their waterways.

Sometimes, however, there's a victory. In mid-October, the Peruvian government overturned a law that would have allowed water from one of the main tributaries of the Amazon River to be diverted to irrigate export agriculture operations on Peru's desert coast, a measure critics called a political-patronage boondoggle.

EDMONTON - Caring for the remains of those who have died is a serious business.

Today, however, not everyone sees things that way.

The current trend to cremation, for example, often means that the remains of a person do not always end up in a cemetery. Some people choose to scatter the ashes of their loved ones.

TORONTO - The future of getting buried is all about choice, but the more choices you have to make the greater the need for planning.

“Pre-planning your estate and final burial options is important,” said Amy Profenna of Catholic Cemeteries, Archdiocese of Toronto.

“You’re taking a lot of important decisions out of an emotionally stressful time (for your family).”

The majority of Catholic Cemeteries funerals are still caskets buried in the ground. This may sound straight-forward, but there are still choices to be made, said Profenna.

There are very significant questions that Catholics must ask themselves at various times in their lives. Decisions that need to be made with long-term consequences. Among these, when a loved one passes from this life, should a Catholic cemetery be contacted for a burial place?

What are the reasons that we choose one cemetery over another? What distinguishes Catholic cemeteries from the other cemeteries in our area?

How do I want my estate money distributed at my death? Pose the question to yourself when you’re eating alone or taking a relaxed coffee break. How much to family? How much to charity? Any bequests to friends?

This little exercise will get you thinking... and maybe get you past any reluctance you now have about doing an official will. It might also lead to a revision of a will you already have in place.

“Then He called His twelve disciples to Him and gave them the authority over the unclean spirits to drive them out and to heal every disease and sickness”
- (Matthew 10:1)

TORONTO - Pastoral care for the sick and the dying is a very important mission in the spiritual life of the Catholic Church. And just as it is important to plan for our earthly comforts, each of us should have a plan that encompasses our spiritual needs.

At St. Michael’s Hospital, as the priest-chaplain appointed by the archbishop, I work in the department of spiritual care (formerly known as the chaplaincy department) as part of a team consisting of several staff chaplains from different faith traditions. As the priest-chaplain I provide spiritual care specifically to the Roman Catholic members.