Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins' press conference following mass at St. Michael's Cathedral on January 6, 2012.

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- video courtesy of the archdiocese of Toronto

OTTAWA - Congratulations and praise for Cardinal-designate Thomas Collins’ elevation to the College of Cardinals Jan. 6 poured in from politicians, brother bishops and organizations across Canada.

“The appointment of Thomas Collins to the College of Cardinals is a great honour for His Grace as well as the archdiocese of Toronto and all members of the Catholic Church across Canada — a testament to his hard work and faithful devotion to the Church and spiritual life,” said Prime Minister Stephen Harper Jan. 6 in a message of congratulations.

Harper remarked on the leadership role the College of Cardinals plays in the Catholic Church and described Collins’ career as “long and distinguished.”

OTTAWA - Bishop Raymond Lahey, 71, received a 15-month jail sentence Jan. 4 for importing child pornography but was released after the judge gave him a two-for-one credit for the eight months he had already spent in prison. The judge also imposed a period of 24 months' probation with strict conditions.

After sentencing, a spectator began shouting obscenities at Lahey through the glass of the prisoner's box and called him a demon. Police rushed into the courtroom, but did not charge the man who said he was a victim of sexual abuse at the St. Joseph Training School for Boys in Alfred, Ont.

OTTAWA - After a solidarity mission to Haiti Dec. 15-21, Archbishop Richard Smith came away with a deep appreciation of the work Canadian Catholics are funding to help the poor through a range of Caritas partners.

“What I saw there was the Gospel in action, lives being changed,” said the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) president.

Smith also came away struck with the need for a long-term commitment to help renew the country devastated by a catastrophic earthquake two years ago.

Bishop Noël Simard will return to his native Quebec to lead the Valleyfield diocese.

On Dec. 29, Pope Benedict XVI appointed the former professor of bioethics and moral theology to the Valleyfield diocese where he will be installed in mid-February.

CALGARY - An Anglo-Catholic Church in Calgary was the first in Canada to be designated a Roman Catholic Anglican-use congregation.

A special, unprecedented service was held Dec. 18 at St. Mary’s Cathedral in Calgary to welcome St. John the Evangelist parish. It will soon be received into the Roman Catholic Church.

OTTAWA - Former Antigonish Bishop Raymond Lahey was sentenced to 15 months in prison Jan. 4, but will be released today as he has received a two-for-one credit for time served.

The Crown had sought an 18- to 22-month sentence.

Lahey has already served eight months in prison after pleading guilty to possessing child pornography for the purposes of importation to Canada in May. He was imprisoned after pleading guilty on his own request.

TORONTO - Three days after Christmas, the altar and pulpit of St. Michael's Cathedral were still adorned with wreaths and festive decorations. Parishioners and visitors filled the pews for a Wednesday evening Mass, only two blocks from the mid-Boxing Week rush at the Toronto Eaton Centre and other downtown retailers.

But the congregation wasn't gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus — the people were there to pray for those yet to be born.

OTTAWA - Disgraced Bishop Raymond Lahey engaged in a number of homosexual “one-night stands” before settling into a 10-year relationship with a man, according to testimony Dec. 19 at Lahey’s sentencing hearing on child pornography charges.

Court also heard that Lahey has an addiction to Internet pornography but is probably not a pedophile and poses a next-to-zero chance of offending sexually or violently against children, according to a forensic psychiatrist. Dr. John Bradford, who examined Lahey, said Lahey has gay sadomasochistic fantasies where he is the submissive partner, although Lahey claims he has never acted on them.

The former Antigonish bishop, 71, pleaded guilty last May to possession of child pornography for the purpose of importation. He opted to go directly to jail before sentencing and has served seven and a half months.

TORONTO — The new year will bring a new Chancellor of Temporal Affairs for the archdiocese of Toronto.

James Milway is to join the archdiocese in the spring, replacing outgoing chancellor John McGrath.

Milway is certainly no stranger in archdiocesan corridors. Over the past decade, he has had extensive consulting assignments with the archdiocese, including projects related to World Youth Day 2002, ShareLife, Catholic Charities and Catholic Cemeteries. He is currently working on the archdiocese's strategic planning process, and "his knowledge and experience working with us both past and present will be a tremendous asset as he begins his new assignment," said Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins in a statement.

Though Milway currently lives in the Hamilton diocese, his connection to Toronto runs deep. His formative years were spent here and he was educated at the University of St. Michael's College. His five children were born at St. Michael's Hospital and all were baptized in the archdiocese.

"I've been fortunate to work with many parts of the Chancery Office in my consulting career and look forward to reconnecting with the many friends I have there," said Milway.

"It will be tough to follow John McGrath — he's been such an effective Chancellor and I know he will be missed. But he and his predecessors have developed a strong foundation for someone like me to build on. I hope to follow well in their footsteps."

Milway has been executive director of the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity, a think-tank sponsored by the province of Ontario and the Rotman School at the University of Toronto, and spent 15 years with the Canada Consulting Group & Boston Consulting Group, including three years as vice-president.

McGrath will continue working with the archdiocese "for a reasonable period" to ensure an orderly transition, said Collins.