NEWS

Jesuit Father Nawras Sammour is head of the Jesuit Refugee Service in Syria. Despite the grave conditions in the nation due to Syria’s civil war, Sammour is maintaining hope for the future.

Christians maintain hope in Syria’s bleakness

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TORONTO - It’s not easy being Syrian, especially if you’re the forgotten minority caught in the tsunami of sectarian massacres and ethnic cleansing referred to as the Syrian civil war.

Janice Robinson is now the executive director of Catholic Children's Aid Society in Toronto. In this photo dated July 6, 2012, she was the executive director of the Children's Aid Society of Haldimand and Norfolk. She is the second to the right.

New executive director for CCAS in Toronto

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TORONTO - A new year brings a new exective director for the Catholic Children’s Aid Society of Toronto.

Sr. Helena Burns and crew in Italy filming Father James Alberione, a documentary on the founder of the Pauline Family, to be released Jan. 25.

Daughters of St. Paul: media mavens for 100 years

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TORONTO - Over the years, the strongest of Pauline Sisters could manage the huge printing presses and handle the massive rolls of paper — work that men usually did. But these women religious were determined to share the Gospel the way their founder thought best a century ago: The Daughters of St. Paul were made for media.

Msgr. Jesus-Norriel Bandojo, a priest in the the Office of Exorcism of the Manila Archdiocese in the Philippines, gives a blessing and says a prayer of deliverance over "sacramentals" in late October at the archdiocese offices' chapel to ward off the pos sibility of evil forces attaching themselves to the religious items.

In Philippines, spirituality includes warfare against forces of darkness

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MANILA, Philippines - In the months leading up to Pope Francis' visit to the Philippines Jan. 15-19, Church leaders emphasized "spiritual preparation," such as a special prayer for the Pope at the end of each Mass and a reminder to carry out small acts of kindness toward the less fortunate.

Montreal Archbishop Christian Lépine celebrated the Mass to reopen Saint Nom-de Jésus Church on Christmas Eve. Among the congregants was local MP Marjoline Boutin-Sweet.

Five years after closure, Montreal’s East End Cathedral reopens

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Due to an editing error, a previous version of this story incorrectly stated that Montreal's Saint Nom-de-Jesus church was closed due to a fire. There was, in fact, no fire but the church was closed at the insistence of fire inspectors.

MONTREAL - Five years after it was closed, more than a thousand parishioners and visiting dignitaries filled Montreal’s historic Saint Nom-de Jésus on Christmas Eve to celebrate the reopening of their church.

Father Cosme Jose Costa displays an icon of Blessed Joseph Vaz in late October at the Society of Pilar headquarters in Pilar, India. Father Costa's 1938 birth was accepted by the Vatican as the miracle needed to beatify Blessed Vaz in 1995. Blessed Vaz w ill be canonized by Pope Francis Jan. 14 at the Vatican in Sri Lanka.

Indian priest, ‘miracle son,’ are eager for Blessed Vaz canonization

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PILAR, INDIA - Sri Lankan Catholics are looking forward to Pope Francis’ canonization of Blessed Joseph Vaz Jan. 14, but the enthusiasm and eagerness of Fr. Cosme Jose Costa stands apart.

An Iraqi Christian child who fled from violence in Mosul, Iraq, lies on a bed in late August at a church in Amman, Jordan. A Catholic official warned that funding will soon run out for the refugees, who fled Islamic State militants.

Funding running out for Iraqi refugees in Jordan

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AMMAN, Jordan - A Catholic official warned that funding will soon run out to feed and house thousands of Iraqi Christians sheltering in Jordan after being made homeless by Islamic State militants.
Belgium bishops hold a press conference in Rome May 7 following their meeting with Pope Benedict XVI. Bishop Bonny is on the right.

Belgian bishop says Church should bless same-sex couples

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A Belgian bishop who has been touted as a future leader of that country’s Catholic hierarchy is making waves by urging the Church to find ways to recognize gay relationships in which “exclusivity, loyalty and care are central to each other.”

Yezidi demonstrators protest Islamic State militants in Hanover, Germany, Aug. 12. The Vatican called on Muslim leaders to condemn the "barbarity" and "unspeakable criminal acts" of Islamic State militants in Iraq, saying a failure to do so would jeopardize the future of interreligious dialogue.

Pope meets leaders of Yezidi community facing Islamic State persecution

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VATICAN CITY - In his appeals for an end to the persecution of minorities in Syria and Iraq, Pope Francis often has mentioned both the Christians and the Yezidis attacked by Islamic State fighters.

Fr John D Geary CSSp, an Irish-born priest, served as superintendent of education in the Toronto Catholic District School Board. He was principal at Neil McNeil High School in 1968 and founded Francis Libermann High School in 1977.

Fr. John D. Geary was happiest in the classroom

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TORONTO - As he lay dying, Spiritan Father John D. Geary didn’t just listen to classical music on the stereo in his room, he conducted the invisible orchestra.

French police evacuate the bodies of the victims after a mass shooting at the Paris offices of Charlie Hebdo, a satirical newspaper, Jan. 7. Pope Francis condemned the killings of at least 12 people at the offices of the satirical newspaper Jan. 7 and de nounced all "physical and moral" obstacles to the peaceful coexistence of nations, religions and cultures.

Pope offers Mass for victims of Paris attack

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VATICAN CITY - The morning after 12 people were shot to death and 11 others injured at the Paris office of a satirical weekly newspaper, Pope Francis dedicated his early morning Mass to the victims and their families.

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