MANAGUA, Nicaragua - Catholic Church representatives in Nicaragua are concerned about the potential social and environmental impact of building a 278-km-long canal through the country to link the Pacific and the Atlantic Oceans.

A year ago, Archbishop Anthony Mancini of Halifax wrote a letter to the people of his diocese about the New Evangelization. He challenged Catholics, saying, “Become true and active disciples of Christ, committed to the mission of proclaiming the Gospel, again, as if for the first time.”

The “New Evangelization” is a call from Blessed John Paul II for every believer to come to a deeper understanding of their personal faith. This summer, I’m doing this as part of Catholic Christian Outreach’s (CCO) summer mission, Impact, in Halifax. Impact is a 15-week mission trip for university students. We are working in 11 parishes across the archdiocese of Halifax. And it is no coincidence that the theme of Impact 2012, “Behold, I make all things new” from Revelations 21:5, can be found directly in Mancini’s letter.