TORONTO - Growing up, Fr. Hector Vila never dreamed of visiting the Yukon. But now the Redemptoris Mater priest from Peru can’t stop thinking about making his first trip to northern Canada.
Toronto seminary rector named new bishop of Whitehorse
TORONTO - Fr. Hector Vila, rector of Toronto’s Redemptoris Mater Missionary Seminary, has been appointed the new bishop of Whitehorse.
Pope Francis announced the appointment on Nov. 27.
Oblates question road they head down
The religious order that brought Catholicism to much of Canada is facing tough questions about its future.
You can’t take the mission priest out of Bishop Gordon
New Victoria bishop encourages a stint in Canada’s north for priests before ministering on Vancouver Island
The challenging capacity of Canada’s far north
WHITEHORSE, YUKON - On my first visit to Canada’s territories, and the farthest north I have ever travelled on the globe, I was even more curious than I usually am, and asked a lot of questions of those who were kind enough to meet me. One word kept being repeated in almost every answer: “capacity.” The bishop of Whitehorse explained the importance of it, the premier of the Yukon emphasized it, a young couple raised it in relation to housing, an aboriginal shop-owner mentioned it in terms of suppliers — even the receptionist at the local newspaper spoke of it in terms of the newsroom.
Students connect to God’s creation up in the Yukon
VICTORIA, B.C. - At the invitation of Whitehorse Bishop Gary Gordon, eight young Catholics associated with the Catholic chaplaincy at the University of Victoria (UVic) experienced a 10-day mission tour of the Yukon.
“I went to find a new connection to God’s creation,” said Anna Ott, 19, who is visiting from Germany. “I hoped to give other Christians hope that there are young people out there who confess their faith through their everyday life.”
Bishops’ silence on climate change baffles nuns
Canadian religious leaders and interfaith coalitions banded together before the Nov. 28 to Dec. 9 United Nations climate change talks in Durban, South Africa, to urge Ottawa to take substantial steps toward a new international agreement to replace the expiring Kyoto Protocols. Almost alone among Canada’s major church and faith bodies, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops refused to sign the “Canadian Interfaith Call for Leadership and Action on Climate Change.”
The Congregation of St. Joseph signed, along with many other Catholic religious orders and a broad swath of Canada’s Christian bodies. Major Muslim, Hindu and interfaith coalitions also signed onto the two-page statement.