The pay it forward spirit is thriving in Canadian Catholic schools this Christmas season. 

The pandemic has brought unprecedented reliance on the digital world to the forefront, and the Catholic Church has not been exempt.

I come like a beggar with a gift in my hand. These are the opening lyrics to a song by Sydney Carter that I learned as part of the Toronto Catholic Worker community many years ago. As we enter the season of Lent and its call to prayer, fasting and almsgiving, I find myself quietly singing it to myself. The song continues, “By the hungry I will feed you, by the poor I’ll make you rich, by the broken I will mend you, tell me which one is which.”

A clean pair of socks and a tube of toothpaste are simple necessities many take for granted but for those living on the street, they can be a luxury.

Mary Thicket is not rich. But that doesn’t stop her from being a donor.

If you ever doubted the miracle of the loaves and the fishes, check out your parish’s COVID-era finances. After months of closed doors and no revenue, followed by months of full-cost operations for Sunday congregations that are a fraction of normal attendance, somehow your parish is still up and running.

With churches across Ontario getting the go-ahead to open their doors, and most set to resume Sunday Masses June 21, it should alleviate some of the financial burden for dioceses still awaiting government relief through the Canada Wage Subsidy program.

The Catholic Youth Organization (CYO) in Hamilton can’t always account at budget time for all its needs, but when some urgent need arises it’s happy there is an organization like the Ex Corde Foundation that can lend a hand.

WASHINGTON -- Nearly nine in 10 Catholics surveyed said they want their donations to church institutions to be ethically invested and a majority of those responding voiced particular opposition to investments in companies that produce pornography, tobacco products and e-cigarettes, according to a new survey.

An earlier version of this story incorrectly stated the amount of money that was allegedly stolen. 

BRASILIA, Brazil – Bishop Jose Ronaldo Ribeiro of Formosa was arrested and charged, along with four diocesan priests, of stealing about $606,000 USD of diocesan money.

A sampling of philanthropists in Canada shows that people who are active in their religion are more generous. It’s unlikely most people would disagree with such a finding.

MONTREAL – It was a record year for donations to Aid to the Church in Need, but it is not exactly something the organization is celebrating.