Sept. 26 is the feast day of Canada’s martyrs — St. Jean de Brebeuf, St. Noel Chabanel, St. Antoine Daniel, St. Isaac Jogues, St. Jean de Lalande, St. Charles Garnier and St. Gabriel Lalemant — who worked among the Huron-Wendat people in the 1600s. They were canonized in Rome by Pope Pius XI on June 29, 1930, but the occasion also drew large crowds to Martyrs’ Shrine in Midland, Ont. The Register recounted the scene of that special day in this excerpt from the July 3, 1930 issue:

The SS Noronic was called “The Queen of the Lakes” for more than 30 years, cruising to ports around the Great Lakes with hundreds of passengers enjoying her many creature comforts. It all ended in the early morning hours of Sept. 17, 1949 when fire swept through the ship while it was docked in Toronto. The blaze killed 119 and sent the city’s emergency workers scrambling to help. Some of those efforts were recounted on the front page of The Register’s Sept. 24, 1949 issue:

In response to the sexual abuse crisis embroiling the universal Church, Montreal’s archbishop has pledged that crimes committed in his diocese will never be covered up. 

What is clericalism?

My heart goes out to our priests and bishops  — the good ones, which is most of them. To say that the Catholic priests in my life have been beacons of virtue and guidance would be an understatement. 

This is why I get disturbed by the simple use of “clericalism” as  an explanation for the abuse crisis. Perhaps a “policy of maintaining the power of a religious hierarchy” has something to do with this cancer, but I wonder to which “hierarchy” this term refers? 

Is it the majority of good priests and bishops who want nothing more than to serve their parishioners while remaining true to their holy order? Or does “clericalism” refer to those poorly formed bishops and priests who either practice an utter disregard for true Catholic sexual morality in general and celibacy in particular, or cover up for those that do? 

If this second definition is what is referred to by “clericalism,” then I’d have to agree.

Mario Loreto,

Toronto, Ont.

Word of thanks

Our ears are ringing with the onslaught of abuse reports and our shoulders sag with the burden we carry for our Church. We’re all appalled, ashamed and saddened to the core of our being. Rightly so. 

As for penalty to the perpetrators, the public media discussions of how to handle this should never have had to occur. It should begin in the confessional with a penance which suits the sin and then subjugation to the laws which apply to any other person, as this abuse is not only a sin in the eyes of the Church but it is also a crime. 

As these cards are laid on the table, we also see much goodness which must not go unmentioned. I would like to give credit to all the priests, bishops, monsignors and popes of my time who have influenced my life. 

They have taught, forgiven, counselled, ministered and been friends. They have never asked for a penny, never laid a hand on me, except in compassion, and have always lifted me up, never condemning or criticizing. They have nourished my soul and enabled my growth, peace and understanding. 

I thank them all from the bottom of my heart!

Lynn Cristini,

Edmonton, Alta.

Please come again

Re: Where are the missionaries who will evangelize today? (Aug. 5-12):

Fr. de Souza criticizes the Cathedral of St. Boniface, Man., calling it “the saddest church to visit in Canada.”

Granted, the new cathedral does not “soar” like the former one, but it is exactly the juxtaposition between the old and the new that makes this an interesting site to visit. The new cathedral enshrined within the shell of the old one respects our past and incorporates the new.

It is not architecture that gives spirituality to a cathedral but, rather, the Christian community that worships within its walls. Perhaps  Fr. de Souza should delve into our history and come for another visit.

Aurise Kondziela,

Winnipeg, Man.

When Britain declared war on Germany on Sept. 3, 1939, it was just a formality that Canada would follow suit, which it did a week later. As the war clouds darkened and Canadian troops prepared for the Second World War, Archbishop of Toronto James McGuigan issued a pastoral letter, published in The Register on Sept.  7, 1939:

St. Mother Teresa died Sept. 5, 1997 at age 87 after a lifetime of work with the poor in India. The founder of the Missionaries of Charity made several visits to Canada over the years and, in 1988, also recorded a message for the 100th anniversary of the Edmonton Catholic Schools. Here’s that message as reprinted in the pages of The Register after her death 21 years ago.

The CEO of Salt+Light Media in Toronto has been drawn into the sex abuse scandal engulfing the Vatican by contesting at least one claim by an archbishop who alleges that Pope Francis participated in a coverup.

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