Michael Swan, The Catholic Register
Michael is Associate Editor of The Catholic Register.
He is an award-winning writer and photographer and holds a Master of Arts degree from New York University.
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Standing at the brink of history, it is impossible not to wonder what’s on the other side. Pope Francis’ six-day penitential pilgrimage through Canada will certainly be historic. There has never been a papal journey like this. But there’s more to it that just originality.
St. Philip Neri’s Table feeds poor among us
With food prices rising 9.7 per cent between April 2021 and April 2022, Third Order Franciscan and St. Philip Neri parishioner Yesmil Pena decided the time is now for action.
When busloads of residential school survivors, elders, knowledge keepers and youth descend on Edmonton and Quebec City to be present as Pope Francis walks on his “penitential pilgrimage,” Cynthia Bunn will be among them. But she didn’t want to be.
Jesuits bring spiritual life to margins and beyond
Prayer is not a privilege set aside for ladies and gentlemen of leisure, not a secret code revealed begrudgingly to an enlightened elite. Prayer is part of being human. The Jesuits, products of the 16th-century humanist revolution, are working to make sure it stays that way at their new retreat centre in Montreal.
Reconciliation fund approves first project
Nine months after Canada’s Catholic bishops committed to it, the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund is up and running.
Donors helping cover papal visit costs
The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has turned to a wide variety of donors to help it with the $15-million cost for hosting Pope Francis in Canada.
Papal Mass tickets pulled from resale site
Scalpers have pounced on the potential of Pope Francis’ visit to Canada, but at least one ticket reseller has just said no.
In a hungry world, Development and Peace is giving Canadian Catholics a chance to save lives. Using its partnership with Canadian Food Grains Bank, Canada’s Catholic development agency is taking advantage of an Ottawa matching fund to get money and the food it can buy to starving people.
Synod shining light on Church warts
What the Church believes, what it thinks, what it cares about and where it’s going are subjects of debate and speculation every day in classrooms, in parish halls and on social media. But Sudbury, Ont., theologian Christopher Duncanson-Hales is seizing on the synod process to inject some real-life, empirical data into the Catholic conversation.
Edmonton Indigenous parish will be ready for Pope
The church will be ready because the Church is ready — ready for Pope Francis and ready for reconciliation.