HALIFAX -- The town of Antigonish and its majestic St. Ninian’s Cathedral has long cast a significant shadow over much of northeastern Nova Scotia.

It’s difficult to equate dynamic evangelization with the reality of shrinking numbers of parishes, priests, parishioners and active churches. But evangelization is exactly what the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth hopes to achieve through a strategy called New Parishes: Stronger Together.

In a decision that confirms its right to proactively reach out to victims of sexual abuse by priests, the Roman Catholic Diocese of Bathurst, N.B., has been awarded $3.4 million in a dispute with its insurance company.