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Showing posts from October, 2014

1 dead, part of Hwy 17 closed after truck loses load of logs - Ottawa - CBC News

Alas, the victim of this tragedy is a parishioner here on Allumettes Island. I had the honour of officiating at the wedding of his daughter just this past summer. Please pray for the consolation of his family and friends in this time of great grief and sadness. 1 dead, part of Hwy 17 closed after truck loses load of logs - Ottawa - CBC News

Merry Hallowthanksmass!!

6 Things to Never Say to a Bereaved Parent - Still Standing Magazine

6 Things to Never Say to a Bereaved Parent - Still Standing Magazine

A little philosophical humour to start your day!

Nathan Cirillo's dogs patiently waiting for his return | CTV News

Nathan Cirillo's dogs patiently waiting for his return | CTV News

A new song and dance for the Catholic Church? | Crux

Bravo to Sr. Christina! She took something intended to demean the Church and transformed it into a pion of love that lifts up virginity as something wonderful... a gift to be offered to a covenanted partner within the loving relationship of marriage. Bravo to the Dancing priests! They demonstrate the joy and enthusiasm that fires the hearts of believers. Bravo all round for demonstrating that faith and fun, pop culture and music are mediums through which we can encounter and experience God in such a way that our joy overflows. Thank you too to Michael O'Loughlin for this insightful piece. Much appreciated on a Friday morning too full of sad and frightful news. A new song and dance for the Catholic Church? | Crux

The Greatest Disease in the West | All That Catholic Jazz

“The greatest disease in the West today is not TB or leprosy; it is being unwanted, unloved, and uncared for. We can cure physical diseases with medicine, but the only cure for loneliness, despair, and hopelessness is love. There are many in the world who are dying for a piece of bread but there are many more dying for a little love. The poverty in the West is a different kind of poverty — it is not only a poverty of loneliness but also of spirituality. There’s a hunger for love, as there is a hunger for God.” Click on the link below to read the entire article... it's worth it! The Greatest Disease in the West | All That Catholic Jazz

Chaput: clergy might stop signing marriage licenses as “principled resistance”

I've been saying this ever since gay marriages were recognized by the Canadian government. +Chaput is the first bishop I've read who is counselling the same approach. I am not saying that we should renounce our civic licences as a protest against same sex marriages. Rather I see it as the only way that we Catholic clergy can preserve our freedom to celebrate marriage as a sacramental union. Put another way, by separating the religious from the civil aspects of marriage we would make clear that we will not cooperate with any effort that confuses our Catholic understanding of the sacrament from the legal redefinition of the civil definition that the State uses. It would be akin to drawing a distinction between 'matrimony' (the proper Catholic sacramental term) and 'marriage', a word which the state has now co-opted and redefined to suit its own legal needs. All that this would mean is that any couple who confected the sacrament of matrimony in a Catholic ch

Francis's Firestorm - a reflection on the Synod from Fr. Dwight Longenecker

"In a few weeks, the firestorm over the Synod on the Family will die down, but as the process continues for another twelve months, Pope Francis will need to be aware of the increasing criticisms of his papacy. While all Catholics of goodwill want to love the pope and support the proper kind of renewal and reform, the Pope will have to tread carefully, listen to all points of view, communicate carefully and walk the tightrope between proper reform and defending the faith once delivered to the saints." In other words, Pope Francis will have to do what popes have done throughout history. I agree entirely with Fr. Longenecker in his summation, although I believe that he has perhaps been a little light in his conviction that the Holy Spirit was right in calling forth this good man as Pontiff - and in the way that the Synod has been conducted. Still, at least he ended on the right note. Click on the link below to read the entire article: Francis's Firestorm - Aleteia

Pope Francis’s Family Synod: Not an Earthquake, But a Big Tremor - The Daily Beast

Pope Francis is certainly a breath of fresh air, and I, for one, rejoice in his style, tone and early pronouncements. I pray for him every day. His is a decidedly different persona from his immediate predecessors. His tone is deeply pastoral, kind, and merciful. But that is all it is: tone. Nothing has changed in terms of the teaching and policies of his Church. There is much in this document to be lauded. I love his notion that the family is a “school of humanity,” within which we learn what it means to love our neighbor as ourselves. I couldn’t agree more. This working paper begins with an introductory description of the family returning home each evening to share a common meal, even a glass of wine, as everyone rejoices in the presence of one another and collectively learns from the experiences of the day—a 1950’s idyllic notion that may have never been true, and an ideal only a group of elderly, celibate men who have never been part of such a family in their adult lives could posit

How an incorrect translation of the synod report created chaos :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

In the English translation provided by the Vatican , this is rendered as: “Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and valuing their sexual orientation, without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?” The key word “valutando,” which has sparked controversy within the Church, was translated by the Vatican as “valuing.” Italian's “valutando” in fact means “evaluating,” and in this context would be better translated with “weighing” or “considering.” The English translation, in contrast, suggests a valuing of the homosexual orientation, which could at least create confusion to those who are faithful to the teaching of the Church.  The question then becomes "Are our communities capable of providing that, accepting and evaluating/weighing their sexual orientation without compromising Catholic doctrine on the family and matrimony?"  This certainly puts the interim document in less sensationalistic form. H ow an incorrect translation of

My initial thoughts on the interim report from the Synod on the Family

This is an interim report from a synod called to study how the Church can address many of the social issues raised in modern secular societies. It isn't a change in doctrine. It reflects rather a conviction on the part of the Bishops that everyone in the Church from the Pope on down is a sinner. No one stands perfectly before God and no one has yet attained a perfect embodiment of the Gospel ideal. Secondly, the Church Fathers are reflecting the truth that sexual improprieties (as seen from the perspective of Church teaching) are not the penultimate sins that we all commit in our lives. Put simply, they are stating through the pastoral outreach that sexual sins are but one of the multiplicity of offences that wounds our relationship with God and each other. This said however, there is a danger in the approach that this document suggests insofar as it may be taken as some sort of affirmation that being less moral or good than we can be is some how okay and that we are not alway

The Theology of Dad: Change the World

The Theology of Dad: Change the World

Happy Thanksgiving to one and all! Here's a little something to demonstrate that even our favorite holiday dish has some reason to be thankful! I hope you find reason to give thanks as well this holiday weekend.

Jennifer Sygo: Inside the overeating brain, and some mind games to trick yourself into a better diet | National Post

Perhaps some sage advice to consider before we Canadians sit down to our Thanksgiving turkey suppers this weekend lest we find it necessary to do this? Happy Thanksgiving to all the faithful readers of 'Where the Rubber Hits the Road' Fr. Tim Jennifer Sygo: Inside the overeating brain, and some mind games to trick yourself into a better diet | National Post

Beards, belief, and baseball: Does facial hair equal faithful holiness? (Asks the bearded priest with the bearded collie who hopes the answer is a resounding YES!!)

Beards, belief, and baseball: Does facial hair equal faithful holiness? | Crux

Ottawa Senators enter new era with Erik Karlsson leading the way | National Post

Ottawa Senators enter new era with Erik Karlsson leading the way | National Post

B.C. 'Pastafarian' loses driver's licence over holy colander hat | CTV News

Do you know what's really weird about this story? It's not that he refused to remove his 'holy helmet'. It's that 'Pastafarianism' is considered an official and legal religion in the USA!!!  Holy Tortellini!!  What's next? Farfalle bowties for formal religious services? B.C. 'Pastafarian' loses driver's licence over holy colander hat | CTV News

Review: We Walk Among You (Artichoke Heart Collective) | Mooney on Theatre

After a successful run directing 'Paleoncology' (winner of numerous theatre awards this summer from Montreal to Victoria), my nephew's latest project is another success as is evidenced by the reviews it's receiving such as:  "It’s rare that a play has such a positive effect, which is an indication that We Walk Among You is something very special."*    “One of the best things I’ve seen in a long time. If you get to see We Walk Among You ... do so!”** The piece is currently playing at the Tarragon Theatre in Toronto. Check it out if you're in the area! * Mooney On Theatre **   Jian Ghomeshi, 'Q' with Jian Ghomeshi Review: We Walk Among You (Artichoke Heart Collective) | Mooney on Theatre

It's Chapeau PARISH SUPPER Day!! Turkey with all the fixings... and homemade pies too!!

Come one... Come all!!   Today's the day for the St. Alphonsus Parish  Annual Parish Supper (Chapeau Arena) Meals served from noon to 6 pm. Adults:  $13   Children:  $6

Father Benedict Groeschel Dies at 81: RIP to a gentle man of faith

Father Benedict Groeschel Dies at 81 |Blogs | NCRegister.com

White woman sues sperm bank after giving birth to black baby in ‘racially intolerant’ Ohio town | National Post

People often accuse the Church of being insensitive in opposing procedures such as IVF or Artificial Insemination. But it's exactly because of situations such as this one that leads her to conclude that such procedures can hardly be considered moral when it is most likely this child who will have to deal with the consequences of the sperm bank's error. And no matter how much someone wants to have a child, it's clearly immoral for the innocent child to have to deal with the consequences of an act that they had absolutely no part in its consummation (no pun intended). White woman sues sperm bank after giving birth to black baby in ‘racially intolerant’ Ohio town | National Post

Pembroke and Area Animal Blessing Ceremony - Saturday October 4th - Pembroke Animal Hospital

Once again this year I am honoured to be invited to a Pet Blessing Ceremony to be held in the Memory Garden of the Pembroke Animal Hospital (905 Pembroke Street East) at 3 pm this Saturday. This short gathering is offered each year to both remember our animal companions who have died in the past year as well as blessing those with whom we are fortunate enough to continue to share our lives and homes with. Looking forward to seeing my fellow animal lovers there... and their four-legged companions too. Mateo, my canine companion will also be present to greet again the friends he met last year and to meet those who who will be participating for the first time.

Looking for a dynamic speaker to address issues concerning Catholic women today? You can't go wrong with Dorothy Pilarski, author, media personality, and Catholic evangelist. Check out her Facebook page for more details.

Dorothy Pilarski

Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men Cause Flight Delay By Refusing To Sit Next To Women

Charles Lewis (late of the National Post religion blog, The Holy Post) has the best take on this story I've read when he wrote on his Facebook page: What in the world does this have to do with God? My suggestion is they stop using any form of public transport or commercial aviation. They could buy their own airline and call it the Backward Express - We Fly You Back to the Stone Age. I am religious but this is just another form of fundamentalism. And any fundamentalism — Christian, Jewish or Muslim — is distasteful. I always believe religion has a strong place in the public square but this is beyond the pale. In this case I would say keep in your synagogues and homes. And I'll pray your young men and women escape this kind bigotry before it's permanently stamped on their personalities. Bigotry 1 - Religion 0 I couldn't agree with him more! Read the article and check it out yourself and see if you agree with him too. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Men Cause Flight Delay By Re

Man’s ‘Historical’ Claim About Jesus and the Bible Would Throw Christianity Into a Tailspin — but Is It Really True? | TheBlaze.com

GOOD GRIEF! Jesus was a 'figment of early believer's imagination'? Does this author expect people to believe that the apostles who were all martyred (all save for John that is) died because they believed in a make-believe fantasy messiah? How can nonsense like this worthy of publication in anything more credible than The Enquirer' - sandwiched between stories claiming that Obama is an alien or that a three headed man lives in the backwaters of some southern state. And yet there it is in a magazine published by The Council for Secular Humanism. Good grief indeed! Man’s ‘Historical’ Claim About Jesus and the Bible Would Throw Christianity Into a Tailspin — but Is It Really True? | TheBlaze.com