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Showing posts from September, 2014

History of Religion: A fascinating animated map showing how major world religions spread across the span of 5000+ years of history

History of Religion

The NHL's West really is best: 11 Days and Counting to the Start of the Regular Season!

Go GO! The NHL's West really is best - Sportsnet.ca

A little Scottish humour

First ISIS, Now Winter Threatens Christians in Kurdistan | Daily News | NCRegister.com

The members of our three small rural parishes have been busily working raising funds, collecting clothing and supplies to aid in the sheltering of refugees fleeing the wars in Iraq, Syria, and other places around the globe where religious persecution is running rampant. These initiatives I am please to say have not come to fruition by my hand or suggestion, but have been initiatives started and sustained by parishioners in the wake of seeing news stories such as this one. There are numerous organizations who are willing to transport these goods to countries where they are most needed... all they need is the support and efforts of people of good will to join with them in reaching out to those in need. So if three small parishes in a tucked away corner of Québec can do their part to aid these unfortunate souls who've been stripped of even the essentials of life by living in war torn regions of the world, are you willing to step up and search for ways that you or your religious c

A little humour for a serious message

One of the things that drives me nuts as a parish priest is the recent phenomena of people posting inappropriate things on social media sites such as Facebook. What's inappropriate you might ask?  Top of the list would be people who post accident pictures et al and announce to the world that someone has been seriously injured or killed before the family finds out about. This has happened WAY TOO MANY times in recent years to the shock and detriment of family members. It doesn't matter if you were a 'close friend' or even present when the accident or death occurred. It is WRONG for the news to be released to the public before the family is notified and makes it public themselves. Next on the list would be personal and/or defamatory comments posted to embarrass people. While I have never been the object of such an attack I know people who have - and they never appreciate having their own 'dirty laundry' aired in such a public forum. So if you have a fight

The New Archbishop of Chicago is no Moderate: How some conservatives are confusing a call to practice 'civility' with weakness in doctrine

Archbishop Elect Blaise Cupich The New Archbishop of Chicago is no Moderate | Catholic Moral Theology

An answer to the question: What is faith?

Someone asked me the other day to define what I meant by ‘faith’. Strangely enough, there is a great deal of confusion on the subject. Some hold to classic definitions such as ‘faith is a step into the dark’ or ‘believing something in the absence of evidence’. While each of these captures part of the essence of the concept, they fail to express its fullness to my satisfaction. For me, faith is a conviction arrived at when all the evidence has been examined, assessed, or studied. It is far from something that is opposed to the dictates of reason as some suggest, but is ultimately the fruit of the application of reason that apprehends the truth of something when not all of the evidence can be studied, gathered, or known to provide a definitive answer. After all, if we can know something completely then there is no need to have faith in it. Complete knowledge negates the need for faith. Put in a religious context, if God revealed himself in such self-evident manner that doubt in hi

A good thought to contemplate this weekend

A graphic as a primer on the Pope's upcoming visit to Albania this weekend

15 Tips for Surviving Mass With Little Ones - Catholic Stand : Catholic Stand

I've always said that if we believe in the scripture that tells us the angels of children stand before God in heaven, we would see children as holy beings and not a distraction of nuisance at mass. In fact, they have more right to be there than we with grey hair since they have yet to develop into sinners as we are. Still this is a helpful list of tips for parents who bring their kids to church for anything that keeps kids out of that 'kiddy prison' called the 'Cry Room' is a good thing in my opinion. 15 Tips for Surviving Mass With Little Ones - Catholic Stand : Catholic Stand

Catholic women's conference refreshes moms, forges friendships :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Did you know that there is a Canadian conference with the same goal? Google 'Dynamic Women of Faith Conference' to find out more or check it out here on Facebook . This annual conference is held in the GTA and is organized by Dorothy Pilarski , an exceptional Catholic speaker and author in her own right.  Catholic women's conference refreshes moms, forges friendships :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Our new high altar has been installed in St. Joseph's Parish. Thank you to all who contributed to the completion of this great project. The injury suffered by the building in the 1960's has finally been healed!

Woman born without a cerebellum baffles doctors | CTV News

I'm not so impressed with her not having a cerebellum... I'm blown away that the headline writers at CTV think that she was born a 'woman'!! Wow!! That's awesome! No puberty or awkward adolescence to suffer through. Although one would have to naturally pity her poor mother. Can you imagine giving birth to a fully grown woman? One would think that in itself would baffle the entire medical community! Woman born without a cerebellum baffles doctors | CTV News

Are changes in American culture pushing out Catholics? | Crux

I don't know if this is happening in the States, but it certainly is in Canada. We only need to look at Justin Trudeau's decision to bar pro-life candidates from the Liberal party to see this clearly. This means that two out of three political parties have now turfed out practicing Catholics. ( The NDP did this before the Liberals .) Given that Catholics have traditionally found a home in these centre-left parties, it leads one to wonder if they will follow their pro-life convictions and vote for the Conservative Party or whether their historic political allegiances will trump their faith. I know that as a Catholic priest, I now find it impossible to support either the Liberals or the NDP since they have slammed the door shut on my pro-life convictions. Are changes in American culture pushing out Catholics? | Crux

A request for prayers for a woman who provides a great service for our Catholic Church in Canada

I would like to ask the readers of my blog to please keep Sylvia of Sylvia's Site fame in your prayers. Not only is her husband facing some significant medical challenges in the next few days, but she recently fell and broke her arm, injured her leg as well as her foot. Sylvia published a post earlier today on her blog if you are interested in reading the gory details. I do not always agree with some of her positions but I have never doubted the sincerity of her convictions when it comes to working towards the protection of all children within the Catholic Church, as well as helping to rid the church of predatory clergy who abuse them. The work she does on her blog in this regard has been called by some a national treasure and it's hard to disagree with that.  Get well soon Sylvia and Michael. You are in the prayers of many people who appreciate your good work.

Book Review: Descartes' Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason

(This is the first and what I hope will be a series of short book reviews of material that I have read over the past few months. I will rate each book on a scale of 1 to 5 lightbulbs depending upon how illuminating the work.) Descartes’s Bones: A Skeletal History of the Conflict between Faith and Reason Author: Russell   Shorto Publisher: Doubleday Copyright: 2008 Descartes’s Bones , written by Russell Shorto examines the impact of a man who is arguably the most influential philosopher in the modern age.   He was seen by many of his contemporaries as someone who laid the intellectual foundation for the entire modern program which grounds everything from morality to law, politics and social organization on reason and the individual. Man became the truth agent of discovery instead of god as the revealer of truth. Instead of seeing creation as an example of God’s handiwork it became an object of study unto itself. His “I think therefore I am” revolutionized not only the s