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Showing posts from June, 2016

Where the Rubber Hits the Road - MIA report

To all my friends and readers of this blog. I've been 'off the air' since Sunday as I was admitted to a local hospital after suffering a minor stroke during a weekend Mass. I've been discharged home now and will resume posting July 1st again. Your prayers and patience are greatly appreciated as I work at getting solidly back on my feet again. I hope to use my time to convalesce to work at writing a few articles and putting all the material I've wanted to comment on down on paper while I've still got all my faculties!! Thanks one and all for your understanding! Fr. Tim

New guidelines forbid Montreal Catholic priests, lay workers to be alone with children | National Post

This is a prudent and appropriate step for the Diocese to take. In fact, it is a policy that I have personally practiced throughout my entire priesthood. It provides protection both to children from being abused during church activities as well as to the priest from having to deal with a false accusation sometime in the future. It is tragic that such a protocol is required, but it is just a reflection of the times we live in... times that reflect a past where children were abused by predator priests and feckless bishops who lacked the courage to respond as they should have by immediately referring such cases to the police. We might wish that the times were different, but as a Church we have no one to blame but ourselves for having to institutionally implement such a policy. Kudos to Archbishop Lépine for the forthright manner in which he is addressing this problem. Fr. Tim New guidelines forbid Montreal Catholic priests, lay workers to be alone with children | National Post

Five simple steps to effective Catholic fundraising

Given that we've just received the unexpected news that we need to complete $1.3 million dollars worth of structural repairs to our Chapeau Church (YIKES!!) on top of the $400,000 we're already spending to replace the side entrance, this is an article I hope all our parishioners read! Five simple steps to effective Catholic fundraising – CatholicHerald.co.uk

Cardinal Tom Collins responds to the passing of Bill C-14, Canada's euthanasia law

Let's not get bent out of shape over 'Transcriptgate' - Crux

This is indeed a bit of weird logic on Pope Francis' part! The marriage is 'invalid' because a couple has the option to divorce down the road? If we follow this through to its logical conclusion marriages could never be valid unless divorce was illegal thereby guaranteeing permanence. That's just ludicrous. The fact is that 99% of couple who stand before the altar to marry intend to remain with their spouse. Events down the road may affect this commitment, but that doesn't reflect upon the intent of the couple - and it's their intent at the time of the marriage that is required to establish the validity of their sacramental union. I like Pope Francis... but I think he's off the mark with this one. Let's not get bent out of shape over 'Transcriptgate' - Crux

A bit of wisdom we can all live by!

Hockey legend Gordie Howe passes away at age 88 - Arguably the best player who ever laced on skates. May he rest in peace.

Hockey legend Gordie Howe passes away at age 88 - Sportsnet.ca

Most bestiality is legal, declares Canada's Supreme Court | Americas | News | The Independent

Christians said that if we redefined the legal definition of marriage that polygamy, pedophilia, and bestiality would soon follow and be accepted under law. People said that we were alarmists and trying to scare people needlessly. Now we have had the Supreme Court in British Columbia state that there are no legal grounds to charge the polygamists in Bountiful B.C. with bigamy and the Supreme Court of Canada says in today's ruling that bestiality cannot be a criminal offence. The next to fall will be the prohibition against sexual acts with children. It is a sad day for Canada that our predictions have come to pass but such are the fruits of playing with long-held traditional institutions like marriage. We should all weep when we see what we have sown. Most bestiality is legal, declares Canada's Supreme Court | Americas | News | The Independent

Bishop Barron on Porn and the Curse of Total Sexual Freedom | Word On Fire

Bishop Barron on Porn and the Curse of Total Sexual Freedom | Word On Fire

Helping out our parish secretary's daughter stay in Ottawa with her newborn daughter who was born prematurely yesterday

Tasha Ann Godin, a 19 yr. old girl from Chapeau, QC. has just given birth prematurely to a baby girl,  Aston Marie Anne Godin . Aston weighs in at a scant 1.5 lbs and is facing a minimum of three months in the neo-natal intensive care at CHEO in Ottawa. Let’s help Tasha stay with her newborn! Funds raised will go to pay for Tasha’s stay in the Rotel attached to the hospital. The daily room rate is $40 plus the costs of her food and other basic expenses.  Funds are needed as soon as possible as she is on social assistance and has very limited funds at her disposal.   Tasha is the daughter of Pauline Lepine-Godin, our parish secretary, a job that is a far cry from a high salary position. I can assure everyone that this is indeed a worthy cause. All donations will be gratefully received.  I thank you very much for your consideration and generosity  in helping this young mother stay at her newborn’s side until she is ready to be discharged and come home to Chapeau. Fr. Tim Moyle

Students walk out of classes after 5 youth suicides in Woodstock, Ont. | CTV News

So I guess this wouldn't be a problem if they just asked their doctor to kill them? In Ontario, t he government will even provide the medication for free . Perhaps someone should explain to these students that under the new Ontario policy suicide hotlines will be tasked with referring people to the executioner of their choice rather than trying to talk someone out of killing themselves. They'll then recognize that they've walked out of class for no good reason... at least in the government's eyes. What a sad state of affairs we've arrived at...  Students walk out of classes after 5 youth suicides in Woodstock, Ont. | CTV News

Doctors can’t refuse to help a patient die — no matter what they say

A scary legal opinion! Here's a small part of it: Granted, some doctors conscientiously object to assisted dying — but if the situation arises, they cannot refuse to help their patients access what is now part of the legal standard of care. Anyway, those doctors whose conscientious objection to assisted death is absolute could always migrate into a specialty where the subject would never come up: radiology, dermatology, pathology, obstetrics, surgery or almost any type of medical research, for example. Doctors can’t refuse to help a patient die — no matter what they say

How to put lipstick on assisted suicide

If someone was on a bridge and wanted to jump, we'd try to save them, right? Right? Perhaps it's the violence that makes us shudder. Putting a gun to your head, throwing yourself off a building, slitting your wrists – what if Claflin's character or Maynard chose one of these methods? What would the narrative be then? But no, taking a lethal dose of barbiturates and passing “in peace” as your vital organs shut down one-by-one makes all the difference. And yet, there is no difference. All we've done is put lipstick on something which, despite our glamorizing attempts, is the same awful, isolated despair. How to put lipstick on assisted suicide :: Catholic News Agency (CNA)

Pope issues motu proprio on removal of Bishops

Extremely important news for the church: Pope Francis has issued a "motu proprio" that provides the mechanism for the swift removal of bishops who covered up sexual abuse or moved around abusive priests. This has long been one of the missing links in the fight against sexual abuse: a mechanism for the removal of bishops. Holding bishops accountable and removing them if they are found to have been negligent in their duties is absolutely paramount. An absolute necessity. Many Catholics have been angry and frustrated that while priests can be (rightly) removed from ministry after a credible accusation had been lodged, bishops who ignored or covered up the abuse, or shuttled priests from parish to parish, seemed to suffer few consequences. Even on the rare occasion when a bishop resigned or was removed there was no mention of the reasons. This holding of bishops accountable has long been demanded by the People of God. And the Holy Spirit speaks through them. Pope issues motu pro

Truth from the mouth of the Dalai Lama

Kung-pao diplomacy?

"If the Holy See makes a deal that seems to abandon Chinese democrats on Taiwan, while seeming to turn a blind eye to the pressures intensifying on civil society institutions (including churches) on the mainland, the Church’s evangelical mission is going to be seriously damaged, now and in the future." Kung-pao diplomacy? - Denver Catholic