Le Jour de l'an has traditionally been a time of great importance within French-Canadian families as it was the occasion when children would ask for their father's blessing. Alas this is another tradition that has been lost to common knowledge with the decline of the Catholic Church in Quebec and now throughout much of Canada. An opportunity to strengthen family ties is lost to the omni-present hangover that afflicts so many in the wake of "ringing in" the New Year. The faith assumptions of many bishops and priests who are "of a certain age", (at least within Canada, pre-1965) are no longer understood or even held as relevant by the majority of the generation that is now coming into power in the political, social and economic spheres of western societies. I fear that now is the time when the sad truth of Richard Neuhaus' maxim ("that which is permitted will soon be found to be obligatory") will be realized. This mean that the Church will soo...
Reflections from the pastoral ministry of an Evangelical Catholic Priest.