Where the Rubber Hits the Road

September 5, 2016 Bishop’s Message on the subject of Euthanasia My dear faithful, The events of the past year regarding euthanasia have been a very troubling experience. On June 17, 2016, Bill C-14 received royal assent, making euthanasia and assisted suicide legal in Canada. In supporting euthanasia, both private and institutional voices have neglected the intrinsic value of life and have undermined the fundamental value of individual freedom of conscience. The program of support for euthanasia has been marked by misrepresentation and manipulation, which in turn has created significant frustration for many people of good will. Our country finds itself in a tragic position. This eventuality was not unforeseen. I wish to thank the many people who continue to work to protect life and who speak in favour of the sanctity of life. I wish to recognize many heroic people in the past, who prophetically observed the slippery slope down which our society was travelling. Their warnings, made in t...

" Not controversial ?" I doubt that very much. The die is not yet cast when it comes to people's opinion on this issue, especially in light of recent statements reported by some in the mainstream media by some medical ethicists. They advocate that after reaching a certain age (75 Yrs was proposed) citizens should no longer have access to medications or procedures that are aimed to extend their life. Be kept pain-free and comfortable? Yes. But their argument asserts that once you hit a state established age you will be deemed to be no longer a "productive member" of that society. Thus, you should be denied any procedure or medication that would extend a life past that point.  The simple act of permitting what had been considered to be a major crime (the taking of a human life by another person) to now become accepted, state-sanctioned law will soon lead to it being declared mandatory for citizens down the road. It is wrong to give the government the power t...

Fr. Pat Tait I ask you please to take a moment today and pray for the soul of Fr. Pat Tait, latterly pastor of Our Lady of Grace and Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parishes of our diocese. Fr. Pat died this morning after a short battle with cancer. He was 66 years of age. Fr. Pat had been the rector of St. Columbkille's Cathedral in Pembroke for many years and served as Diocesan Administrator during the months before the ordination of Bishop M. Mulhall as our local ordinary. His body will lay in state in the Cathedral on Wednesday February 19th from 3 pm til 7 pm and from 9:30 am to 10:30 am on Thursday February 20th. His funeral mass will then be celebrated at 11 am with +Mulhall presiding. The Pembroke diocese has lost a great priest and brother of the presbyterate. May God grant him eternal rest in peace from his good labours. 

Bishop Michael Mulhall, Bishop of Pembroke announced on Monday that I'm being transferred from my current assignment as pastor of St. Anne's Parish in Mattawa, Ontario to take up the same position on the Quebec side of the Diocese... in Chapeau (St. Alphonsus), Sheenboro (St. Paul the Hermit), and St. Joseph's (St. Joseph's) effective September 12th, 2013. This will be a bit of a home coming for me as I have twice before served in Chapeau (as both assistant and pastor) and already love the people and place. I look forward to renewing many old acquaintances there just as I do with those good folk I know from Sheen and St. Joseph's. Moving is the reality of life for all parish priests and this is far from St. Anne's Church - Mattawa being the first time I've changed parishes over the past 25 years. Still as much as I look forward to returning to the Upper Pontiac, it is always sad to say good-bye to a place such as Mattawa. Typical of communities in ...

( NOTICE: This is an edited and condensed version of the 1st production of this column. My first attempt was too long and unfocused. This second edition strips the argument down to its essence and better accomplishes what I wanted to say. Thank you to those who responded with edit suggestions, helping me to offer a clear argument and defense of the clergy referenced below. Your help was appreciated. Fr. Tim ) Angelo Dundee Sylvia (Sylvia's Site) & Michael MacEachern I noted with sadness the other day obituaries published in the wake of the death of Angelo Dundee , the man who trained Ali to Heavyweight Championship of the World more than once. From the 'float like a butterfly' days of his early victories over Listen and Frasier, to the 'Rope-a-dope' tactics that felled the Goliath Foreman, all the way to the spanking of Spinks, Dundee guided Ali to victory after victory. I well remember those epic contests of brawn and will. They captured the attent...

One of the greatest initiatives of Pope John Paul II was the establishment of World Youth Days. These are annual events where Catholic youth are invited to gather in one place to celebrate their faith and learn how to become faithful Catholics throughout their adult life. This year the event is being held in Madrid, Spain. Our little Diocese of Pembroke has sent a delegation of enthusiastic youths to these events throughout the years, with fantastic reports being shared in the parishes upon their return. We look forward to hearing from these young Catholics when they return from Spain. Pope B16 greet youth at 2008 World Youth Days WYD Countdown: 48 Days to Go | Daily News | NCRegister.com

Fr. Michael Smith, a brother priest of the Diocese of Pembroke and my 'next door neighbor', even though he is an hours drive away on the other side of the Ottawa River. He posted this morning that there was a commotion during one of his masses. When the mass came to an end and he inquired about the source of agitation, he was told that a groundhog had wondered in the door and decided to partake in the liturgy, much to the consternation of the denizen's of those precious pews closest to the exit. He mused that there was probably a joke in there someplace and someone on Facebook gave it a shot. A groundhog walks into a church on Ash Wednesday. " How long until Easter, Father ?" he asks the Priest. " After six weeks of Lent ," says the Priest. " And if you had seen your shadow ?" asks the groundhog. It reminded me of the last mass I celebrated as the assistant at our Diocesan cathedral. A bat had awoken in the dead of winter and made his w...

Taken from the Justice For the Victims of Bernard Prince website. I post it here to make clear that the victims in these abuse scandals are not getting rich through the legal process as their lawyers will receive approximately 30% of the settlements.  As in many of these sad tales, the only ones getting rich are the lawyers! No wonder Mr. Talach (who represents the majority of victims in Ontario) is trolling for more victims. The more he finds... the richer he gets!!!   And the victims get screwed again. Civil suit reality check. Independent investigations and outside legal advise makes us believe that at the end of the day the Diocese of Pembroke will pay out approximately  13.5% - 15.5% of  the civil suit amount to the actual victims. That amount could be significantly higher if they end up having to pay some victims court costs and certainly if more victims come forward. If  more evidence of their negligence surface that to could increase t...

Yesterday, a letter was published on a website (Sylvia's Site) that was received anonymously, claiming to come from priests of my diocese writing under the pseudonym of 'Pembroke Priests for Justice, Truth and Integrity'. I have been asked on that site whether or not I would publish the letter here on my blog. The answer is an emphatic NO !!! The reason that I won't publish it is BECAUSE it is anonymously offered. Anyone who follows my blog here or elsewhere on the net should know that I always use my real name (not some made up 'handle') when I express an opinion. I do this because IMHO, if I am not willing to attach my name to an opinion, then I should have no reason to expect that anyone would give it more than just a passing glance. If someone is not willing to stand behind what they write, be they allegations or plaudits, then there is really no reason to give it much attention. I am always mindful of John Gabriel's 'Dickwad Theory of the ...

Good things are happening in my own little diocese of Pembroke! Here is a letter to the editor of the local daily from a Grade 12 student who has found peace and strength in her faith. She is not alone. This is a trend that has been engendered in our Diocese through programs such as 'Lifeteen'. These young men and women are to be commended for taking up the wonderful challenge of Catholic orthodoxy.  Well done!!! Keep up the great work for Christ! One teenager's eye-opening trip to a Christian youth conference - The Daily Observer - Ontario, CA

Here is an article that I wrote for the National Post's religion blog, the "Holy Post". The friends I mentioned were George & Joan Weigel (and their son, Stephen) as well as Fr. Andrew Fournall, a Polish Dominican who serves on the campus of Columbia University in NYC and is pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish in Manhattan. Aside from visiting Madonna House, we also spent part of the day exploring Wilno, a hamlet set high upon the hills that frame the Ottawa Valley. It was of particular interest to Fr. Andrew as Wilno is also the first Polish settlement in Canada, with Polish continuing to be spoken by many of the elder residents of the area. Stephen, an up and coming professional photographer. His first project will be published next year (book/DVD), a collaborative effort with his father and others highlighting the churches and chapels of Rome. This will be a 'must have' book for anyone interested in the history and beauty of this treasure trove of churche...

This Friday, the Catholic Church, brings the "Year of the Priest" to a close with the celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. I think it is fair to say that the year did not unfold exactly as Pope Benedict intended as it seemed that every week brought another aspect of the sex abuse scandal to the fore, culminating in a Holy Week/Easter season that saw the tentacles of this evil reach right to the Chair of Peter. It reached its zenith with the likes of Christopher Hitchens calling for the arrest of the Pope during his upcoming visit to Great Britain. Yet, as we reach the end of this priestly year, I cannot help but feel uplifted and strengthened by the response of the faithful to this papal call of support for the Church's priests. In our Diocese here in the Ottawa Valley, celebrations have been held in various parishes to fete the men who have undertaken the difficult task of representing Christ the eternal high priest to all the baptized. There was also a Dioces...