2010 in Review - Part 1

At the end of any year, one wants to take stock of all that has happened and for 2010, the Catholic Church both locally, nationally and internationally was certainly in the news. We'll take a look back at 2010 in two bite sized chunks, courtesy the Catholic Register and its annual look at all things Catholic over the last 365 days. Feel free to chime in if there's something not on the list you think should be there!

January 2010

• A devastating earthquake ravages Haiti, killing upwards of 200,000 and displacing millions. Catholics immediately join in relief efforts and contribute to more than $100 million raised across Canada.
• Toronto welcomes its two newest bishops — Bishop Vincent Nguyen and Bishop William McGrattan.
• The diocese of Antigonish is off to a new start with the installation of Bishop Brian Dunn. The diocese has been caught up in scandal surrounding the arrest of Dunn's predecessor, Bishop Raymond Lahey, on child pornography charges.

February 2010

• Vancouver welcomes the world to the Winter Olympic Games, with the archdiocese of Vancouver showing its "radical hospitality" to the world's visitors.
• The Vatican hosts a two-day summit on the widening Irish sex abuse scandal. Pope Benedict XVI notes the "errors of judgment and omission" that fuelled the crisis.
• Church and pro-life leaders condemn Liberal Leader Michael Ignatieff for advocating Canada fund overseas abortions to "improve" women's health care.

March 2010

• Anglican groups worldwide, including in Canada, seek union with the Catholic Church, responding to the Pope's offer to come into communion with the Church.
• Bloc Quebecois MP Francine Lalonde reintroduces her euthanasia bill in the House of Commons. It is later defeated.
• Toronto Archbishop Thomas Collins, in addressing the world wide abuse scandal facing the Church, says while it is a challenge, it is also an opportunity to refocus on the baptismal call to live out the Gospel teachings.

April 2010

• Bishop James Wingle offers his surprise resignation as bishop of the diocese of St. Catharines, Ont., citing stamina issues.
• Archbishop Thomas Collins announces a review of the archdiocese's abuse protocols in the wake of the worldwide abuse scandal.
• The British Petroleum oil spill brings an ecological and economic disaster to the Gulf of Mexico and surrounding regions. The Catholic Church is quick to provide aid to those affected.
  

May 2010

• Pope Benedict XVI visits Portugal and the Marian shrine in Fatima amid concerns that one of Europe's most Catholic countries is losing its faith.
• Toronto faith leaders meet with candidates vying for the mayor's seat. The candidates give their thoughts on how they could work with faith groups.
• Quebec's Cardinal Marc Ouellet is pilloried in the national media for calling abortion a moral crime at a Quebec City pro-life conference.

June 2010

• The G8 and G20 Summits take centre stage in Toronto and area. Key among the agreements is the "Muskoka Initiative," a pledge of $7.3 billion to reduce maternal and child deaths.
• Fr. Jerzy Popieluszko, a Polish priest who was murdered for standing up against communism, is beatified.
• A sacred-fire ceremony in Winnipeg kicks off the first national event for Indian residential schools survivors as part of the national Truth and Reconciliation Commission.

Photos: Catholic Register

Happy Birthday Jesus!

Dear Jesus,

Happy Birthday! Boy you’ve aged well. For 2010 years old you look great. You’re still as active as you were in your early 30’s and I can’t believe how your family has grown. There are still plenty of people who don’t invite you over to their place for dinner or can’t understand why we’d want to be friends with you. That’s okay – you still love them anyways and we should too although some days it’s tough.

You see Jesus, I still can’t believe that you can be in that many places at once. Do you remember earlier this year when that little boy died in the accident? You found a way to say just the right thing. I know that sometimes means not saying anything at all, just opening up your house and giving people a place to come together to pray and maybe even cry. Even in those moments, you’re still with us.

I appreciate the fact that you work with so many people in this diverse world of ours. I know you’d want it that way – you always told us to welcome the stranger, clothe the naked, feed the hungry. When I look around this world, a lot of people have taken your advice - they work at food banks, hospitals, schools – you’ve really inspired a whole lot of them. And the ones with the least seem to love life the most.

It’s funny, Jesus, how many people think you’re all about a set of rules and regulations. I mean, I think it’s just that you’re setting the bar high for us because you want us to do well. My Mom was never satisfied with the C on my report card and I figured you wouldn’t be either. Thanks for pushing us a little harder to strive to be the best we can be.

I’m sorry that so many people make fun of you. I guess when you’re really popular, you get to be a pretty big target. But don’t worry, there are still plenty of people trying to defend your good name.

I haven’t seen your page on Facebook, I don’t have a number to text message you yet I still feel close to you even if we don’t talk for days. You just have a way of being there when I need you.

Every time a baby is born, it makes me think of you – I guess you’re around for that as well so you’d understand the miracle of each new life. When our family and friends die, it’s sad for us but then we think of you and understand that you’ll take care of them – they’re probably all looking at us right now and having a fun time celebrating together. Please say hello to my grandparents for me.

So at Christmas, Jesus, I wanted to thank you once again. You see, you always give us so many gifts but what do we do for you? Maybe if we all work together we can use all our little gifts to make big ones for the world. Thanks for being so patient with us. Sometimes you probably wonder if we “get it”. I think we’re still working on it.

Happy birthday Jesus. Oh, I don’t think you’d mind if I say Merry Christmas too!

A Friend


Photo: Freefoto.com

Comfort the afflicted...afflict the comfortable

With Christmas just days away, the reflection below from St. Michael Cathedral's Rector, Father Michael Busch is a good reminder of how each one us is called to bring comfort and joy to those in our midst this Christmas season. Thanks to Fr. Michael for sharing this reflection with us...

In our preaching classes we were taught that the first rule of the homilist was to comfort the afflicted... and afflict the comfortable. It occurrs to me that there is a world of difference between being comforted and being comfortable. To be comfortable in this culture today, is to be apathetic, dispassionate, detached, aloof and very, very good at denial. The sad truth is: Too many of us are comfortable, or wish we were, or are trying to be. God does not join us or help us in our efforts to be comfortable. But God does offer comfort in the birth of his Son. Let me tell you how I learned about God’s comfort and came face to face with my own comfortableness.

In my first year in the seminary we went carolling in the nursing homes near by. I had never been in one of those places before and it challenged my comfort level. We went from ward to ward singing for the residents. Most of them just lay there in silence like grown up rag dolls. There were pictures on their night stands. A lady in a pretty hat, laughing with a baby on her hip, a kindly looking man in a business suit almost winking to the camera. They were reminders to the nurses and doctors and strangers like me that these lost, forgotten people were once real people with real lives.

Several wept silently. Most slept. A few looked at me and said nothing. Others looked through me, saying things I could not understand. One man thought I was his father, and, coming alive at the recognition called out in a little boy voice, “Please take me home.” Just about this time we began to sing ‘Joy To The World.’ As we finished the second verse and were getting ready to move on, a frail voice called out from an old woman in one of the beds. “Would you sing the last verse of that song for me?” I told her that I didn’t know the last verse and she said, “Promise me that you will learn it. It is the best verse of all.”


When I returned to my room at the seminary I sat in the dark and asked God “Why? How can we let people live like that?” Then I remembered the old woman’s request and looked up the last verse of ‘Joy to the World.’

"No more will sin and sorrow grow, Nor thorns infest the ground;

He'll come and make the blessings flow Far as the curse was found, Far as the curse was found, Far as, far as the curse was found."

This last verse promises us that despite the sin and sorrow that affects our lives, his blessings continue to flow and will heal every instance of human strife. Even when we are not who we are, even when it looks like we have been left behind or feel alone in the world- we can depend on the comfort of God’s love.

My friends, before we can speak God’s word of comfort, we need to hear it. To be people of God we must be people who listen. We must be people who want to know and love God, people who are willing to spread the blessings of God’s love to those who still wait in darkness for the messiah to come.

Would you rather be comforted or comfortable? Are you ready to go to the nursing homes, prisons and mental institutions and share the grief, sorrow or misery of a neighbour, a fellow member of the church, a co-worker. Can you be a conduit of God's comfort, a messenger who gently shares with others how Jesus’ life, death and resurrection comforts you?

The older I get the more I think about the“wonders of his love” that we can only discover when we are willing to step out of our comfort level. The voice of that old woman I heard that night has long since been silenced, but her words ring in my ears still bringing me the message of God’s comfort in the peace and joy that our messiah brings.

Fr. Michael Busch is the Rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto.

Photos: Freefoto.com

A Social Network Nativity Story...

As we move into the final days of Advent, we take a lighter look at the traditional nativity story through the eyes of our modern technology. This one has been making the 'rounds and worth a three minute "mental vacation" to help us appreciate just how different the whole experience might be in 2010.

To come later this week, a deeper reflection on the season - one that should challenge us all!

Sheep, Wikileaks & St. Augustine...

It's always interesting this time of year to reflect on just all that happens in the course of the work day here in the communications office. To illustrate the point, here's a few random thoughts on some of the issues, events and initiatives crossing our desk these days, some very public, others quietly at work in our faith community.

Live Sheep, Shepherds, Kings & A Baby - yes, when you're able to put that headline on a news release you know it's an exciting day. Kudos to pastor Friar Rick Riccioli and the faith community of St. Bonaventure Parish who will be putting on a live nativity scene Thursday, December 16.

Inspired by St. Francis Assisi’s live recreation of the Nativity in Greccio, Italy, in the year 1223, (Greccio is the origin of the word “Crèche”) the Franciscan Friars and young people at St. Bonaventure will come together with live animals and a newborn baby to tell the wonderful story of Christmas in song and gesture.

Considering the frigid temps in the GTA this past week, one might consider this newborn's debut as their first step to canonization. If you're interested in attending, the evening begins with a Christmas Concert at 6:30-7:30 pm in the church hall, followed by the outdoor live nativity scene 7:30 - 8:00 p.m. and concluding with hot chocolate and cookies 8:00 - 9:00 p.m. in the parish hall. St. Bonaventure's Parish is located at 1300 Leslie St. (west side, south of Lawrences Ave.) in Don Mills. You can always check out the very active St. Bonnie's website here.

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Wikileaks - a story that seems to be near the top of the news for 2010. Thousands of confidential documents leaked on a public website for all to access, sharing very personal conversations and discussions of the most influential nations of the world. The Vatican was not immune from the Wikileaks drama and the Holy See Press Office issued the following statement earlier this week on the subject of U.S. State Department documents published by the website Wikileaks:

"Without venturing to evaluate the extreme seriousness of publishing such a large amount of secret and confidential material, and its possible consequences, the Holy See Press Office observes that part of the documents published recently by Wikileaks concerns reports sent to the U.S. State Department by the U.S. Embassy to the Holy See.

Naturally these reports reflect the perceptions and opinions of the people who wrote them and cannot be considered as expressions of the Holy See itself, nor as exact quotations of the words of its officials. Their reliability must, then, be evaluated carefully and with great prudence, bearing this circumstance in mind."

For those who are interested in a more thorough analysis of the Vatican mentions in the leaked documents, John L. Allen has an interesting assessment you can access here.

Of the more interesting tidbits for those of us who are passionate about church communications is word that Vatican Press Secretary Fr. Frederico Lombardi is the only senior Papal aide who uses a blackberry with most senior Vatican officials not using email accounts.

As has been reported on numerous occasions, there are many within the Vatican that recognize the need to improve and enhance their communications structure and resources, it's just a matter of taking the concrete steps necessary to make it happen. We have all seen how quickly the news travels in our increasingly cyber world - the difference between providing clarity and accuracy on a story as opposed to an out of control "scandal" is not a matter of days but hours and even minutes. Certainly some food for thought for those working in church communications.

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Finally, many of our Toronto leaders will have seen the regular commercials for national TV network CTV and specifically CTV Toronto, celebrating 50 years on the air. As part of the celebrations, CTV Toronto is looking to profil historical Toronto area landmarks that have strengthened and enhanced the community. They've asked us to help with a closer look at St. Augustine's Seminary, an historical landmark in the city's east end.

Along with a small crew, we'll be working with them to provide a video tour complete with Archbishop Collins as tour guide. The likely result will be a short 2-3 minute piece profiling the seminary and a look inside for CTV Toronto viewers. The vignettes will air at a still to be determined time in the coming weeks.

So from Wikileaks to tours of the seminary, live animals to blackberries and Christmas prep, it's never a dull moment...no idea what's waiting around the corner but whatever it is, it's all part of our ministry.

Photos: Archdiocese of Toronto, CNN

St. Brother André - Knocking on the Door...

For those who would like to continue to celebrate the life of Canada's newest Saint, Brother André, you'll be pleased to know that Salt & Light Catholic Television network has begun shipping orders of the new documentary on the life and legacy of "God's Doorkeeper", also fittingly the title for this presentation.

More than 1,400 copies have been sold during a brief two-month pre-sale period making this the most successful DVD launch for S & L since its founding in 2003. Directed by a team of young filmmakers, God’s Doorkeeper takes viewers to the heart of Brother André’s universal story of charity, holiness and hope. Shot and produced over the summer months, the documentaries feature an exclusive line-up of interviews and footage filmed in Quebec, New Hampshire, Indiana, Oregon and Rome.

Interviews include those who continue Brother André’s legacy, as well as individuals who were touched by his healing and extraordinary compassion. God’s Doorkeeper is the first major production to be devoted to Brother André in the recent past and contains beautiful images and footage from special canonization-related events including the memorable celebration at Montreal’s Olympic Stadium held on October 30, 2010.

The documentary is available for purchase at the Salt + Light Online Store, saltandlighttv.org/shop or by telephone orders (1-888-302-7181) at a price of $22.95.

In other St. Brother André news, the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board has already announced that the next school to open, due in Brampton 2013, will be named after Canada's newest saint.

And if you're keeping an eye on your calendar for 2011, Thursday, January 6, 2011 will be the first annual opportunity to celebrate the memorial day of St. André Bessette.

God's Doorkeeper, keep an eye out for us and we'll keep knocking...

Photos: St. Joseph's Oratory

Merry Christmas...at a mall near you!

It seems that every year we hear stories about religious expression in the public square being muted as we look for a more "generic" celebration of the holidays. Whether it's the Salvation Army bells being silenced, nativity scenes vandalized or edicts going out to employees to ensure no one uses the word "Christmas", it can, at times, be a very sad state of affairs. It's up to all of us to ensure the reason for the season is not lost.

That said, it's not all bad news. Take the example of the Seaway Mall in Welland, Ontario and a local photographer looking for a chance to thank clients and say "Merry Christmas". The video is up over 14 million views on YouTube and the quiet little privately owned mall is quickly becoming a tourist destination for many.

Well, let's just say to see the story unfold, take 5 minutes to watch the video below, smile and remind yourself that the miracle of Christmas can still unfold all around us.

An Advent Tradition

As we move well into Advent with the second candle lit, there are certain traditions that one comes to expect with the impending birth of the Christ child.

One that is certainly worth checking out is the annual Christmas Concert put on by St. Michael's Choir School at Toronto's historic Massey Hall. This year's concert will include a mix of well-loved sacred and secular carols, including Vaughan Williams' Fantasia on Christmas Carols and Ding Dong! Merrily on High.

Concerts take place on Friday, December 10 at 7:30 p.m. and Saturday, December 11 at 2:00 p.m. Special guests this year include the Schola Cantorum Strings.

Tickets can be obtained by calling (416) 872-4255 or by visiting www.masseyhall.com

Another interesting performance though perhaps not as widely known will take place at Holy Name Catholic Church (Danforth Ave. & Pape Ave.) on Tuesday, December 14 at 7:30 p.m. Cardinal Carter Academy for the Arts presents its fifth annual Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.

This celebration of Christmas follows the traditional format made famous by King's College, Cambridge. The story of our salvation, from the fall of humanity, to the promise of the prophecies, to the birth of Jesus, is proclaimed in scripture and song.

The choral group, comprised of 145 students from Cardinal Carter, offer anthems, hymns and carols under the direction of teachers Mark Huang and Eric Hauser. All are welcome for this beautiful, prayerful and inspiring start to the Christmas season. General admission costs $10. For further information and tickets, contact: mark.huang@tcdsb.org or eric.hauser@tcdsb.org.

With snow falling and December days moving ever closer to the 25th, 'tis the season to sing, reflect and, most importantly, remember the reason for the season.

Photos: Archdiocese of Toronto, Flickr

12 People At Mass = Super Bowl!

As we turn the page on November, we recount the visit of two of Canada's missionary bishops to the Archdiocese of Toronto, here on an "awareness tour", speaking to countless congregations, service clubs and other groups that were interested in hearing more about their important work. We mentioned in this space the hope that we could garner some secular media coverage to help get their message out to those not necessarily aware of the challenges facing our missionary bishops.

Below you'll find Charles Lewis' National Post story from Monday of this week. Still crossing our fingers that we'll see something in the Globe & Mail before year's end. No - these stories don't just end up in the paper - proactive media relations is something that every organization, church included, need to devote time, effort and resources to every week. Take particular note of our "northern wilderness" in the pic below (created just behind a parking lot close to the Catholic Pastoral Centre - sometimes you have to get creative)...The Post story appears below.

They live an 8,100-kilometre drive apart and the history and geography of their respective lands could hardly be more different than any two places in Canada — at least on the surface.

Bishop Gary Gordon of Whitehorse and Archbishop Martin Currie of St. John’s and Grand Falls both deal with the vagaries of extreme weather and traversing great distances to bring the faith to handfuls of Catholics in remote communities in their dioceses. They share a deep love for their adopted homes, and revel in the natural beauty and peace of the landscapes they constantly traverse. But they are realists who understand how tough it can be to be a priest in places where isolation, cold, alcoholism and domestic discord, brought on by men leaving for months at a time to make a living, are constant problems.

Added to that, they both struggle getting the right men into the priesthood and overcoming the legacies of the sexual abuse that had specific histories in each place.

“Necessity is the mother of invention,” said Bishop Gordon. “That’s been a healthy thing. We’re the leading edge of the wedge in finding new ways of bringing the Church to the people.”

The two bishops were in Toronto this week visiting the office of the Catholic Missions in Canada, the group that funds 90% of the activities in Newfoundland and the Yukon.

Bishop Gordon came to the Yukon 10 years ago after former bishop Thomas Lobsinger was killed piloting his own plane. It was a tragic event but it inadvertently paved the way for Bishop Gordon to leave Vancouver and find a “dream” location in which to minister, albeit one that was severely under-manned.

“The transition from having 22 priests in the 1970s and 1980s to having four priests two years ago has created a huge gap between the expectations of parishioners and what we’re able to deliver,” Bishop Gordon said. “That meant that many of the 22 missions would only have mass once every three months.”

In the past two years he received four new priests, which means mass can be served at least once a month in the remote communities outside of Whitehorse. But he constantly has to tell parishes that they will have to develop lay leadership because new priests are not coming anytime soon.

For Archbishop Currie, who from rural Nova Scotia, the cultural transition to Newfoundland was not as great but he still had to face a staffing crisis, one that had started years before.

Over the past few decades, for example, 14 priests in Grand Falls — 40% of all the priests in that area — left the priesthood.

“We never really recovered from the loss of priests but the expectation remained the same. We’re relying much more on the resources of lay people and religious sisters to fill up the gaps,” Archbishop Currie said.

The Archbishop brought in six priests from the Philippines and two from Africa, but the experiment has been fraught with problems.

“They’re not sure what to do when they arrive here,” said Archbishop Currie. “They’re used to seeing big crowds in the street and overflowing churches. I’ve had to send to send one African back and the Filipinos want to move to Toronto where there is a big ethnic community. They’re not committed to the diocese they way they should be, so we have a constant turnover.”

Though Bishop Gordon has one Nigerian priest, he agrees with Archbishop Currie that the cultural challenges may be too much.

“If we get 12 people at a service in one of the missions it’s like the Super Bowl. It’s too big a shift. The cold is incredible. I have to worry about their mental, spiritual and psychological health.”

However, having Canadian priests may not be the answer either. The men who used to cover the far North, priests from the Oblate order, were tough men whose self-reliance made them ideal candidates for the North.

“I don’t want an individual priest in some of these places. The guys coming out of the seminary today don’t have what the old guys had. The young priests coming out of seminary don’t have the toughness physically, intellectually or spiritually to be by themselves.”

Bishop Gordon is looking at bringing Catholic families into remote communities, where they can take a leadership role and become the focus of the Church where there is no resident priest.

“If I have good Catholic families living the Catholic faith they’re going to be the witness that will be transformational in the community.”

In Newfoundland, the situation is a bit different because there are larger urban centres — though Archbishop Currie noted that outport communities are dying out and it is almost impossible to service those communities as it was in the past.

“So instead we are trying to get the adults to take the role of educating the young in the faith.”

Always hovering above all the best intentions of both men is the history of abuses scandals — the residential schools in the Yukon and the Mount Cashel Orphanage in Newfoundland.

“Just when you think you’re making some headway, along comes something like the Lahey issue that stirs it all up again,” Archbishop Currie said. Bishop Lahey of Nova Scotia was arrested earlier this year for allegedly having almost 1,000 child pornography images on his computer.

“We’re trying to do our best, but I now realize that there is a systemic problem in the worldwide Church that is bigger than just Newfoundland,” he said.

But at least in Whitehorse, the problem of overcoming bad memories may find a solution in the demographic shift.

In the past few years, Filipino families have come to Whitehorse and Dawson City to work in the service sectors. They are also starting to fill the churches in Whitehorse, which may have the side benefit, along with increased lay leadership, of helping the Catholic Church move out of the shadows of the residential school crisis.

“The people who are moving here don’t have any of this history,” said Bishop Gordon. “The face of the church is changing.”

Photos: National Post, Bishop Gary Gordon