Shepherds on the move in Quebec...

The church in Quebec has been blessed with new leadership this past week with the announcement that two of Quebec City's auxiliary bishops will be taking up new posts, one not having to leave the diocese and the other, heading to former Quebec Cardinal Marc Ouellet's original spiritual home.

Quebec Auxiliary Bishop Gilles Lemay heads to the Diocese of Amos, where the present head of the Vatican's Congregation for Bishops (Cardinal Ouellet) spent his early years and completed his education degree. The February 23rd announcement was an early birthday present for the new ordinary, who turned 63 the following day.

The second, more high profile posting elevates Quebec auxiliary Bishop Gérald Cyprien Lacroix (pictured above) to Archbishop of Quebec with the additional title of Primate of Canada (this Archbishop always has that title as he shepherds the birthplace of our faith in Canada).

Archbishop-designate Lacroix has served as Diocesan Administrator since August of 2010, elected to the post by his peers following the departure of Cardinal Ouellet to Rome. At ease in either official language, his studies and pastoral work have taken him everywhere from Quebec to Colombia and New Hampshire. Named an auxiliary bishop in 2009, at 53, he remains one of the youngest bishops in the country, allowing him to settle in for what many (barring Vatican appointments) would anticipate to be a lengthy stay in this important role. He also heads to the front of the line (or back of it as processions go) when attending any function where Canadian bishops process by order of precedent. His installation will take place on March 25th.

Interesting tidbit - Archbishop-designate Lacroix, following the media announcement from the diocese, launched his Twitter feed - if you're a social media junkie, you can follow his tweets here.

For those monitoring other moves in Quebec, more than half of the province's 19 ordinaries (including Cardinal Turcotte in Montreal) will reach the age of retirement (75) in the next two years so the deck will be shuffling significantly in the months ahead. With Cardinal Ouellet overseeing the final recommendation of bishops to the Holy Father in Rome, it will be interesting to see how the landscape evolves in a province that is fighting an increasingly secular influence, a sad state for many where religious ties to education, social service and overall presence in the public square continue to be diluted.

For all those who are tirelessly working to fight the good fight in Quebec and for its newest shepherds, we offer our prayers and best wishes...

Photo: Archdiocese of Quebec

Vatican Releases Annual Global Stats...

For the statisticians among us, you'll be interested in the annual pontifical yearbook, the "Annuario Pontificio" that was released Monday morning in Vatican City, complete with press conference and the release of the main highlights.

The annual report gives us an opportunity to look at the global church and the numbers associated with our family of faith. Here are some of the key stats, courtesy Vatican Information Service:

The number of Catholics in the world increased from around 1,166 million in 2008 to 1,181 million in 2009, an increase of fifteen million faithful which corresponds to a growth of 1.3 percent.

The distribution of Catholics between the continents is notably different from that of the general population. Between 2008 and 2009 the Americas maintained their proportion of the global population fixed at 13.6 percent; by contrast, over that two-year period Catholics there reached 49.4 percent of the Catholic population of the world.

Over the same period, Asia's Catholic population increased from 10.6 percent to 10.7 percent of the world total, considerably lower than the 60.7 percent of the global population living in that continent. Europe's share of the world population is three percentage points lower than that of the Americas, but its share of world Catholics is nearly half that of the Americas, at 24 percent.

For States in both Africa and Oceania, their share of the world population differs little from their share of the world Catholic population (respectively, 15.2 percent and 0.8 percent).

The note also indicates that the number of bishops grew between 2008 and 2009 from 5,002 to 5,065. As for priests, both regular and diocesan, their numbers have increased over the last ten years from 405,178 in 2000 to 410,593 in 2009, although their distribution differs considerably from continent to continent.

Numbers of diocesan clergy are falling in Europe and increasing in all the other continents, while numbers of religious clergy are in general decline, with the exception of Asia and Africa.

Numbers of permanent deacons have increased by 2.5 percent, from 37,203 in 2008 to 38,155 in 2009. Their presence grew more rapidly in Oceania (19 percent) and in Asia (16 percent), while in Europe and America the increase was of 2.3 percent and 2.6 percent, respectively.

Among the pastoral workers who assist bishops and priests in their activities, female religious remain the largest group, although their numbers fell from 739,067 in 2008 to 729,371 in 2009. The crisis continues despite the fact that numbers have increased in Africa and Asia.

The number of candidates to the priesthood grew by 0.82 percent, from 117,024 in 2008 to 117,978 in 2009. Here too the different continents show a different evolution, for while in Africa and Asia numbers grew by 2.39 percent and 2.2 percent, respectively, in Europe and America they fell by 1.64 percent and 0.17 percent.

While the global church intersects on numerous issues for many of us, the reality of our day to day experience usually is that of the local diocese. It's helpful to take a look at the "big" picture from time to time to see where the Catholic church is most relevant in terms of growth and/or decline.

Some food for thought and a good reminder of just how large a family we are...

Photo: CNN

Let there be (solar panel) Light!

The Diocese of Saskatoon, Saskatchewan is currently working to build a new cathedral with a price tag of close to $30 million. Undertaking a massive build like this presents its own challenges, yet the diocese is working to ensure the project is as "green" as possible. The intersection of technology with art and faith is commendable and the construction is attracting the interest of both religious and secular media, in particular on one aspect of the development believed to be a first in North America.

Catholics are accustomed to magnificent stained-glass windows adorning cathedrals around the world. But Saskatoon's cathedral will include solar cells embedded in the stained-glass, drawing enough natural sunlight to power five homes for a year. It's believed that the Saskatoon cathedral will be the first church in North America to employ the technology.

Interesting fact you might not be aware of: the city of Saskatoon enjoys more hours of sunshine than any city in Canada with an average of 2381 hours annually. Not a bad place to introduce solar panels...

Toronto based artist Sarah Hall, known for her artwork in churches throughout the world, used 54 panels to create three large sections representing the Prairie sky.

The cathedral, scheduled to open its doors this November, will be 65,000 square feet, able to accommodate seating for 1,200 and will include the offices for the diocese with plenty of meeting space - a hall with seating for 400 expandable to 600 for diocesan functions. In addition, its closest neighbour is St. Joseph Catholic High School. You can find architecture plans and more on the extensive cathedral website here.

If you want to chart the construction of the cathedral with a live webcam of the construction site (refreshed every 30 seconds), click here - see the pic below for an example.

Many readers will remember that the Vatican recently installed 2,000 solar panels on a number of properties. Locally, many refer to St. Gabriel's Parish in North York as the "green church", opened in November 2006 and designated as the first church in Canada to meet the stringent requirements for Leadership in Energy and Environment Design silver certification. The certification means the building has a 40 percent reduction in energy consumption over a standard modern church built to code.

Below you'll find a simple YouTube clip (3 min.) from the Saskatoon diocese with additional info and pics of the stained glass. A second video (just over a minute) shows the cross raising ceremony for the new cathedral in a video that, if you fear heights or potentially falling crosses, is not for the squeamish.

Congrats to the catholic community out west and all those involved in the construction of the soon to be mother church of Saskatoon. And by the way, even more miraculous - the project is on schedule and budget. Now that's divine intervention!





Photos: Diocese of Saskatoon

Dear TD Canada Trust: I'm Confused...

Dear TD Canada Trust,

We’ve been together for a long time, more than three decades. I guess you could say we know each other pretty well. I feel like I’ve invested a lot in this relationship and I think we’ve been open and honest with each other. I didn’t think you’d spring something so big on me without talking about it first - and so close to Valentine’s Day, too.

I mean, opening your doors on Sunday is a pretty big deal! I didn’t even receive a text message from you about it… instead, I had to read it in the newspaper.

You see, I’m a Christian. For my family and a whole lot of others in this relationship, Sunday is a special day, a day like no other. I know a lot of people in our world don’t see it like that. I respect their beliefs but at the same time, I thought you were different. Remember those 10 commandments? You’ve always seen the importance of “thou shalt not steal.” What about “Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy?” It may not be as trendy for you now but it’s still right there in the top 10.

When I was six and we first met, you made a really big deal over my first deposit of twenty-three cents. I looked up to you in those days. Over the years, though, you didn’t seem to want to look me in the eye. You gave me cards and encouraged me not to enter past the bank machines, suggested I pay bills over the phone and, later, on the computer. At times you wouldn’t even take my calls, leaving me on hold, just waiting...toying with my emotions.

Remember when Sunday was about going to church as a family, having breakfast together, talking about the Saturday night hockey game and planning something fun to do for the day? You took a break on Sunday, and so did I. Maybe it was tobogganing, building a tree-house. And honestly, not once did we seem to miss each other.

Sunday is still a special day for me, and for millions of other people across the country, including many who will be asked to work in the 300 banks you’re opening on Sundays as of this week. It won’t be a special day for them anymore, just another work day. Will you make more money? I bet you will. But then again, with profits upwards of $4.5 billion in 2010, how much is enough? Did your friends put you up to this? It just doesn’t seem like something you’d do, at least not that someone I met 30 years ago. Maybe we’ve just drifted apart…

I’m sorry TD, maybe we need to take a break and see other people. Don’t worry I won’t make it messy. I’ll always respect you but I’m not sure we share the same values anymore. You take your $4.5 billion, I’ll take the 23 cents and the Sundays too. And when it’s all over, I’ll look back at those great Sunday memories with family and you’ll be able to count your cash.

Somehow I think I’ll end up the rich one…

Sincerely,

Customer 415622662, formerly known as Neil

Archdiocese Introduces Marriage Sunday

This weekend, February 12/13, will see Archbishop Collins' inaugural "Marriage Sunday" weekend held throughout the Archdiocese of Toronto. The initiative, already present in many dioceses througout North America in conjunction with "World Marriage Day", provides an opportunity to highlight the tremendous contributions made by married couples across the Archdiocese.

We've put together a small website: www.archtoronto.org/marriage that provides both parishes and couples with resources celebrating the sacrament and providing tips, advice and other information on everything from marriages looking for a "tune up" to church documents on the sacrament.

With limited lead time in 2011, the hope is that parishes will find simple ways to acknowledge the celebration this year (General Intercessions, Blessings, etc.) with an opportunity to explore additional initiatives down the road. Next door, the Diocese of Hamilton hosts an annual gathering where those celebrating milestone anniversaries are honoured.

In a world that seems to place an emphasis on the material accumulation of wealth and possesions, with little need for committed, life-long relationships, it's important for the church to seize opportunities to celebrate and affirm those who have said "yes" to a lifetime commitment, serving as the compass for our families, raising children and weaving the thread of faith through households across our Archdiocese.

South of the border, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops announced in 2004 a serious commitment to supporting married couples in a faith context. As part of their national pastoral initiative, from 2005 through 2011 the bishops have offered guidance and pastoral resources to promote and strengthen marriage. There's an extensive website, foryourmarriage.org which includes a host of practical resources and tools for couples to utilize. They also produced a number of short videos (see one example below) asking people on the street, "What have you done for your marriage today?"

So as we embark on our first Marriage Sunday, we give thanks for the sacrament of marriage, married couples and all those who support them on the journey. At your parish this weekend, it's an opportunity to congratulate and thank a married couple for saying "I do". We're certainly glad they did!

Photo: Archdiocese of Toronto

How to disagree with civility & respect...

From the desk where this author sits, a good chunk of time each week is devoted to hearing from (usually) Catholics with inquiries on any number of topics. Most conduct themselves respectfully and allow for a civil exchange of ideas where, while not always agreeing, one can hang up the phone, hit "send" on an email or walk a visitor to the elevator and agree that the exchange was worthwhile and respectful, even if there was disagreement on an issue.

Yet it still amazes me that a significant percentage of those with whom I deal use words that could only charitably be described as uncharitable. Without providing examples, while extremely tempting, I think I'll leave it at that...

Whether it be mainstream media, in person, email, phone, blogs or other social communication, there are more opportunities than ever for people to share their views in the public square - that is something that should be embraced. Yet how those views are presented demonstrate a lot about an individual or organization. With little or no editor or "filter" in many cases, it is disheartening to see how we can be reduced to petty gossip, name calling, inaccurate labels or conspiracy theory speculation without any evidence to back the claims up. Sadly, within our own catholic community, this epidemic is present even rampant in many circles.

Earlier this month, one of North America's newest cardinals, His Eminence Donald Cardinal Wuerl, shared his thoughts on the topic, originally in his diocesan paper (The Catholic Standard) and later, elevated to the pages of the Washington Post. No one is in a more difficult spot than the cardinal at the centre of politics in the United States, bombarded by all sides as not saying enough, saying too much or playing both sides. His piece, which appears below, should be required reading for every Catholic, especially those who purport to be THE authority on any number of topics. Let's keep the Cardinal's words in mind as we move foward with a respectful, civil discourse...

Civil discourse: Speaking truth in love

Cardinal Donald Wuerl, Archbishop of Washington, D.C.

The preacher's pulpit, the politician's podium and the print and electronic media all bear some responsibility to encourage a far more civil, responsible and respectful approach to national debate and the discussion of issues in our country today.

Over and over again, we are hearing, in the wake of the shooting of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords, that it is time to examine the tenor and tone of debate. Sadly, it took something as tragic as the Tucson shooting to generate a conversation about how we debate issues, especially those that engender great emotion.

A wise and ancient Catholic maxim has always insisted that we are to "hate the sin and love the sinner." At the heart of this time-honored wisdom is the simple recognition that some things are wrong and yet we still distinguish between what is done and who does it.

Increasingly, there is a tendency to disparage the name and reputation, the character and life, of a person because he or she holds a different position. The identifying of some people as "bigots" and "hate mongers" simply because they hold a position contrary to another's has unfortunately become all too commonplace today. Locally, we have witnessed rhetorical hyperbole that, I believe, long since crossed the line between reasoned discourse and irresponsible demagoguery.

It should not be acceptable to denounce someone who favors immigration reform that includes the process to citizenship as a "traitor" and "unpatriotic." The representatives in federal and state government who voted against the District of Columbia Opportunity Scholarship Program or against tax credits for Catholic schools educating minority children should not be labeled in the media as "anti-Catholic bigots" or "racists" since the majority of the children are African American. People and organizations should not be denounced disparagingly as "homophobic" simply because they support the traditional, worldwide, time-honored definition of marriage. The defaming words speak more about political posturing than about reasoned discourse.

Why is it so important that we respect both our constitutional right to free speech and our moral obligation that we not bear false witness against another? A profoundly basic reason is that we do not live alone. While each of us can claim a unique identity, we are, nonetheless, called to live out our lives in relationship with others -- in some form of community.

All human community is rooted in this deep stirring of God's created plan within us that brings us into ever-widening circles of relationship: first with our parents, then our family, the Church and a variety of community experiences, educational, economic, cultural, social and, of course, political. We are by nature social and tend to come together so that in the various communities of which we are a part, we can experience full human development. All of this is part of God's plan initiated in creation and reflected in the natural law that calls us to live in community.


What does this have to do with toning down our rhetoric? Everything! No community, human or divine, political or religious, can exist without trust. At the very core of all human relations is the confidence that members speak the truth to each other. It is for this reason that God explicitly protected the bonds of community by prohibiting falsehood as a grave attack on the human spirit. "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor" (Ex 20:16). To tamper with the truth or, worse yet, to pervert it, is to undermine the foundations of human community and to begin to cut the threads that weave us into a coherent human family.

The call to truthfulness is far from being a denial of freedom of speech. Rather, it is a God-given obligation to respect the very function of human speech. We are not free to say whatever we want about another, but only what is true. To the extent that freedom is improperly used to sever the bonds of trust that bind us together as a people, to that extent it is irresponsible. The commandment that obliges us to avoid false witness also calls us to tell the truth. We, therefore, have an obligation to ascertain that what we say or hear or read is really the truth.

Someone once described a "gossip" as a person who will never tell a lie if a half-truth will do as much harm. When we listen to news accounts or read what is presented in the print and electronic media, we are too often reminded that spin, selecting only some of the facts, highlighting only parts of the picture, has replaced too often an effort to present the facts -- the full story. We all know the tragic results of gossip against which there is little or no defense. In an age of blogs, even the wildest accusations can quickly become "fact." Gossip is like an insidious infection that spreads sickness throughout the body. These untruths go unchallenged because the persons who are the object of the discussion are usually not present to defend themselves, their views or actions.

Irresponsible blogs, electronic and print media stories, and pulpit and podium people-bashing rhetoric can be likened to many forms of anonymous violence. Spin and extremist language should not be embraced as the best this country is capable of achieving. Selecting only some facts, choosing inflammatory words, spinning the story, are activities that seem much more directed to achieving someone's political purpose rather than reporting events. One side is described as "inquiring minds that want to know" and the other side as "lashing out in response."

We need to look at how we engage in discourse and how we live out our commitment to be a people of profound respect for the truth and our right to express our thoughts, opinions, positions -- always in love. We who follow Christ must not only speak the truth but must do so in love (Eph 4:15). It is not enough that we know or believe something to be true. We must express that truth in charity with respect for others so that the bonds between us can be strengthened in building up the body of Christ.

Freedom of speech and respect for others, freedom of expression and regard for the truth, should always be woven together. This should be true of everyone, whether they speak from a pulpit, a political platform, or through the electronic and print media and other means of social communications.

Photos: Ohio State University, Retuers, Catholic News Service

A Baptismal Link to our Catholic Schools

This is the time of year when school boards generally start to send out information regarding registration policies for September. Depending on where you live in the Archdiocese of Toronto, you may be in an area where school attendance at your local publicly funded Catholic school is experiencing an uptick or perhaps your locale has seen flat numbers of even a slight decline.

The Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board has come up with a unique way to invite young Catholics into the fold at a very early age. The story was recently featured in the Mississauga News and you can access it online here.

The board has been working with local parishes to develop a program that works to highlight the parish, school, home triad when families are looking to baptize their little ones. Before the infants have graduated to solids, Dufferin Peel wants to build a hearty foundation rooted in faith.

40 parishes within the board's geographic area will be sent a promotional package that is targeted at parents whose children will be baptized at local churches. Information includes a congratulatory letter from the Chair & Director of the School Board, a brochure outlining the history of Catholic education in the province, forms on how to designate their support for publicly funded Catholic schools, tips for kindergarten registration and the all important fridge magnet to keep the local catholic board front and centre in what is, for many, the meeting place for families and other communal gatherings: the kitchen.

We need to look at these creative partnership opportunities that support our faith community. At the beginning of this school year, Archbishop Collins sent a "welcome back" letter to school boards that many principals included in their first week communication home with kids. Many pastors do the same and encourage family participation in parish life each fall. You could say that most of our parishes plan their own kickoff for ministries around the school calendar.

Kudos to Dufferin Peel on this initiative. That said, all of our Catholic boards (five english and one french) throughout our Archdiocese each have their own unique and creative initiatives to weave the thread of faith through their respective schools.

On the education front, a couple of other notes which may be of interest:

Our department will be meeting this month (as we do each year) with the communication directors of all our school boards to discuss continued opportunities for partnership and collaboration. Also sitting in will be Dan Smith, who at the end of 2010 began with the Archdiocese as our Liaison for Catholic Education. Dan has extensive experience, working with the Toronto Catholic District School Board for many years, both in the classroom and as principal before taking up his current post. He also has led the music ministry in many parishes over the last 25 years. We look forward to having Dan at the table for these always fruitful discussions. We'll miss Chris Cable, who recently retired as Communications Director at York Catholic District School Board.

We offer our prayers and best wishes to outgoing Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board director, Michael O'Keefe who retired at the end of January. Mike provided solid leadership to the board for many years and will be missed (full disclosure - I will always remember him as Mr. O'Keefe, my high school principal for a short time). Mike's shoes will be capably filled by Brian Beal, the new director, who previously served as a superintendent and has more than 20 years experience in the board, not to mention significant parish involvement. Welcome Brian!

We are also pleased to see that Toronto Catholic District School Board is no longer under provincial supervision and look forward to working together in partnership in the days ahead. Thanks to Richard Alway for his steady leadership during the most recent period of supervision. Speaking of Catholic Trustees, the Ontario Catholic School Trustees Association (OCSTA) recently held a conference for elected trustees in our catholic system throughout the province. An impressive 230 of 250 trustees were in attendance. If you're ever looking for "good news" stories about our Catholic schools, check out the OCSTA Good News blog, faithfully updated by OCSTA's Coordinator of Communications & Media Relations, Sharon McMillan.

So a final reminder, if you'd like more information on the registration/admissions process at any one of our Catholic school boards, you should find relevant info prominently displayed on most board websites. For a full list of contact information and web addresses, you can access the Archdiocesan website's section on our educational partners here.

Thanks to all who continue to strengthen our faith community in our publicly funded Catholic schools. Sometimes, even if our kids aren't yet eating solid food, it still helps to set the table for the ultimate banquet...

Photos: Simcoe Muskoka CDSB, Reuters

Vatican Astronomer Streaming Live...

If the title of this post prompted you to ask yourself, "there is a Vatican astronomer?" well yes there is. Meet American Jesuit Brother Guy Consolmagno (pictured above: doesn't that just sound like an astronomer's name?), who works for the Vatican Observatory, which is actually one of the oldest astronomical research institutions in the world.

You can find this hub of research at the papal summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, Italy, just outside of Rome. The research centre where Brother Guy spends most of his time is located across the ocean here in North America at the Vatican Observatory Research Group's facilities at the University of Arizona, Tucson.

On Wednesday of this week (February 2) Brother Guy will participate in what is being billed as a "cosmic chat" to help folks learn more about the church's views as they relate to the latest scientific discoveries about our universe. You can ask questions and be part of what promises to be a most unique, creative and interactive discussion.

The link to the live chat, hosted by the Arizona Star Newspaper, can be found here and takes place at 2 p.m. EST February 2nd. So if, as predicted here in Southern Ontario, you're stuck in snow and forced indoors, what better way to spend a blustery afternoon than looking at the stars, at least through the eyes of the Vatican's "Guy" on the ground...

Photos: Vatican Observatory