Coffee, Prosecco, Beer & Church Communications

Each year, the Pope recognizes the important work of communicators both in and outside of the church through the celebration of World Communications Day. This year's celebration takes place on Sunday, June 5, utilizing the theme, "Truth, Proclamation and Authenticity of Life in the Digital Age." You can access the full message here. Here's a brief excerpt:

In the digital world, transmitting information increasingly means making it known within a social network where knowledge is shared in the context of personal exchanges. The clear distinction between the producer and consumer of information is relativized and communication appears not only as an exchange of data, but also as a form of sharing. This dynamic has contributed to a new appreciation of communication itself, which is seen first of all as dialogue, exchange, solidarity and the creation of positive relations. On the other hand, this is contrasted with the limits typical of digital communication: the one-sidedness of the interaction, the tendency to communicate only some parts of one’s interior world, the risk of constructing a false image of oneself, which can become a form of self-indulgence.

Certainly, communications over the last decade or two have changed the playing field so to speak in how we all interact with one another. Shifting to computers from the fax machine, learning to email, social networking sites allowing us to blog and tweet; Facebook suggests we can acquire "friends" by the hundreds and our personal communication devices whether they be cellphones, ipads or others mean that we are never really out of reach, accessible 24/7.

Of course with any communication comes pros and cons. How many of us have sent that email to the entire address book mistakenly or wished we had read the content of our message (not realizing the CAPS BUTTON WAS ON?) one more time before hitting "send"? Would we be comfortable speaking the words of an angry "cyber" message to someone in person? Has our reliance on technology eliminated the personal nature of our relationships? Instead of that phone call to one we settle for a mass communication that doesn't quite have that personal touch?

These are challenges we all face. At the same time, the technology allows us to reach audiences we could never have imagined, share information literally as it unfolds and use communication tools to enhance safety, respond to charitable appeals and help those in developing nations communicate in ways they'd never imagined.

At a local level, we try, each year to recognize World Communications Day by enhancing relationships with our colleagues in the secular media. A few weeks ago, we held our annual Breakfast with the Media where we invite reporters and producers working in the secular press to come together for a morning of fellowship and prayer. Hosted by the Archbishop, we try and keep the gatherings intimate - this year just over 20 people came together in the chapel at St. Basil's for such an exchange and it was a morning filled with blessings. Reps included those from the CBC, Toronto Star, National Post, Toronto Sun, Globe & Mail, 680 News to name a few.

Building relationships with those in the secular press when we're not in the midst of a story is refreshing. No one is suspicious of any "agenda", there's no specific deadline we're working towards and we can move away from the "story" and focus on listening to the individual, hearing about their families, joys and struggles in their own work and recognize that at the end of the day, these journalists are sincerely trying to do the best they can.

Apart from the secular media, there are increasingly more and more bloggers, tweeters and Facebookers out there sharing all sorts of information on any number of subjects including, of course, the Catholic Church. On the heels of the Beatification of Pope John Paul II, the Vatican held its first ever "blogfest" where they brought together 150 diverse bloggers from around the world. More than 750 applied for a space which included bloggers running the gamut: those who work for the church, priests who blog, mom bloggers, young people, insiders, outsiders, etc. etc. There was a separate "blognic" the next day in Rome, organized by bloggers who felt the Vatican meeting might be a little too formal or stuffy, held at a local pub where the beer flowed freely and 25 or so had the chance to reflect on the role of the blogosphere in the Catholic world.

I'm grateful to all those who are so passionate about the church and choose to share their thoughts and views in an open forum. There are certainly unique perspectives that come from their writings. I have no doubt that they love the church and want to see it thrive in our world. They bring their personal joys and struggles to the table and on more than one occasion, their insights have given me pause on a particular issue or provided a tangible suggestion on a way forward.

On the flip side, we've seen tangible examples where an independent blogger or tweeter could have used a filter or editor before the publish button was hit. Hitting the publish or send button has ramifications. My concern is when opinion is blended with a creative interpretation of "facts" and the line is crossed. That's when things can get tricky.

As a church communicator, we're certainly criticized from time to time from those who consider themselves independent of the church infrastructure or its protocols. How do we respond when faced with queries related to information that comes from a blog or other social media? On the one hand, Twitter gave us the first photograph of the US Airways flight landing in the Hudson River? On the other, it also (falsely) reported the death of Congresswomen Gabrielle Giffords, following a tragic shooting in Arizona, misinformation that was picked up and reported by mainstream media outlets. Her family heard these reports and only later learned that she had not, in fact, succumbed to her injuries. Not just an innocent "tweet" anymore.

Some Catholic blogs are intended to highlight the good works of the church, others quite openly serve as "watchdogs". My sense is that even within the blogosphere, there is not agreement on the rules of engagement so to speak. And of course, the reality for those of us working in this milieu, there just aren't enough hours in the day to have a rapid response to all that's being discussed in the social mediasphere. Somehow, I don't think those engaged are really looking for our input - we're kind of like the Vatican meeting instead of the pub. It's their freedom to express their views openly and candidly that they most relish. And through all the challenges, let's celebrate the fact that people are engaged about their faith, one way or the other. Having said that, the Holy Father's words seem like a good guide in how we approach the medium.

Another snip from Pope Benedict's World Communications Day message:

In the final analysis, the truth of Christ is the full and authentic response to that human desire for relationship, communion and meaning which is reflected in the immense popularity of social networks. Believers who bear witness to their most profound convictions greatly help prevent the web from becoming an instrument which depersonalizes people, attempts to manipulate them emotionally or allows those who are powerful to monopolize the opinions of others. On the contrary, believers encourage everyone to keep alive the eternal human questions which testify to our desire for transcendence and our longing for authentic forms of life, truly worthy of being lived. It is precisely this uniquely human spiritual yearning which inspires our quest for truth and for communion and which impels us to communicate with integrity and honesty...

...When people exchange information, they are already sharing themselves, their view of the world, their hopes, their ideals. It follows that there exists a Christian way of being present in the digital world: this takes the form of a communication which is honest and open, responsible and respectful of others.

We're not just communicators, we're Christian communicators and it should show in how we treat one another. Perhaps we can find inspiration in St. Francis de Sales, patron saint, among others, of communicators. Pope Clement VIII once told St. Francis, "Drink, my son, from your cistern, and from your living wellspring; may your waters issue forth, and may they become public fountains where the world may quench its thirst."

There's a lot of thirsty folks out there. So whether you're having coffee over breakfast at St. Basil's church hall, sampling prosecco at a Vatican meeting on the blogosphere or sipping pints at the Rome blognic, may all our drinks be filled with honesty and openness, responsibility and respect. I'll drink to that...

Photos: Zazzle, Matsu

The Faithful Clean Up After the Storm...

No doubt people are aware of the tragic weather related destruction that has taken place in the last week or so. In Canada, we've seen stories about the fires in Slave Lake, Alberta, flooding in Manitoba and Quebec and of course, tornado activity leaving a trail of damage in Missouri and other parts of the United States.

At the National Prayer Breakfast in Ottawa last week, I spoke with numerous faith communities who had mobilized to provide outreach to those impacted by theses tragedies. When disaster strikes, it is often faith based organizations who are the first in and last out, offering assistance, facilities and mobilizing their extensive network of resources to provide a helping hand.

In the midst of these tragedies, we can't forget that there are many churches in the path of destruction. As large, mostly one or two level structures, they are most vulnerable when this type of weather hits.

You can follow some real time updates about the mass impact from the Joplin, Missouri tornadoes by following the Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau website (the diocese supports the Catholic faithful of Southern Missouri).

Below you'll see a picture of the local catholic church in Joplin, St. Mary's which, along with the local school and hospital suffered significant damage.



The diocese has been able to confirm that Fr. Justin Monaghan, pastor of St. Mary's is safe and being cared for by his parish community. The diocesan webpage provided an update on the displaced priest:

"Fr. Justin is doing ok. All he has left is a plastic trash bag with some things in it and his golf clubs with an Easter egg from somewhere lodged in the handle. He is riding back to Springfield later today and will spend a few days with his brother, Fr. Fergus Monaghan at Holy Trinity.

When asked host much warning he had before the tornado hit, he said he thought about 10 seconds. He heard the sound and felt the pressure of furniture moving toward him so he jumped in the bathtub. He looks at the bathtub and says, "I don't know how I ever survived."

These tales of pain, hope and survival have been all too real in the last number of days for so many who have been impacted by these powerful weather related tragedies.

Let us keep all those who have lost loved ones, who have been uprooted from their homes and will need to rebuild anew in our prayers. In the midst of it all, our faith rises to the surface, offering comfort, care and a companion to those who have lost so much. With 66 parishes, 18 missions, 66,000 Catholics and close to 5,000 friends on his Facebook page, Bishop James Johnston of Springfield-Cape Girardeau will, no doubt be mobilizing many in his community to offer their support and tangible assistance in the days ahead.

May the storm soon pass and the light of Christ shine through the devastation.

Photos: CP, Diocese of Springfield-Cape Girardeau

Praying for and with our Political Leaders

It's often been said that faith and politics aren't able to intersect. It's not often we see our elected officials speaking from a faith perspective and it seems that any reference to faith is usually squashed by our increasingly secular influences.

That said, the last two days in Ottawa have provided an opportunity for faith and politics to intersect in a respectful and dignified way.

For the past 46 years, faith leaders and their political counterparts have come together in an expression of mutual respect and support through the National Prayer Breakfast. A description of the event from this year's program:

The purpose of the National Prayer Breakfast (NPB) is to invite leaders to meet in the spirit of Jesus Christ in order to pray together. At the heart of the NPB is a small group of Parliamentarians from different political parties who meet for breakfast each Wednesday morning while Parliament is in session. The annual NPB is more visible, but the weekly meetings are far more significant. The weekly meetings provide opportunities for deeper friendships to flourish and grow.

In these non-partisan gatherings, members are not only given the chance to know one another better, but also have an opportunity to recognize the presence of God in one another. The exercise of effective political leadership has always demanded that such positive relationships need to be fostered across party lines.

The purpose of the Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast is to call men and women to God, and then to entrust them with the application of what it means to live out God's grace as leaders. The Prayer Breakfast is not a lobby group, which seeks to influence policy even when legislation before Parliament involves very controversial issues. It is not the aim of the Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast Group to influence the thinking of others towards any particular political viewpoint, but instead there is a trust in the workings of God, that as we love and pray for one another, the Holy Spirit will work in our lives to help us grow as women and men who love mercy, seek justice and humbly walk with God.

...Finally, the goal of the Parliamentary Prayer Breakfast Group in Ottawa is all about reaching out to political opponents. It also means reaching out to Christians of various theological backgrounds. It means reaching out with respect and love to people from different faith groups. In this way, Jesus' teachings and his way of life are witnessed in quiet and life-changing ways."

Now if only we could use the principles in the goals of the breakfast and apply them to Question Period and how our political officials conduct themselves in the House of Commons. We'll leave that for another day...

Wednesday evening is traditionally the Leadership Dinner where faith representatives from across the country come together. More than 500 were in attendance - I had a chance to chat with faith leaders from many different denominations as well "normal folks" drawn to the dinner because of the important role faith plays in their own lives. The "leaders" are varied in their roles - they may be bishops, pastors, committed members of a faith community so in that way, we are all seen as leaders.


The dinner included a keynote talk from retiring Member of Parliament, Stockwell Day. With the overall theme for the 2 days of meetings drawing on "Be Not Afraid", Mr. Day spoke of his own personal and political career, how faith intersected at key moments in the journey and how we must all remember how important it is to be driven by our faith in all that we do.

He also reminded those in attendance that, yes, they would be misquoted, taken out of context and ridiculed from time to time. He indicated that even the ultimate leader, Jesus Christ, likely had some heated discussions with his "caucus", the 12 disciples. Remarking that the "scribes" may have have misquoted Jesus a time or two, he suggested that we're in good company. Mr. Day recounted how at times it's not easy for politicians who feel they may not be appreciated or thanked, only critiqued when something goes awry. He recalled Jesus healing the lepers and that only one out of 10 came back to thank him. "If Jesus only got 10% approval, we shouldn't be complaining. That's not why we do it. So we need to dust ourselves off and get back to work."

Thursday morning's prayer breakfast, attended by well over 600 people, drew a head table that included the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, Chief of Defence General Walter Natynczyk and representatives from the Conservative, Liberal and New Democratic Parties. Each party had the chance to read a passage from scripture and provide a brief reflection - in some ways a bit like Lectio Divina, political style. Music, including hymns like Be Not Afraid, was provided by Christ Church Cathedral Girls' Choir and the Senate Page Ensemble - a group of university students currently serving as Pages in the Senate who brought their musical talents together in a faith setting.

Keynote speaker on Thursday was Dr. Victor Ling, a Chinese immigrant to Canada who is now one of Canada's top cancer researchers, recognized throughout the world for his contributions to fighting the disease.

He spoke prophetically about his upbringing, truly embracing his faith and the role it has played in his work. He also movingly discussed his own sister and her battle with breast cancer, ultimately calling her home to God at the age of 45 with five children left behind. For the man who spent an entire adult lifetime fighting the disease, he was just as vulnerable as any other walking with a loved one through those final days and handing them over to God.

It was an inspiring morning for people of faith and you wish you could see more non-partisan opportunities like this for people to come together for mutual support, prayer and reflection. Political life is not easy: it's full of difficult decisions, time away from family and tremendous pressure.

Events like these show the human face of many of our leaders, a face we wish we could see more often. In the same way, we need to keep them in our thoughts and prayers as they weigh the difficult decisions that face them each day.

Over the past couple of days in Ottawa, you might say, we were all well fed - the soul is still digesting the wisdom of all that has unfolded. Hopefully there's a little more good will in the nation's capital today and a little less fear...

Location:Ottawa

Blockbuster Trade - 29 Priests on the Move!

Trade deadline for the NHL comes at the end of February/early March annually. For the Catholic faithful in the Archdiocese of Toronto, post-Easter brings with it the anticipation of our own version of the "trade" deadline. This time of year, you might say that the most anticipated communication from the Archdiocese for many a priest and lay person alike are the clergy appointments that take effect the end of June.

The comings and goings of our priests have a significant impact on parish life and there's good reason that parishioners are passionate about learning who will be the shepherd to lead their faith family for the coming months and years. While we can smile at the "trade analogy" it's serious business to fill the important pastoral vacancies that present themselves each year.

For those not necessarily familiar with the process, pastors generally remain in their parishes for between 6-12 years. It's healthy for all involved after this period to enter into a new experience - for the priest: a new parish family, different pastoral setting, opportunities/challenges that are unique to a new appointment. For parishioners: to experience the leadership and unique pastoral qualities that each individual priest brings to the faith community. The 6-12 year guideline is usually followed - of course there are exceptions, depending on the pastoral needs of the community and/or the priest in question. Some are called to other assignments, say teaching at the seminary or asked to help in the construction of a new church, others may request a brief sabbatical while others still may have health or other personal issues that would limit their ability to serve in a parish setting.

The same can be said for Associate Pastors, who play an enormous role in parish life. All newly ordained priests in the Archdiocese of Toronto become Associate Pastors for a number of years, getting a chance to "learn the ropes" so to speak and experience parish life with a mentor and colleague from whom they can gain valuable experience. Associate Pastors may also come to us from outside of the Archdiocese or through a transitionary period while some may have requested or been given an "Associate" assignment due to age, health reasons or because they have other pastoral duties outside of the parish.

Finally, an "Administrator" may be appointed to fill a temporary posting, again, for any number of reasons. This year we have one administrator appointed who has taken on responsibility for a number of parishes in the northern region of our diocese for a year long period to help assess the pastoral needs of this region moving forward.

Now consider yourself Msgr. Marco Laurencic, the Director of the Archdiocesan Office of Clergy Personnel or perhaps a better term would be the "Director of Scouting and Player Personnel" for the Archdiocese. He's tasked with ensuring the holes are all filled and that the pastoral needs of every one of our 220+ parishes are met. No easy task when one considers we celebrate Mass in more than 30 languages every week, that many parishes have as many as 7 or 8 parish schools along with many other demands. Factor into that the compatability of priests living together in residence, personality traits (remember your college roomates?), etc. etc. and it's essentially one big puzzle that needs to be completed each spring time (and in between as needs present themselves).

Msgr. Marco also works with a Personnel Board of priests to help advise and provide insight regarding potential moves. Bear in mind, most of the appointments below are diocesan priests - we also have a considerable number of religious order parishes (Basilian, Jesuit, Franciscan, etc.) who have their own internal moves based on the needs of the religious community. These priests most often will not travel from parish to parish within a diocese but often times from country to country. We have also seen most recently a few parishes previously led by religious orders that are now asking that diocesan priests provide pastoral leadership due to lack of available clergy. So in short, a complex task.

Transitions can provide new life-giving opportunities but can also be stressful for some. Please offer your prayers for all those calling a new community "home" this June, for the people they leave behind and those whom they will encounter. Be sure to give Father time to find his new parking space before providing a 34 point plan for your parish vision over the next 25 years...

Below you'll find the appointments by name of priest, new parish assignment and date the official move takes place. I'm told there are still a small number of moves that are not included but will be announced shortly - these cover the bulk of them. If you've never taken the time to thank a priest for his work in your parish community, make sure you do it before he packs up!

Appointed as Pastor
Fr. Dominic Barber, St Patrick, Markham, June 30/11
Fr. Augustine Chan, Holy Cross , Toronto, June 30/11
Fr. Peter Jae Choi, St. Francis de Sales, Ajax, June 30/11
Fr. Paul Dobson, St. Isaac Jogues, Pickering, June 30/11
Fr. Roy Farrell, St. Lawrence Martyr, Scarborough, June 30/11
Fr. Peter Gitendran, Our Lady of Good Health, Toronto, June 30/11
Fr. Sean Lee Lung, St. Timothy, Orangeville, June 30/11
Fr. Roy Roberts, St. Elizabeth Seton, Newmarket, June 30/11
Fr. Lorenzo Salandanan, Our Lady of the Airways, Mississauga, June 30/11
Fr. Peter Tammearu, St. Patrick, Phelpston, June 30/11

Appointed as Administrator
Fr. James Saginario, St. John the Evangelist, Waubaushene, June 30/11

Appointed as Associate Pastor (* denotes newly ordained priest)
Fr. Derek Ali, St. Justin Martyr, Unionville, June 30/11
Fr. Russell Asche*, St. Patrick, Markham, June 30/11
Fr. Roselle Cyrille Azares, St. Michael’s Cathedral, June 30/11
Fr. Luis Calleja, Nativity of Our Lord, Etobicoke, June 30/11
Fr. Godofredo Claudio, St. Anselm, Toronto, June 30/11
Fr. Silvio Eljuga, St. Ignatius Loyola, Mississauga, June 30/11
Fr. Mounir El-Rassi, Holy Family, Whitby, June 30/11
Fr. Alan Glass, St. Mary, Barrie, June 30/11
Fr. Joe Gorman, Our Lady of Grace, Aurora, June 30/11
Fr. Michael Holmes, St. Bernadette, Ajax, June 30/11
Fr. Matthias Kim, St. Joseph, Mississauga, June 30/11
Fr. Eric Mah*, Blessed Trinity, Toronto, June 30/11
Fr. Colman Mruma, St. Francis de Sales, Ajax, June 30/11
Fr. Joseph Nguyen, Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Toronto, June 30/11
Fr. Salvador Orara, Sts. Peter and Paul, Mississauga, June 30/11
Fr. Joselito Oriasel, St. Michael’s Cathedral, June 30/11
Fr. Allyn Rose*, St. Isaac Jogues, Pickering, June 30/11
Fr. Susai Raj Savarimuthu, St. John Fisher, Bramalea, June 30/11



Photos: BBC, Freefoto.com

3 New Priests Join the Flock...

Please keep the newest priests of the Archdiocese in your prayers as they prepare for ministry in the Archdiocese. Below you'll find info from our media release announcing this year's ordinations:

On Saturday, May 14, three new priests will be ordained for service to the Archdiocese of Toronto. His Grace, Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, will preside at the ceremony, which will take place at St. Michael’s Cathedral at 10:00 a.m. Approximately 1,000 guests are expected to attend.

Having spent no less than five years preparing for their ordination, the newest priests for the Archdiocese will each assume a role of service in one of 225 parishes, which stretch from Oshawa to Mississauga and north to Georgian Bay.

The "Class of 2011" include:

Reverend Mr. Eric Mah, 34, born in Vancouver, a former lawyer who practiced full time before entering the seminary in 2005.

Reverend Mr. Allyn Rose, 34, born and raised in Orangeville, studied accounting at the University of Windsor and entered the seminary in 2005.

Reverend Mr. Russell Asch, 39, born in Montreal, spent his formative years in England, where he studied Restoration Stone-carving and attended Bevis Marks Sephardic synagogue. He was baptized in 1997 and entered the seminary in 2004.

Prior to this year’s ordinations, the Office of Vocations will host a breakfast for current seminarians and those interested in learning more about the priesthood. After the breakfast, attendees will make their way to St. Michael’s Cathedral for the ordinations.

As one of the most diverse dioceses in the world, the Archdiocese of Toronto is home to 1.9 million Catholics, with more than 800 diocesan and religious priests providing pastoral leadership in churches throughout the GTA. Mass is celebrated each week in more than 30 different languages.

A Pope, Bin Laden & 120,000 Lost Lives...

Let's talk about life: sounds simple enough but just where do we begin? What is the value of a human life? Would we give up our own life to save another? When does life begin? If we knew when life would end for each of us, would we want to know?

Some tough questions. I can recall in my own life working alongside young people that these types of questions would often come up. They may be questions we've all asked at one point or another in our journey. As Catholics, life issues are at the core of our faith. Yet on the "secular" side of things, we need look no further than recent current events from the last several weeks to see life issues in the forefront of our daily news.

The beatification of Blessed Pope John Paul II reminded us all of a man who showed us how to live and how to die. The late Pontiff was a staunch defender of life - he very publicly lived his twilight years in full view of the world, ultimately to the point that he was unable to communicate yet still stirring passion and faith in a flock that numbered more than a billion.

Cue the next headline: the killing of Osama Bin Laden. There have been plenty of debates regarding the covert operation by American Special Forces. Were they justified in using lethal force? Is the world better off with the notorious terrorist no longer with us? Should he have been arrested as opposed to killed?

In Rome for the beatification for the late pontiff, I couldn't help but be struck by the two contrasting images that unfolded within hours of each other. Following a long Sunday of events, returning to my lodging after the beatification and Divine Mercy Sunday, I caught up on world news with the only english channel on television: CNN. Reports were flooding in regarding the death of Osama Bin Laden. The scene shifted to New York City where people had naturally gathered at the site of the former World Trade Centre, where thousands perished on 9/11.

I expected tears, a sense of relief, some closure for those impacted by the terrorist attacks of 2001. Yet what I saw (as presented by the media) were groups of mostly young men, some with beer bottles in tow, swigging a drink and chanting, "USA". When interviewed by reporters, they talked about this being a "happy day for America, now he'll rot in hell". More swigs, "USA, USA".

The scenes cut to other cities where similar visuals were playing out. I saw these images and I thought to myself, "Is this what humanity has come to? Celebrating the death of a fellow human being with a clink of a glass? Here's to the assassination!" I was disgusted. The same disgust I've felt when seeing pictures of corpses held up as trophies by extremists in other parts of the world. I always thought of those scenes playing out in a part of the world I felt I didn't know, didn't understand, that seemed so foreign to me. In this case, I felt uncomfortably close to this scene.

So there were the two images - a future saint who fostered a culture of life in most every way and cheering mobs revelling in the death of another who saw violence as his path to paradise. It truly was a tale of two cities.

The Vatican response to the death of Bin Laden from Press Secretary Fr. Frederico Lombardi:

"Osama Bin Laden - as everyone knows - has had the gravest responsibility for spreading hatred and division among people, causing the deaths of countless people, and exploiting religion for this purpose.Faced with the death of a man, a Christian never rejoices, but reflects on the serious responsibility of everyone before God and man, and hopes and pledges that every event is not an opportunity for a further growth of hatred, but of peace.”

How do we seize this as an opportunity for a growth of peace and love? Do we gravitate towards celebrating a culture of death or proclaiming through our joyful example a culture of life? Perhaps it's fitting that the annual March for Life takes place in Ottawa this week. On May 12, thousands of Canadians will gather on Parliament Hill for the annual "March", an opportunity to foster that very culture of life Blessed Pope John Paul II and others were so passionate about. Our thoughts and prayers are with the participants and organizers who work tirelessly to organize the annual gathering.

In Canada, we have no law on abortion. It's permitted at any time during a woman's pregnancy, with no restrictions whatsoever. A recent poll suggested that only 21% of Canadians are aware of this, with 41% believing that abortions are only restricted to the first trimester of a pregnancy.

Estimates put the number of lives lost to abortion each year at close to 120,000 - that's a statistic that we should have etched in our memory banks. I love my country as much as the next guy and there are all sorts of reasons to be a proud Canadian. Sadly though, I can't help but cringe every time I think of the potential of 120,000 Canadian citizens lost in our society each year through abortion.

I can't imagine many coffee breaks or social settings this past week where the topic of Bin Laden didn't come up. Yet somehow I suspect raising the issue of abortion in a secular workplace might be considered a "career limiting move". We'd rather not talk about it thank you very much. Yet maybe it's time we had some more of those difficult chats: with family members, political leaders, friends and colleagues.

Surely the value of every human life from the moment of conception to natural death trumps our disdain for the price of a litre of gas? Or is that the current state of affairs? Gosh, I hope not...

So to finish off where we began. What is the value of a human life? Whether it's Blessed Pope John Paul II, Osama Bin Laden or 120,000 unborn children in Canada each year? Is there a difference? If you're in Ottawa this week, you can ask 10,000 people what they think.

Photos: L'Osservatore Romano

Rome Wrap Up...

While the beatification of Blessed John Paul II is in the history books, we will be hearing plenty about the late Pontiff in the weeks and years to come. Thanks to all who checked in our little pilgrimage and hopefully we were able to give you some insights through our first hand experience.

The Catholic Register asked me to pen a piece reflecting on the experience. You can find it in this week's paper and seems like an appropriate missive to include in this space as well, as we say return from Rome and close the book on this pilgrimage.

***

VATICAN CITY - A pilgrimage isn’t a vacation. Big difference. I had the chance this past week to take part in a pilgrimage of faith, hope, joy and prayer. Best of all, I shared the experience with 1.5 million other Catholics, all connected by a common journey of faith: the beatification of Blessed Pope John Paul II.

Heading off to Rome to work on proactive media relations for the archdiocese of Toronto and to bring back a “taste” of the experience through blogs, tweets and video reports was our primary goal. Yet for both myself and colleague Emanuel Pires, a graphic/web designer and photographer, it was more than just work, it was a ministry, a true pilgrimage.

When learning of our pending flight to the Vatican, many people would remark, “That will be so much fun,” “You guys are going to love Rome.” Well to be honest, fun wasn’t necessarily the word that came to mind over the course of 14-hour days, sleeping on floors and functioning on three hours of sleep.

The more we reflected on the experience, the more we decided that a pilgrimage was indeed what our mission was.What we witnessed was an outpouring of love and prayer for the late pontiff. The celebrations in Rome took me back to previous encounters with the Holy Father: in the crowd at Downsview Park in 1984 for the papal visit, cramming to see over the crowds as a young boy; World Youth Day in Rome 2000, along with two million other young pilgrims from around the world. Both Emanuel and I were blessed to meet the late pontiff on separate occasions and, of course, who could forget our final encounter with him during World Youth Day 2002 in Toronto?

For many World Youth Day veterans, JPII was “our” pope, the one our generation really got to know. He was like a grandfather to us, someone who challenged us to be “saints of the new millennium,” to raise the bar and be agents of love and service.In St. Peter’s Square, more than two dozen banners depicted each year of his papacy. From the day of his surprise election, alongside Mother Teresa, surviving an assassin’s bullet, beside Gorbachev, at the Holy Door on the Jubilee year. Each moment was a reminder of the powerful legacy of Blessed John Paul II.

He was a man who showed us how to live and how to die. As I stood/sat/crammed and jostled my way through St. Peter’s Square, Emanuel remarked that he hadn’t seen crowds like this since he was in Rome for the late Holy Father’s funeral. Who can forget those final days?

I can’t think of any other global leader that would so publicly live his suffering and pain. To demonstrate to us the sanctity of life from the moment of conception to natural death. His witness to the world in his declining days was nothing short of inspirational.In many ways, a pilgrimage isn’t about us. Our small sacrifices pale in comparison to what the saints of the Church sacrificed. Yet through these uncomfortable moments, we remember that sometimes the most worthwhile experiences in life are the toughest ones.

This time around, the prayers that we brought to the Vatican for colleagues and loved ones were offered at a media tent, in the subway, waiting in line with thousands or on a long trek back home.

In some of his last reported words, Blessed Pope John Paul II proclaimed: “I have searched for you, and now you have come to me, and I thank you.”But it is we who want to thank you Il Papa, 1.5 million strong representing our global Church to say grazie, danke, merci. These words somehow don’t seem strong enough.

The late pontiff challenged us, “Do not be afraid. Do not be satisfied with mediocrity. Put out into the deep and cast out your nets.”

For several days in Rome, two fishermen from Canada went on pilgrimage and cast out their nets. By the end of the week, we were fishing with 1.5 million others. Safe to say our nets were overflowing with love. Can’t help but thinking, Papa, you were right there with us.

Catholic All Star Weekend Continues...He is Blessed!

There will be a time in our lives when each one of us is called home to God. When that day comes, let's hope that we all have the chance to experience just a fraction of the outpouring of love that we've experienced the last few days extended to the late, now Blessed John Paul II.

Any Catholic or, for that matter, person of faith who questions the sincerity of faith communities in an increasingly secular world, wonders why we need saints to help us set the bar for our own journey or for those who may just ask why do we bother, I wish you could have been in Rome today.

Getting through a crowd of 1.5 million is never an easy feat. Our day started with a 3:30 a.m. wake up and some "Christian" negotiation through a crowd that was waiting to pop their spiritual balloon that had been brought to celebrate the memory of Blessed PJPII. By just after 4:00 a.m. we had positioned ourselves in a spot that would become home for the next 8 hours.

Because of the work we're doing this week, we've been able to access the area that the media utilize. Now this doesn't make it necessarily a "cushy" experience. In place by 4 a.m. when the cold temps were still at play, we waited patiently until the 9:00 a.m. pre-program and 10:00 a.m. mass, with the arrival of Pope Benedict XVI and the opportunity to look out on a crowd that spilled out of the square, down the main Via Della Conciliazone and into numerous piazzas, squares and essentially any other nook and cranny a stone's throw from the Vatican.


As the clouds turned to sunshine at WYD 2002 in Toronto, so too did the skies turn bright as Mass began, with the beatification ceremony, described previously in these pages, taking place shortly after the opening prayers.

For some occasions, words often don't do it justice so all the pics you see here and on our commemorative site (taken by photographer extraordinaire Emanuel Pires) help bring the experience to life.

One aside for a moment. Through it all, elegance and grace epitomized our current shepherd Pope Benedict XVI. He spoke eloquently about his late friend and you could tell that there was a certain humble bit of joy taken in being the one to be able to beatify the former Pontiff. The two popes are different men but both are our spiritual shepherds and we must never forget that. I'm always moved by Benedict's words, especially when I read them over a time or two. Today's homily was no different...God bless Benedict for showing us what leadership is all about these days in Rome.



As I heard one commentator put it today, for Catholics, saints are like retiring the hockey jersey. You honor someone for their dedication, commitment, clarity, service and, in our case, shining example of faith. Most of us have our own JPII story to share, the moment that sealed the deal for us, whether or not canonization ever comes but just knowing that we were in the presence of a truly holy man who had changed the world.

When you looked around the square and saw the banners remembering each year of his pontificate, they all stood out for different reasons: surviving an assassins bullet, meeting former Russian President Gorbachev, alongside Mother Teresa, the day of his surprise election, at the Holy Door on the cusp of the New Millennium, his own journey to name saints and of course his final days. Like the all-star athlete, it's not just one quality that makes them a valuable team member, it's the whole package.

So you might say today was a day to celebrate an all star for our Catholic team. He taught us how to win, how to lose, how to play hurt and how the real superstars don't just work on making themselves better but rather, everyone around them a more valuable player on the team.



To me that's what Blessed JPII accomplished. Every Catholic, every human being for that matter was an all star in his eyes. He really did think we were all superstars - that's right. Fragile, broken and imperfect me and you. And if that's good enough for the Pope, it should certainly be good enough for everyone else.

Today our global team of more than a billion sent 1.5 million teammates to say thank you, to pray, to cheer, to cry and to thank God for the gift of our former captain who led us so faithfully through the years. I have absolutely no doubt that as the sun shone on St. Peter's today, he was thanking us right back.

One can certainly still see here in Rome that the all-star weekend continues. With Blessed John Paul II declared beatified and the final blessing of the mass given, you might say the team decided to take it to the streets of Rome and, eventually, back to their little corner of the world. Hopefully it's just an extension of a team that, while separated by distance most of the time, has moments where we all get together for the ultimate team activity: building a civilization of love, service, hope and faith. This is not a game but all too real a task for us to work together on. And every day we need to motivate ourselves to get cracking.

If you ever need a kick in the butt, consider the life of our former captain. That should be enough to inspire you...it sure was for 1.5 million today.

Location:Rome,Italy

Quick Facts About Sunday's Beatification

For those interested in the details, which are extremely important with this kind of celebration, some brief info regarding Sunday's beatification (with some pics courtesy Emanuel Pires)

- As this is Divine Mercy Sunday, the DM devotion will be recited in different languages just prior to Mass beginning. The image of Divine Mercy, carried from the church of Santo Spirito in Sassia, will be present in front of the Basilica until the beginning of Mass.

- The rite of beatification occurs during Holy Mass, immediately after the Introductory Rites and the Penitential Act. Cardinal Valiini, Vicar General of the Diocese of Rome, will ask that the beatification proceed. He will then read some biographical notes about JPII. Immediately afterward, Pope Benedict will pronounce the formula of beatification. The relics (see below) will be placed on the altar, while his image is unveiled from the central loggia of the Vatican Basilica. At the end of the rite, Cardinal Vallini will thank the Holy Father and, together with the postulator, will approach the Pope for the sign of peace. Holy Mass then continues with the sung Gloria.

At the end of Mass, the Holy Father, together with concelebrating cardinals, will go inside the Basilica for an act of veneration before the body of the new Blessed John Paul II. The bishops will venerate next and finally, the faithful (this is expected to go on through the night).

- All cardinals present also with Msgr. Mieczyslaw Mokrzycki, JPII's second personal secretary (1995 - 2005) will concelebrate with Pope Benedict XVI



- Entrance procession will start from the Bronze Door and pass through the central aisle of St. Peter's Square.

- The chalice used at the Sunday mass by Pope Benedict is the one that JPII regularly used during the last years of his pontificate.

- The chasuble and miter worn by Pope Benedict were made during JPII's pontificate and often worn by the late Pope.

- The relic that will be exhibited for veneration by the faithful is a small vial of JPII"s blood and will be brought to the altar by some young people of the diocese of Rome, a nun who served in the Papal Household during JPII's pontificate and by the sister who was miraculously cured by the new Blessed (Sr. Marie Simon-Pierre) of the Congregation of the Little Sisters of Catholic maternity, along with youth from her diocese. You'll recall Sr. Simon-Pierre is the nun miraculously cured, attributed to the intercession of the new Blessed Pope John Paul II.

- 1st reading will be in polish, psalm in latin, 2nd reading in english.

- Prayers of the faithful: spanish, french, russian, german, english.

Location:St Peter's Square,Vatican City,Vatican City