Everyday For Life Canada: March 2013

A blessed Holy Week to all our readers

For Easter Sunday, the Church suggests a number of readings from the Gospel. One of them is this, "It was very early on the first day of the week and still dark, when Mary of Magdala came to the tomb. She saw that the stone had been moved away from the tomb and came running to Simon Peter and the other disciple, the one Jesus loved. ‘They have taken the Lord out of the tomb’ she said ‘and we don’t know where they have put him.’ So Peter set out with the other disciple to go to the tomb. They ran together, but the other disciple, running faster than Peter, reached the tomb first; he bent down and saw the linen cloths lying on the ground, but did not go in.

Mar

Evangelical Catholicism: a new springtime for the Church

Title: Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st-Century Church; Author: George Weigel; Publisher: Basic Books, 2013

George Weigel latest book Evangelical Catholicism: Deep Reform in the 21st Century is another great scholarly gift to the Church and a rich resource for living the Christian life. In reading this text, one senses that the author has done a great deal of homework and thank God he has.

Mar

Message to Prime Minister Stephen Harper

Dear Prime Minister Stephen Harper,

We cannot call Canada a democratic country when Tory MP Mark Warawa's Motion 408 doesn’t even make it to the House of Commons. The reason? Because it was voted down by MPs who are appointed to a Sub-Committee on Private Members’ Business. This is wrong and surely you know it.

Mar

Canada needs to stop killing innocent babies with our tax dollars

On Tuesday, March 19, the second annual Defund Abortion Rally was held at Queen's Park in Toronto. Last year there were nearly 2,000 people present. This time the number was slightly lower because of the cold, windy and snowy weather. However, they came with the strong conviction to tell the government that this moral wrong has to be ended in Ontario and the rest of Canada. The provincial government spends between $30-50 million to pay for the abortions in 2013.

Mar

Sisters of the Servants of the Lord and the Virgin Matara celebrate their 25th anniversary

We offer our warmest congratulations and blessings to all the members of the Institute Servants of the Lord and the Virgin Matara. On Saturday March 16, 2013, the Province of the Immaculate Conception celebrated a Mass of Thanksgiving for the 25th anniversary of their foundation. The celebrant was Bishop Wayne Kirkpatrick of the Archdiocese of Toronto. The Mass was held at Saint Augustine of Canterbury Church. The pastor Fr. Daniel Mentesana and the Provincial Superior of IVE Fr.

Mar

CCCB pledge "loyalty and support" to Pope Francis

The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has sent a message to congratulate and send their best wishes to Pope Francis. We post the statement in its entirety. Everyday for Life Canada also respectfully reminds the bishops of their responsibility to exercise pastoral vigilance and protect Catholic truth in our country.

Mar

We now have Pope Francis, what can we do?

Argentinian Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio is now our new Pope Francis. He becomes the 267th pope going back to St. Peter who was first chosen by Christ. He is the one who created and continues to build His Church, "And I say to you, that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church. and the gates of Hell shall not prevail against it. (Mt. 16:18) The 115 cardinals making up the Conclave reached a decision on the fifth ballot.

Mar

Confession: today's most misunderstood and undervalued sacrament

In today's world, to suggest to anybody including those in our own families that they go to confession, is to risk being met with criticism or outright dismissal, unless of course one already goes to confession. One big obstacle to returning to the confessional is the plain fact that many of the faithful no longer receive the sacrament on a regular basis. Many Christians have embraced the secular world of self-forgiveness.

Mar

Canada: is it the end of freedom of speech in Canada?

The recent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada against Bill Whatcott, from Saskatchewan, signals another step towards the end of free speech and religious freedom in Canada. The six-judge panel issued an unanimous decision against Whatcott. A complaint had been filed before the Saskatchewan Human Rights Commission by four people. Why? Because Whatcott had distributed flyers in the community against homosexuality.

Mar

Does the OCT really want to protect children from sexual abuse?

The Ontario College of Teachers is the body that licenses, governs and regulates the teaching profession in Ontario. In the March 2013 issue of Professionally Speaking, OCT's monthly magazine sent to teachers in the province, twelve cases are cited that were heard by the Discipline Committee. Regular hearings are held with three-member panels to decide whether there is enough evidence against teachers for alleged incompetence or professional misconduct.