Everyday For Life Canada: September 2013

School councils must change their mandate

School parent councils in Ontario, according to government regulations, should be about "improving pupil achievement" and "enhancing" accountability. However, in reality they have not been very effective in doing either. In most cases, much of their time is spent doing fundraising, pizza lunches and improving communication between the school and the home. Principals are usually the ones who set the agenda for these councils, not the parents.

Provincial regulations state that school councils have a central role to play in trying to better both student achievement and school planning. But they focus their work instead on informing parents about school issues and community happenings. They do this through newsletters, websites and social media.

Sep

The Compendium deserves a place in our homes

Have you read the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church? It was published in Canada in 2005, and it's a much shorter version of the Catechism of the Catholic Church. It's a summary of the Catholic moral teaching and the doctrine of the faith. The Compendium is not a substitute for the Catechism but rather a complimentary text. I find it a more approachable way for the faithful and non-believers to see the richness and depth of the faith. Recently I had a chance to read it again.

Sep

Canadian Food for Children makes Toronto a better place to live

Canadian Food for Children continues its charitable work to help feed, shelter and clothe the hungry children of the world. The work begins right here in Toronto. In the Thanksgiving newsletter, the organization has sent out to its supporters a summary statement about its efforts for the past year. As of July 29, 2013, the number of shipments made to other countries totalled 186.

Sep

The news that stays news

We live in a post-modern world where everything seems to change so quickly. So much of what bombards us in the daily news covers terrible events because bad news sells. Wars, misery and conflict help the bottom line. The news of the day can anesthetize our spirit and soul too easily.

Sep

Back to school, back to what?

As we begin a new school year here in Ontario, parents should ask themselves what is it that they want the school system to be teaching their children? I taught for over thirty years with the Toronto Catholic District School Board. I was a high school teacher. I worked at De La Salle College, Jean Vanier and Dante Alighieri. In the last five years, the educational policy changes and the speed with which they have take place are unprecedented.

Sep

The hypocrisy of it all

The American people are being told by their government that there's evidence which warrants a military strike against Syria. President Barack Obama has been making the case to the world that using chemical weapons on children is crossing the so called red line. He is trying to convince the West that an immoral act has been committed by the Syrian government, and so America should respond with a military attack in order to "limit," and "degrade" Syria's military capabilities.

Sep

The essentials of Christian life in one blog entry

In reviewing the basic tenets of our faith, we can become inspired to know more about it. We may also come see the many good reasons for living it. With this in mind, the summary found in the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Faith is a great reference. This wonderful resource is found in the Appendix B section of the book. It lists the essentials of our faith. Under any one of the headings one can continue, renew, restart or even begin the pilgrimage of faith.

Sep

The Perfect Joy of St. Francis

During the month of August I had time to do some reading and one of the books which we read is the The Perfect Joy of St. Francis written by Felix Timmermans. It was originally published in 1952. Currently it's available through Ignatius Press. It's a wonderful story that captures the life of a man who desired nothing else but to be close to God and serve Him. He eventually became a saint who made no compromises with his call to follow and imitate Christ.