Additional 2,500 copies ordered by parishes, bringing total to over 12,000
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Patrick Gillespie, director of the Office of Catechetics, with a pallet of more than
1,000 copies of YOUCAT. Photo by Nathan Rumohr / The B.C. Cahtolic. |
YOUCAT has become a hot property in the Archdiocese of Vancouver and
The B.C. Catholic explains why:
After ordering 12,500 copies earlier this year, the archdiocese is picking up another 2,500.
"I've been surprised that these last few orders have been going so fast," said Patrick Gillespie, director of catechetics in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. "There's still a huge demand."
On average parishes are ordering 100 copies each at $10 per book.
Gillespie credited part of the demand to families buying YOUCATs as Christmas gifts. He also noted that there could be another spike in orders around confirmation time.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
CCO's annual conference held in two cities this year
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Some 300 young adults gathered for prayer, enrichment, and formation in sharing the
Gospel at a national Rise Up conference organized by Catholic Christian Outreach
in Saskatoon Dec. 28-31. Photo by Ben Turland / CCN.
|
The B.C. Catholic has Kiply Lukan Yaworski's coverage of Catholic Christian Outreach's "Rise Up" conference:
Young adults from across the country gathered in Saskatoon Dec. 28 - Jan. 1 for a Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) Rise Up national conference, held each year between Christmas and New Year’s Day.
This year for the first time Rise Up happened in two centres, Saskatoon and Halifax, in order to reduce distance and cost for students as well as to give smaller centres an opportunity to host the growing conference, said national CCO president Jeff Lockert of Ottawa. Next year, as CCO marks its 25th anniversary, the Rise Up Conference will again be a single event, to be held in Ottawa, home of CCO national headquarters.
Some 300 students used part of their Christmas holiday to attend the Saskatoon Rise-Up, which featured a range of speakers and break out sessions, as well as times for testimony and praise and worship, the celebration of mass, the sacrament of reconciliation, and eucharistic adoration. Many of the sessions were broadcast on the Internet as well.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Archbishop Michael Miller officially accepts Nicholas Meisl and Paul Jang Han Goo as candidates
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Nicholas Meisl (left) and Paul Jang Han Goo stop to sing a few verses of "O Come,
All Ye Faithful" before proceeding out of the sanctuary in Holy Name of Jesus
Church Dec. 27. The two seminarians declared their candidacy for the priesthood
in front of Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, during the Mass. |
Here's the
B.C. Catholic's coverage of the recent candidacy Mass for two seminarians:
Under the watchful eye of Jesus's beloved disciple, two seminarians declared their candidacy for the priesthood in Holy Name of Jesus Church.
It was on the feast of St. John the Apostle, Dec. 27, that Paul Jang Han Goo and Nicholas Meisl were officially accepted by Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, in the Rite of Admission to Candidacy for Holy Orders.
"The Church accepts your resolve with joy," he said. "May God, Who has begun the good work in you, bring it to fulfillment."
The Mass was celebrated with the candidates' families, friends, and fellow seminarians. Archbishop Miller noted that the timing of the event was probably not a coincidence.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Dirty cloth from an antique store turns out to be a fragment of Canadian history
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Helen Smith and Father Jacques Monet, SJ, unveil the chalice veil that will be kept
at the Jesuit curia in Toronto. Photo by Michael Swan / CCN. |
The B.C. Catholic has a story by Michael Swan about a historic chalice veil discovered at an antique store:
A dirty, little cloth rolled up in a ball of dirt off in a corner winked at Helen Smith and her daughter four years ago. It had a secret to tell — the secret of Canada’s counter reformation history.
For a small sum, Smith bought the embroidered cloth from a country antique store just outside of London, Ont. She cleaned it up and discovered a beautifully embroidered chalice veil with gold and silver silk threads. She immediately knew she had stumbled upon a fragment of Canadian history.
With the help of the Jesuits, Smith has managed to trace its origins.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Longtime northern B.C. shepherd says he won't be sitting around in retirement
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Former Prince George Bishop Gerald Weisner says he won't be sitting back
during his retirement in Saskatoon. The former shepherd plans to teach
and give retreats across Canada. WCR file photo. |
The B.C. Catholic has a story by Ramon Gonzales about the retirement plans for former Prince George Bishop Gerald Weisner:
Bishop Wiesner, who is physically fit and enjoys good health, will not just sit back in his retirement years. He plans to remain active teaching and giving retreats across Canada, which he did over the years alongside his duties as bishop.
Bishop Weisner is well known in Edmonton’s Catholic circles. From 1972 to 1984 and again from 1991 to 1992 he taught theology at Newman Theological College. In 1992, he served briefly as acting president of the college until he was named a bishop.
The former bishop admits it was not easy to leave after having served the diocese for 20 years.
“But at the same time I’m tired of the administration part of the service and so I’m glad that part is finished. But I would like to continue very much my other aspects of the ministry like the teaching ministry.”
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Archdiocesan employee donates 50 / 50 winnings to struggling family
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| Maureen Donegan |
Want to win a contest? Then pray, but promise God that you will use the winnings for good. That's what Maureen Donegan did before entering her name in the 50 / 50 draw during the John Paul II Pastoral Centre Christmas party Dec. 20.
"I had been talking to someone who really needed help this Christmas," the prison ministry coordinator wrote in an email shared with the employees of the centre. "I just didn't know where I would find the money to help her and her family."
She said when she bought the 50-50 ticket she asked Jesus if he could let her win the $250 prize so she could donate it to the family. The rest is history.
"There is going to be such a happy family," she said. "God is so good!"
Cardinal Collins looks forward to visiting 'beautiful city'
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| Cardinal Thomas Collins |
The B.C. Catholic previews Cardinal Thomas Collins's upcoming visit to Vancouver:
Canada's newest cardinal is coming to town and looking forward to seeing the city for the first time since his elevation to the College of Cardinals. Cardinal Thomas Collins of Toronto will be here Jan. 24 to celebrate a Red Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral.
"I always look forward to visiting Vancouver," Cardinal Collins told The B.C. Catholic in an email from Toronto. "It is such a beautiful city."
Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, who studied with Cardinal Collins in Rome for several years, noted this is an important event for the archdiocese.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Province's shepherds concerned about religious freedom
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The Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec are raising concerns
about religious freedom after a recent ruling from the Quebec Court
of Appeal. Photo: Sxc.hu.
|
The B.C. Catholic has a story by Deborah Gyapong about the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec's reaction to an early December ruling by the Quebec Court of Appeal that agreed with the province's education minister to not allow an exemption for a Montreal Catholic school from teaching a controversial ethics and religion course:
Quebec’s Catholic bishops have raised questions about religious freedom after a court imposed the province’s Ethics and Religious Culture program (ERC) on a private Catholic School.
On Dec. 4, the Quebec Court of Appeal upheld the initial ruling of the province’s education minister that refused Loyola High School in Montreal an exemption from the ERC and overturned a 2010 Superior Court decision in Loyola’s favor.
Though the Jesuit-run school offered a replacement program, the minister ruled it was not equivalent since it was taught from a Catholic perspective and is therefore not “neutral” as the ERC requires.
“For our part, we believe that the Minister could have used [ministerial] discretion to recognize the value of the approach adopted by Loyola College in its program,” said a declaration from the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Quebec (AECQ) executive committee released in late Dec.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Father J. Murray Abraham educated Indian poor in Darjeeling
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Father J. Murray Abraham, SJ, stands with a congregation in Kurseong, India.
The Jesuit dedicated his life to helping India's Himalayan people. He died in August. |
The B.C. Catholic has feature about a
Jesuit who spent a lifetime serving the poor in the Himalayas:
Canadian-born Jesuit Father J. Murray Abraham dedicated his life to educating the poor and to developing agricultural and livelihood opportunities in the Darjeeling region of India's Himalayas. He died there peacefully on Aug. 28, 2012, aged 87, a Jesuit for 70 years.
Fifty people gathered in Vancouver Nov. 21 for a memorial Mass and reception. Stories from the extended "family" of supporters revealed common threads in the tapestry of thousands of lives around the globe over the course of seven decades.
Father Abraham volunteered for the Canadian Jesuit mission in Darjeeling in 1948. He initially taught children of affluent families, including princes from Nepal, but his heart was with the disadvantaged.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Edmonton's community formed in 1972 and continues to respond to the needs of its members
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Residents of L’Arche Edmonton enjoy their Christmas luncheon Dec. 14 at
Fulton School in Edmonton. Photo by Chris Miller / CCN. |
The B.C. Catholic has a story by Chris Miller about
L'Arche Edmonton:
L’Arche Edmonton was formed in 1972, the second L’Arche community formed in Canada. This year marks L’Arche Edmonton’s 40th anniversary. Known also as Shalom Community, it has a rich history and continues responding to the changing needs of its members.
“A real focus for us is belonging and building relationship. Anywhere we can do that and create time together is an opportunity to build relationship. There is also a focus on revealing the gifts of each person,” said Sister Pat Desnoyers, executive director and community leader for L’Arche Edmonton.
There are four L’Arche houses in Edmonton and two in Sherwood Park, which are home to men and women of various ages and abilities. Between five to 10 people live in each house. They come from various cultural backgrounds, with 14 different countries represented, and range in age from 18 to 84.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Priest says Christ still does everything today as he did when He walked among us
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| Father Bill Burke |
The B.C. Catholic has a story by Chris Miller about a talk given by Father Bill Burke, director of the National Liturgy Office for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, about Vatican II:
Many people have said: “If I had been there when Jesus walked the earth, and if I had seen him raise Lazarus, and I had seen him cure the sick, I would have no trouble believing.”
“Pope Leo the Great said something so simple, it is almost shocking. He said there were people who witnessed it, and they didn’t believe. They were no luckier than us,” said Father Bill Burke, director of the National Liturgy Office for the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.
“Everything Christ did when he walked among us, he still does today. It has passed over into the Church and its liturgy.”
Father Burke said liturgical experiences such as music, gestures, objects, the voice of the priest, the procession, and even silence are expressions of the paschal mystery calling us to new life.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Rwandan genocide survivor shares his story with Catholic students in Edmonton
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Arthemon Rurangwa tells his story of survival during the Rwanda
genocide to 75 students at St. Thomas More Junior High in Edmonton.
Photo by Roman Gonzalez. |
The B.C. Catholic has a story by Ramon Gonzalez about Arthemon Rurangwa, a surivivor of the Rwandan genocide:
Arthemon Rurangwa, a Rwandan Tutsi, had about 200 members of his immediate and extended family wiped out during the Rwandan genocide of 1994.
Neighbours or thugs that roamed the streets spreading death among the Tustsi killed his family with knives and machetes.
Rurangwa, who worked in a rental car company, escaped to neighbouring Burundi in the trunk of his boss’ car. His wife and two children managed to escape thanks to a friend who hid them.
In the late 1990s Rurangwa came to Canada with his family and now works as a public relations officer for Corrections Canada. He has been unable to go back to his home country for a visit for fear of reliving the horror.
Intl. Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, Anglican conversions, St. Kateri’s canonization remembered
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Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, speaks at the International Eucharistic
Conference in Dublin, Ireland, June 13. Photo courtesy of Saltandlighttv.com. |
Alistair Burns reviews Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB's, 2012 in this
B.C. Catholic article:
Archbishop Miller travelled far and wide in 2012, from every corner of the archdiocese to Rome and Dublin.
In February he attended “One Conference,” an annual event held at the Vancouver Convention Centre. The education of adult Catholics was first on the agenda.
In June the archbishop flew to the Emerald Isle for the 50th International Eucharistic Congress in Dublin, where he delivered a catechesis on “Priesthood and Ministry in the Service of Communion” (the entire speech can be read here).
June 30 was a unique day for the archbishop: he officially welcomed former Anglicans home, as 11 members of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada came into the Roman Catholic Church during a Mass at Holy Rosary Cathedral.
The end of October provided an opportunity for the archbishop to declare archdiocesan goals for 2013. At the first annual Archbishop’s Dinner, held Oct. 25, he laid out his blueprint in front of a thousand Catholics gathered at the Hyatt Regency Hotel.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Catholics Come Home uses movie nights, prayer cards for promulgation
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A screenshot from one the Catholics Come Home commercials airing until
Jan. 20 in the Archdiocese of Vancouver. |
Alistair Burns highlights some the initiatives parishes are taking to help welcome Catholics back to the Church as part of the
Catholics Come Home campaign:
Welcoming coordinators across the Archdiocese of Vancouver are preparing for prodigal sons and daughters to return to their Father's house. With Catholics Come Home (CCH) commercials airing from Bella Coola to Chilliwack beginning Dec. 13, hopes are high that non-practising Catholics will rejoin the flock.
"As soon as I heard about CCH, I was terrifically enthused," said Peter Nation, the welcoming coordinator at St. Edmund's Parish in North Vancouver.
Received into the Church as an adult in 1988, he remembered his conversion as an "extraordinary experience."
While Nation looks forward to the television ads, he realizes the airings alone cannot bring people to the pews.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Leader of the Catholic Church in Jerusalem highlights the ongoing violence in Syria and the refugee situation in the Middle East
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| Archbishop Fouad Twal, the Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem. Photo by Debbie Hill / CNS. |
The B.C. Catholic has a
Catholic News Agency story about the
Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem's Christmas message:
Archbishop Fouad Twal, has issued a Christmas message that both laments the violence and refugee situation in the Middle East and calls on Christians to live out their faith.
“The joy of Christmas is overshadowed by the staggering violence in Syria,” he said Dec. 20.
He noted the Catholic Church’s work to assist 250,000 Syrian refugees in Jordan, saying this shows the Church is “full of compassion for the victims.”
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Special memorial Mass celebrates the lives of departed babies
St. Ann's Church in Abbotsford is celebrating a
memorial Mass tonight to memorialize the brief lives of newborns, victims of abortions, and miscarriages.
The church is inviting bereaved parents, family members, or friends to remember the infants in a loving environment. Whether the tragedy was recent or many years ago, all are welcome.
Women who are still healing from post-abortion grief or trauma are also encouraged to attend.
St. Ann's Church is located on
33333 Mayfair Avenue in Abbotsford. The Mass starts at 7 p.m.
Catholics Come Home television ads cover the two dioceses
 |
A screenshot of one of the Catholics Come Home commercials that will air in
Archdiocese of Vancouver and Diocese of Victoria throughout December and January. |
B.C. Catholic contributor Greg Van Dyk details the
Catholics Come Home campaign in his city of Victoria:
The Diocese of Victoria is rolling out the welcome mat this Christmas as island churches prepare to receive Catholics who return to their faith, thanks to the Archdiocese of Vancouver's Catholics Come Home television ad campaign.
"My hope is that in each and every parish on Vancouver Island we have people who come back and explore, are welcomed, invited, reconciled, healed, nourished, and participate in the life and mission of the Church," said Father William Hann, the Episcopal Vicar for Evangelization in the Diocese of Victoria.
This December the Archdiocese of Vancouver launched a new campaign called Catholics Come Home, a project that uses creative television commercials to encourage lapsed Catholics to reconsider the Catholic faith and come back to church.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Holy Father extends Christ's peace to the world
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Pope Benedict XVI waves as he blesses the crowd during his Christmas message
"urbi et orbi" (to the city of Rome and the world) from the central balcony of St.
Peter's Basilica at the Vatican Dec. 25. Photo: L'Osservatore Romano via Reuters / CNS. |
The B.C. Catholic has
Catholic News Agency's coverage of Pope Benedict XVI's Christmas message:
Pope Benedict outlined the power of faith and pointed to Christ coming in the flesh as the source of hope and peace for society in his annual “Urbi et Orbi” or, “The city and to the world,” message on Christmas day.
“God has done everything; he has done the impossible: he was made flesh,” the Pope emphasized.
“His all-powerful love has accomplished something which surpasses all human understanding: the Infinite has become a child, has entered the human family.”
During his remarks, the Pope also appealed for an end to violence in conflict ravaged countries in the world such as Syria and the Democratic Republic of Congo, called for a peaceful democratic transition in Egypt and urged respect for religious freedom in China.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Troubling year for euthanasia and religious freedom, but abortion debate leaps into national headlines
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Approximately 20,000 pro-life advocates participated in the annual National
March for Life Rally in Ottawa May 13. The debate on abortion was major news
throughout 2012. Photo by Chris Wattie / Reuters / CNS. |
The B.C. Catholic has a national year in review story by
Canadian Catholic News' Ottawa reporter Deborah Gyapong:
The year 2012 brought troubling news concerning religious freedom, social justice, and euthanasia in Canada, but on abortion there are signs the public is increasingly engaged in debate.
The issue leapt from specialty newspapers and websites to the mainstream media throughout 2012, despite continued attempts by the Conservative government to shut it down. The National March for Life was larger than ever, with organizers counting nearly 20,000 participants, among them many Catholic bishops and MPs.
The year kicked off with backbencher Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth’s announcement he was considering way to have Parliament study the 400-year old definition of a human being in the Criminal Code. His Motion 312 became the subject of a social media campaign, many petitions and letters and garnered much news coverage.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
Novices volunteer at L'Arche
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Jesuit seminarians Marcos Gonzales (second from left) and Carlos Aubain
(second from right) pose with L’Arche volunteer Evelyne Pineau (left), and
Christina Bruce (centre), Patrick Byron (right), and Arthur Hutchinson (foreground)
at L’Arche’smain office in Burnaby Dec.12. Photo by Nathan Rumohr / The B.C. Catholic. |
The B.C. Catholic has a story about two
Jesuit novices and their recent volunteering experience at
L'Arche, an international non-profit organization that houses and provides programs for people with developmental disabilities:
Like the Jesuits of old, two novices recently set out from California on missionary work, coming to Burnaby to help out at L’Arche.
“In many ways it’s like early Jesuits St. John Brebeuf and St. Isaac Jogues, who came and established relationships,” Marcos Gonzales said. “It is exciting to think of reconnecting here, and when we go back we will share the excitement with the other novices.”
It’s been almost 20 years since Jesuit novices from the order’s California province, based in Calver City, Calif., have been assigned to volunteer here.
Read the full story at
The B.C. Catholic website.
