Pope prays for families

Pope Benedict XVI marked the final hours of 2010 on Friday with public prayer and a word of concern for families struggling with economic troubles. You can find his message for World Day of Peace (also Jan. 1) here on the Vatican website. In it he says religion is not an obstacle to be overcome, but is itself the path to peace.

Meanwhile, Catholic News Service takes a look at the Pope's year ahead.

Vatican laws push financial openness

On the second last day of the year, the Vatican, whose bank is the focus of a money laundering investigation, enacted laws to bring it in line with international standards on financial transparency and the fight against funding terrorism.

Meanwhile, the Vatican plans to publish three important documents regarding its financial operations, including a papal letter on financial impropriety and a new statute to prevent money-laundering and other illegal practices.

To read more about the Vatican Bank, check out the unofficial Vatican Bank Website, which carries relevant stories.

Happy New Year, and Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Tomorrow, Saturday,  Jan. 1, is the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and a holy day of obligation. Sunday, Jan. 2, is the solemnity of the Epiphany. Due to liturgical precedence, if any parish celebrates an evening Mass on Jan. 1, it will be the anticipated (Sunday) Mass of the Epiphany. Check here for weekend Mass times at parishes in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

Feast of Holy Innocents service

A service to celebrate all-too-brief lives


St. Ann's Church in Abbotsford is holding a service for the Feast of Holy Innocents where those who have lost a baby to misscariage, pre-term birth, stillbirth and infant death may mourn their loss.

Jody Garneau and Karen Murphy Corr were asked by Fr. John Hughes for a remembrance component for the evening Mass to celebrate the Feast of the Holy Innocents.

The Mass will be held on Tuesday Dec. 28 at 7 p.m.

Haiti bishops pick Quebecer for church reconstruction

A Canadian civil engineer with three decades of experience in project management and construction oversight has been hired by the Haitian Conference of Catholic Bishops to oversee church reconstruction in the earthquake-stricken country, reports Catholic News Service.

Quebec native Yves Lacourciere will take on the task of rebuilding dozens of parishes, schools, convents and community buildings that were destroyed in the Jan. 12 quake that killed an estimated 230,000 people.

Condom clarification

Here is the statement from the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, appropriately titled: Note on the banalization of sexuality; Regarding certain interpretations of "Light of the World."

Bishop Monroe speaks to B.C. Catholic

Bishop David Monroe at his episcopal ordination March 12, 2002

Bishop thanks everyone for their prayers

Those who frequent The Busy Catholic and The B.C. Catholic website know that Bishop David Monroe has been released from the hospital and is recuperating at home. But what you may not know is that he spoke with The B.C. Catholic and wants to thank everyone for their prayers and support

Be on the lookout for an extended story on the bishop's recovery on the website and in the paper in the new year.

The Province cited the attack of the bishop in a recent story regarding the mentally ill and Canada's criminal justice system.

Confession? Be not afraid

Struggling with the idea of going to confession? Many people do, but there's no reason to. Listen to Father William Ashley's recent homily on the subject. The pastor of Sts. Joachim & Ann Parish in Aldergrove offers a real confession pick-me-up.

Shakespeare on Christmas

Some say that ever 'gainst that season comes

Wherein our Saviour's birth is celebrated,

The bird of dawning singeth all night long:

And then, they say, no spirit dare stir abroad;

The nights are wholesome; then no planets strike,

No fairy takes, nor witch hath power to charm,

So hallow'd and so gracious is the time."

- William Shakespeare, Hamlet, 1.1

Condom clarification...one more time

For journalists and observers who missed it the first time, and the second, the Vatican is trying once again to make it clearer than clear that there has been no -- read our lips -- no change in teaching on condoms.

The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issued a note today saying Pope Benedict XVI's remarks on condoms use and AIDS do not signify a change in either the Church's moral teaching or its pastoral practice.

So what's the first headline I see on the clarification? "Vatican: condoms OK, but not as contraceptive."

Sigh.

What would Mary do?

A friend who went to a recent parish mission shares some insight into the Annunciation, the Visitation and the Nativity, and their relevance to our lives. At the end of this entry are some important questions about the roles Mary and Elizabeth can have in our own lives.

When the Angel Gabriel delivers the news that Mary is to give birth to the Savior, she doesn’t fully understand. Gabriel calms her by telling her not to be afraid.

Mary's next step is to seek more information, to ponder it, and to tell the angel, "Let it be done to me." Then she visits her cousin Elizabeth, whose own unborn child leaps in her womb at Mary’s arrival, acknowledging that Mary is carrying the Savior. Elizabeth tells Mary she is "blessed among women" and blessed is the fruit of her womb. Mary responds with her Magnificat.

What extraordinary developments from Mary's own confusing situation; she questions, ponders, takes the angel’s advice, then goes to the aid of her cousin. Elizabeth in turn honours Mary and recognizes the gift she carries within her.

When we are troubled, concerned, afraid, or discouraged, we can take a page from Mary. There is nothing wrong with asking questions and wondering what we are called to. We may experience fear, but we are to trust in God, step outside ourselves, and bring the gift of charity to those around us.

This time of the Incarnation is a prime season to consider our response to God's actions in our own lives. When the unexpected and the bewildering come our way, we can either resist with fear and anger, or we can ponder, seek answers, trust, and act in charity.

This is a good time to remember the many instances when we have been supported by others through troubling times. One of the gifts of the Nativity is to bring that gift to others in their periods of disability, doubt and despair.

And so we can ask, what would Mary do? What would Elizabeth do? When in our lives have we been helped by a Mary or an Elizabeth? Where are we called to be Mary or Elizabeth in someone else's life?  You're welcome to share your thoughts here.

Learn more about your faith in the new year

Looking for a good New Year's resolution? How about learning more about your faith so you can share it with others.

The Archdiocese of Vancouver's Office of Religious Education and the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry offer the annual one-day Winter Institute next month, and it's open to everyone.

A number of one-day courses for general interest as well as for those involved in various parish ministries will be offered Saturday, Jan. 29, at St. Patrick's Secondary School in Vancouver.

There are courses on Catholic apologetics, Theology of the Body, Church history, adult catechesis, and much more.

 

Holy Days on their way

Mass two times in one weekend

Remember that the only two holy days of obligation in Canada that don't fall on a Sunday are coming up soon.

Yes, Christmas and the Solemnity of Mary both fall on Saturdays this year, which means that you still have to go to Mass on the Sunday.

Luckily there are options on the Fridays and Saturdays:

Christmas and the anticipated Mass of the Solemnity of Mary on the Fridays of Dec. 24 and 31, respectively, fulfills the holy day obligation.

Similarly, attending Christmas Mass and the Mass for the Solemnity of Mary on the Saturdays of Dec. 25 and Jan. 1 also fulfills parishioners' obligation.

For members of the Archdiocese who have not yet been able to make it to a penitential service before Christmas Mass, here are the remaining services.

North Shore
Wed. Dec. 22 7 p.m. Christ the Redeemer

Vancouver West
Mon.   Dec. 20   6 p.m.    Guardian Angels
Tues.  Dec. 21   7:30 p.m. Blessed Sacrament
Wed.   Dec. 22   7 p.m.    St. John the Apostle

Vancouver East
Tues.  Dec. 21   7 p.m.    St. Jude's
Wed.   Dec. 22   7 p.m.    St. Helen's

New Westminster
Mon.   Dec. 20   7 p.m.    St. Francis de Sales
Tues.  Dec. 21   7 p.m.    St. Luke's
Wed.   Dec. 22   7 p.m.    Our Lady of Fatima

Fraser East
Mon.   Dec. 20   7 p.m.    St. Joachim & Ann
Tues.  Dec. 21   7 p.m.    St. Nicholas
Wed.   Dec. 22   7 p.m.    St. Ann's

East side of Fraser West (Surrey / North Delta)
Mon.   Dec. 20   7:30 p.m. Our Lady of Good Counsel
Tues.  Dec. 21   7:30 p.m. Immaculate Conception

West side of Fraser West (Richmond)
Mon., Tues., Wed., and Thurs., Dec. 20-23 7:30 p.m. (all parishes)
bmattson@rcav.org

Kamloops Bishop David Monroe out of hospital

Bishop Monroe with Pope Benedict in 2006.

Bishop David Monroe of Kamloops is out of hospital after nearly two months recovering from the severe beating he received in October. In a statement, his family says it's a wonderful Christmas present, but caution that he still needs his privacy as he mends.

A Bible reading plan for the New Year

There are many, many Bible reading plans out there, which are structured to help you get more out of reading the Bible than simply wading through it from the Genesis to Revelation. Here's one that just came my way, from a writer I know in Washington. I'm going to give it a try. New Year's resolutions don't get much better than this.

Add Simbang Gabi to your Christmas celebrations

Everyone is invited to take part in a joyous preparation for the coming of Our Lord on Christmas Day with Simbang Gabi, the joyous Filipino traditional novena.

Traditionally Christmas Day in the Philippines is ushered in by a Novena of Masses beginning in mid-December. Known as Misa de Gallo—traditional Spanish for Rooster’s Mass—or more popularly in Filipino as Simbang Gabi or Night Mass, it is one of the most important Filipino Christmas traditions. After Mass, participants gather to enjoy traditional Christmas delicacies.

These nine Masses are also considered a way for churchgoers to show their devotion to the faith and to heighten anticipation for the Nativity.

To keep the tradition, each year the Sambayanang Pilipino Society of B.C. schedules Masses in parishes within the Archdiocese of Vancouver. The full schedule of Masses is listed below.

Dec.15 – Holy Rosary Cathedral, Vancouver

Dec.16 – St. Jude, Vancouver

Dec.17 – St. Paul, Richmond

Dec.17 – Our Lady of Sorrows, Vancouver

Dec.18 – St. Luke’s, Maple Ridge

Dec.19 – Holy Trinity, North Vancouver

Dec.19 – Queen of All Saints, Coquitlam

Dec.20 – Our Lady of Mercy, Burnaby

Dec.21 – Our Lady of Mercy, Burnaby

Dec.22 – St. Bernadette, Surrey

Dec.23 – Immaculate Conception, Delta


See the poster here.

Census form stays voluntary, minister says

You may recall that back in the summer Canada's bishops joined many others in urging the federal government to reconsider its plan to abolish the mandatory long-form census.

Much of the information in the census is “most helpful to all faith groups,” said Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) president Saint-Jerome Bishop Pierre Morissette in a letter to Industry Minister Tony Clement. Now Clement has responded, saying he's confident the new process, which will see a voluntary long form but sent to more people, will be helpful.

Christmas giving to the Archdiocese of Vancouver

During this special time of year many people make a special charitable donation. If you’re looking for an opportunity to help the Church from the convenience of your home, visit www.rcav.org/donations. That's the Archdiocese of Vancouver's online donation site. There you’ll find a number of projects in need of your help, from Catholic education, to Project Advance, to caring for our elderly priests. Thank you for your generosity.

Little Blog of Bethlehem

Here's a whimsical look at what would happen if you crossed the first Christmas with social media.Yes, they've even got an app for the Nativity!

MPs refuse to legislate against coerced abortions

Roxanne Fernando

Members of Parliament have just voted down Bill C-510, which proposed to make it a crime to coerce a woman to have an abortion. The bill was introduced by MP Rod Bruinooge and named after Roxanne Fernando, killed by her boyfriend because she refused to abort her child. It was defeated in the House of Commons by a vote of 97 to 178.