University students argue contraception vs. natural family planning

Saint Paul University students differ on how to prevent unwanted pregnancy

Father Terrence Donahue, Dr. Rene Leiva, and Fertility Care counsellor Linda Smith at a panel hosted by Saint Paul University Students for Life. Photo Deborah Gyapong/CCN

The B.C. Catholic has a story from Deborah Gyapong detailing the arguments of contraception against natural family planning at St. Paul's University in Ottawa:

The same week a student group came under fire for distributing condoms on the Saint Paul University (SPU) campus, a pro-life group hosted a panel touting the benefits of natural family planning (NFP), revealing the contrasts between artificial and natural means of preventing pregnancy.

SPU ordered the student group to stop its practice of leaving a bowl of condoms for free use, prompting a student to write an open letter, backed by 100 others that has been picked up by the news media. “I was shocked that it's 2012 and we're still having this conversation of science versus ideology," said Zach Zimmel, the author of an open letter to the university administration, according to the CBC.

But University of Ottawa assistant professor of family medicine Dr. Rene Leiva, who practices NaProTechnology, a form of fertility care that maximizes gynecological health, would beg to differ that a Catholic approach to family planning lacks a scientific basis.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Clothing carries 'saintly' message

Christian clothing line designs inspired by St. Therese of Lisieux

Amy Leung holds up her oldest daughter Alison, while her husband Albert Chung holds up their newest child Ashley. Photo Special to The B.C. Catholic

Recently I had the opportunity to talk to clothing designer Amy Leung. Her line of baby clothes are called Saintly Tees:

Normally a vocations retreat is a gateway to religious life. But for St. Francis Xavier youth minister Amy Leung, who is already married, it was a gateway to her "saintly" business.

"How can I design for God?" she asked in 2007 in front of the Blessed Sacrament at the Westminster Abbey youth getaway.

Leung used her skills as a graphic/web designer to design stylish clothing for teen girls with a good "saintly" message.

"I felt the need to design for girls, because they are pressured to dress a certain way."

However, things changed for Leung with the birth of her first child. This took time away from developing her business but refocused it quite successfully. Leung designed baby clothes instead. She named her company Saintly Tees.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Conscience fight

Former government officials take side of religious leaders in dispute

Former U.S. ambassadors to the Vatican Jim Nicholson, who represented President George W. Bush at the Vatican from 2001 to 2005, and Raymond Flynn, who served under President Bill Clinton 1993-97.

As this story makes clear, it's not just religious people who see the injustice in what the U.S. government is trying to achieve.

Former U.S. ambassadors to the Vatican who represented both Democratic and Republican presidents have joined in a new effort to support federal legislation reaffirming constitutional rights to religious liberty and freedom of conscience.

Ambassadors Raymond Flynn, who served under President Bill Clinton from 1993 to 1997, and Jim Nicholson, who represented President George W. Bush at the Vatican 2001-05, are among the religious leaders and former government officials involved in Conscience Cause, an organization committed to overturning the Department of Health and Human Services' inclusion of contraceptives and sterilization among mandated services for women under the new health reform law.

For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Must see CPAC TV: Personhood debate April 26

Unabashed pro-life parliamentarian reveals thoughts on motion and abortion to Life Site News

MP Stephen Woodworth

Commenting on motion M-312 to Life Site News, Conservative MP Stephen Woodworth also spoke about a recent medical paper that tossed around the idea of "after-birth abortion:"

In an interview with LifeSiteNews, Mr. Woodworth said his motion goes beyond the abortion debate, saying the evidence and principles that inform a Canadian law determining who is a human being, and who is not, have wider implications. “This initiative won’t end the abortion debate,” Mr. Woodworth said, “but may make evident that a law which denies that someone is a human being, without any relevant or scientific evidence, is not a just law.”

Mr. Woodworth made reference to a recent article titled, “After-birth abortion: why should the baby live?” that was published in the Journal of Medical Ethics, where two ethicists argue that even a new-born child may be denied the moral status of actual person hood and killed by “after-birth abortion” if the child might have been killed by abortion before she was born.

“We claim that killing a newborn could be ethically permissible in all the circumstances where abortion would be. Such circumstances include cases where the newborn has the potential to have an (at least) acceptable life, but the well-being of the family is at risk,” the ethicists stated.

Read the full story here.

Great coach, dedicated Catholic

Cal Murphy leaves Winnipeg a football legacy after building a strong foundation in Vancouver

Cal Murphy was better known for his coaching abilities, but he was a dominant player in Vancouver. He is seen here in a 1952 B.C. Catholic photo. BCC file photo

The B.C. Catholic relives the legacy of the late Cal Murphy:

Canada knew him as a great football coach, but the Archdiocese of Vancouver knew him as a dedicated Catholic role model. Cal Murphy, a CFL coaching legend from Winnipeg, died Feb. 18 at the age of 78.

"You won't find a better Catholic," said Bob DeJulius, former principal of Holy Cross High School in Vancouver. He played under Murphy at Notre Dame High School in Vancouver, and later worked with him as a coach and colleague. "I once told him that he might be too conservative."

He said Murphy was tough but fair as a coach and as a man.

"We were scared to death of him at Notre Dame."

However, once his players and students realized the breadth of "Murphy's Law," they played hard for him on the field.

"Once they got to know him they loved to play for him."

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Alberta priests win Friars' Briar curling championship

Fathers make province proud with come from behind win over Ontario

Fathers Paul Moret, Patrick Baska, Jim Corrigan and Martin Carroll won the Canada-wide clergy bonspiel, the Friars’ Briar, in Saskatoon March 9.

The B.C. Catholic goes curling with an article from Chris Miller of the Western Catholic Reporter:

While Alberta may have come up short in the final of this year’s Tim Hortons Brier, a foursome of Alberta priests captured the top prize at the distinguished Friars’ Briar.

Fathers Patrick Baska, Paul Moret, Jim Corrigan and Martin Carroll, all priests of the Edmonton Archdiocese, won the gold medal game 9-8 in a stirring come-from-behind victory over an Ontario team that had been unbeaten.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Soccer still supported by Vatican despite contrary reports

Pontifical offices switch sponsorship of seminarian soccer series

Seminarians from the Pontifical North American College cheer as their soccer team plays Redemptoris Mater during the Clericus Cup in Rome March 3. Rowdy fans were not to blame for a switch in tournament funding from the Pontifical Council for the Laity to the Pontifical Council for Culture. CNS photo/Paul Haring

The popular Clericus Cup soccer series involving seminarians worldwide will continue to receive financial support from the Vatican. Carol Glatz of Catholic News Service cleans up some confusion made by Italian newspapers:

The Pontifical Council for the Laity withdrew its support for a Rome-based seminarian soccer series, not because players and fans were having too much fun, but because organizers weakened their focus on the importance of human formation, said a Vatican official.

Contrary to Italian news reports, the Clericus Cup soccer series "is something we've supported from the beginning and we're happy and pleased seminarians are playing. It has nothing to do with (players or fans) fighting or being too rowdy on the field," said Legionary of Christ Father Kevin Lixey, head of the laity council's church and sport desk.

The council withdrew because the organizers neglected to offer, as they had other years, a seminar aimed at helping the future priests develop values-based sports initiatives and pastoral programs in their parishes, he told Catholic News Service March 15.

However, the Pontifical Council for Culture, which has just opened its own sports desk, has decided to sponsor the Clericus Cup tournament.


Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Parliament debates definition of human being

MP's to revisit 400 year old definition of life

Tory MP Stephen Woodworth

When is a life considered to be a human being? According to Canadian law it's not until a human has "completely proceeded, in a living state, from the body of its mother." However, that definition is 400 years old.

Conservative MP StephenWoodworth has lobbied to debate this question federally and hopes it will lead to a special committee that would review Section 223 of the Criminal Code.

"If a child five minutes before birth can be defined as not a human being, then the question is who's next?" argued Woodworth reported by The Ottawa Citizen.

The Tory backbencher had to work against his own party to get the debate on parliament's agenda. Prime Minister Stephen Harper promised he wouldn't open up any discussion about abortion as long as he was prime minister.

"The prime minister and justice minister have to speak for themselves. I don't take any issue with any statement that the government won't reopen this debate," Woodworth commented. "I'm acting as a private member."

It should be interesting to hear what kind of reactions MP's have on this issue. 

Science kids win gold

Competition involved more than beakers and buntzen burners

St. John Brebeuf students construct a complicated marble maze using an assortment of items during the Science Olympics Feb. 13. The school placed first in the competition. Photo Nathan Rumohr / The B.C. Catholi

Last month I attended the second annual Science Olympics of the Lower Mainland's Catholic schools:

After a successful comeback at St. Patrick's High School last year, Science Olympics Organizer Alan Ferguson hopes the games held Feb. 15 at St. John Brebeuf High School will continue as an annual event.
"The jocks have events like the B.C. Catholic basketball tournament," said Ferguson. "This is another avenue for students to gather in a special way."

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Prayer saves, literally says one woman

Power of prayer turns nightmares into blessings

Marg Kenny WCR photo/Ramon Gonzalez

The B.C. Catholic has a story by Ramon Gonzalez that shows the mighty power of prayer:

Marg Kenny believes in the power of prayer. And she should. So many times in her life prayer played such an important role, such as when her daughter and then herself were saved by the power of prayer.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Ding dong, the Pope makes the eucharistic congress official

Holy Father rings bell symbolizing call to turn out for June congress in Ireland

Pope Benedict XVI rings the International Eucharistic Congress Bell before his general audience at the Vatican March 14.
CNS photo/L'Osservatore Romano

Pope Benedict XVI was the last to ring the International Eucharistic Congress Bell to symbolize the opening of the International Eucharistic Congress to be held this June in Ireland. The bell traveled around Ireland for year which drew several Irish Catholics. Carol Glatz of Catholic News Network has the story:

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Benedict XVI blessed and rang the official International Eucharistic Congress bell, which has been on tour across Ireland for nearly a year, in preparation for the world meeting in June.

An Irish delegation, led by the 2012 congress president Archbishop Diarmuid Martin of Dublin, presented the pope with the small brass bell before the start of his weekly general audience March 14. Before the pope was driven into St. Peter's Square, he met with the delegation and rang the bell.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Hackers try again and fail to bring down Vatican website

Holy See's Press Office has not confirmed or denied reports that Anonymous tried again to bring down site

Catholic News Agency reports that the hacker group known as Anonymous has tried again to bring down the Vatican website:

The loose-knit group of hackers known as Anonymous have reportedly launched a second attack on the Vatican website, after failing in its initial attempt to bring the site down on March 7.

The latest attack on Monday has not yet been confirmed or denied by the Vatican. The vice director of the Holy See's Press Office, Father Ciro Benedettini, said the March 7 attack was not successful, as the hackers failed to post their distinctive logo on the Vatican website.


Read the full story here.

Pope says the birds and the bees need to be taught better

Image via Wikipedia

Church must better explain teaching on sexuality, Holy Father tells US bishops

Society's lack of respect for marriage, combined with rampant promiscuity, and a misunderstanding on same-sex relations, has Pope Benedict XVI telling U.S. bishops to brush up on their sexuality teaching in this Catholic News Service article:

 
VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Permissive attitudes toward sex, cohabitation before marriage and acceptance of same-sex marriage can damage individuals and are harmful for society, Pope Benedict XVI told a group of U.S. bishops at the Vatican.

"It is in fact increasingly evident that a weakened appreciation of the indissolubility of the marriage covenant, and the widespread rejection of a responsible, mature sexual ethic grounded in the practice of chastity, have led to grave societal problems bearing an immense human and economic cost," the pope said March 9.

Meeting the bishops of Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota, who were making their "ad limina" visits to report on the status of their dioceses, the pope said ignorance of or challenges to church teaching on marriage and sexuality were part of the "intellectual and ethical challenges" to evangelization in the United States today.

Read the full article here.

Nigeria still reeling from a bombing during Mass

Church officials decry suicide bombing at Nigerian parish

Debris blocking a road burns after a bombing at St. Finbar Catholic Church in the Rayfield suburb of the Nigerian city of Jos March 11. CNS/Reuters photo.

Catholic News Service has a sad story out of Nigeria that tells of a March 11 bombing in the city of Jos during a Mass:

The suicide car bombing of a church in Jos was an "evil, irrational, beastly and criminal" act, said the president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of Nigeria.

Archbishop Ignatius Kaigama of Jos also called on Christians to remain calm after the bombing March 11 -- during a Mass -- claimed the lives of three worshippers and led to retaliatory violence that resulted in at least seven deaths around the city.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

UVic student gets once and lifetime opportunity to meet the Pope

Catholic students gather at the Vatican

Members of the Canadian delegation pause for a photo at the Vatican after an audience with the Pope. Back: Sister Norma Macdonald (left), Janice Ryan, Sister Elaine Baete. Front: Father Daniel Renaud, Katrina Laquian, Gerard Byumungu. Special to The B.C. Catholic

In a special article to The B.C. Catholic, Katrina Laquian, shares her "once in a lifetime" experience at the Vatican: 

Catholic students from around the globe gathered in Vatican City for the Third World Congress on the Pastoral Care of International Students Nov. 30 to Dec. 3. The congress was sponsored by the Pontifical Council for Migrants and Travellers.

I received a "once in a lifetime" opportunity to be one of the two Canadian student delegates to this congress. We joined more than 100 cardinals, bishops, sisters, priests, and chaplains from 36 countries to discuss the meeting of cultures and create a working document for the Pastoral Care of International Students.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Conference challenges leaders to imagine life without an Iphone

Youth ministry leaders urged to unplug, be still and know God’s love to be effective

About 300 Ottawa youth gathered for the conference sponsored by the Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network. CCN Photo

The B.C. Catholic has Deborah Gyapong's coverage of the recent Canadian Catholic Youth Minsistry Networking Conference in Ottawa. The approximately 300 attendees were challenged at the event to "unplug" themselves:

Unplug from the Internet, take out those ear buds, take some time to be still and rediscover the love of God—and make that prayer time and stillness a habit if you want to effectively share the Good News with young people.

That was the message that about 300 Catholic youth ministry leaders from across Canada steeped in March 9-12 at the Canadian Catholic Youth Ministry Network conference here on the theme: “Be still and know that I am God.” (Psalm 46:10).

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

We declare, Christy Clark

The Catholic Civil Rights League among groups which presented 1,100-person petition to the premiere's office
By Nathan Rumohr
The B.C. Catholic

In the United States it's health care. In B.C. it's education. Are the rights of Catholics being attacked everywhere?

A coalition of parents has had enough of the B.C. Government's fixation on raising their children. Members of the Catholic Civil Rights League, Burnaby Parents Voice, and the Kids First Parent Association of Canada presented Premier Christy Clark's office Feb. 23 with an 1,100-person declaration which reminded the premier of the legal fact that parents have control over their children's education.

"Why is parental authority so important to us?" asked Helen Ward, President of Kids First Parent Association of Canada. "We recall the riots in the United Kingdom and Vancouver last year. What was the outraged cry? Was it where are the teachers, the school trustees, the daycare staff, the social workers, or the politicians? Of course not! It was where are the parents!"

For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Group raises awareness of depression to Catholic youth

Shining the spotlight on mental health
The B.C. Catholic has an article from the Catholic Register about a group who raises awareness of mental health to students. Alarmingly three bus-loads of students commit suicide every year due to mental illness:

Jerome is a young man with post-traumatic stress disorder who attempts to cope by self-medicating with marijuana. Diana is suffering from depression and has low self-esteem. And Melanie is a youth caregiver whose mother has schizophrenia.

These are a few of the characters in performances by Elevated Grounds, an organization that uses song, dance, drama, music and spoken word to educate and bust the stigma surrounding mental health.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

New Catholic women's health centre opens its doors

Catholic Charities, women's center team up to help young pregnant women

Janessa McKinley, a registered nurse, arranges clothing in the Crib Club at the new Women's Care Center in Hammond, Ind., March 2, the day after it opened.

The B.C. Catholic has a story from Indiana about a new women's health centre that offers help to young pregnant women in crisis:

Thanks to a collaboration of agencies, a foundation and other funding sources, the first Women's Care Center opened March 1 in the Diocese of Gary.
The 19th such facility to open in Indiana, Wisconsin, Ohio and Michigan, the center serves young pregnant women who lack resources and support.
"This ministry is very much needed in Northwest Indiana," Gary Bishop Dale J. Melczek said at the dedication ceremony. "Every human being has value, but how do we act on that? You're helping those in difficult situations. This is not just professing faith, but action."
Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.

Catholic Church credited in helping to uncover residential school abuses

Commission releases interim report

Northwest Territories MLA Jackson Lafferty said residential schools cost aboriginals their identities.

The Truth and Reconciliation Commission released their interim report recently which uncovered some sad, yet powerful tales of the residential school system in Canada:

A sad chapter of Canadian history began to close with the release of the much anticipated interim report of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
The commission, comprised of Justice Murray Sinclair, Chief Wilton Littlechild, and Marie Wilson, released the report Feb. 24 in Vancouver. The report details the experiences of aboriginals in residential schools.
"Now Canadians will never be able to say, 'I didn't know,'" Wilson said.

Read the full story at The B.C. Catholic website.