Archdiocese breaks ground for new pastoral centre

Construction to be completed November 2014; move in by March 2015

This is an artist's rendering of the main entry to the future John Paul II Pastoral Centre from 33rd Avenue. Photo submitted.

After more than 50 years in an aged-brick building on Robson Street, the offices of the archdiocese are going to move to part of the former St. Vincent Hospital site. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Other stories recently posted to the site include the following:

Nigerian violence rooted in politics, economics, bishop says

As if church bombings weren't bad enough, northern Nigeria is also suffering from oversimplification in Western media reports. Reports of Islamist terrorism directed at Christians in Nigeria very often lack context and depth, said Auxiliary Bishop Anselm Umoren of Abuja, Nigeria. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Military involvement in Syria could spark world war, bishop warns

The bishop of Aleppo, Syria, has cautioned that foreign military action in the country could spark a global war, making the "tragic situation" much worse. "The only road to peace is dialogue," said Bishop Antoine Audo on Aug. 27. "War will not take us anywhere. People live in anguish, not knowing what awaits them, and this has been happening during the two years of conflict." For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Archbishop turns sod on Sunshine Coast

Ground breaking ceremony held for new St. Mary's church

Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, (middle) is joined by Father Vincent Nguyen, CSJB, (left) and Father Kiran Thumma, SAC, at the construction site for a new church in Gibsons.
(Paulette Sheldon / Special to The B.C. Catholic.)

The ground breaking ceremony for a replacement building for St. Mary’s church in Gibsons, B.C., occurred Aug. 3.

Archbishop Miller celebrated Mass with Father Vincent Nguyen, the pastor of St. Mary's, and assistant pastor Father Kiran Thumma as concelebrants.

Archbishop Miller also shovelled alongside Dora Seward (left), Agatha MacKenzie, Mavis Wilson, and Diane Fromager.
(Paulette Sheldon / Special to The B.C. Catholic.) 

Father Nguyen explained to The B.C. Catholic that the new church will have a capacity of 280 parishioners.

Over 100 people attended the ground breaking, including a Knights of Columbus honour guard. Construction started Aug. 19 and is expected to take nine months.

Summer at the Movies

Movie mythology is expressing a human longing which only adoption as sons and daughters into the kingdom of God can fulfill, writes C.S. Morrissey. (Photo: Actress Alexandra Daddario arrives at the premiere of 'Percy Jackson: Sea Of Monsters'. Photo by Angela Weiss/Getty Images)

Going back to school in September?

The Labour Day long weekend may be your last chance to watch a summer movie before classes start.

The Catholic News Service has their latest movie reviews available to help you make a choice.

C.S. Morrissey reflects in The B.C. Catholic on how stories often help us find our way to the Gospel:

All the best summer movies are ... praeambula Fidei, "preparations for the Gospel," as they invite us to consider how "nothing is without meaning."

See also these recent stories at The B.C. Catholic's Web site: 

Critic goes behind the silver screen: Alan Charlton on the Church and social communications

The Man of Steel has moral fibre: Super-heroic virtue encounters cave of darkness

Memo to Fr. Barron: The Man of Steel is no superman

If Your Life was a Movie, What Genre Would It Be?

Local film portrays struggles of the faithful: Letter to a Priest. (The film is available for screening at select events. To arrange a viewing, you can contact Clayton Long by e-mail.)

Vatican Radio remembers Pope John Paul I

Cardinal Patriarch of Venice, Albino Luciani, elected pontiff 35 years ago

Pope John Paul I led the Church for only 33 days in 1978 when he suddenly died of a heart attack. Nicknamed the "Smiling Pope," he was the last Italian to sit on the papal throne. (Photo credit: culturalcatholic.com)  

Cardinal Albino Luciani was elected to the See of Peter, Aug. 26, 1978. Recently, Vatican Radio broadcast a program on the short pontificate.

1978 has gone down in the history of the Catholic Church as the year of the three popes. It began when Pope Paul VI died on Aug. 6, 1978 at the age of 81 after a 16-year pontificate.

American Cardinal William Wakefield Baum voted in the August conclave.

He recalls how the pontificate of John Paul I represented a significant moment for the Church: "a moment of grace."

Click on the link to listen to Cardinal Baum's comments.

Pioneer nuns leave Vancouver after 148 years

Schools and missions to carry on legacy of Sisters of St. Ann

A group of Sisters of St. Ann from Victoria travelled to Holy Rosary Cathedral for a celebration of the order's legacy in Vancouver. Friends, family, past and current students, and the archbishop bade farewell to the last sister remaining in this diocese. Agnieszka Krawczynski / The B.C. Catholic.

After 148 years of service, the Sisters of St. Ann are leaving Vancouver. Sister Patricia Donovan, SSA, the last sister here, is moving to Victoria. "I'm sorry to be the last one leaving, but that's the way God's plan is," she said at a Mass and farewell reception Aug. 2 at Holy Rosary Cathedral. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Pope Francis thanks Rio governor for warm welcome at WYD

The governor of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has received a letter from Pope Francis offering thanks for the city's hospitality during his visit in July for World Youth Day. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Other stories recently posted to the site include the following:

Leaked Charter of Quebec Values targets religious expression

Religious freedom experts say the proposed Charter of Quebec Values that would ban religious dress and symbols from public institutions is unlikely to survive a Supreme Court challenge. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Memorial Mass fills St. Paul's to the brim

Six priests and about 150 family and friends gather in remembrance

"She used the gift of her voice to speak against the deplorable conditions in which the homeless live," said Sister Marianne Rohrer, SA, as she spoke about Sister Elizabeth Kelliher, SA, who died August 16 at the age of 89. A Memorial Mass was celebrated at St. Paul's Parish on Cordova street.

Read about Sister Kelliher on The B.C. Catholic website.

Photos by Agnieszka Krawczynski.

Christianity not just a label: Pope Francis

True believers live and testify to their faith with prayer and good works

People in St. Peter's Square participate as Pope Francis leads the Angelus from a window of the Apostolic Palace at the Vatican Aug. 25. CNS photo / Giampiero Sposito, Reuters.

"In the Gospel, Jesus tells us that to be a Christian is not to have a label but to live and testify to faith in prayer, in works of charity, in the promotion of justice, in doing good," the Pope told the audience gathered in St. Peter's Square Aug. 25 for his Sunday Angelus audience. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Other stories recently posted to the site include:

Doctors vote not to change anti-euthanasia policy

During meetings in Calgary Aug. 18-21, the Canadian Medical Association's general council defeated by a narrow margin a resolution that would have called on the federal government to launch a wide-ranging public consultation on "doctors killing patients as a medical act." Instead, delegates supported resolutions in favour of palliative care. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Nuns' hearts burn for Christ after 25 years of religious life

Daughters of St. Mary of Providence bear joyful attitude and 'culture of charity' to less fortunate

Sisters Kathy Stark (left), Rhonda Brown, and Anna Maria Bilotta smile as they are feted by a caring community. "We are grateful that the Lord chose you and that you said yes," said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB. Josie Cruz / Special to The B.C. Catholic.

Burning in the hearts of three nuns who celebrated 25 years of consecrated life Aug. 17 is the fire Jesus proclaims in Lk 12:49, the Gospel reading of that day, said Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB, and for that we are all grateful. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Other stories recently posted to the site include the following:

Slaves of the Immaculate Heart of Mary get new member

On the recent feast of the Assumption, a young U.S. woman became a novice with a traditional religious order after she saw their devotion to Mary and counter-cultural witness to Christ. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Ottawa archbishop heartened by CCODP projects in Ethiopia

Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, SJ, of Ottawa returned from a July 30 -- Aug. 8 visit to Ethiopia pleased with the positive response to projects there funded by Canadian Catholics. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

New federation for Ontario Catholic Teachers

Catholic education should lead to encounter with the living God, president says

Archbishop Jose H. Gomez of Los Angeles addresses attendees Feb. 22 at the Religious Education Congress at the Anaheim Convention Center Arena. The more than 40,000 participants from around the world strongly believe in Catholic education. CNS photo / Victor Aleman, Vida Nueva.

Catholic education should lead to an encounter with the living God and reveal reality's transcendence, said the Federation of Catholic Teachers' Guilds of Ontario's (FCTGO) founding president Aug. 9. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


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Abortion-supporting stand should bar lawmakers from Eucharist, bishop says

The adjunct secretary of the Bishops' Conference of Bolivia, Archbishop Jose Fuentes, said that government officials who support abortion should not receive Holy Communion. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Pope Francis to announce canonization date in September

John Paul II and John XXIII likely to be saints in 2014

Pope Francis will meet with cardinals next month to formally approve the
canonization of two late popes, Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII. (Photo: CNS)

Catholics eagerly watching the steps to canonization of Blesseds John Paul II and John XXIII will soon find out the official date the Church will declare them saints. Pope Francis and a group of cardinals will meet on Sept. 30 to finalize those plans and announce them to the world.

Cardinal Angelo Amato told Vatican Radio Aug. 20 that only Pope Francis knows for sure the date he will proclaim the two popes saints, although he already implied that it is likely to be in 2014.

Speaking to reporters traveling with him from Brazil to Rome July 28, Pope Francis said he had been considering Dec. 8, but the possibility of icy roads could make it difficult for Polish pilgrims who would travel by bus to Rome for the ceremony.

Another option, he said, would be April 27, which is the Sunday after Easter and the celebration of Divine Mercy Sunday, a celebration instituted worldwide by Pope John Paul.

For more on this story, see the Catholic News Service website.

Holy Cross feast to be a day of prayer, fasting

Joint fundraising effort to help Syrian refugees will draw to an end Sept. 14

Fireworks explode over the Muslim and Christian town of Maloula, Syria, on the eve of the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in 2009. Conditions in Syria are very different now, only four years later. (CNS photo / Khaled al-Hariri, Reuters.

A joint fundraising campaign by Canada's Catholic bishops and their overseas development agency to bring emergency relief to Syrian refugees will close with a day of fasting and prayer for "the people of Syria and all of the Middle East," on the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, Sept. 14. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Other stories recently posted to the site include the following:

Gentleness key to dialogue, Pope tells Japanese students

Pope Francis told a group of young Japanese students and their teachers that gentleness is essential in order to foster peace and fruitful dialogue with other cultures. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Mystery priest at crash scene comes forward

Father Dowling prayed for a young woman after an accident trapped her inside her car

Father Patrick Dowling is a priest for the Jefferson City diocese since 1982.

The priest that prayed with Missouri crash victim Katie Lentz while emergency crews tried to remove her from her wrecked vehicle has been identified. Father Patrick Dowling was nicknamed a "mystery priest" after he prayed with the young woman and disappeared.

“He came up and approached the patient, and offered a prayer,” Raymond Reed, the New London fire chief explained to KHQA about the Aug. 4 incident.

Once the victim, Katie Lentz, was removed from her car and put into an Air Evac helicopter, the emergency responders wanted to thank the priest, but he had disappeared.

Father Dowling told CNA that he was on his way to celebrate Mass when he stopped to pray for Lentz.

“When the young lady asked that I pray her leg stop hurting, I did so. She asked me to pray aloud and I did briefly … the rescue workers needed space, and would not have appreciated distraction. I stepped to one side and said my rosary silently until the lady was taken from the car.”

REAL Women of Canada accuses minister of abuse of office

Group says John Baird should not be funding homosexual activism overseas

Foreign Minister Baird poses in front of Christ the Redeemer statue in Rio de Janeiro Aug. 9. He was in Brazil for the opening of the new office of the Consulate General of Canada. CNS photo / Pilar Olivares, Reuters.

REAL Women of Canada has created a media firestorm with its Aug. 7 news release accusing foreign affairs minister John Baird of abuse of office for funding homosexual activism overseas. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Other stories recently posted to the site include:

Pope Francis criticizes 'ornamental' faith

In his Sunday Angelus message, Pope Francis emphasized the importance of a deep faith that is fixed on Jesus, warning against a religious life that is only superficial. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Vatican II not a break with the past

Teachings will soon be absorbed into 2000-year Church tradition, says Bishop of Pembroke

Bishop Michael Mulhall of Pembroke at the Third Annual Wojtyla Institute with Keith Cassidy, president of Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy, in Barry's Bay, Ont.

Soon Catholics will no longer see Vatican II as a break, but will interpret the Council's teachings in light of 2,000 years Pembroke Bishop Michael Mulhall said in a reflection on the council's Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.


Other stories recently posted to the site include:

Egyptian bishop says terrorists tried to kill him in his home

In the midst of recent violence in Egypt, the Coptic Bishop of Luxor says he was terrorized Aug. 16 by Islamists who tried to break into his house and kill him. For full story see The B.C. Catholic website.

Tories confirm euthanasia not on agenda

Minister of Health has no 'intention of changing position'

Rona Ambrose reaffirmed that the federal government will not have a debate on euthanasia. 

(Photo credit: Sgt. Ronald Duchesne / Rideau Hall)

Rona Ambrose, the federal Minister of Health, confirmed Aug. 19 that she and her fellow Tories have no interest in reopening the debate on euthanasia. According to the Vancouver Province, she spoke at the Canadian Medical Association's annual general council meeting:

"This is an issue that is very emotional for a lot of people - not just regular Canadians but also physicians," she said.

The Criminal Code outlaws euthanasia and assisted suicide, decreeing it a criminal offence punishable by up to 14 years in prison. The Quebec provincial government is moving to challenge the federal law with proposed legislation that would protect from prosecution doctors who administer life-ending drugs to terminally ill patients experiencing unbearable physical or psychological suffering.

"All of us think about the issue because we have elderly grandparents and elderly parents, and it's on the minds of many because Quebec has introduced their legislation," Ambrose said. 

"Parliament voted in 2010 to not change its position on this issue," she said. "At this time, we don't have any intention of changing our position."