Men and women are different

The Gender theory ideology was developed in the 1950s and has
redefined sexuality says Msgr. Tony Anatrella.

Gender theory 'creates serious problems,' says priest

Social psychiatry specialist Msgr. Tony Anatrella said gender theory is causing sexual identity confusion in society. The B.C. Catholic has CCN's Deborah Gyapong's story:

One of civilization's pillars, the objective recognition of sexual difference, is collapsing, a priest psychoanalyst warned the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) annual seminar here March 22-23.

Gender theory, an ideology which developed in the 1950s, has redefined sexuality, moving it away from objective sexual differences to subjective notions based on sexual orientation, said Msgr. Tony Anatrella, a Paris psychoanalyst and specialist in social psychiatry.

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

Genetically suited for the priesthood

Father Allore enjoys scientific pursuits while serving the Lord

Father Robert Allore, SJ, says he went from medical research to the Jesuits, but he hasn't totally deserted the research; he is studying the nervous system. Moussa Faddoul/Special to The B.C. Catholic.

The Archdiocese of Vancouver has a new Jesuit priest. B.C. Catholic contributor Karen Murphy Corr details the background of St. Mark's at UBC pastor, and geneticist, Father Robert Allore, SJ:

The new pastor at St. Mark's Parish at UBC is committed to promoting ongoing dialogue between the voices of science and faith.

"It's good to be able to do the science and serve the Church," said Father Robert Allore, SJ, a geneticist whose work has focused on questions relating to the development of the nervous system.

"Genetics is pretty active these days. I hope to help individuals navigate the meaning of genetic information in our age, to know that science does not have to be separate from faith, to help them understand what meaning this information has for their life plan."

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

Is disobedience a path of renewal for the Church? asks Holy Father

At Holy Thursday Mass, Pope Benedict XVI criticizes dissent from Church teachings

Pope Benedict XVI celebrates Holy Thursday Mass at the Basilica of St. John Lateran in Rome, April 5. Photo Paul Haring/CNS.

Priests were called to renew their fidelity with Christ but not to go against Church teaching, said the Pope during Holy Thursday Mass in Rome. The B.C. Catholic has the details from Catholic News Service reporter Carol Glatz:

During a Mass in which priests renew their promises of fidelity to Christ, Pope Benedict XVI firmly criticized dissent from church teachings and disobedience of God's will as illegitimate pathways toward reform and renewal.

Surrounded by more than 1,600 priests, bishops and cardinals, the pope cautioned against calls for women's ordination, saying such campaigns seemed more "a desperate push" to fulfill one's own preferences rather than a sincere attempt to conform one's life more closely to Christ.

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

Inmates donate art

Fraser Valley convicts create art for cancer fundraiser

Josh Ismirnioglou (right) and friends visit with B.C. Lions Joash Gesse (bottom left) and Marco Iannuzzi. Members of the Lions were part of the Hoops for Hope fundraiser at St. John Brebeuf high school in Abbotsford, March 16.
Nathan Rumohr/The B.C. Catholic.

Prisoners from the Fraser Regional and Ford Mountain Correctional Centres showed they're not all hardened criminals when they donated art to a fundraiser held for a correction officer's son. B.C. Catholic contributor Karen Murphy Corr explains:

 People bidding on silent auction items at the Hoops for Hope fundraiser for Josh, whose mother is a corrections officer, might be surprised to learn the story behind some of the artwork and small crafts.

"Approximately 35 inmates took part in creating, fabricating, and constructing the various donated items," confirmed Tasha Schollen, spokeswoman for the Government Communications and Public Engagement office of the Ministry of Justice.

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

NDP delays passage of anti-human trafficking bill

C-310 author shocked after securing support of all parties

Conservative MP Joy Smith.

I'm not sure if the New Democratic Party did themselves any favours by delaying a bill that fit right into their political wheelhouse. CCN's eye on Ottawa, Deborah Gyapong, explains in the latest B.C. Catholic article:

Conservative MP Joy Smith expressed shock on Mar. 30 the NDP prevented debate on her anti-trafficking Bill C-310 and delayed the bill from going immediately to the Senate.

Smith had expected the NDP would support her bill as they had at every previous stage. It had just unanimously passed through the Justice Committee with no recommendations.

“I am absolutely stunned by this,” said MP Joy Smith. “Bill C-310 will strengthen Canada’s efforts to combat human trafficking and this should not be a partisan matter. I have worked so hard to secure the support of all parties and have appreciated the support of all MPs for this Bill up until today.”

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

Prostitution now legal in Ontario

Brothels decriminalized in Canada's largest province, groups call for 'Nordic laws'

The Ontario Court of Appeal

The moral fabric of Canada took another blow as demonstrated by this B.C. Catholic article from Michael Swan of the Catholic Register:

Now that Ontario's highest court has found most laws in the country concerning prostitution are unconstitutional, people on all sides of the debate are urging parliament to act.

In a landmark ruling likely to be appealed to the Supreme Court, the Ontario Court of Appeal rendered a decision on March 26 that legalizes brothels and allows prostitutes to hire protectors and other staff. Public soliciting and pimping remain illegal, but the court ruled that prostitutes have a constitutional right to work in safe environments.

The court suspended implementation of its decision for one year to give parliament time to amend the criminal code.

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

Lions battle Bears in charity fundraiser in Abbotsford

Grey Cup Champions play St. John Brebeuf boys basketball team in an effort to help a local family

Josh Ismirnioglou (right) sits with two friends holding the Grey Cup and B.C. Lions Joash Gesse (left), Akeem Foster (back), and Marco Iannuzzi (right), during a charity basketball game to raise money for Ismirnioglou's battle with cancer. Nathan Rumohr / The B.C. Catholic

Recently I witnessed a charity fundraiser that brought the B.C. Lions to St. John Brebeuf high school in Abbotsford. The Lions played the Brebeuf Bears in a basketball game to raise money for one of the school's students who is battling cancer:

An Abbotsford boy received a big boost in his fight against cancer from the Grey Cup Champion B.C. Lions March 16.

St. John Brebeuf (SJB) hosted a basketball fundraiser called Hoops for Hope for student Josh Ismirnioglou: the B.C. Lions battled the SJB Bears. There was also a silent art auction.

"We are overwhelmed," said Cheryle Ismirnioglou, his mother. "I can't believe the Grey Cup champions are here for Josh."

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

Dating can be "heavenly" for Catholics

Young Franciscan author says getting to know God is like dating

Here is a story explaining getting to know God in down-to-earth, even earthy, terms. Any link between this approach and Theology of the Body?

Getting to know God is akin to entering a dating relationship, according to Franciscan Brother Daniel P. Horan. When two people already like one another, they devote copious amounts of time and energy to learning everything they can about each other and joyfully anticipate spending time together, he explained.

Brother Horan, a member of the Order of Friars Minor, is the author of "Dating God: Live and Love in the Way of St. Francis," published by St. Anthony Messenger Press. At 28, he is not very far removed from the more traditional understanding of dating.

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

Presentation serves up better understanding of Islam

Catholic After Hours group hears of differences discussing religion with Eastern, Western people

Dr. Daniel Holmes (right) converses at a Catholic After Hours Event called "Muslim converts to Christianity" March 18 at the Irish Heather Pub in Gastown.

A doctor from St. Paul's Hospital says it is not uncommon for Muslims to encounter Jesus through dreams. Here's his story.

Dr. Daniel Holmes spoke at the Catholic After Hours conversation series March 18 about a "universally important topic": Muslim converts to Christianity.

Dr. Holmes, who specializes in endocrine diagnostics at St. Paul's Hospital, first encountered Muslims in his role as a physician. Before that, the self-proclaimed "Baptist with many Catholic friends" acknowledged, he knew very little about Islam aside from what he had heard in the news media.

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

Churches to help former homeless overcome loneliness

Adjusting to life off the streets is usually a lonely experience

Darrell, a former homeless man, said reintegrating back into society can be a lonely experience. Photo Ramon Gonzalez/Western Catholic Reporter/CCN.

Living on the streets isn't normal to most people, but for the former homeless, adjusting to regular life isn't "normal" and it's often lonely. The B.C. Catholic has an article from Ramon Gonzalez of the Western Catholic Reporter about Edmonton's plan to support the homeless adjusting back into society:

Three years into the implementation of Edmonton’s 10 Year Plan to End Homelessness, about 1,600 people have made the journey from homelessness to home.

However, adjusting to a new life off the streets takes time and is usually a lonely experience. Homeless people have left behind their social network and have yet to build a new one.

Darrell, a former homeless man and drug addict who has spent the past two decades in and out of jail, got a new one-bedroom apartment a year ago.

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

Cubans celebrate Good Friday as a national holiday

Pope also asked Raul Castro for further freedoms for Catholics in Cuba

People take part in an outdoors Stations of the Cross procession in Havana March 7. Cuba's government, after a request from Pope Benedict XVI, declared Good Friday 2012 a national holiday. CNS photo/Reuters.

It appears Pope Benedict XVI's trip to Cuba is already paying off. The B.C. Catholic has a story from Carol Glatz of Catholic News Service about Cuba recognizing Good Friday as a national holiday:

The Vatican spokesman praised Cuba's decision to accept Pope Benedict XVI's request to make Good Friday a national holiday this year.

"It is certainly a very positive sign," Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, the Vatican spokesman, said April 1.

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

Cuba better now than then

Patience, progress: differing opinions on dealing with Cuba's regime

A woman attending Mass with Pope Benedict XVI holds a sign in Spanish that reads, "God loves you," in Revolution Square in Havana March 28.

The Cuba that Pope Benedict XVI visited March 26-28 is a country where the Catholic Church enjoys significantly more freedom and official recognition than it did when Blessed John Paul II made the first papal visit to the island in 1998.

Since that time, the communist regime has made Christmas a national holiday, and it now allows Communist Party members to identify themselves as practising Catholics. In preparation for this year's 400th anniversary of the Virgin of Charity of El Cobre, the venerated statue was allowed to circulate on a pilgrimage throughout the country, an event that President Raul Castro said "brought our people together, believers and nonbelievers."

Such progress in religious freedom is what church leaders and Pope Benedict himself have said they hope to build on in the aftermath of his visit. But in other dimensions of human rights, the reform record of the Cuban regime has been less encouraging.

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

Opposing oppressive governments is in the Christian DNA

Protest injustice through nonviolence, says Jesuit priest

Father Simon Harak, SJ, spoke about the non-violent nature of Christ at a retreat at Edmonton's
Trinity Lutheran Church March 21. Photo Ramon Gonzalez/CCN

There goes Jesus again, always inspiring the truth and ticking off oppressive governments. The B.C. Catholic has an article from Ramon Gonzalez of the Western Catholic Reporter, about a Jesuit priest who said Christians have the genetics through Christ to survive in oppressive empires:

Jesus never hurt or killed anyone, but took dramatic, direct non-violent action against injustice and state oppression, says Father Simon Harak, SJ.

As his followers, we are called to do the same, Harak said. “We are called to get involved in non-violent direct action that disrupts the machinery of sin.”

The Jesuit priest said the Christian tradition of nonviolence is needed, in part, to resist the death-dealing power of the United States, which, like the Roman Empire, oppresses millions in America and around the world.

“(As Christians) we are not strangers to empires,” Harak said, noting that the early Christians lived under a world dominated by the sole superpower of their time.

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

Rivals unite to play Canada's game

Students team up to play hockey at B.C. Games

Rival students from St. Thomas More and Notre Dame (from left) Claudia Funaro (Notre Dame), Justine Johnson, Olivia Ramos (St. Thomas Moore), and Carley Spagnuolo (Notre Dame), stand united inside Vernon's Wesbild Centre. The four students represented the Fraser River Delta zone at the 2012 B.C. Winter Games. Special to The B.C. Catholic

Fierce school rivalries were put aside in late February when four students from rival Catholic schools united to take part in the B.C. Winter Games. I recently caught up with the players to comment on their first place round-robin showing:

St. Thomas More Collegiate, Notre Dame Secondary, and Little Flower Academy are often at sporting odds as their girls' teams face each other in various sports. But four students and a coach put aside rivalries for hockey as they all played for the same team at the B.C. Winter Games in Vernon Feb. 23-26.

"There's always been a rivalry between STM and Notre Dame, so it was kind of cool that we played on the same team," said Grade 8 St. Thomas More student Justine Johnson.

Johnson joined fellow Grade 8 schoolmate Olivia Ramos, and Notre Dame students Claudia Funaro, Grade 9, and Carley Spagnuolo, Grade 8, on the bantam female hockey team for the Fraser River Delta zone.

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

Dissecting American political advertising

U.S. TV stations want people to view ads, not to know who pays for them

A screen shot from a Rick Santorum attack ad paid for by a group supporting Barack Obama.

The B.C. Catholic has an illuminating story from CNS' Mark Pattison about the "secretive world" of U.S. political advertising:

When you watch your local news, don't you get reminded time after time that you can go to the station's website for breaking news, updates on traffic and weather, and learn more about anchors Stan and Jess, Rob on sports and Terry with the weather?

You also may get an invite to download an app for your mobile phone where you can summon up the station at any time, day or night.

That may be all fine and good. TV stations want your eyeballs. The more people watch their shows -- both news and entertainment, both on the tube or on the phone -- the more people can watch the commercials.

But while stations want your eyeballs on their programming and the ads that go with it, they seem far less inclined to want your eyeballs on who's paying for those ads. Especially political ads.

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

Students 'adopt' a village

St. Francis de Sales students send animals to Haiti

Students from St. Francis de Sales elementary school raised money for the "Free the Children" campaign. From left: Lauren Walker, Katrina Testani, Carissa Tavares-Kwok, Carling Bauer, Danielle Tarazi, and principal Cecilia McLaren. Special to The B.C. Catholic

The B.C. Catholic has a story from Carling Bauer, a grade 7 student from St. Francis de Sales elementary, that shows the spirit of stewardship in young people:

I feel so bad for kids who have nothing, so for Christmas, a few other girls and I teamed up to bring kids in need a special present. Many of the girls knew that giving a small amount would make a difference if we worked together as a group.

Katrina, Lauren, Danielle, Carissa, and I, students from St. Francis de Sales elementary school, came together to donate money to "Free the Children." We sent a goat and cow to Haiti hoping to help the lives of those living in poverty.

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

Christian unity is a mandate from Christ

Franciscan sister says ecumenical discussions need to be more than splitting theological hairs

Sister Lorelie Fuchs. Photo Chris Miller/CCN

The B.C. Catholic has an article from Chris Miller of the Western Catholic Reporter about a Franciscan sister's call for greater Christian unity:

Ecumenical dialogue is not about sitting around a table, splitting theological hairs and talking until everyone is in agreement.

That is not what ecumenical dialogue is all about, says Sister Lorelei Fuchs.

Fuchs said ecumenical dialogue is a dialogue of love, mutually informing one another and forming one another, seeing Christ in the other person, regardless of the Church he or she attends.

“These are hard ecumenical times. But I am convinced that the time to continue doing something is when other people stop doing it. Unity is not a Christian hobby; it is really a mandate of Christ,” said Fuchs.

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

Birthing Bertha

Bertha Wilson (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Group naming Motion 312, the person-hood definition, after feminist supreme court judge

Canada's first female Supreme Court Justice, Bertha Wilson, is heroically memorialized by abortionists. Wilson, and four other justices, famously opened the door to free rein abortion in Canada in 1988, when they overturned Dr. Henry Morgentaler's 1983 charge for obstructing Canada's then abortion laws to his benefit.

However, a pro-life Facebook page is using this "pro-choice hero" as the face of a potentially pro-life cause.

"Stephen Woodworth's Motion 312 needs a name. We think it should be 'The Bertha Wilson Motion', in honour of the former Canadian feminist Supreme Court of Canada Justice who agreed that some protection of the foetus was needed in Canada," reads the Bertha Wilson Motion Facebook page.

The group focuses on an often overlooked quote by the late justice in regards to fetal rights.

“The precise point in the development of the foetus at which the state’s interest in its protection becomes 'compelling' I leave to the informed judgement of the legislature which is in a position to receive guidance on the subject from all the relevant disciplines. It seems to me, however, that it might fall somewhere in the second trimester,” Wilson wrote as part of her decision in R v Morgentaler 1988.

But can it be true that, Wilson, the great Canadian hero of feminism would actually conceive the idea that maybe there should a limit on abortions? Preposterous! says pro-choice coalitions.

"An anti-choice Facebook page has also been formed, co-opting Mme Justice Bertha Wilson's name in a disrespectful and sneering way," says scathinglywrongrightwingnutz.blogspot.ca, a liberal woman's blog. "All the usual anti-choice suspects, like Campaign Life, are gearing up for the fight."

Instead of focusing on what Wilson said about fetal rights in 1988, the group writes in their open letter to Djaouida Sellah (NDP), Carolyn Bennett (Liberal), Maria Mourani (BQ), and Elizabeth May (Green), that opposition MP's should rise in the house during the April 26 debate on Motion 312 and say, "Mr Speaker, with respect, I decline this opportunity to waste this house's time on a matter most Canadians consider settled."

But the issue isn't settled because it's been 24 years since the Morgentaler ruling and the pro-life movement is growing by leaps and bounds. Whether these groups like it or not, the truth is undeniable and human life begins well before a birth, and they frankly have no leg to stand on.

To like the The Bertha Wilson Motion Facebook page click here.

Catholics need better engagement with online activism

American Papist gives five steps to help win the online war of ideas

Add online activism to your list of fasting, prayer, and demonstrations, says the American Papist, a blog affiliated with Catholicvotes.org. The blog's author Thomas Peters says Catholics aren't taking to Facebook, Twitter, and other social media networks to spread their message like other non-Catholic organizations do. He said Catholic enemies are social media savvy and that is a big reason those groups are successful silencing the Church's voice in society.

"The reason Catholics need to start winning at online activism isn’t about numbers on a scoreboard. Social media activism is a new major force which influences the outcome of battles we care about," Peters wrote.

He referenced how Planned Parenthood used an organized social media campaign to restore funding to their organization after the Susan G. Komen Foundation cut funding earlier this year.

"Planned Parenthood and left-wing social media won the battle to dominate the messaging war, mostly because they’ve invested time in training their supporters to be online activists," Peters observed. "Catholics are not well represented when it comes to online social activism. And many of us who are engaged are not well trained or intentional about how we do it."

Peters suggested five steps Catholics could take to make gains in online activism. He said the steps are not that difficult.

"We have to make social activism a habit, like sorting our mail and responding to text messages," Peters stressed. "Consider how much time you spend doing social media or surfing the internet and how much more you would have to show for it, or how much more you could be proud of it, or if you spent a portion of that time engaging in social media activism. The great blessing of social media is that, at the end of the day, the power of a message is based on how many people care enough to relay that message."

To read the full blog post click here.

Students clean their 'adopted' streets

Program gives back to community

St. John Brebeuf students "adopted" several streets in Abbotsford by cleaning them up in an effort to serve their community. Special to The B.C. Catholic.

The B.C. Catholic profiles the students of St. John Brebeuf high school, and their efforts to keep the streets of Abbotsford clean: 

The Adopt-a-Street program has become a great hands-on learning experience for the students of St. John Brebeuf Secondary School.

In October 2011, Christine Tsou challenged her Business 10 class to serve a practical purpose in our community and to pilot the Adopt-a-Street program.

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