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In what would be his farewell address to his Catholic audience at Toronto’s annual Cardinal’s dinner last year, Archbishop Thomas Collins challenged those present with the haunting question: “What have we become?”

Knights of Columbus hit milestone in keeping kids warm

‘I believe’

As the darkest days of the year arrive in the northern hemisphere, my heart is aching with the knowledge of just how conflicted the world is. So many people not only fail to find comfort in faith, but struggle with the concept of belief itself. There is a crisis of engagement — in service clubs and churches and political issues, just to name a few. And it begs the question, what does it mean to believe in something.

Ironically, to understand why many Canadians stomach a system hostile to right-to-life organizations, anti-abortion legislation proposals and any meaningful discussions about pre-born rights or if life begins at conception, you have to look back to the birth of this nation.

Take a moment to meditate on the alluring emotional power of New Year’s Day.

Jan. 1 presents a natural opportunity for many to turn the page on a bad year and begin afresh. It may provide hope that extraordinary possibilities are on the horizon.

With hopes growing for a temporary, humanitarian cease-fire, Pope Francis met at the Vatican Nov. 22 with relatives of Israelis held hostage by Hamas and, separately, with relatives of Palestinians suffering under the Israeli siege of Gaza.

Climate change worry is not a major factor in Canadian women’s decision about the size of their families, according to a new report released by Cardus, a Canadian non-partisan think-tank based in Hamilton, Ont. 

The University of St. Michael’s College, in conjunction with the Irish embassy, is seeking scholarly papers for a proposed conference tentatively called “Canada, Ireland, and Transatlantic Colonialism: Historical Perspectives” which it hopes to run in May.

I love Israel. But I hate what it is doing in Gaza. I yearn for the establishment of a Palestinian state in the Middle East. But Hamas, especially its Oct. 7 raids on Israel, is the greatest obstacle to that state becoming reality.

Haven’t been to Confession for a while? One question: How can you stay away?!

All right, I know it can be very difficult to even find Confession offered beyond 30 to 45 minutes right before a Saturday evening Mass, or “by appointment.” But no matter what you must do, what hoops you must jump through, how many kilometres you must drive, Confession is totally worth it. You and I need frequent Confession because we are sinners. I will now try to shoot down some “excuses” for not going to Confession.