Father Stephen Amesse, pastor of St. Patrick's Parish (Fallow-field) and School Board Director James (Jamie) McCracken

This week, on Tuesday evening, there was a gathering of trustees of the Ottawa Catholic School Board with school principals, high school chaplaincy leaders and parish priests. It was a warm and cordial environment (only a few remarks, no speeches). Here are some photos from the occasion:











TWO MAJOR EVENTS IN ROME

POPE BENEDICT XVI TO RECEIVE VISITORS...

... Archbishop Rowan Williams

These days, the Holy Father will receive Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury, a visit planned long before the announcement of the Apostolic Constitution, Anglicanorum coetibus and Complementary Norms associated with responding to traditional Anglican Catholic congregations' (and individuals') requests to be received in Communion with the Holy See but preserving aspects of Anglican tradition and life.



... Artists from around the world

In early September, the Vatican announced a formal meeting between the pope and contemporary artists to take place tomorrow, November 21st, ten years after Pope John Paul II's letter to artists. Archbishop Gianfranco Ravasi, president of the Pontifical Council for Culture, suggested the idea because he says there should be a dialogue between artists and the Church.

Contemporary sculptors, painters, writers and musicians--including Canadian musician Angela Hewitt--have all been invited to the meeting which could take place in the Sistine Chapel among the art of one their more prominent predecessors, Michelangelo.

Archbishop Ravasi described the forthcoming meeting as an effort "to rediscover a discourse and dialogue that is global and essential".

The archbishop noted that 500 artists were invited but only 170 had confirmed their attendance in early November but the number has grown since then; he said for many artists this was due to conflicting schedules not ideological differences.

He said those invited "do not belong only to the Catholic world," although the Church "is represented in a substantial way."

The day before the meeting, the artists will visit the modern art collection in the Vatican Museums, which was established at the request of Paul VI.

Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt is among international artists who will participate in the pope's meeting with artists

Among the artists who will attend the meeting are Italian singer Andrea Bocelli, Canadian pianist Angela Hewitt, Mexican painter Gustavo Aceves and the master of Russian figurative art Aleksandr Zvyagin. Also attending will be British architect David Chipperfield, and Swiss architect Mario Botta. Representatives of literature include novelist Susana Tamaro and Italian literary critic and journalist Lorenzo Mondo.

There will be brief musical interventions to open and close the meeting. Some paragraphs of John Paul II's letter will also be read.

Benedict will address the artists and later, participants will attend a meeting in the New Wing of the Vatican Museums and be given a medal on behalf of the Holy Father that was made especially for the event.

One of our retired Ottawa priests is monsieur l'Abbe Paul-Yvon Menard, nephew of the late Mgr Joseph Charbonneau, fourth archbishop of Montreal.

A native of our archdiocese where he served as Rector of the Seminary and Vicar General, and a highly regarded churchman, he was bishop of Hearst (1939) less than a year before he was promoted to Montreal (1940).

Under controversial circumstances, he resigned as Archbishop of Montreal on February 9, 1950 and lived in seclusion in the Victoria Diocese until his death on this day in 1959.

I will not be able to celebrate a Memorial Mass with Abbe Menard as I have Confirmations this evening in St. Isidore-de-Prescott. My episcopal vicar Abbe Daniel Berniquez will invite Abbe Menard to concelebrate the 5:15 Mass at the cathedral on this special day.

En mémoire de Mgr Joseph Charbonneau (1892-1959)

Aujourd'hui marque le 50e anniversaire du décès de Mgr Joseph Charbonneau, quatrième archevêque de Montréal. En début d’année, son village natal de Lefaivre, Ontario, a dédié la salle communautaire à sa mémoire. Ayant eu le plaisir de participer à cette cérémonie, je vous partage ce qui a été dit.

Né le 31 juillet 1892, il est troisième enfant des agriculteurs Daniel Charbonneau et Caroline Yelle. Ayant fait des études au séminaire montfortain d’Huberdeau et au Séminaire de Sainte-Thérèse, il terminera des études en théologie au Grand Séminaire de Montréal. Il fut ordonné prêtre le 24 juin 1916 à Lefaivre, par Mgr Charles-H. Gauthier, archevêque d’Ottawa.

Il sera vicaire dans quelques paroisses du diocèse, et il étudiera la sociologie à l’Université catholique de Washington, matière qu’il enseignera au Séminaire de philosophie à Montréal. À Rome de 1923 à 1925, il y obtient un doctorat en sciences ecclésiastiques.

Après avoir été supérieur du Grand Séminaire d’Ottawa et directeur de l’École normale de Hull, en 1939 il est nommé évêque du nouveau diocèse francophone de Hearst, dans le Nord ontarien. Sa visite des paroisses lui permettra de comprendre les problèmes liés à la colonisation, l’agriculture et l’éducation.

Le 31 août 1940, âgé de 48 ans, Mgr Charbonneau devient archevêque de Montréal. Peu connu, il impressionne vivement. Il publie un document dans lequel il affirme sa confiance dans les jeunes générations et la place que doivent prendre les laïcs dans tous les secteurs de l’activité humaine.

Très tôt il ouvre l’École de service social de l’Université de Montréal, puis met sur pied l’École normale secondaire. À l’été 1942, devant les directeurs et les professeurs des collèges classiques du Québec, il déplore l’entrée restreinte aux universités, une perte énorme de talent au Québec. Le 2 février 1943, il fonde l’Œuvre des vocations. Il met sur pied le Service de préparation au mariage répandu aujourd’hui dans plusieurs pays.

La meilleure illustration de son souci pastoral sera toutefois sa prise de position lors de la grève de l’amiante aux mines d’Asbestos et de Thetford Mines en 1949. Les gestes qu’il a posés alors ont marqué l’opinion populaire à jamais.

Voici un extrait d’un sermon prononcé à cette époque : « La classe ouvrière est victime d’une conspiration qui veut son écrasement et quand il y a conspiration pour écraser la classe ouvrière, c’est le devoir de l’Église d’intervenir. Nous voulons la paix sociale, mais nous ne voulons pas l’écrasement de la classe ouvrière. Nous nous attachons plus à l’homme qu’au capital. Voici pourquoi le clergé a décidé d’intervenir. Il veut faire respecter la justice et la charité et il désire que l’on cesse d’accorder plus d’attention aux intérêts d’argent qu’à l’élément humain. »

L’Église devait-elle prendre position? Nul ne peut questionner les convictions profondes dont Mgr Charbonneau a fait preuve. Peu après ces événements, le 9 février 1950, Mgr Charbonneau dut remettre sa démission. Les prêtres et les fidèles en furent consternés. Il vécut neuf ans à Victoria, Colombie-Britannique, dans la plus grande simplicité. Le 19 novembre 1959, il meurt à l’âge de 67 ans.

Le 27 novembre 1959, en la Cathédrale de Montréal, d’émouvantes funérailles sont célébrées en présence d’une foule considérable composée de membres de toutes les sphères de la société et de l’Église. Mgr Charbonneau avait demandé d’être inhumé au cimetière de sa paroisse natale, il entrera plutôt dans la chapelle où reposent ses confrères évêques.

Homme visionnaire, ses convictions profondes ont marqué les générations. Il a eu l’audace d’effectuer les changements requis pour faire avancer les causes. Il l’a fait avec courage, et il en a payé le prix.

As the commemorative feast of the dedication of the archbasilica of the Lateran is kept by the whole Western church, so also is that of the other greater patriarchal basilicas at Rome, St Mary Major on August 5, and St Peter's and St Paul's together on this day, November 18th.

Amongst all the places which the blood of martyrs has rendered illustrious, that part of the Vatican Hill which was consecrated with the blood and enriched with the relics of the Prince of the Apostles has always been the most venerable.

"The sepulchres of those who have served Christ crucified", says St John Chrysostom, "surpass the palaces of kings; not so much in the greatness and beauty of the buildings (though in this also they go beyond them) as in other things of more importance, such as the multitude of those who with devotion and joy repair to them. For the emperor himself, clothed in purple, goes to the tombs of the saints and kisses them; humbly prostrate on the ground he beseeches the same saints to pray to God for him; and he who wears a royal crown looks on it as a great privilege from God that a tentmaker and a fisherman, and these dead, should be his protectors and defenders, and for this he begs with great earnestness."

The martyrdom of St Peter took place according to tradition at the circus of Caligula in Nero 's gardens on the Vatican Hill, and he was buried nearby. It is held by some that in the year 258, to avoid desecration during the persecution of Valerian, the relics of St Peter, together with those of St Paul were translated for a time to the obscure catacomb now called St Sebastian's; but they came back to their original resting-place, and in 323 the Emperor Constantine began the building of the basilica of St Peter over the tomb of the Apostle.

For nearly twelve hundred years this magnificent church remained substantially the same, a great papal establishment gradually growing up between it and the Vatican Hill. This was made the permanent residence of the popes on their return from the exile at Avignon, and by the middle of the fifteenth century the old church was found to be inadequate.

In 1506, Pope Julius II inaugurated a new building designed by Bramante, whose erection was carried on over a period of a hundred and twenty years, undergoing many alterations, additions and modifications at the hands of various popes and architects, especially Paul V and Michelangelo.

The new basilica of St Peter, as we see it today, was consecrated by Pope Urban VIII on November 18, 1626, the day of its original dedication. The high altar was set up over the Apostle's resting-place, which until 1942 had been inaccessible for many centuries. Though St Peter's must always yield in dignity to the cathedral of St John Lateran, it has nevertheless for long been the most important church of the world, both in fact and in the hearts of Catholic Christians.


"Guard your Church, O Lord, by the protection of the Apostles, so that as she received from them the beginning of divine knowledge, through them she may secure growth in heavenly grace even to the end of time. Through Our Lord..."


The martyrdom of St Paul took place some seven miles from that of St Peter at Aquae Salviae (now called Tre Fontane) on the Ostian Way. He was buried about two miles from there, on the property of a lady named Lucina, in a small vault.

Early in the third century, according to Eusebius (Hist. eccl., ii, 25, 7), a Roman priest, Caius, refers to the tombs of Saints Peter and Paul: "I can show you the trophies [tombs] of the apostles. If you go to the Vatican or on the road to Ostia you will see the trophies of those who founded this church."

Constantine is said to have begun a basilica here too, but the great church of St Paul's-outside-the-Walls was principally the work of the Emperor Theodosius I and Pope St Leo the Great.

It remained in its primitive beauty and simplicity till the year 1823, when it was consumed by fire. The whole world contributed to its restoration, non-Christians as well as non-Catholics sending gifts and contributions.

During the course of the work the fourth-century tomb was found, with the inscription PAULO APOST MART: to Paul, apostle and martyr. It was not opened until last year's Pauline Year when the basilica received a great deal of renewal to its facilities to welcome the added number of pilgrims and visitors.

The new basilica, on the lines of the old one, was consecrated by Pope Pius IX on December 10, 1854, but the annual commemoration was appointed for this day, as the Roman Martyrology records.

"We do not", says St Augustine, "build churches or appoint priesthoods, sacred rites and sacrifices to the martyrs, because, not the martyrs, but the God of the martyrs, is our God. Who among the faithful ever heard a priest, standing at the altar set up over the body of a martyr to the honour and worship of God, say in praying: We offer up sacrifices to thee, Peter, or Paul, or Cyprian? We do not build churches to martyrs as to gods, but as memorials to men departed this life, whose souls live with God. Nor do we make altars to sacrifice on them to the martyrs, but to their God and our God."

PRESIDENTIAL ADDRESS TO UNITED STATES BISHOPS

MONDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2009

The United States bishops are meeting at their semi-annual gathering in Baltimore these days.

Yesterday, they passed by an overwhelming majority the five votes on texts for the new English translation of the Third Edition of the Roman Missal, which means that the target date of presenting a copy of the English Missal to the Holy Father in late April is attainable.

However, the presidential address of these meetings often gives a sense of the backdrop issues for the bishops' assembly. In his address, which is reproduced below, Cardinal George turns his attention to the Year of the Priest and how important priests are for the life of the church. Thereafter he shows how important is their association with the bishops in governance of the church and in addressing key issues of today, particularly that of the unity of the church as she carries out her mission:


The Year for Priests proclaimed by our Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, aims to renew among ordained priests a sense of the sacred vocation that is theirs in the Church, drawing ever more confidently on the grace that was given them with the laying on of hands (I Timothy 4:14).

It is also an opportunity for the whole Church to thank God for this grace, which is given to those called to Holy Orders for the sake of others’ salvation. It has already moved some of the faithful to thank their priests for their lives of self-sacrifice for Christ’s people. In this gratitude, we bishops, who shepherd our Churches with and through our priests, join wholeheartedly.

Pope Benedict XVI, in a recent homily, spoke about the Church’s “sacerdotal form,” explaining that the category of priesthood is an “interpretative key of the mystery of Christ and, in consequence, the Church…Jesus Christ’s priesthood is no longer primarily a ritual one but an existential one,” the Pope preached; the ordained priesthood affects every dimension of the Church’s life.

Ordained so that Christ’s headship of his Church might be visible and so that the baptized will know where they must gather if they want to be visibly one in Christ, priests are called to ever-greater depths of pastoral charity by the demands of their ministry. To appreciate the many dimensions of priestly ministry, it helps to consider what the Catholic Church would be without the sacrament of Holy Orders.

Priestly Ministry rooted in Holy Orders

The priest teaches the people in Christ’s name and with his authority. Without ordained priests, the teaching ministry would fall primarily on professors, whose obligation is first to seek the truth in the framework of their own academic discipline and whose authority to teach derives from their professional expertise.

The priest governs the people in Christ’s name, exercising Christ’s authority in collaboration with the bishops. Without ordained priests, the only instance of real governance in any society would be that of civil and political leaders. Their authority comes from God through the people they have sworn to serve; but, in Catholicism, secular kingship confers no religious authority and a civil government has no right to deprive the Church of freedom to govern herself by her own laws and under her own leaders.

The priest counsels people to see the hand of God directing human affairs, using the discernment of spirits to govern souls and to free people from what oppresses them. Without ordained priests, counseling passes into the hands of therapists, dedicated to their clients and skilled in examining the dynamics of human personality, but without consideration of the influence of God’s grace.

The priest leads his people in worship, making possible the real presence of Christ, the head of his Church, under the sacramental forms of bread and wine. Without ordained priests, the Church would be deprived of the Eucharist, and her worship would be centered only on the praise and thanksgiving, the petition and expiation open to all by reason of baptism.

Without ordained priests who love and govern their people in the name of Christ and with his authority, the Church would not be connected to Jesus Christ, the great High Priest, as Christ himself wants us to be joined to him. Without ordained priests, the Church would be a spiritual association, a faith community, but not fully the Body of Christ.

Episcopal Governance and the Sacrament of Holy Orders

During this Year for Priests, we bishops are called to reflect on our relationship to our priests, to help them grow in holiness, to deepen our fraternity with them, to unite them with us around Jesus Christ. We are called as well to examine the ministry that is properly ours by reason of the fullness of the priesthood given us at episcopal ordination.

To us bishops, gathered into this Conference established by the Holy See in order to strengthen our unity with the Holy Father and among ourselves, the words of St. Ignatius of Antioch speak across nineteen hundred years of the relationships that constitute our own participation in the sacrament of Holy Orders and in the governance of the Church.

On his way to martyrdom in Rome, Ignatius wrote to the Philadelphians: “For all who belong to God and Jesus Christ are with the bishop; all who repent and return to the unity of the Church will also belong to God, that they may live according to Jesus Christ.” And again, in his letter to the Trallians: “Your submission to your bishop, who is in the place of Jesus Christ, shows me that you are not living as men usually do but in the manner of Jesus himself, who died for us that you might escape death by belief in his death. Thus one thing is necessary,…that you do nothing without your bishop…”

Episcopal Governance and Catholic Communion

If such is not the universally accepted sense of Catholic communion, we bishops must look to ways to strengthen Church unity. Relations do not speak first of control but of love. If there is a loosening of relationship between ourselves and those whom Christ has given us to govern in love, it is for us to reach out and re-establish connections necessary for all to remain in communion.

As you know, we have recently begun discussions on how we might strengthen our relationship to Catholic universities, to media claiming the right to be a voice in the Church, and to organizations that direct various works under Catholic auspices. Since everything and everyone in Catholic communion is truly inter-related, and the visible nexus of these relations is the bishop, an insistence on complete independence from the bishop renders a person or institution sectarian, less than fully Catholic. The purpose of our reflections, therefore, is to clarify questions of truth or faith and of accountability or community among all those who claim to be part of Catholic communion.

Our pastoral concern for ecclesial unity does not diminish our awareness of our own mistakes and sins. There are some who would like to trap the Church in historical events of ages long past and there are others who would keep the bishops permanently imprisoned in the clerical sexual abuse scandal of recent years. The proper response to a crisis of governance, however, is not no governance but effective governance.

Loss of trust, we know, weakens relationships and will continue to affect our ministry, even though clerical ranks have been purged of priests and bishops known to have abused children and the entire Church has taken unprecedented means to protect children and to reach out to victims. In any case, the sinfulness of Churchmen can not be allowed to discredit the truth of Catholic teaching or to destroy the relationships that create ecclesial communion.

Relations in the Church and among priests and people are mutual. The faithful need the bishops in order to be Catholic, and the bishops need the faithful in order to be Catholic pastors.

Pastors are given authority by Christ to govern the Church not according to their own whims or desires but according to the will of Christ and to keep the faithful united around him. Every pastor has Councils for this purpose: to listen to those to whom he has been sent to guide and govern. I believe I speak for all of us here when I say that the bishops look forward to the dialogues that will clarify and strengthen the conditions necessary for all of us to be Catholic.

The Unity of the Church and her Mission to the World

The Church, as St. Paul reminds us, has the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:5). If we are not of his mind, not of one mind, we cannot preach who Christ is to a divided world. The Second Vatican Council reminded the entire Church that we are to be a leaven for the world’s transformation. Catholic communion is to be the counterpart of human solidarity.

Recently, we have tried to be such a leaven in the debate about health care. It is not for us to speak to particular means of delivering health care; it is our responsibility, however, to insist, as a moral voice concerned with human solidarity, that everyone should be cared for and that no one should be deliberately killed.

This voice and these concerns are not novel. My predecessor as Archbishop of Chicago, Cardinal Bernardin, speaking to the National Press Club in 1994, said that concern for health care “requires us to stand up for both the unserved and the unborn, to insist on the inclusion of real universal coverage and the exclusion of abortion coverage, to support efforts to restrain rising health costs, and to oppose the denial of needed care to the poor and vulnerable.”

Participating in the same debate fifteen years later, we are grateful for those in either political party who share these common moral concerns and govern our country in accordance with them.

The challenge to governing effectively and pastorally as bishops and priests is to be public without being co-opted and to be who we are without being isolated. We approach every issue from the perspective of the natural moral law and the Gospel of Jesus Christ, for issues that are moral questions before they become political remain moral questions when they become political. To limit our teaching or governing to what the state is not interested in would be to betray both the Constitution of our country and, much more importantly, the Lord himself.

Jesus Christ is the Savior of the whole world, of our public lives as well as our private lives, of our business concerns and of our recreational outlets, of our families and of our institutions, of the living and of the dead. In his name and as bishops of his Church, we gather now to seek his will for his people, and with his authority we govern. May Christ bless and guide, with the power of his Spirit, our deliberations and this meeting of our Conference. Thank you.

Francis Cardinal George OMI
Archbishop of Chicago

"Today, there is an inescapable duty to make ourselves the neighbor of every individual, without exception, and to take positive steps to help a neighbor whom we encounter, whether that neighbor be an elderly person, abandoned by everyone, a foreign worker who suffers the injustice of being despised, a refugee, an illegitimate child wrongly suffering for a sin of which the child is innocent, or a starving human being who awakens our conscience by calling to mind the words of Christ: 'As long as you did it for one of these, the least of my brethren, you did it for me' (Matthew 25:40)" (Gaudium et Spes, The Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World, #27).

In her short life, Elizabeth manifested such great love for the poor and suffering that she has become the patroness of Catholic charities and of the Secular Franciscan Order.

The daughter of the King of Hungary, Elizabeth chose a life of penance and asceticism when a life of leisure and luxury could easily have been hers. This choice endeared her in the hearts of the common people throughout Europe.
At the age of 14 Elizabeth was married to Louis of Thuringia (a German principality), whom she deeply loved; she bore three children.

Under the spiritual direction of a Franciscan friar, she led a life of prayer, sacrifice and service to the poor and sick. Seeking to become one with the poor, she wore simple clothing. Daily she would take bread to hundreds of the poorest in the land, who came to her gate.

After six years of marriage, her husband died in the Crusades, and she was grief-stricken. Her husband’s family looked upon her as squandering the royal purse, and mistreated her, finally throwing her out of the palace. The return of her husband’s allies from the Crusades resulted in her being reinstated, since her son was legal heir to the throne.

In 1228 Elizabeth joined the Secular Franciscan Order, spending the remaining few years of her life caring for the poor in a hospital which she founded in honor of St. Francis. Elizabeth’s health declined, and she died before her 24th birthday in 1231. Her great popularity resulted in her canonization four years later.

"O God, who enabled Saint Elizabeth of Hungary to recognize and honour Christ in the poor, grant us through her intercession to serve with unfailing charity the needy and afflicted. Through Our Lord Jesus Christ..."

* * * * * *

GETTING READY FOR WINTER

Despite the mild weather over the weekend, cooler air arrived yesterday under a bright sunny sky.

But already there are signs that preparations are being made for the arrival of snow and cold: the Rideau Canal, soon to be an elongated skating rink, is getting ready for the sale of beaver tales, skate rentals, etc. These cabins are across from the new Ottawa Convention Centre construction site:



Other signs are the stick poles on Ottawa's streets to guide snow plows and cars with snow tires and hub caps stashed away for the winter. My trusty black Toyota looked like a stealth police car, so the maintenance department secured a set of hub caps that fit the snow tires. We can't have the archbishop travelling under false pretenses....

Let it snow! We're ready in the Capital!

On November 16, 1989, six Jesuits, their cook, and her daughter were martyred in El Salvador on the campus of Universidad de Centro America (UCA).

They were Ignacio Ellacuria, Ignacio Martin-Baro, Segundo Montes, Arnando Lopez, Joaquin Lopez y Lopez, Juan Ramon Moreno, Elba Ramos and Cecilia Ramos

They were taken out of their beds at night, tortured, and shot and their bodies strewn across the rose garden that now sits at the heart of the pastoral center of the university where they lived and taught.

Today, twenty years later, we remember their sacrifice and those of so many others who gave their lives in the service of our faith and the promotion of the justice intimately bound up with our beliefs.

* * * * * *

LIFE IN THE SPIRIT/LE RENOUVEAU CHARISMATIQUE FRANCOPHONE

In the past few days, I have been much aware of the life we lives that is "in the Spirit"--the Holy Spirit of Jesus.

Women of the Spirit

Thursday morning last week, I had a chance to breakfast with two "women of the Spirit", Judy Savoy and Deborah Gyapong.

Judy led a retreat for the Women of Bethany of the two archdiocese of our National Capital Region and did a one-woman comedy show at the new Shenckman Centre for the Arts in Orleans to benefit NET Canada Ministries. We got caught up on mutual friends in Halifax, where she is closely associated with St. Thomas Aquinas-Canadian Martyrs Parish. She said that if NET had existed in her day, she might never have left the Catholic Church for a sojourn with evangelical expressions of the faith until the Eucharistic Lord led her back to the faith.

Deborah covers Ottawa and the national scene for Canadian Catholic News and, as a member of the Anglican Catholic Church of Canada, has been an indefatigable exponent of her great desire to experience union with the Holy Father and the great Church Catholic.



We breakfasted at the Alta Vista Cora's so Judy could quickly get to the airport and Deborah and I to our respective offices.

The Charismatic Renewal in the French Sector of the Archdiocese



On Saturday, I spent the day with representative expressions of the charismatic renewal movement and was delighted to discover how varied and dynamic they are: numerous parish prayer groups that meet each week; Le Chemin de Joseph (a body of parishioners of Paroisse St-Joseph in Orleans where some thirty persons renew their commitment for a year at a time to a personal prayer discipline that rivals religious life), Foi et Television chretienne that assures weekly religious programming on CBOFT, raising the money to make it possible and arranging the retreat conferences that are at the core of the programming; Esprit Jeunesse, a youth-based spiritual movement based in Paroisse Ste-Marie in Orleans and Paroisse Ste-Euphemie, Casselman; Le Centre d'Amour, near Plantagenet, a lay-directed retreat and conference centre; etc.



After learning of their activities, we celebrated Mass in the Diocesan Centre Chapel, partook of a delicious lunch, held a Q&A session with me and resolved that we must do this on a regular (perhaps annual) basis. I was much edified by what I learned and the persons I met.







Ottawa Youth Challenge Program

Twice a year, young men and women who have participated in an adaptation of the Cursillo Movement ("short courses" in Christian Faith) offer this gift to their peers. This fall's session was held over the weekend at Immaculata High School. I was only able to participate in the Celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation on Saturday evening, but was much taken by the zeal and fervour of these young people who have been touched by the Lord's Spirit and celebrate the Lord's forgiveness with a Good Confession (highly recommended to all!)

As archbishop, I want to thank the adults who support our young people in putting on this program for the renewal of the faith of its young adult members.

On the Ottawa Challenge Movement from the Website:

About Us: Challenge is a Catholic retreat movement for youth, coordinated by youth. The first Ottawa Challenge was held in 1967; since then, there have been 151 Weekends. Although there are two Challenge Weekends per year, the focus of Challenge is in the post-Weekend support. Challenge has its roots in the Cursillo Movement.

Mission: The mission of Challenge is to bring youth into communion with Christ and His Church initially through Challenge Weekend retreats and to give them ongoing support and encouragement to live out their Christian lives.

Celebrations of the Gift of the Spirit in Confirmation



This weekend I celebrated the first of several Confirmations at Paroisse St-Joseph, Orleans as well as at Paroisse St-Albert le Grand in St-Albert and at Paroisse Ste-Euphemie, Casselman.


Mr. Joe Healy, a retired RCMP officer, with experience in policing across Canada and around he world (Namibia, Bosnia, etc) has committed to help with driving me to some of the long-distance or night-time Confirmations, which can be tiring.

He was being initiated by Luc Louisseize into the arcane matters of how to lay out the bishop's vestments and paraphernalia for such services. Here he is in the sacristy at St. Albert after his first go at it.

The Church Reflects on the Internet

This past week, the Vatican hosted a conference on church use of the internet. In his message for World Communications Sunday, Pope Benedict encourages priests in this Year of the Priest to make use of the new media.

Meanwhile, the president of the Pontifical Council for Social Communications, Archbishop Claudio Maria Celli, mentioned this week that the Holy Father has an appreciation for new developments in technology and is comfortable surfing the internet and using email.

During an interview with the program “Studio Aperto” on the Italia 1 TV network, Archbishop Celli added, while the Pope doesn't have a personal email address, he “sends his own personal emails. He does! He has great appreciation for new technology.”

The archbishop explained that while the Pope “cannot respond to the millions of messages that arrive in his inbox,” he is committed to “offering his prayers for all who write to him.”

“The internet is an excellent means of communication,” he continued. “We are seeking to be present where the people are, especially the youth.”

* * * * * *

St. Albert the Great

The Sundays take precedence over saints days and today is no exception. However, I am off this morning to the Parish of St. Albert in the town of Saint-Albert for the celebration of the Confirmation of a dozen youngsters there (and later some 60+ at the parish of Sainte-Euphemie in Casselman).

As I thought it wise to say something about their patron on their day, I am sharing what I have found on the web regarding today's saint (doesn't he look the very essence of the bishop scholar? however, not many bishops wear their mitre in their study. Still and all...a great image!)

BTW, the town of Saint- Albert, Ontario is famous for its cheese coop....

St. Albert the Great , known as the "teacher of everything there is to know," was a scientist long before the age of science, was considered a wizard and magician in his own lifetime, and became the teacher and mentor of that other remarkable mind of his time, St. Thomas Aquinas.

Albert was born in Lauingen on the Danube, near Ulm, Germany; his father was a military lord in the army of Emperor Frederick II. As a young man Albert studied at the University of Padua and there fell under the spell of Blessed Jordan of Saxony, the Dominican who made the rounds of the universities of Europe drawing the best young men of the universities into the Dominicans.

After several teaching assignments in his order, he came in 1241 to the University of Paris, where he lectured in theology. While teaching in Paris, he was assigned by his order in 1248 to set up a house of studies for the order in Cologne. In Paris, he had gathered around him a small band of budding theologians, the chief of whom was Thomas Aquinas, who accompanied him to Cologne and became his greatest pupil.

In 1260, he was appointed bishop of Regensberg; when he resigned after three years, he was called to be an adviser to the pope and was sent on several diplomatic missions. In his latter years, he resided in Cologne, took part in the Council of Lyons in 1274 (Thomas Aquinas died en route to it), and in his old age traveled to Paris to defend the teaching of his student Thomas Aquinas.

It was in Cologne that his reputation as a scientist grew. He carried on experiments in chemistry and physics in his makeshift laboratory and built up a collection of plants, insects, and chemical compounds that gave substance to his reputation. When Cologne decided to build a new cathedral, he was consulted about the design. He was friend and adviser to popes, bishops, kings, and statesmen and made his own unique contribution to the learning of his age.

He died a very old man in Cologne on November 15,1280, and is buried in St. Andrea's Church in that city. He was canonized and declared a Doctor of the Church in 1931 by Pope Pius XI. His writings are remarkable for their exact scientific knowledge, and for that reason he has been made the patron saint of scientists.

St. Albert the Great was convinced that all creation spoke of God and that the tiniest piece of scientific knowledge told us something about Him. Besides the Bible, God has given us the book of creation revealing something of His wisdom and power. In creation, Albert saw the hand of God.

* * * * * *

Today, in this month of the Holy Souls, I will remember my parents at Mass in a spirit of thanksgiving. My dad John Vincent passed away on this day in 1970.

R.I.P.

In recent days, I have had a chance to visit with friends in Toronto and receive visitors here in Ottawa. Herewith a few photos:

Fr. Eugene Goussikindey, S.J., now provincial of the West Africa Jesuits came to visit his men

Here he is with his men who are students at St. Paul's University and the University of Ottawa: left to right, Hughes, Hyacinthe, Boniface

Father Xavier de Pinto, pastor of St. Norbert Parish, Downsview, at the Nottawasaga Inn, Cookstown, ON

Friends from Quebec City (Pere Martin, Laurent) and Gatineau (Celestin)

Friends from Montreal (second from left to right: Marc Beauchamp, John & Cecilia Zucchi)

* * * * * *

Restorer of the Society of Jesus after its Suppression (1773-1814)

Saint Joseph [Giuseppe Maria] Pignatelli (December 27, 1737 – November 11, 1811) was a Roman Catholic priest born in Saragossa, Spain, who was responsible for the Restoration of the Society of Jesus, more commonly known as the Jesuits.

His family was of Neapolitan descent and noble lineage. After finishing his early studies in the Jesuit College of Saragossa, he entered the Society of Jesus on May 8, 1753 despite his family's opposition. On concluding his ecclesiastical studies he was ordained, and taught at Saragossa.

In 1766 the Governor of Saragossa was held responsible for the threatened famine, and so enraged was the populace against him that they were about to destroy his palace by fire. Pignatelli's persuasive power over the people averted the calamity. Despite the letter of thanks sent by Charles III the Jesuits were accused of instigating the above-mentioned riot.

Pignatelli's refutation of the calumny was followed by the decree of expulsion of the Fathers of Saragossa in April 4, 1767. Minister Aranda offered to reinstate Nicola and Giuseppe Pignatelli, providing they abandon their order, but in spite of Giuseppe's ill-health they stood firm.

Not permitted by Clement XIII to land at Civitavecchia, with the other Jesuits of Aragon, he repaired to St. Boniface in Corsica where he displayed singular ability for organization in providing for five hundred fathers and students. His sister, the Duchess of Acerra, aided him with money and provisions. He organized studies and maintained regular observance.

When France assumed control of Corsica, he was obliged to return to Genoa. St. Joseph was again detailed to secure a location in the legation of Ferrara, not only for the fathers of his own province of Aragon, but also for those of Peru and Mexico, but the community was dissolved in August 1773.

The two Pignatelli brothers were then obliged to betake themselves to Bologna, where they lived in retirement (being forbidden to exercise the sacred ministry). They devoted themselves to study and Pignatelli himself collected books and manuscripts bearing on the history of the Society.

On ascertaining from Pius IV that the Society of Jesus still survived in White Russia, he desired to be received there. For various reasons he was obliged to defer his departure. During this delay St. Joseph was invited, on the instance of Ferdinand, Duke of Parma, to re-establish the Society in his States; and in 1793, having obtained through Catherine II of Russia a few fathers from Russia, along with some other Jesuits the new establishment was made. On July 6, 1797, Pignatelli renewed his vows.

In 1799 he was appointed master of novices in Colerno. On the death of the Duke of Parma, the States of Parma were placed under allegiance to France. Nevertheless, the Jesuits remained undisturbed for eighteen months, during which period Pignatelli was appointed Provincial of Italy.

After considerable discussion he obtained the restoration of the Jesuits in Naples. The papal Brief (July 30, 1804) was much more favourable than that granted for Parma. The older Jesuits soon asked to be received back; many, however, engaged in various ecclesiastical callings, remained at their posts.

Schools and a college were opened in Sicily, but when this part of the kingdom fell into Napoleon's power, the dispersion of the Jesuits was ordered; but the decree was not rigorously executed. Pignatelli founded colleges in Rome, Tivoli, Orvieto, and the fathers were invited to other cities.

During the exile of Pius VII and the French occupation, the Society continued unmolested, owing largely to the prudence and the merits of Pignatelli; he even managed to avoid the oaths of allegiance to Napoleon. He also secured the restoration of the Society in Sardinia (1807).

Giuseppe Pignatelli died on November 11, 1811. The saint rests today in a reliquary under the altar of the Chapel of the Passion in the Roman Church of the Gesù. Under Pope Gregory XVI the cause of his beatification was introduced, reaching conclusion on February 12, 1933 and being followed by his canonization in June 1954.

After St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Joseph Pignatelli is arguably one of the most important Jesuits in the history of the Society of Jesus, linking the two Societies, the old Society which was founded officially in 1540, and the new Society which was founded forty years after the order had been suppressed by Pope Clement XIV in 1773. St. Joseph Pignatelli is thus considered the catalyst for saving, indeed restoring, the Society of Jesus.

Pignatelli's feast day is celebrated in some locales on November 28, in the Jesuit Order today, November 14.

Parish Cemetery of St. Paul, Plantagenet

Last week had a large number of encounters (at schools, nursing homes, meetings of parish representatives) in the parishes of St. Paul (Plantagenet), St. Luc (Curran), St. Benoit Labre (Wendover) and St. Leon le Grand (Treadwell). All four villages are located along Highway 17 and are close to the watershed of the South Nation River.

A bear-pit Q&A session with some members of the senior student body of Ecole Secondaire Catholique de Plantagenet



They are all pastored by Abbe Luc Ricard who will soon turn 75, and faces retirement and return to his family roots in the Diocese of Joliette with serenity and anticipation. He is an affable priest, much at home with one and all, so we (Abbe Daniel Berniquez, my episcopal vicar and I) also visited homebound persons and those who care for them.

Photographs from the Treadwell parish were featured on this blog earlier, on Tuesday of this week when the Church celebrated St. Leo I (the Great). Herewith a photo essay on the other three parishes.


Paroisse St-Paul, Plantagenet

Le Pavillion on the uppper level of Ecole Secondaire Catholique de Plantagenet, which serves students in Grades 7 and 8 (junior high school); students come from several of the parishes and even beyond

The sacristy of St-Paul's church offers a striking background for the parish leaders' photo



Following a songfest at Centre Quatre-Saisons, Plantagenet, a residence for intellectually-challenged adults, we pose for a photo

An assembly at Ecole St-Paul, Plantagenet

The Golden Age Club hosts the clergy for the monthly supper, though the visitors skip out before Bingo begins


Paroisse St-Luc, Curran

Greeting the residents of the Centre Nursing St-Luc, Curran

Meeting members of the parish council, administrative (finance) and other committees

Abbe Luc Ricard on the left, with the Delisles, a couple celebrating 60 years of marriage in 2010 and still living in their family home




Paroisse St-Benoit Labre, Wendover

The kindergarten students welcome Mgr Terrence to Ecole St-Joseph

Quadriplegic Marc Pilon has worked for ten years in rehabilitation programs after a diving accident and is a hero to many for his enthusiasm

Our student assembly at Ecole St-Joseph, Wendover

Confinement to a wheelchair does not mean idleness but all kinds of creativity in the Lamoureux household

Next week the Parish Visitation moves on to the parishes of St.- Victor in Alfred and St.-Thomas, Lefaive, parishes which, guided by a Fidei donum priest, Abbe Titus Ndala, cooperate with these four parishes which are geographically close.

* * * * * *

JESUIT NOVICE SAINT STANISLAUS KOSTKA

St. Stanislaus Kostka is not to be confused with the other well-known St. Stanislaus who was an 11th century
Polish bishop and martyr.

St. Stanislaus Kostka was born in Poland in 1550 and died in Rome on August the 15, 1568 at the age of eighteen. His father was a Polish senator and his family was a part of the Polish nobility.

Young Stanislaus was very devoted to his studies and to prayer. At the age of 14 he was sent along with his older brother Paul and Dr. John Bilinski, a traveling companion, to study at the Jesuit College in Vienna.

At 16, Stanislaus was struck with a serious illness. During that illness, he received Holy Communion from a vision of his patron Saint Barbara, who appeared to him surrounded by a contingent of angels.

He also reported of a vision of the Blessed Virgin Mary who asked him to become a Jesuit. Upon his recovery, he began to pursue his calling to a religious life.

Stanislaus' family did not support his decision to become a Jesuit, because they saw that way of life as inappropriate for noble class.

Because of this opposition, Stanislaus traveled on foot from Vienna to Augsburg Germany where he was taken in by the Jesuit provincial St. Peter Canisius.

When a month had passed he was sent to Rome to petition the order’s general, St. Francis Borgia. St. Francis later accepted him into the Jesuit order in 1567 at the age of 17.

Meanwhile, his brother Paul and Dr. Bilinski were searching for Stanislaus to try to make him change his mind. In time, the boys’ father learned where Stanislaus was and wrote him threatening to have the Jesuits suppressed in Poland, if he did not come to his senses.

Stanislaus held firm, writing his father that he would obey him in anything except to contradict the will of God. Soon after, he entered the novitiate, where he remained for nine months. During this brief time Stanislaus led a life of continual prayer.

Finally his fragile constitution got the best of him and he died at the age of 18, on August 15, the feast of the Assumption of Our Lady.

St. Stanislaus is considered to be the patron saint of youth, young students, Jesuit novices and seminarians. He has also been invoked for broken bones, heart palpitations and serious illness. His tomb is to be found in the church of Sant’ Andrea del Quirinale in Rome.

Young Fr. Karol Wojtyła, later to become Pope John Paul II, would often stop to pray there during his doctoral studies in Rome. St. Stanislaus Kostka’s feast day is today, November 13.

Best feast day wishes to all Jesuit Novices on this special day!

Josaphat, an Eastern Rite bishop, is held up as a martyr to church unity because he died trying to bring part of the Orthodox Church into union with Rome.

In 1054, a formal split called a schism took place between the Eastern Church centered in Constantinople and the Western Church centered in Rome. Trouble between the two had been brewing for centuries because of cultural, political, and theological differences.

In 1054 Cardinal Humbert was sent to Constantinople to try and reconcile the latest flare up and wound up excommunicating the patriarch. The immediate problems included an insistence on the Byzantine rite, married clergy, and the disagreement on whether the Holy Spirit proceeded from the Father and the Son. The split only grew worse from there, centering mostly on whether to except the authority of the Pope and Rome.

More than five centuries later, in what is now known as Byelorussia and the Ukraine but what was then part of Poland-Lithuania, an Orthodox metropolitan of Kiev and five Orthodox bishops decided to commit the millions of Christians under their pastoral care to reunion with Rome. Josaphat Kunsevich who was born in 1580 or 1584 was still a young boy when the Synod of Brest Litovsk took place in 1595-96, but he was witness to the results both positive and negative.

Many of the millions of Christians did not agree with the bishops' decision to return to communion with the Catholic Church and both sides tried to resolve this disagreement unfortunately not only with words but with violence. Martyrs died on both sides. Josaphat was a voice of Christian peace in this dissent.

After an apprenticeship to a merchant, Josaphat turned down a partnership in the business and a marriage to enter the monastery of the Holy Trinity at Vilna in 1604. As a teenager he had found encouragement in his vocation from two Jesuits and a rector who understood his heart.

And in the monastery he found another soulmate in Joseph Benjamin Rutsky. Rutsky who had joined the Byzantine Rite under orders of Pope Clement VIII after converting from Calvinism shared the young Josaphat's passion to work for reunion with Rome. The two friends spent long hours making plans on how they could bring about that communion and reform monastic life.

The careers of the two friends parted physically when Josaphat was sent to found new houses in Rome and Rutsky was first made abbot at Vilna. Josaphat replaced Rutsky as abbot when Rutsky became metropolitan of Kiev. Josaphat immediately put into practice his early plans of reform. Because his plans tended to reflect his own extremely austere ascetic tendencies, he was not always met with joy. One community threatened to throw him into the river until his general compassion and his convincing words won them over to a few changes.

Josaphat faced even more problems when he became first bishop of Vitebsk and then Polotsk in 1617. The church there was literally and figuratively in ruins with buildings falling apart, clergy marrying two or three times, and monks and clergy everywhere not really interested in pastoral care or model Christian living.

Within three years, Josaphat had rebuilt the church by holding synods, publishing a catechism to be used all over, and enforcing rules of conduct for clergy. But his most compelling argument was his own life which he spent preaching, instructing others in the faith, visiting the needy of the towns.

But despite all his work and the respect he had, the Orthodox separatists found fertile ground with they set up their own bishops in the exact same area. Meletius Smotritsky was named his rival archbishop of Polotsk. It must have hurt Josaphat to see the people he had served so faithfully break into riots when the King of Poland declared Josaphat the only legitimate archbishop. His former diocese of Vitebsk turned completely against the reunion and him along with two other cities.

But what probably hurt even more was that the very Catholics he looked to for communion opposed him as well. Catholics who should have been his support didn't like the way he insisted on the use of the Byzantine rite instead of the Roman rite.

Out of fear or ignorance, Leo Sapiah, chancellor of Lithuania, chose to believe stories that Josaphat was inciting the people to violence and instead of coming to his aid, condemned him. Actually his only act of force was when the separatists took over the church at Mogilev and he asked the civil power to help him return it to his authority.

In October 1623, Josaphat decided to return to Vitebsk to try to calm the troubles himself. He was completely aware of the danger but said, "If I am counted worthy of martyrdom, then I am not afraid to die."

The separatists saw their chance to get rid of Josaphat and discredit him if they could only stir Josaphat's party to strike the first blow. Then they would have an excuse to strike back. Their threats were so public that Josaphat preached on the gospel verse John 16:2, "Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God."

He told the people, "You people want to kill me. You wait in ambush for me in the streets, on the bridges, on the highways, in the marketplace, everywhere. Here I am; I came to you as a shepherd. You know I would be happy to give my life for you. I am ready to die for union of the Church under St. Peter and his successor the Pope."

But aside from words, Josaphat insisted that his party not react in anyway that did not show patience and forbearance. When the separatists saw that they were not getting the violent response they had hoped for they decided to wear Josaphat and the others down as they plotted more direct action. A priest named Elias went to the house where everyone was staying and shouted insults and threats to everyone he saw, focusing on calumniating Josaphat and the Church of Rome.

Josaphat knew of the plot against him and spent his day in prayer. In the evening he had a long conversation with a beggar he had invited in off the streets.

When Elias was back the next morning of November 12, the servants were at their wits' ends and begged Josaphat's permission to do something. Before he went off to say his office he told them they could lock Elias away if he caused trouble again. When he returned to the house he found that the servants had done just that and Josaphat let Elias out of the room.

But it was too late. The mistake had been made. Elias had not been hurt in anyway but as soon as the mob saw that Elias had been locked up they rejoiced in the excuse they had been waiting for. Bells were rung and mobs descended on the house. By the time they reached the house, Elias had been released but the mob didn't care; they wanted the blood they had been denied for so long.

Josaphat came out in the courtyard to see the mob beating and trampling his friends and servants. He cried out, "My children what are you doing with my servants? If you have anything against me, here I am, but leave them alone!" With shouts of "Kill the papist" Josaphat was hit with a stick, then an axe, and finally shot through the head. His bloody body was dragged to the river and thrown in, along with the body of a dog who had tried to protect him.

The unsung heroes of this horrible terrorism were the Jewish people of Vitebsk. Some of the Jewish people risked their own lives to rush into the courtyard and rescue Josaphat's friends and servants from the bloodthirsty mobs. Through their courage, lives were saved. These same Jewish people were the only ones to publicly accuse the killers and mourn the death of Josaphat while the Catholics of the city hid in fear of their lives.

As usual violence had the opposite affect from that intended. Regret and horror at how far the violence had gone and the loss of their archbishop swung public opinion over toward the Catholics and unity. Eventually even Archbishop Meletius Smotritsky, Josaphat's rival, was reconciled with Rome. And in 1867 Josaphat became the first saint of the Eastern church to be formally canonized by Rome.

"Stir up in your Church, we pray, O Lord, the Spirit that filled Saint Josaphat as he laid down his life for the sheep, so that through his intercession we also may be strengthened by the same Spirit and not fear to lay down our life for our brothers and sisters. Through our Lord...."

Today is Remembrance Day, observed by two minutes of silence at the 11th hour on the 11th day of the 11th month and by other national and local ceremonies.

There are many memorials in Ottawa to those who gave their lives in time of war, making the ultimate sacrifice, many in the prime of life. This is the memorial to Canadians who gave their lives in the Korean War.



Prayer in the Canadian Military

For the last several years we have been made aware quite regularly of the sacrifices of our military personnel deployed in Afghanistan. The number who have died in this mission has now reached more than 130.

This was brought home to me personally when I visited one of our francophone parishes in the eastern region of the Archdiocese and met the parents of a young man who had been buried from that church a few weeks earlier. Emotions were still raw and the grief profound. They were also proud of their son’s heroic sacrifice of his life.
In the face of this reality, the Catholic Military Ordinariate (the diocese for those serving on military bases across Canada and overseas guided by Mgr Donald Thériault) saw the need for a spiritual guide for those living constantly in the presence of death or serious injury.

Recently, the ordinariate produced A Catholic Handbook for Canadian Military Personnel. Entitled Armour of Faith/Armure de Foi, the bilingual vademecum contains some eighty pages in each language of general Catholic prayers (familiar ones and other favourite prayers, professions of faith, psalms in time of need, Marian prayers, etc).

There are also special prayers common in the military (for each branch of the forces, for those in the theatre of war, readings and prayers for peace and prayers for the church).

There is a section of the book with devotional prayers (how to pray the rosary and the various mysteries and how to make the Stations of the Cross).

There is a separate section on the Sacrament of Reconciliation (a guide for making a good confession, the formulas used in making one’s confession, the definition of sin with an exposition of the gravity of sin and a brief format for making an examination of conscience).

There is a brief section of catechetical instruction on Catholic just war theory, on the sacrament of marriage and on vocations to the priesthood and religious life. Each of these is expanded with, for example, a prayer for vocations.

A section titled “What Every Catholic should know” lists the Ten Commandments, the Precepts of the Church, the Seven Sacraments, the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit, the Four Cardinal Virtues, the Seven Deadly Sins, Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, the Beatitudes, the Holy Days of Obligation, etc.

Finally, there are several hymns, a section on «Remembrance Day» and the patron saints of the military.

The compendium was edited by Father Stephane Sarazin, Chancellor et Lieutenant- Commander of the Canadian Forces, who adapted a number of features found in the devotional life of the military elsewhere.

The pocket-sized spiral-bound booklet has been produced on a durable paper that can withstand extreme weather conditions. Subsidized by a significant grant from the Supreme Council of the Knights of Columbus who have made it available free of charge to Catholic military personnel, the prayer book was produced by the Publications Service of the Canadian Conference of Canadian Bishops.

A limited number of this handsome and helpful prayer guide is available for sale to the general public at the cost of $15 (www.cccbpublications.ca).

* * * * * *

"O God, who were glorified in the Bishop Saint Martin of Tours, both by his life and by his death, renew the wonders of your grace in our hearts, that neither death nor life may be able to separate us from your love. Through our Lord...."

St. Martin of Tours was born (c. 316) at Sabaria, a town in Pannonia near the famous Benedictine monastery dedicated to his name.

Against the wishes of his parents he associated with Christians and became a catechumen at the age of ten. At fifteen he entered the army and served under the Emperors Constantius and Julian.

While in the service he met a poor, naked beggar at the gates of Amiens who asked alms in Christ's Name. Martin had nothing with him except his weapons and soldier's mantle; but he took his sword, cut the latter in two, and gave half to the poor man. During the following night Christ appeared to him clothed with half a mantle and said, "Martin, the catechumen, has clothed Me with this mantle!"

Martin was eighteen years old when he received the sacrament of holy baptism. At the pleading of his superior officer, he remained two years longer in the army. Then, upon requesting dismissal, Julian accused him of cowardice. "With the sign of the Cross," Martin answered, "I shall more certainly break through the ranks of the enemy than if armed with shield and sword."

When released he sought out St. Hilary, bishop of Poitiers, and was ordained. Later he was made bishop of Tours. Close to the city he built a monastery (Marmoutier), where with eighty monks he led a most holy life.

On one of his numerous visits to the imperial court at Trier, a certain man besought him to help his daughter, "I firmly believe in the Lord that my daughter will be healed through your prayer." Martin healed the girl with consecrated oil. Tetradius, who witnessed this extraordinary manifestation of divine power, asked for baptism.

Martin also possessed the gift of discerning spirits. Once the devil appeared to him radiant and clothed in royal apparel, and spoke as if he were Christ. Martin, recognizing the deceit, replied, "The Lord Jesus Christ never prophesied that He would come in purple robes and royal crown." The apparition immediately vanished. Three dead persons he raised to life.

While celebrating holy Mass a luminous sphere appeared over his head. He was far advanced in age when he fell into a grievous fever during a visitation at Candes, an outlying parish of his diocese. Unceasingly he begged God to release him from this mortal prison.

His disciples, however, implored him with tears, "Father, why are you leaving us? To whom will you entrust the care of your disconsolate children?" Deeply moved, Martin turned to God: "Lord, if I am still necessary for Your people, I will not refuse the labor. Your will be done!"

When the bystanders saw that despite his great fever he remained lying on his back, they besought him to change position to alleviate somewhat the pain. But Martin answered, "Brothers, rather let me look toward heaven than to earth so that my soul in its journey home may take a direct flight to the Lord."

Shortly before death he saw the evil spirit. "What do you want, horrible beast? You will find nothing in me that's yours!" With those words the aged saint breathed forth his soul on November 11, 397, at the age of eighty-one. (Excerpted from Pius Parsch, The Church's Year of Grace)

St. Martin's feast, also known as "Martinmas" in Europe arrives in autumn, the beginning of the wine harvest. This was also the time of slaughter of the stock for winter meat.

His images are usually depicted with a goose, symbolizing that Martinmas was the last festive meal before Advent, because in France in the Middle Ages, the strict 40 day Advent fast (called Quadragesima Sancti Martini or Forty Days' Fast of Saint Martin's) began the next day.

So in past centuries November 11 was celebrated as a thanksgiving day. Thus it was the custom to have "St. Martin's goose" and taste the new wine ("Saint Martin's Wine") on his feast day. A quick spell of warm weather around his feast day (usually termed "Indian Summer" in the US) is known as "St. Martin's Little Summer" in Europe.

* * * * * *

THE TORONTO PRIESTS SEMINAR



Here are some photos taken at the first and second sessions of the Priests' Seminar on preparing for the implementation of the New Roman Missal. In the keynote address, I explained some of the background to the Holy See's publication of Liturgiam authenticam (Authenic Liturgy) that set new parameters for the translation of the Third Typical Edition of the Roman Missal (2000) into modern vernacular languages and illustrated the new direction by comparing translations of two Collects and a Sunday Preface.



Yesterday, Father Paul Turner, pastor of St. Munchin Parish in Cameron, MO and a known liturgist, spoke on catechizing about the changes about to be implemented; Msgr. Bruce Harbert (Birmingham, England), former executive secretary of the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) spoke on the biblical and historical underpinnings of some of the new parts of the Order of Mass which have received the recognition of the Congregation for Divine Worship and Discipline of the Sacraments.

Left to right: Father Martis, Msgr. Harbert, Father Turner

Today Fr. Douglas Martis, Director of the Institute on Liturgy at St. Mary of the Lake Seminary, Mundelein, IL in the Chicago Archdiocese will speak on "Fostering Actual Participation", while Msgr. Murray Kroetsch of the Hamilton Diocese will speak tomorrow on "The Art of Presiding".

As well, this evening Archbishop Collins will lead a session of Lectio Divina.



There are Lauds and/or Vespers in common each day, as well as Holy Mass.

Yesterday, Bishops-elect William McGrattan and Vincent Nguyen came for the concelebrated Eucharist and I was able to get a photo of the two of them afterwards in the sacristy.



The dates of their episcopal ordinations have been settled: Bishop McGrattan in London on the feast of St. Marguerite Bourgeoys, January 12, 2010; Bishop Nguyen's ordination on the next day, the feast of the saintly bishop Hilary of Poitiers, in Toronto.

A VISIT TO RENE GOUPIL HOUSE, PICKERING

Some months ago, the Jesuit Infirmary in Pickering, St. Rene Goupil House, inaugurated a new chapel with bright airy, stain-glassed windows and lots of room to line up the wheelchairs used by the residents (Jesuit priests and brothers).

As I had not had a chance to visit to visit and to celebrate Mass for St. Ignatius Day this year (my practice in previous years when the earlier very small chapel was no longer adequate and Mass was celebrated in the foyer), my visit to Toronto for session two of the Archdiocesan Priests Seminar allowed me the chance to celebrate Mass yesterday at 11:30 and to join old friends and associates for dinner in the dining room.

Father Xavier de Pinto of St. Norbert's Parish and a long-time friend gave me hospitality Sunday evening and used his day off to chauffer me around (we found some interesting theological and historical works at the discount Crux Books store at Wycliffe College, Toronto School of Theology) and deliver me to the Nottawasaga Inn (near Cookstown) for the next couple of days.

The volunteers who assist with chores and activities to keep the men active as well as some of the nursing staff also attend the daily Eucharist. It is a warm and welcoming community, a well-merited retirement centre that radiates joy.



* * * * * *

POPE LEO I (THE GREAT)

With apparent strong conviction of the importance of the Bishop of Rome in the Church, and of the Church as the ongoing sign of Christ’s presence in the world, Leo the Great displayed endless dedication as pope.

Elected in 440, Pope Leo I worked tirelessly as "Peter’s successor," guiding his fellow bishops as "equals in the episcopacy and infirmities."

Leo is known as one of the best administrative popes of the ancient Church. His work branched into four main areas, indicative of his notion of the pope’s total responsibility for the flock of Christ.

He worked at length to control the heresies of Pelagianism, Manichaeism and others, placing demands on their followers so as to secure true Christian beliefs.

A second major area of his concern was doctrinal controversy in the Church in the East, to which he responded with a classic letter setting down the Church’s teaching on the two natures of Christ.

With strong faith, he also led the defense of Rome against barbarian attack, taking the role of peacemaker.

In these three areas, Leo’s work has been highly regarded. His growth to sainthood has its basis in the spiritual depth with which he approached the pastoral care of his people, which was the fourth focus of his work.

Leo is known for his spiritually profound sermons. An instrument of the call to holiness, well-versed in Scripture and ecclesiastical awareness, Leo had the ability to reach the everyday needs and interests of his people. One of his sermons is used in the Office of Readings on Christmas.

It is said of Leo that his true significance rests in his doctrinal insistence on the mysteries of Christ and the Church and in the supernatural charisms of the spiritual life given to humanity in Christ and in his Body, the Church.

Thus Leo held firmly that everything he did and said as pope for the administration of the Church represented Christ, the head of the Mystical Body, and St. Peter, in whose place Leo acted.

* * * * * *

On Sunday, at the close of the four-parish unit (the other parishes are St. Luc, Curran, St. Paul, Plantagenet and St. Benoit Labre, Wendover), I visited the parish named after today's saint in the village of Treadwell.



Here are some photos of the Mass, exchange over brunch with parish representatives and, finally, a visit to a large dairy farm directed by one of the parish families, named Pilon.





Later this week, in the weekly round-up, photos from the other three parishes will be posted.

The Holy See throught the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith this morning issued a press release regarding the Apostolic Constitution on the establishment of Anglican Ordinariates (Anglicanorum coetibus):

On October 20, 2009, Cardinal William Levada, Prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, announced a new provision responding to the many requests that have been submitted to the Holy See from groups of Anglican clergy and faithful in different parts of the world who wish to enter into full visible communion with the Catholic Church.

The Apostolic Constitution Anglicanorum coetibus which is published today introduces a canonical structure that provides for such corporate reunion by establishing Personal Ordinariates, which will allow the above mentioned groups to enter full communion with the Catholic Church while preserving elements of the distinctive Anglican spiritual and liturgical patrimony. At the same time, the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith is publishing a set of Complementary Norms which will guide the implementation of this provision.

This Apostolic Constitution opens a new avenue for the promotion of Christian unity while, at the same time, granting legitimate diversity in the expression of our common faith. It represents not an initiative on the part of the Holy See, but a generous response from the Holy Father to the legitimate aspirations of these Anglican groups. The provision of this new structure is consistent with the commitment to ecumenical dialogue, which continues to be a priority for the Catholic Church.

The possibility envisioned by the Apostolic Constitution for some married clergy within the Personal Ordinariates does not signify any change in the Church’s discipline of clerical celibacy. According to the Second Vatican Council, priestly celibacy is a sign and a stimulus for pastoral charity and radiantly proclaims the reign of God (Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, 1579).

Here are some quotations from the Preamble to the Apostolic Constitution and several paragraphs of the Complementary Norms. The full text is available on the Vatican web site (www.vatican.va).

In recent times the Holy Spirit has moved groups of Anglicans to petition repeatedly and insistently to be received into full Catholic communion individually as well as corporately. The Apostolic See has responded favorably to such petitions. Indeed, the successor of Peter, mandated by the Lord Jesus to guarantee the unity of the episcopate and to preside over and safeguard the universal communion of all the Churches, could not fail to make available the means necessary to bring this holy desire to realization.

The Church, a people gathered into the unity of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, was instituted by our Lord Jesus Christ, as “a sacrament – a sign and instrument, that is, of communion with God and of unity among all people.” Every division among the baptized in Jesus Christ wounds that which the Church is and that for which the Church exists; in fact, “such division openly contradicts the will of Christ, scandalizes the world, and damages that most holy cause, the preaching the Gospel to every creature.” Precisely for this reason, before shedding his blood for the salvation of the world, the Lord Jesus prayed to the Father for the unity of his disciples.

It is the Holy Spirit, the principle of unity, which establishes the Church as a communion. He is the principle of the unity of the faithful in the teaching of the Apostles, in the breaking of the bread and in prayer.

The Church, however, analogous to the mystery of the Incarnate Word, is not only an invisible spiritual communion, but is also visible; in fact, “the society structured with hierarchical organs and the Mystical Body of Christ, the visible society and the spiritual community, the earthly Church and the Church endowed with heavenly riches, are not to be thought of as two realities. On the contrary, they form one complex reality formed from a two-fold element, human and divine.”

The communion of the baptized in the teaching of the Apostles and in the breaking of the eucharistic bread isvisibly manifested in the bonds of the profession of the faith in its entirety, of the celebration of all of the sacraments instituted by Christ, and of the governance of the College of Bishops united with its head, the Roman Pontiff.

This single Church of Christ, which we profess in the Creed as one, holy, catholic and apostolic “subsists in the Catholic Church, which is governed by the successor of Peter and by the Bishops in communion with him. Nevertheless, many elements of sanctification and of truth are found outside her visible confines. Since these are
gifts properly belonging to the Church of Christ, they are forces impelling towards Catholic unity.”

In the light of these ecclesiological principles, this Apostolic Constitution provides the general normative structure for regulating the institution and life of Personal Ordinariates for those Anglican faithful who desire to enter into the full communion of the Catholic Church in a corporate manner. This Constitution is completed by Complementary Norms issued by the Apostolic See.

Several excerpts from the Complementary Norms:

The Ordinary



Article 4. §1. The Ordinary may be a bishop or a presbyter appointed by the Roman Pontiff ad nutum Sanctae Sedis, based on a terna presented by the Governing Council. Canons 383-388, 392-394, and 396-398 of the Code of Canon Law apply to him.

§2. The Ordinary has the faculty to incardinate in the Ordinariate former Anglican ministers who have entered into full communion with the Catholic Church, as well as candidates belonging to the Ordinariate and promoted to Holy Orders by him.

§3. Having first consulted with the Episcopal Conference and obtained the consent of the Governing Council and the approval of the Holy See, the Ordinary can erect as needed territorial deaneries supervised by a delegate of the Ordinary covering the faithful of multiple personal parishes.

The Faithful of the Ordinariate

Article 5. §1. The lay faithful originally of the Anglican tradition who wish to belong to the Ordinariate, after having made their Profession of Faith and received the Sacraments of Initiation, with due regard for Canon 845, are to be entered in the apposite register of the Ordinariate. Those baptized previously as Catholics outside the Ordinariate are not ordinarily eligible for membership, unless they are members of a family belonging to the Ordinariate.

§2. Lay faithful and members of Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life, when they collaborate in pastoral or charitable activities, whether diocesan or parochial, are subject to the Diocesan Bishop or to the pastor of the place; in which case the power of the Diocesan Bishop or pastor is exercised jointly with that of the Ordinary and the pastor of the Ordinariate.

The Clergy

Article 6. §1. In order to admit candidates to Holy Orders the Ordinary must obtain the consent of the Governing Council. In consideration of Anglican ecclesial tradition and practice, the Ordinary may present to the Holy Father a request for the admission of married men to the presbyterate in the Ordinariate, after a process of discernment based on objective criteria and the needs of the Ordinariate. These objective criteria are determined by the Ordinary in consultation with the local Episcopal Conference and must be approved by the Holy See.

§2. Those who have been previously ordained in the Catholic Church and subsequently have become Anglicans, may not exercise sacred ministry in the Ordinariate. Anglican clergy who are in irregular marriage situations may not be accepted for Holy Orders in the Ordinariate.

§3. Presbyters incardinated in the Ordinariate receive the necessary faculties from the Ordinary.

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The Dedication of the Church of Our Saviour at the Lateran

"What was done here, as these walls were rising, is reproduced when we bring together those who believe in Christ. For, by believing they are hewn out, as it were, from mountains and forests, like stones and timber; but by catechizing, baptism and instruction they are, as it were, shaped, squared and planed by the hands of the workers and artisans. Nevertheless, they do not make a house for the Lord until they are fitted together through love" (St. Augustine, Sermon 36)>.



Some Catholics think that a basilica is more important than a cathedral. This sometimes happens when cathedrals are designated as basilicas: it must be more important as what was already a cathedral has become a basilica. However, the importance of the cathedral to a diocese/archdiocese cannot be underestimated. It is the seat of the bishop's ministry of teaching, sanctifying and ruling the portion of the Lord's vineyard entrusted to his pastoral care.

Thus, Montreal has four basilicas, but Mary Queen of the World is the cathedral. Ottawa has two basilicas: Notre Dame (the cathedral) and St. Patrick's. Toronto's division is neater: St. Michael's has pride of place as the cathedral, but St. Paul's status as a basilica recognizes its historic role as the first church.

Rome has four major basilicas and umpteen minor ones. Many Catholics think of St. Peter’s as the pope’s main church, but they are wrong. St. John Lateran is the pope’s church, the cathedral of the Diocese of Rome where the Bishop of Rome presides.

The first basilica on the site was built in the fourth century when Constantine donated land he had received from the wealthy Lateran family. That structure and its successors suffered fire, earthquake and the ravages of war, but the Lateran remained the church where popes were consecrated until the popes returned from Avignon in the 14th century to find the church and the adjoining palace in ruins.

Pope Innocent X commissioned the present structure in 1646. One of Rome’s most imposing churches, the Lateran’s towering facade is crowned with 15 colossal statues of Christ, John the Baptist, John the Evangelist and 12 doctors of the Church. Beneath its high altar rest the remains of the small wooden table on which tradition holds St. Peter himself celebrated Mass.

Unlike the commemorations of other Roman churches (St. Mary Major, August 5; Sts. Peter and Paul, November 18), today's anniversary is a feast for the universal church.

The dedication of a church is a feast for all its parishioners. In a sense, St. John Lateran is the parish church of all Catholics, because it is the pope's cathedral. This church is the spiritual home of the people who are the Church.

What a great feast today! Our unity with the Holy Father in his governance of the universal church....

Today's gospel features the story of the widow's mite (the coin in circulation with the least value at that time) and Jesus' praise of her generosity.

Some twenty years ago, during my mother's final illness, we had occasion to chat about many things. One sunny afternoon during a visit to the hospital, I told her that I was working on a commentary concerning the "Widow's Mite" and asked whether she knew of any experiences that could help illumine this gospel story.

She smiled and slowly, quite laboriously, told of a widow whom she had known many years earlier, who had found six-pence on the way to benediction at church one Sunday afternoon.

As it happened, this was a large sum in those days and particularly for the widow in her circumstances of trying to care for a large household.

Still, her personal straitened circumstances notwithstanding, she dropped the coin on the collection-plate during the service, entrusting herself and her concerns to God.

Mom went on to add that soon afterwards the widow received the gift of a five pound note in the mail, adding "for God can't be outdone in generosity."

Mom's final caution, added to the end of the tale, was that the widow's identity was not to be revealed, an instruction I have tried to honour. For true selflessness and largesse in God's service never puts on airs.

OTTAWA AREA CONSERVATION AREA



Last week, on my day off, I decided to get into the fresh outdoors and head for a conservation area that intrigued me because of its name, La Mer Bleue (the Blue Sea); there's a main street in Orleans with that name.

The weather was autumnal, cool but with a bright sunny sky; the colours of nature had faded, but the walk along a wooden pathway through the bog was illuminating (good descriptive markers), fascinating and the contact with nature was refreshing and renewing.

I've learned that the Alfred Bog, some forty kilometers east is twice the size of La Mer Bleue. The parish visitation program is headed toward Alfred in the next few weeks and, if the weather is fine and the schedule allows, perhaps I'll get to explore that resource of nature too.

On my return home I did a little research on the web and here is some information I have found, not all of which I find intelligble.

The Mer Bleue is a bog situated to the east of Ottawa, part of the National Capital Region's Green Belt (Geographical Coordinates: 45°22'N 75°30'W Area: 3,100ha). Home to many species of birds, insects and various plants, the Mer Bleue has a very interesting history.

Its national designations are as a provincial wetland and an area of scientific interest; on September 26, 1995 it received a "Ramsar Designation" (part of category of world-wide wetlands that have received recognition within a global registry). As of October 15, 2009 there were 159 contracting parties (countries) and there were 1869 sites designated worldwide (including 37 in Canada); the total surface covered by these sites is area 183,681,110 hectares (over 13 million in Canada).

Approximately 50% of the Mer Bleue is a raised boreal peat dome Sphagnum bog, a biotope usually found much further north in Canada (in the northern boreal forest). Peat deposits in the bog proper are up to six metres thick.

The borders of the bog form a typical lagg environment much of which has been transformed into pond and marsh by the Canadian beaven (castor canadensis).

Being a domed bog, water enters the bog mainly from natural precipitation creating oligotrophic conditions. The periphery of the bog is encircled by a mineral-enriched lagg which maintains a base water level for the bog. Drainage is poor due to underlying clay deposits as well as numerous beaver dams. Water eventually drains slowly via creeks. However, water levels remain at or near the surface of the bog for most of the year. Saline groundwater sources are found under the organic overburden. Previously, a number of ditches were dug in the bog for land reclamation or drainage of adjacent lands, however, most are no longer functioning efficiently due to the many beaver impoundments and to gradual sedimentation that has occurred along their lengths.

The marsh areas around Mer Bleue are characterized by plants such as Typha sp., Alnus rugosa, Salix sp., and a variety of Cyperaceae. There are several aspen islands in the center of Mer Bleue consisting of an overstorey of aspen and an understorey dominated by bracken fern. The edges of the islands are surrounded by small bands of Typha sp. and some Alnus rugosa growth. The ridges of the site extend from the centre of the Conservation Area westwards.

There is a wide mixture in the vegetation from early succession poplars and shrubs to some very large mature specimens of white pine, maple and ash. A section of this area includes a variety of hard andsoftwood plantations established by the Canadian Forest Service. The bog has a number of significant fauna because of its relatively undisturbed natural habitat and its uniqueness in representing a boreal habitat which is normally found much further north.

At least 22 mammal species are present in or around Mer Bleue. Aquatic furbearers such as Castor canadensis, Ondatra canadensis and Mustela sp. live in the surrounding marshes.

The spotfin shiner, a regionally rare fish, is found in Bear Brook Creek. Two rare beetles, Stenolophus magnasephalus and Agonum darlingtoni occur here. Clemmys guttata, a rare turtle in Canada, is found in the center of the bog. Eriophorum x porsildii, Listera australis and Torreychloa pallida are nationally significant plants occurring in the site.


The Mer Bleue Conservation Area is part of 14,950ha of greenbelt lands owned by the National Capital Commission (NCC), a Crown Agency of the Canadian government. The area is protected by Federal statute, the National Commission Act.

Within the Province of Ontario the bog is currently recognized as a Class I Provincial Wetland and an Area of Scientific Interest. One of the greenbelt's primary roles is the conservation and protection of natural ecosystems such as the Mer Bleue bog.

A small area of some 73ha inside the Conservation Area is occupied by the Geomagnetic Laboratory and owned by Public Works and Government Services Canada. Approximately 480ha of the bog habitat is privately owned, most of which is located at the southeast corner of the bog. There are also one regional and two municipal roads within the Conservation Area.

Land uses inside the site include recreation (wildlife observation, nature trails, berry-picking, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing), research (by universities, government agencies and conservation groups), agriculture (market gardens, cropland, pasture, egg production), residences (less than 30 single family units owned and rented by NCC) and a business. Land use in the surrounding area includes residential properties, agricultural lands, a landfill site and land held for speculation. Damming by Castor canadensis has the potential to convert bog vegetation to marsh communities.

There is a concern about the spread of invasive plant species in particular Lythrum salicaria. This species is highly invasive and constitutes a significant threat to native wetland plant communities. To a lesser degree, other invasives such as Rhamnus frangula and Hydrocharis morsus-ranae are also present.

The bog surface is very sensitive to uncontrolled recreational uses such as berrypicking, and off-trail excursions. As bogs are extremely sensitive to changes in water levels and nutrient concentrations, a number of existing factors in the surrounding area and catchment have the potential to affect water quality and quantity. A landfill site is adjacent to the bog. There is proposed nearby development of urban communities.

Municipal drainage ditches cross the bog. Drainage and filling on privately owned parts of bog ecosystem could take place. Agriculture practices on adjacent lands could have impacts. Recommendations have been made to acquire additional adjacent wetland areas that are part of the natural bog ecosystem and incorporate them into the Conservation Area. At present, the NCC is completing a Master Plan for the greenbelt that includes the Mer Bleue Conservation Area.

Proof of the industriousness of the Canadian beaver ("busy as a beaver") is hard to miss at this dam

Yesterday brought wonderful news for the Archdiocese of Toronto and its archbishop Thomas Collins: the appointment of two new auxiliary bishops.

I have had contacts with Bishop William T. McGrattan over the years he has served as rector of St. Peter's Seminary where I have been struck by his keen interest in well-integrated seminarians. He is also known as quite a hockey player, contributing goals and team spirit to the St. Peter's Team as it battled St. Augustine's for the Rectors' Cup. Maybe he will inspire the Leafs!

I also got to know Bishop Vincent Nguyen as he was posted to St. Patrick's Parish in Mississauga when I lived next door on Flagship Drive just before my transfer to Halifax in 1998. And I met him a number of times during the time he studied canon law in Rome and resided at the Canadian College.

Ad multos annos, Your Excellencies!

Bishop-elect William Terrence McGrattan

Born in London, Ontario, on 19 September, 1956, Father William Terrence McGrattan studied at St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ontario, where he obtained a Masters of Divinity in conjunction with the University of Western Ontario. Following his ordination to the priesthood on 2 May, 1987, Father McGrattan pursued studies in theology at the Pontifical Gregorian University, receiving a licentiate in 1992. Following several pastoral appointments within the Diocese of London, he was appointed Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary, a position he has been holding since 1997.

Bishop-elect Vincent Nguyen

Born in Vietnam on 8 May, 1966, Father Vincent Nguyen moved to Canada in 1984. He holds a Bachelor of Applied Science in electrical engineering from the University of Toronto and a Masters of Divinity from St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto. He was ordained a priest on 9 May, 1998. He then did further studies in Rome, where he received a licentiate in canon law from the Angelicum. Since September 2009, he has been serving as Chancellor and Moderator of the Curia of the Archdiocese of Toronto.

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GET ME BACK TO THE GARDEN-I'M CHOKING ON THE WEEDS IS A ONE WOMAN COMEDY SHOW performed by Judy Savoy of Halifax. I had the chance to see it during the "Women of Grace" conference at the Lord Nelson Hotel in 2007. It was a remarkably humourous, even electrifying reading of God's plan for our salvation through people such as Mrs. Noah, the Samaritan Woman and others. You will laugh and cry--sometimes at the same time.

Her website describes her credentials as follows:

"Judy trained as an actress at the Ryerson Theatre School in Toronto but since work for actors is always a bit lean, she talked her way into doing the weather on television and then went on to do everything in tv and radio that you can do without getting arrested.

"Judy is also a speaker,writer,singer and workshop leader. She believes that what she is doing now.... is what she was born to do.... using all the gifts and talents bestowed on her by God. She also wants to help make poverty........history. Judy lives in Halifax."

An added bonus is that the show is a fund-raiser for NET Ministries of Canada, which also evangelizes youth with skits and testimonies.

Show time is Tuesday, November 10, at 7:00 p.m. at the spanking new Shenkman Arts Centre, 245 Centrum Blvd., Orleans. Cost: $12 adults; $8 students. Tickets: available at the door or by calling (613-841-4141).

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Backgrounder - How a Bishop is Selected

At least every three years, the Bishops of an ecclesiastical province meet to draw up a list of priests who are suitable candidates for the episcopate. This discussion is limited to the merits of individual priests proposed by their bishops as possible candidates for the episcopate. After this meeting, the list is sent to the Apostolic Nuncio (based in Ottawa) who in turn forwards it to the Holy See (Vatican).

When an auxiliary bishop is needed, the diocesan bishop puts forth his own recommendations and prepares a list of at least three candidates from either inside or outside of the diocese. He sends this to the Apostolic Nuncio, who in turn forwards it to the Holy See, after reviewing the list and adding his own opinion. This list can incorporate candidates from his own diocese, candidates discussed by the bishops of the ecclesiastical province to which he belongs or he may suggest names of possible candidates for the first time.

The terna is the short list of three names determined by the Holy See. After the terna has been decided, the papal representative, the Apostolic Nuncio, is instructed to commence an extensive investigative process on the Episcopal suitability of each of the candidates on the terna. On average, this process may take two to six months. Confidential advice is sought through letters and other documentation from those who have worked closely with the proposed candidate. When the Apostolic Nuncio has concluded his investigative process he forwards his final report containing his recommendation to the Holy See, usually to the Congregation of Bishops.

The primary responsibility of the Congregation of Bishops is to examine all the documentation presented to the Holy See by the Apostolic Nuncio and to advise the Holy Father, who alone decides the appointment of a bishop. The Congregation fulfills this function by meeting in a session where the documentation gathered by the Apostolic Nuncio is presented. Several Episcopal appointments from throughout the universal church may be discussed at this one meeting. The advice of the Cardinal Prefect and Bishop members of the Congregation is then communicated to the Holy Father. At a later time, the Holy Father makes his decision. In reaching his decision the Holy Father is not bound by the advice presented to him.

After the pope has made his decision the Prefect for the Congregation of Bishops informs the Papal Nuncio of his decision, who in turn, contacts the appointed candidate to ask if he will accept the appointment. Through a letter, the Papal Nuncio officially informs the Bishop and the candidate of the appointment, requesting strict confidentiality of the information until the Vatican makes the announcement.

On Tuesday evening, I joined a goodly number of folks at the launch of a new Catholic publishing house in Ottawa, Justin Press. The brainchild of John Gay and Richard Bastien, their website self-description (www.justinpress.ca) includes the following:


"Justin Press, a Catholic publishing house, was founded in 2009. It is dedicated to the publication of works of Catholic culture and apologetics that reflect the teaching of the Magisterium.

"Justin Press will provide the Canadian public with access to the best thought and writing in the Canadian Catholic world. Among the outstanding initial group of contributors are Michael O'Brien, Douglas Farrow, David Warren, Lars Troide and Fr. Jonathan Robinson; we will maintain the highest standard of quality in our future publications."

Their Board of Directors consists of the following: John Gay, president; Richard Bastien, vice-president; Bill Craig, chief financial officer; Patrick Meagher, secretary. Advisory Board: Paul Tomory. Their initial offerings include three works:

Canadian Converts is the first collection of conversion stories in Canadian literature. Eleven contemporary Canadians relate the stories of their conversion to the Roman Catholic Church in brief, yet intimate and vivid self-portraits.

From very diverse religious and social backgrounds those men and women trace their paths to Rome through a secular environment of indifference or hostility. Their courage is a testimony to the liberating power and unchanging attraction of the truth.

Authors include: David Warren, columnist; Fr. Richard Neuhaus, founding editor of First Things; Conrad Black, former media baron....

The other two books are: A Matter of Conscience, collected papers from the presentations made at last year's inaugural convention of the Canadian Federation of Catholic Physicians Societies; Remembrance of the Future: Reflections on Our Times, a collection of essays by the novelist Michael D. O'Brien.

The new publishing house is also distributing a second edition of Perhaps I Love You More, a collection of stories about Pope John Paul II edited by Patrick Meagher.

NET CANADA BOARD MEETING IN ORLEANS

Following Mass on the feast of the Apostles Simon and Jude, NET staff members welcome Rebecca Muise (far left) and other board members for coffee and refreshments in the kitchen of NET CANADA/LES EQUIPES NET HQ

Several other board members pose before the meetings start; the Archbishop of Ottawa is ex officio a member and chair of the Board

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KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS SPONSOR MEMORIAL MASS AT OUR LADY OF MT. CARMEL CHURCH

On October 31, all attending the Mass were piped into the church and later into the hall for the luncheon by a Knight with a talent for the bagpipes

A view of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel church as the entrance procession, led by an honour guard, formed up

The 4th Degree Honour Guard poses after Mass, hoping to catch the notice of Columbia Magazine editors for possible inclusion in a future number

What's on the menu? Vegetable or meat lasagna, Caesar salad, garlic rolls for starters--it all seems mighty tasty....

VISITATION TO LA PAROISSE SAINTE-ANNE-DE-PRESCOTT

A view before Mass of the interior of the church of Sainte Anne, recently refurbished and the pride of the community

The Pastoral Team pledges to exercise leadership as humble servants and ask the cooperation of all parishioners



The picturesque exterior of the church, with the statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus on the left and the statue of Sainte Anne instructing her daughter the Blessed Virgin Mary on the right side of the church

On All Saints Day (La Toussaint) a visit to the church cemetery is in order; the monument at the cross of Christ commemorates two sons of the parish who became priests: Mgr Carmel Corbeil (1914-1973) and his brother Abbe Louis Corbeil (1917-1984), who served for a time as pastor here

A view of the gathering of the community centre after Mass

Madeleine Descoeurs was honoured as town "Volunteer of the Year" by her Member of Parliament, the Mayor and a Councillor of East Hawkesbury and was congratulated by church leaders

Statue of St. Charles Borromeo in Ottawa's Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica

During my sabbatical year in Rome, I delighted in reading an English translation of the great Italian novel, Alessandro Manzoni's 1827 I promessi Sposi (The Betrothed). Inspired by Walter Scott's Ivanhoe, it was the first Italian historical novel.

It deals with a variety of themes, from the cowardly, hypocritical nature of a priest (Don Abbondio) and the heroic sainthood of others (Padre Cristoforo, Federico Borromeo), the latter based on the life of St. Charles Borromeo, to the unwavering strength of love (the relationship between Renzo and Lucia and the struggle of these betrothed to finally meet again and get married), and offers some keen insights into the meanderings of the human mind (the Nun of Monza).

In Italy the novel is considered a real masterpiece of world literature and a basis for the modern Italian language, and as such widely read and studied in every school. Many expressions, quotes and names from the novel are still commonly used in Italian, such as Perpetua (the name Italians use for a priest's housekeeper) and Questo matrimonio non s'ha da fare ("This marriage is not to be performed", used ironically).

The heroic bishop in Manzoni's novel pays homage to Saint Charles Borromeo who cares for the needs of his people when, in a time of plague, rumours spread and social disorder ensues: a timely tale in these days of threats from the imminence of the H1N1 flu pandemic.

Giovanni Battista Tiepolo (March 5, 1696 – March 27, 1770), St. Charles Borromeo (painted 1767-69), in the Cincinnati Art Museum

Saint Charles Borromeo (1538-1584), saintly Archbishop of Milan,
was born in 1538 in the castle of Arona on the borders of Lake Major. He was the son of Count Gilbert Borromeo, known for his almsgiving and his rigorous fasts; it was his custom never to eat a meal without first giving alms. The Countess, Charles’ mother, was also exceptionally virtuous.

Their family was composed of two sons and four daughters, all of whom manifested in their lives the splendor of their Christian heritage. Their maternal uncle, John Angelus of Medici, became Pope Pius IV. Charles was clearly destined for the ecclesiastical vocation; all his preferences in study made it clear.

When he was twelve years old, a paternal uncle willed to him an abbey; the child constantly reminded his father that this revenue was the patrimony of the poor. His father wept for joy, seeing his son’s solicitude for the just application of his trust.

Count Gilbert died when Charles was twenty years old, and he was obliged to come home from Pavia where he had been studying law; he returned there, however, to complete his doctorate at the university after settling his affairs.

One year later, when his maternal uncle became Pope Pius IV, he created Charles cardinal, and after another year nominated him Archbishop of Milan. The Pontiff detained him in Rome, however, seeing his extensive capacities and adding to these offices other administrative duties which ordinarily require the prudence of mature years.

No one was disappointed in his services, despite the fact he was maintaining delicate papal relations with other nations, as protector of Portugal and the Low Countries, and was at the head of the Knights of Malta, the Orders of Carmel and Saint Francis, among other duties.

When the Council of Trent (1545-1563) was nearing its conclusion, Saint Charles, who had participated with authority in many of its twenty-five sessions, desired to leave Rome to attend to his diocese of Milan, a duty which his vicar general had carried out until that time.

The urgency of the situation there persuaded the Pope to consent regretfully to his departure. Saint Charles intended to put into execution the reforming decrees of the Council, create seminaries and schools and in general restore discipline in the Church of Milan.

As Archbishop of Milan he saw to the observance of the decrees, and thoroughly restored the discipline of his see. Criticism hounded him there, but left him unmoved; he kept with him in his episcopal household of about one hundred persons, a certain priest who delighted in finding fault with whatever he did; he treated him with great consideration, and in his will left him a pension for life.

He was very severe with himself, eating only once a day, and limiting himself often to bread and water. When someone suggested he should have a garden at Milan to get some fresh air, he replied that the Holy Scriptures should be the garden of a bishop.

The sermons of Saint Charles produced great fruits among all ranks of the people. When young he had manifested a speech defect with a tendency to speak too fast, but he overcame these handicaps with many efforts. A man who admired him said that he always forgot the orator himself when he preached, so transported was he by the great truths he heard explained, and the longest sermons of Saint Charles seemed short to him.

Everywhere the holy Archbishop established schools of Christian doctrine, numbering in all seven hundred and forty, in which over three thousand catechists were employed, presiding over forty thousand students.

Once Saint Charles heard a cardinal who was a bishop of a small diocese say that his diocese was too small to require his constant residence there, as canon law required; Saint Charles said to him with force that the price of one soul is such as to merit the residence and entire time of the greatest of men. He himself visited the most remote corners of his diocese, traveling in mountainous regions amid the greatest dangers, which he regarded as nothing unusual, and unworthy of mention.

Inflexible in maintaining discipline, to his flock he was a most tender father. He would sit by the roadside to teach a poor man the Pater and Ave.

During the great plague which broke out in Milan, which he had foretold as a chastisement for the disorders of the Carnival, he refused to leave, asking those who remonstrated with him if it were not more perfect to remain with one’s flock than to abandon them in need, and adding that a bishop is obliged to choose what is most perfect.

He was ever at the side of the sick and dying. He stripped his palace of literally everything to aid those who had lost their support in their fathers and spouses, even giving away his straw mattress. As he lived, so he died, having governed his church for twenty-four years and eight months. To the heroic sanctity of this faithful copy of the Good Shepherd, many miracles came to testify, through his relics and his intercession. In 1610 he was canonized by Pope Paul V.

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VISIT TO THE PARISHES OF CURRAN, PLANTAGENET, TREADWELL, WENDOVER

Yesterday, Abbe Daniel Berniquez and I headed east again to visit the four parishes being directed by Abbe Luc Ricard, who lives in Plantagenet (part of the Municipality of Alfred-Planatagenet also known as La Nation for the river that flows through its territory.

As we will not return to Ottawa until Sunday, these parishes will be featured in next week's Photo Round-Up.

Tomorrow, we will catch up on recent happenings pictures from the Knights of Columbus Memorial Mass and luncheon following at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Church on Saturday as well as the Parish Visit to Sainte-Anne-de-Prescott on Sunday.

Here are some other paragraphs on the spirituality of the Bishop's Pastoral Visitation of his people:

The Procedure for a Parish Pastoral Visit

In making a pastoral visit, the Bishop should seek to accomplish the following, if time and local circumstances permit:

a) to celebrate Mass and preach the Word of God;

b) to confer the sacrament of confirmation with due solemnity, within Mass if possible;

c) to meet the pastor and the other clerics who assist in the parish;

d) to have meetings with the pastoral council or, if one does not exist, with the faithful who collaborate in diverse apostolates (clerics, religious and members of societies of apostolic life and the laity) and with associations of the faithful;

e) to have a meeting with the parish finance council;

f) to have a meeting with children, youth and young adults who are receiving catechetical instruction;

g) to visit the school and other Catholic institutions dependent on the parish;

h) to visit some of the sick in the parish, insofar as it is possible.

The Bishop may also choose to be present among the faithful in other ways, considering local custom and apostolic opportunities: for example, with young people at cultural or sporting events, or in the company of workers and in conversation with them.

During a pastoral visit, the Bishop should be sure to examine the administration and maintenance of the parish, including places of worship, liturgical vessels and appointments, parish registers and other goods.

Nevertheless, some aspects of this task may be left to the Vicars forane or other suitable clerics (683) just before or after the visit, so that the Bishop can concentrate on personal meetings during the visit itself, as befits a true Shepherd (684).

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Tomorrow (November 5) is the First Thursday of the month of November and as such is a day designated for the Plenary Indulgence granted in the Year of the Priest.

Thursdays have long been associated with both the Holy Eucharist and the Sacred Priesthood (the Last Supper was on Holy Thursday, on which we celebrate Christ's institution of the Mass and the Priesthood and his giving of the Mandatum [the divine command to love one another].

PLENARY INDULGENCE OFFERED FOR YEAR FOR PRIESTS

The Vatican is offering a plenary indulgence for all faithful on the occasion of the Year for Priests, marking the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean Marie Vianney, also knows as the Curé de Ars (June 19, 2009-June 10, 2010).

For priests, the plenary indulgence can be gained by praying lauds or vespers before the Blessed Sacrament exposed to public adoration or in the tabernacle. They must also "offer themselves with a ready and generous heart for the celebration of the sacraments, especially the sacrament of penance."

The plenary indulgence, which under current norms must be accompanied by sacramental confession, the Eucharist and praying for the intentions of the Pope, can also by applied to deceased priests.

Priests are granted a partial indulgence, also applicable to deceased priests, every time they "devotedly recite the prayers duly approved to lead a saintly life and to carry out the duties entrusted to them."

For the faithful, a plenary indulgence can be obtained on the opening and closing days of the Year for Priests, on the 150th anniversary of the death of St. Jean-Marie Vianney, on the first Thursday of the month, or on any other day established by the ordinaries of particular places for the good of the faithful.

To obtain the indulgence the faithful must attend Mass in an oratory or Church and offer prayers to "Jesus Christ, supreme and eternal Priest, for the priests of the Church, or perform any good work to sanctify and mould them to his heart."

The conditions for the faithful for earning a plenary indulgence are to have gone to confession and prayed for the intentions of the Pope.

The elderly, the sick, and all those who for any legitimate reason are unable to leave their homes may obtain the plenary indulgence if, with the intention of observing the usual three conditions as soon as they can, "on the days concerned, they pray for the sanctification of priests and offer their sickness and suffering to God through Mary, Queen of the Apostles."

In the winter of 2002, St. John's, NL Archbishop Martin Currie (then bishop only of Grand Falls, NL) and I travelled to Perú to visit the former Halifax Archdiocesan mission in La Vittoria (Chiclayo), where he had served for five years in the later 1970s.

It was a wonderful couple of weeks where we we joyfully received and shown an extraordinarily warm welcome. Of course, we also visited the famous Machu Picchu ruins and spent time in Lima, the capital (hosted by the OMIs for most of a week).



This allowed me to get to know for the first time at close hand the devotion to Señor de los Milagros, the most important feast with tradition and devotion of the whole of Perú, usually October 18-28).



And to get to know the heroic holy ones of Perú: St. Turibius di Mongrovejo (feast day March 23), the holy bishop who confirmed St. Rose of Lima (feast day August 23) and the one whose feast is today, St. Martin de Porres.

Each of these saints is of special interest. Below are a few facts regarding the first of two saints Martin honoured this month (St. Martin of Tours is remembered on November 11).

A SHORT LIFE OF SAINT MARTIN DE PORRES

Saint Martin de Porres was born in 1579, in Lima Peru, the son of a black/mulatto freed slave and a Spanish nobleman. At first, because of the stigma of having dark skin in a culture dominated by Spanish aristocrats, Martin's father did not acknowledge Martin and his sister, and deserted Martin's mother leaving her to fend for herself and her children by bringing in laundry to her home in the slums of Lima.

By the time Martin was 10 or 12, however, his father had a change of heart for the better. He began to support the children, and aquired an apprenticeship for Martin as a barber/surgeon's assistant. Martin was overjoyed at this.

Having lived with discrimination of color and of lack of legal parentage all his life, he could have become bitter and troublesome, but instead he was blessed by God with a gentle spirit, a heart's understanding of humility, and a desire to serve God in prayer and charity, the positive fruits of this particular type of suffering.

Martin used his good fortune at his apprenticeship to further his opportunities to serve the suffering. Even this young, in his teens, his landlady (from whom Martin had begged used candles) spied him through the keyhole in ecstatic prayer.

At around the age of 15 he was received into the Dominican friary as a tertiary and servant, apparently quietly taking on the most menial of duties. After nine years of denying himself entrance into the order as a lay brother because of his self-held unworthiness, he finally relented and was made a Coadjutor Brother, and promoted to Almoner.

He is recorded as having begged and received $2000 per day, an amount many say was miraculous in origin, which he used to feed and care for the sick and poor of all races of Lima. He was also made head of the infirmary, caring for the sick of the Dominican order.

Life was not all joy for Martin at the friary. He was often in "trouble" with his superiors for what they perceived as overzealousness in his solicitude for the poor, hungry and sick. Hungry, dirty people in large numbers were forever "roaming" the friary in search of Martin's care as well as his prayers, creating quite an inconvenience for the other members of the community.

When upbraided for allowing a filthy man covered by sores to lie on his bed, his famous reply was, "Compassion, my dear Brother, is preferable to cleanliness. Reflect that with a little soap I can easily clean my bed covers, but even with a torrent of tears I would never wash from my soul the stain that my harshness toward the unfortunate would create."

The religious were also curious about Martin's gifts, and would sometimes play pranks on him to test him. But his spiritual gifts were witnessed by many, including his superiors, and there were many who experienced first hand his ability to pass through locked doors to care for the sick, to bilocate worldwide, and to heal with just a cup of water.

His love for creation did not end with man and woman, but was extended even to animals of home and field. While this is not so remarkable today, it was greatly so at his time and in this culture, where animals were mainly left to fend for themselves unless being a beast of burden needed for work. His started a shelter for cats and dogs at his sister's home, where he fed and cared for them in sickness and injury.

There is even a legend that he made a deal with the priory mice, warning them about the poison traps set for them and making a deal with them: if they left the priory, he would feed them at the back door. Having a gift of communication and mastery over all animals, including the mice and rats, they bought the deal, and left the priory, not to return. For these reasons, to exemplify his charity even to the beasts who were lower than even the slaves, Saint Martin is most often pictured with mice, birds a cat and a dog.

Saint Martin died in 1629 on November 3 of fever, and was venerated immediately at his passing. He was known as the "Brother of Charity" and the rich and poor mourned him and avidly sought relics of his habit. He was made Blessed by Pope Gregory, and in 1962 was canonized by Pope John XIII.

The statue of St. Martin de Porres in Ottawa's Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica (at the altar of the Sacred Heart)

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A DIPLOMATIC FAREWELL TO ARCHBISHOP LUIGI VENTURA



Several days ago, I was honoured to attend the Canadian diplomatic world's farewell to Archbishop Luigi Ventura, held in the Lester B Pearson Foreign Relations Building on Sussex Drive. Some 4,400 people work there, keeping our country's relations with the other nations of the world and diplomatic entities such as the Holy See in right order.

The reception and dining room offer spectacular views of the Ottawa skyline and the Gatineau Hills. There are also artistic works of our painters throughout the building which add lots of colour. The ceremonies themselves are colourful, with and accounting of the highlights of the departing diplomat's time in Canada. And presentations (a medal of recognition from the government and a photograph signed by Prime Minister Stephen Harper of himself with Pope Benedict XVI last summer).



The speeches were a mixture of good humour and seriousness. Archbishop Ventura quoted from Voltaire's description of Canada as quelques arpents de neige , that he said got qualified from his term in Canada as millions of square kilometers of snow!

At one point the highlights of the Nuncio's eight years were said to be welcoming Pope John Paul II to Toronto's World Youth Day in 2002 and the International Eucharistic Congress in Quebec in 2008.

When Citizen and Immigration Minister Jason Kenney read the letter from the PM, Mr. Harper underlined the World Youth Day and the foundation of the Salt and Light Television Network. I just had to mention this to Fr. Tom Rosica, CSB, CEO of S+L TV, who said his staff will rightly be chuffed about this recognition.

Among those attending were Wolfe Island pastor, Queen's University chaplain and National Post columnist Father Raymond J. de Souza (left) and Orleans Member of Parliament Royal Galipeau

A general view of the tombstones with francophone and anglophone family names, Notre Dame Cemetery, Ottawa

All Souls Day is a solemn feast in our Roman Catholic Church commemorating all of those who have died and now are in Purgatory, being cleansed of their venial sins and atoning before entering fully into Heaven.

The importance of the feast was made clear by Pope Benedict XV (1914-22), when he granted all priests the privilege of celebrating three Masses on All Souls Day: one, for the faithful departed; one for the priest's intentions; and one for the intentions of the Holy Father. Only on a handful of other very important feast days are priests allowed to celebrate more than two Masses.

While All Souls Day is now paired with All Saints Day, which celebrates all of the faithful who are in Heaven, it originally was celebrated in the Easter season, around Pentecost Sunday (and still is in the Eastern Catholic Churches).

By the tenth century, the celebration had been moved to October; and sometime between 998 and 1030, St. Odilo of Cluny decreed that it should be celebrated on November 2 in all of the monasteries of his Benedictine congregation. Over the next two centuries, other Benedictines and the Carthusians began to celebrate it in their monasteries as well, and soon it spread to the entire Church.

On All Souls Day, we not only remember the dead, but we apply our efforts, through prayer, almsgiving, and the Mass, to their release from Purgatory. There are two indulgences attached to All Souls Day, one for visiting a church and another for visiting a cemetery. While the actions are performed by the living, the merits of the indulgences are applicable only to the souls in Purgatory.

Praying for the dead is a Christian obligation. In the modern world, when many have come to doubt the Church's teaching on Purgatory, the need for such prayers has only increased. The Church devotes the month of November to prayer for the Holy Souls in Purgatory, and participation in the Mass of All Souls Day is a good way to begin the month.

In the view of St. Odilo, prayer for the dead (that they "rest in peace") with celebration of the saints showed more fully Catholic belief in the communion of saints (those on earth, in purgatory, in heaven).

Christians have remembered their dead from earliest times. Third century writers spoke of an intermediate place of rest where the faithful awaited God's Final Judgment. Monica, in dialogue with Augustine at Ostia where she lay dying, told her son not to worry about her burial place, asking only that remember her at the Eucharist.

Many scriptures--especially the early ones--lack clear expectations of life after death. All who die--good or bad--descended to the shadowy netherworld called Sheol. Pious Israelites took comfort that their names lived on in their posterity and their remembrance through membership in the people of Israel.

A number of Psalms (49, 73) bristled at this common fate of humanity: "Like sheep they are appointed for Sheol; Death shall be their shepherd; Sheol shall be their home" (Psalm 49:14).

The psalmist called on God for rescue; intimations of an ongoing life with God began to take shape: "But God will ransom my soul from the power of Sheol" (Psalm 49:15); "My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever" (Psalm 73:26).

Gradually, God communicated a future full of hope, beyond death and the grave, for His faithful ones. This truth is boldly asserted in the Isaian Apocalypse (Isaiah 24-27), a work associated with the prophecies of Isaiah of Jerusalem. Its climax is a proclamation of the resurrection, "Your dead shall live, their corpses shall rise. O dwellers in the dust, awake and sing for joy!" (26:19)

A view of the largest part of the Priests' Plot in Notre Dame Cemetery, Ottawa. Sadly, the general state of this section needs attention; it is the intention of the Archdiocese to address this matter and restore the area in order to honour in a fitting way the memory of our pastors in this Year of the Priest.

God's provident care reassured believers that the resurrection life was not a resumption of the life they lived on earth, even if the life to come has affinities with it. Continuity between earthly and heavenly life is symbolized by the images of banquet food and drink ("the Lord of hosts will make for all peoples a feast of rich food, a feast of well-aged wines").

Still, the future life with God differs notably from life in this world. It will be a new life in a new world, one where the sense of loss and grief will exist no longer: "[God] will destroy on this mountain the shroud that is cast over all peoples, the [winding] sheet [of death] that is spread over all nations; He will swallow up death forever".

Paul faced a situation in Corinth where some Christians denied the future resurrection of the body. Ambivalence among Christians about the risen life in store for them may explain Paul's odd logic as we decipher his argumentation. He said that if God cannot raise the dead ("if there is no resurrection from the dead"), then Christ has not been raised and Paul has been discovered misrepresenting God ("because we testified of God that He raised Christ -- whom He did not raise if it is true that there is no resurrection from the dead").

After showing the stunning consequences of false conceptions of the resurrection (15:12-19), Paul laid out the orthodox understanding of the union of Christ and Christians as "children of the resurrection" (cf. Luke 20:36).

Paul made use of the notions of corporate personalities, Adam and Christ. Adam, through his disobedience to God, sowed the seeds of death which touch every human being ("all die in Adam"), while Christ, by His obedience to God's design, makes it possible for all people to inherit eternal life ("all will be made alive in Christ").

God has an ordered plan. We can imagine a full harvest of faithful believers being brought into God's granary, if we realize that Christ is the first fruits, who sanctifies His brothers and sisters after having been presented as the first of the harvest through His resurrection from the dead ("Christ the first fruits, then at His coming [= the Parousia] those who belong to Christ").

Christ's reign will endure until all God's enemies are defeated, the last of which is Death ("the last enemy to be destroyed is death").

This has already come true for the Blessed Virgin Mary in her Assumption into heaven; we yearn for that for our beloved dead and, one day, for ourselves.


The poignant death of a young priest: This inscription tells of the death of a priest at the age of 26, though the year of ordination is missing. "Here awaiting the resurrection of the dead [lies] Reverend D. Joseph F.L. Duhamel, born July 30, AD 1855, made a priest on December 8, AD [year missing]. He migrated from earth on September 24, 1881.

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A Visitor from Holy Cross College, Worcester, MA

Over the weekend, Father James (Jim) Hayes, S.J., rector of the Jesuit Community at Holy Cross College, Worcester, Massachusetts came to officiate at the baptism of the child of a former student at the Church of Our Lady of the Holy Rosary.

Jim was one of the scholastics who began theological studies in 1981 when I started my appointment as Rector of Regis College, Toronto. We have remained friends and kept in touch since then.

On Friday afternoon we celebrated Mass for a mutual friend, Father James (Jim) Higgins, former president of Canisius High School, Buffalo, NY, who passed away earlier this year of heart failure (he was Jim's classmate and my friend), then went out for dinner.

On Saturday, I gave Jim a tour of the Cathedral; we touched base again on Sunday morning before he started the drive home, having renewed our brotherhood and friendship in the Lord.

“After this I had a vision of a great multitude, which no one could count, from every nation, race, people, and tongue. They stood before the throne and before the Lamb, wearing white robes and holding palm branches in their hands.... [One of the elders] said to me, 'These are the ones who have survived the time of great distress; they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb'” (Revelation 7:9,14).

All Saints Day is a surprisingly old feast. It arose out of the Christian tradition of celebrating the martyrdom of saints on the anniversary of their martyrdom.

When martyrdoms increased during the persecutions of the late Roman Empire, local dioceses instituted a common feast day in order to ensure that all martyrs, known and unknown, were properly honored.

By the late fourth century, this common feast was celebrated in Antioch, and Saint Ephrem the Syrian mentioned it in a sermon in 373.

In the early centuries, this feast was celebrated in the Easter season, and the Eastern Churches, both Catholic and Orthodox, still celebrate it then.

In the early seventh century, after successive waves of invaders plundered the catacombs, Pope Boniface IV gathered up some 28 wagonloads of bones and reinterred them beneath the Pantheon, a Roman temple dedicated to all the gods.

The pope rededicated the shrine as a Christian church. According to Venerable Bede, the pope intended "that the memory of all the saints might in the future be honored in the place which had formerly been dedicated to the worship not of gods but of demons" (On the Calculation of Time).

But the rededication of the Pantheon, like the earlier commemoration of all the martyrs, occurred in May. Many Eastern Churches still honor all the saints in the spring, either during the Easter season or immediately after Pentecost.

How the Western Church came to celebrate this feast in November is a puzzle to historians. The Anglo-Saxon theologian Alcuin observed the feast on November 1 in 800, as did his friend Arno, Bishop of Salzburg. Rome finally adopted that date in the ninth century.

The current date of November 1 was instituted by Pope Gregory III (731-741), when he consecrated a chapel to all the martyrs in St. Peter's Basilica in Rome and ordered an annual celebration.

This celebration was originally confined to the diocese of Rome, but Pope Gregory IV (827-844) extended the feast to the entire Church and ordered it to be celebrated on November 1.

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This feast first honoured martyrs. Later, when Christians were free to worship according to their conscience, the Church acknowledged other paths to sanctity. In the early centuries the only criterion was popular acclaim, even when the bishop's approval became the final step in placing a commemoration on the calendar. The first papal canonization occurred in 993; the lengthy process now required to prove extraordinary sanctity took form in the last 500 years. Today's feast honors the obscure as well as the famous—the saints each of us have known.

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NOVEMBER - Praying for the Faithful Departed

Throughout November, which begins with All Saints Day (today, November 1) and All Souls Day (Monday, November 2), Catholics remember and pray for those who have gone ahead "marked with the sign of faith".

From earliest days, Christians have recalled their dead in prayer, particularly at Mass, living out the "communion of saints" which Vatican Council II described as follows:

"When the Lord comes in glory ..., death will be no more and all things will be subject to him. But at the present time some of his disciples are pilgrims on earth. Others have died and are being purified, while still others are in glory, contemplating in full light God himself triune and one, exactly as he is.... All, indeed, who are of Christ and who have his Spirit form one Church and in Christ cleave together.

"So it is that the union of the wayfarers with the brethren who sleep in the peace of Christ is in no way interrupted, but on the contrary, according to the constant faith of the Church, this union is reinforced by an exchange of spiritual goods" (Lumen Gentium #49).

All are encouraged to assist at Mass on these important days [this year, All Saints falls on the Lord's Day and so, like other Sundays, Catholics are bound to attend Mass] and--to the degree possible--visit cemeteries to pray for the repose of the souls of the deceased clergy, religious and lay faithful.

Tomorrow afternoon, I will celebrate the Cathedral's regular 5:15 Mass in the Archbishops' Chapel, where Mgr Guigues and his successors Archbishops Duhamel, Gauthier, Emard, Forbes, Vachon and Lemieux are entombed.

In this Year of the Priest, the Mass will be offered particularly for all our deceased clergy.

All are welcome to participate in this celebration.