In this Year of Consecrated Life, we would like to acknowledge the Women and Men Religious who have served in our diocese. We give thanks for the courage they have shown by their apostolate and lifestyle that reminds us of the essential : encountering Christ and becoming His disciple.

On behalf of the national executive of The Catholic Women’s League of Canada, representing more than 85,000 members and citizens, I write to applaud you for continuing to uphold the value and respect for human life throughout the Carter v Canada (Attorney General) case and to appeal to you to continue to do so despite the ruling of the Supreme Court of Canada to strike down the Criminal Code provisions against physician assisted suicide. I write most importantly to ask that more time be given to the citizens of Canada to consider this life and death issue.

Physicians and health-care providers are beacons of hope in our province and country. Drawn to this noble vocation out of a desire to serve those in need of healing, all of them, whatever their personal commitment to faith may be, have the right to act according to their conscience. And we all have a right to expect that those caring for us in our times of greatest need will be people of conscience.

Recalling the messianic entrance of Christ into Jerusalem with the blessing of the palms marks the beginning of Holy Week, or the “Great Week” as it was once called in Church history. Indeed, we remember this week, the heart of the mystery of our salvation in Christ. The events we will celebrate reveal the profound meaning of the life of Jesus, as in ours, since by dying, He destroyed our death and by rising, He restored our life.

The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace continues to lead the “One Human Family, Food for All” campaign across Canada as part of the Caritas Internationalis global campaign launched by Pope Francis. This campaign is a response to the fact that one out of every nine persons suffers from hunger. It affects close to one billion people on this planet. With other members of Caritas Internationalis, Development and Peace, through its Share Lent collection continues to be at the side of hungry people around the world. We should remember again this year the words of the Pope, “We are facing a global scandal of around one billion - one billion people who still suffer from hunger today. We cannot look the other way and pretend this does not exist. The food available in the world is enough to feed everyone.”

On Monday, February 23, 2015, the Ontario government released its revised Health & Physical Education curriculum. The Ministry of Education has indicated the curriculum will be implemented in schools across the province this September. Below is a statement from Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto and President of the Assembly of Catholic Bishops of Ontario:

Rarely does a day go by without the media reporting on heinous acts or horrifying crimes, perpetrated at times even in the name of God, toward people for their faith, their ethnic group or simply for no reason. The violence we witness today is quite disturbing. Human instinct is to track down the culprits and to investigate their motives. Christ responded to violence in His Passion with forgiveness. His way of life was an ongoing reminder that God is Love. All too often we forget this. However, the tragedy of our time calls for a return to active faith.

Give Way to Dialogue ~ Christmas is fast approaching. In a world darkened by violence, fanaticism and growing self-centredness, it is easy to wonder if Christmas is still a celebration of hope that leads to a ray of light allowing us, despite everything, to look up to the heavens and follow the Star that shines in the darkness of our nights.

On September 28th, the Holy Father asks that the whole Church pray for the Third Extraordinary Assembly of the Synod of Bishops on the pastoral challenges of the family in the context of evangelization, which begins on Sunday, October 5th. Here is the prayer for the Synod written by Pope Francis, along with suggestions for prayers of the faithful.

On this Easter day, Christ asks us the same question: “Do you believe this?” Answering it without hesitation is difficult. Like the apostle Thomas, we want to see the Risen One, we want to touch the wounds from the nails in His hands. We would like Him to personally speak to us so that we could say like St. Thomas did: “My Lord and my God!” (John 20:28)

The Catechism of the Catholic Church, (CCC), tells us that sin is before all else an offense against God, a rupture of communion with Him (nn. 1448-1459). At the same time it damages communion with the Church. Hence conversion (metanoia) entails both God’s forgiveness and reconciliation with the Church, which are expressed and accomplished by the sacrament of penance.

On November 5, 2013 a press conference in Rome indicated that there will be a general consultation regarding the upcoming Synod, to be held in Rome October 2014.