Issue #492
Date posted on December 9, 2022
THE BLESSING OF THE PAINTING The Immaculate Conception of Los Venerables, a gift from the Bensen family to St. Joseph’s Healthcare Hamilton (SJHH), took place yesterday, Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, in the hospital chapel. The artwork was given in memory of Dr. William Bensen, renown Rheumatologist at SJHH. The beautiful painting, gratefully accepted by Liz Buller, President of St. Joseph’s Health System, now hangs in the hospital Chapel and adds to the sacred environment there. Dr. Bensen’s wife, Wynn, one of their sons and his two boys attended the event.
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Issue #491
Date posted on December 2, 2022
THE HONOURABLE GRAYDON NICHOLAS will visit Hamilton Diocese, December 11 – 13, 2022. He will speak to leaders in Catholic Education during the day in Hamilton on December 12th, and in Halton, December 13th. On December 12th, at 7:00 p.m., the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe, and National Day of Prayer and Solidarity with Indigenous Persons, he will speak in the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King about the significance of the appearances of Our Lady of Guadalupe to Juan Diego, an Indigenous person, at Teypeyac. Canonized by Pope John Paul II in 2002, Juan Diego was the first Catholic Indigenous Saint in the Americas. Indigenous himself, the Honourable Graydon Nicholas, currently Chancellor of St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick, has had a remarkable career, including serving as 30th Lieutenant Governor of New Brunswick from 2009-2014. His culture and his faith are central to his life. All are welcome to hear him in person. His presentation will also be live-streamed on the Cathedral YouTube Channel. Bring a friend!
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Issue #490
Date posted on November 25, 2022
THREE PRIESTS MOVED INTO THE NEW RESIDENCE last week at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish in Owen Sound. The house was blessed the week prior! From beginning to end the project took five years, six months and twenty-eight days, “beating the time it took to construct the dome at St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome by three weeks,” joked Neil Devlin, head of the Parish Building Committee! The new house has three suites for the Priests, including bedroom, washroom, sitting room, and heating and cooling systems, and two guestrooms with a shared bathroom across the hall. There are communal areas including a kitchen and dining room, a library and living room. Congratulation to Father Wojciech Kuzma and his team on “getting the job done – and well done”!
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Issue #489
Date posted on November 18, 2022
HUMANKIND: GIFTS THAT MATTER, a new gift shop at 398 Main Street East, is a store with a difference. 100% of the profits will support the DeMazenod Door Outreach, a program that feeds guests daily at St. Patrick Parish in Hamilton. Following a blessing on Wednesday afternoon, the freshly painted and decorated store will open its doors on Thursday, November 24th, at 1:00 p.m., in time for Christmas shopping. Thanks to Natalie Mancini who oversees the shop – and to the entire volunteer staff! Stop in and purchase a gift or two that will benefit both the recipients and the hungry!
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Issue #488
Date posted on November 11, 2022
IN 1948, BISHOP RYAN BLESSED A WAR MEMORIAL STATUE of Our Lady at Cathedral High School. Inscribed on the base of the statue were names of deceased soldiers who had studied at Cathedral. Recently, under the direction of Cathedral Principal Mark Daly and Teacher Vince Lepore, the statue was moved to a more prominent location in the high school and surrounded with photos and biographies of deceased soldiers from Cathedral – including several who were only recently included. The Memorial Statue of Our Lady was rededicated and blessed this morning prior to the moving November 11th Remembrance Day Service at Cathedral High School. “We will remember them!”
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Issue #487
Date posted on November 4, 2022
“ENLARGE THE SPACE OF YOUR TENT” (Is. 54:2) is the title of the 44-page Working Document for the Continental Stage of the current synodal process at the universal level. The document reflects the 112 responses from the Bishops’ Conferences (out of 114) and the 15 (out of 15) from the Oriental Catholic Churches received by the Synod Secretariat, as well as from the Vatican Dicasteries, the Institutes of Consecrated Life, the Ecclesial Associations and Movements, and more. The document was approved by the XV Ordinary Council of the Synod Secretariat for publication, and presented at a Press Conference on Thursday, October 27th. It is an interesting and powerful read!
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Issue #486
Date posted on October 28, 2022
THE THREE EPARCHS OF THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC CHURCH serving in Canada published a Pastoral Letter recently “to the Clergy, Religious and Faithful of the Ukrainian Catholic Church in Canada, and to all Good People”, calling for prayer, fasting, and action as “the war in Ukraine rages on with no end in site.” They compare the current dire situation of the people of Ukraine to “the Holodomor-Genocide (Ukrainian Famine) of 1932-1933, which claimed the lives of millions of people in Ukraine”. They implore people to pray daily for peace in Ukraine, to fast for the people of Ukraine and for peace in their country, and to give alms as a way to identify with the needs of the people of Ukraine. It is a clear roadmap to making a difference in Ukraine.
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Issue #485
Date posted on October 21, 2022
MOTHER TERESA: NO GREATER LOVE, the newest documentary film from the Knights of Columbus, will be premiered in Canada at Kitchener and Waterloo theatres this November 2nd and 3rd. It premiered in the United States earlier this month and was a smashing success. The Knights have announced that profits from the film will be allocated to charitable purposes advancing the legacy of the popular Saint. The documentary was released to commemorate the 25th anniversary of her death. Check here for the movie trailer and more information.
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Issue #484
Date posted on October 14, 2022
A PASTORAL LETTER TO YOUNG PEOPLE from the Catholic Bishops of Canada was released on October 12, 2022, a day when the young Blessed Carlo Acutis is remembered – the first “millennial” to be proclaimed “Blessed”! Signed by Bishop Raymond Poisson, Bishop of St. Jerome – Mont Laurier and the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the letter is the result of many ZOOM conversations, which took place in both English and French, between over 200 young people from across the country and Bishops of the Conference. The lively conversations resulted in the letter of reassurance and encouragement available here. A video summarizes the letter and makes it more easily accessible. Thanks especially to CCCB staffers, Marg Shea Lawrence and Michelle Dabrowski, for seeing this dynamic project through to such an encouraging completion.
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Issue #483
Date posted on October 7, 2022
THE SOLEMN CROWNING OF OUR LADY IMMACULATE at the Basilica of Our Lady Immaculate in Guelph took place at the final Mass for the 2022 Marian Days, Saturday, October 1st. After Deacon Quinto Tami processed with the jeweled crown throughout the filled church, providing parishioners and visitors a “close-up” look, Father Ian Duffy, Basilica Rector, read the decree signed in 2019 by Pope Francis giving permission for the crowning. Once the crown was blessed, Deacon Tami carried it to the lift which raised him to the level of the statue of Our Lady where he carefully placed the crown on her head. The Basilica choir, in its finest form, sang a hymn of praise and thanksgiving and the Mass of the Blessed Virgin Mary was celebrated! Sincere thanks to Father Duffy for such a joyful celebration honouring Our Lady Immaculate!
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Issue #482
Date posted on September 30, 2022
THE CANADIAN CONFERENCE OF CATHOLIC BISHOPS (CCCB) met this week “in person” in Cornwall, Ontario, for the first time in three years. In addition to the regular reports, appointments and approvals of financial reports, much time was spent discussing the commitment to Walk Together with the Indigenous peoples of the land. The stories of the visit of the “delegation” of Indigenous elders, knowledge keepers and leaders were recounted, and much time was given to review the five-day, three-venue, penitential visit of the Holy Father in July. At the end of the meeting, the Bishops committed to continue to “Walk Together” with Indigenous partners on the journey to healing and reconciliation. The text of a statement from the CCCB can be read here.
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Issue #481
Date posted on September 23, 2022
THE CARMELITE NUNS at the Carmel of St. Joseph will celebrate their 70th Anniversary at a special Anniversary Mass presided by Bishop Wayne Lobsinger at St. Mary Parish, Kitchener, on Monday, October 24th, beginning at 6:00 p.m. In gratitude for their 70 years, the Nuns have arranged dinner for Mass participants from Tiny Home Takeout. N.B. Donations of $250 per couple can be mailed to the Carmel of St. Joseph, 1127 Carmel-Koch Rd., RR1, St. Agatha, ON N0B 2L0. Please RSVP by emailing the Carmel of St. Joseph at saintagatha@thecarmel.ca. We are profoundly grateful to the Nuns for their long and prayerful support for our Diocese!
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