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Cathedral of Saint Mary of the Immaculate Conception » Blog Archive » Archbishop Anthony Meagher- Funeral arrangements.

The gap between the rich and the poor is widening in Canada. The rich are becoming richer, and the middle class and poor are becoming poorer. This according to figures released by the Canadian Government. I’m sure that those who financially struggle to get by have noticed this phenomena. I’m not sure that those who have been benefiting are concerned or really care. If this trend continues we could easily become one of those countries where a small few own everything, and the vast majority are poor. Kind of a scarry thought, isn’t it? Read full article:
Rich-poor gap widens :: The Catholic Register :: Canada’s Catholic news source

Death of Most Reverend Anthony Meagher
15 January 2007

Most Reverend Anthony Meagher, Archbishop of Kingston, died of cancer on 14 January 2007. He was 67 years old.

Born 17 November 1940 in Oshawa, Ontario, he was ordained a priest on 17 June 1972 for the Archdiocese of Toronto. On 30 April 1997, Pope John Paul II appointed him Auxiliary Bishop of Toronto, and then almost five years later, on 27 April 2002, named him Archbishop of Kingston. He was Archbishop of Kingston until his death.

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Not often that an American Publication focuses on the Canadian Church, but this past December John L. Allen wrote this article on Bishop Thomas Collins – the new Archbishop of Toronto. In his artcle he states: “In tandem with his May 16 appointment of Archbishop Donald Wuerl to Washington, D.C., the Pope’s choice of Collins suggests the prototype of a Benedict XVI bishop in a major see: A leader with rock-solid credentials on Catholic identity, yet personally gracious and pastoral, for whom conflict is the court of last resport:

In Toronto, an emblematic appointment from Benedict XVI National Catholic Reporter Conversation Cafe

Church needs to show its caring side :: The Catholic Register :: Canada’s Catholic news source

“We have been showing to people too often one face, the celebratory church, We have to show a little bit more the other face.”This is a quote from Fr. Andre Drouin, a Parish Priest of the Diocese of Ottawa for the last 49 years. Read Deborah Gyapongs recent article on this remarkable man. Read full story

The Ottawa Citizen of January 11, 2007 published an article on how bishops are selected. You might want to explore the process, and how it sometimes goes wrong, as it did in Poland recently. Should this process be reviewed? Updated? Changed? Read full article at link below:

A check on new bishops

The American Bishops have created a video on the priesthood. Those of you with ‘High Speed’ should check it out. View Video

“We are called to be the guardians of our fellows. The Lord will call us to account for the responsibilities entrusted to us, for the good and bad we have done to our brothers and sisters; whether we accompanied them carefully on the daily journey, sharing the anguish and joys of their hearts; whether we stayed beside them discreetly but constantly, helping and supporting them when the path became more difficult and tiring.” Pope Benedict XVI (Jan. 12, 2007.

It’s hard to figure out why so many are drifting away from the church at such an alarming rate. Again, another survey indicates that France has lost millions of Catholics in the last 20 years. It seems, as if the west has lost interest in religion, and even God, if we believe the results of this recent survey. Is the west trying to be it’s own God? Maybe our wealth and prosperity since the Second World war has gone to our heads!

Paris, Jan. 10, 2007 (CWNews.com) – France should no longer be considered a Catholic country, according to a survey published by Le Monde des Religions. Read Full article

Re the resignation of Cardinal Wielgus, a quote from a Polish Newspaper:“There is now a feeling of a new beginning,” said Tomasz Pompowski, an editor with Dziennik, an influential Polish newspaper. “I know it’s difficult for the foreign press to understand, but this is important.”
The quote was offered by John Allen in his weekly article on Vatican Events. Read full article

A detailed rendition of the chain of events etc. surrounding the resignation of the Cardinal: Read Here
Updated: (Jan 20, 2007)