Fr. Bob's Corner

Sister Edith is a Benedictine sister and a sociologist. She is also blogger. Here is a little sample of her writing – a few thoughts on rationalization. Just what many of us need for lent. While at her site you might want to look around. She has lots of little reflective nuggets for lent.Monastic Musings: “As I was musing on the experience of being trapped by snow – and recognizing that I may sometimes have plenty of good spiritual advice, but somehow manage not to put it into practice – I remembered one of my favorite stories from the Desert Fathers. It is certainly excellent testimony that rationalization was not invented in the 20th century.” Read full article:Stopping Before We Even Start (Into the Desert for Lent)

Married priest ordained in NWT :: The Catholic Register :: Canada’s Catholic news source: “Hundreds of parishioners packed St. Patrick’s Church in Yellowknife, NWT, on Feb. 18 to see Don Flumerfelt ordained as the first Catholic priest married with children in the Mackenzie-Fort Smith diocese.”

Irresponsible reporting on religion is dangerous
Submitted by John L Allen Jr… on February 23, 2007 – 9:40am.
–>Posted on Feb 23, 2007 09:40am CST.
All Things Catholic by John L. Allen, Jr.

Friday, Feb. 23, 2007 – Vol. 6, No. 25
Normally I love writing this column, but this week I need to say something that gives me no pleasure at all. Here it is in a nutshell: Reporting on religion in the mainstream British press is not only sometimes dreadful, it’s dangerous, and something needs to be done about it.

Read Full Story: John Allen

When you visit Deacon Kerry’s Corner you will find a little story about an eagle that thinks it is a chicken (Homily for Sixth Sundy of Ordinary Time). One day it sees an eagle soaring high in the heavens and is absolutely thrilled, and filled with awe and inspiration. It asks an older chicken what kind of bird it sees. This is the depressing reply:“That’s an eagle,” said the older chicken.
“But forget about it!
You could never soar like that
in a million years.”

I encourage all of you to read Deacon Kerry’s homily , as we begin lent, and the journey toward Easter. And, I think you will probably be like me and identify with the poor little eagle with shattered dreams. Dreams that need to be rejuvenated and believed in again.

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In a recent post I raised the issue of the ‘mining practices’ of Canadian Companies in other Countries, especially the third world, and was informed (shortly after posting) that in the Province of Mindanao in the Philippines (area of our sister parish) that this was becoming a major problem. The CCCB has just issued a letter to our Government on this issue. It states:

His Eminence affirms
We must move towards a vision of Corporate Social Responsibility, which cannot be reduced to corporate voluntarism alone but must be complemented by a social responsibility regulated by the state and national organizations.

It is, as you know, a foundational principle of international law that human rights are in no sense voluntary; the protection of human rights is in no sense optional. The mandatory nature of human rights must continue to be a cornerstone of Canada’s presence in the world, and it must govern the actions of Canadian corporations worldwide, particularly those engaged in resource extraction.

At another place in the text, His Eminence affirms:

We cannot continue with ambivalent policies where what we build with one hand, we destroy immediately with the other. It is time to review market and trade rules and to complement them with values of solidarity, justice, subsidiarity, and shared responsibility in our actions and in the future of humanity.

Read full letter at link below:

CECC / CCCB – Practices by Canadian mining companies in other countries raise concerns

Delia Mary Louise Lafrance (1901-2007)

St. Mary’s oldest parishioner passed away quietly in her sleep on January 31, 2007. She was 105!

Delia was born in the Parish of St. Raphael’s (adjacent to St. Mary’s) to Cleophas Geneau and Mary Louise Valade, and is survived by two sisters; Georgina and Sister Alice (St. Joseph Sister). Both live in Ottawa. She is also survived by a great host of relatives who still live in the same County (Glengarry) as Delia’s parents – many in the small village of Summerstown, who one relative jokingly nicknamed ‘Geneau Ville’.

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With all the problems we have in this world, one would hope that governments and corporations would all be struggling to advance justice. When people are exploited and used for the sake of financial gain the very peace of this world is strained and undermined. And, I don’t think planet earth will be able to tolerate much more without dire consequences for all of us. (Why can’t the pain of the oppressed be recognized and alleviated?)

This year Development and Peace is attempting to raise the Canadian populations awareness of some of the practices of Canadian mining corporations. When I heard that the the people of the Province of Mindanao in the Philippines (location of our Sister Parish) were being exploited by mining corporations, I wondered if any of them were Canadian. Anyway, it’s just sad that we don’t seem to be learning, and that this world can’t be more fair and commpassionate: (Update: I was informed a day after this was posted that there is considerable conern about a Calgary based mining corporation in the general area of our sister parish.)“A Philippine bishop has condemned the damage done by mining to the environment and indigenous people, as reported recently by an international fact-finding commission….”

The bishop (in this part of the Philippines) reported feeling the people’s “anger against the game” that “power-hungry national and local government officials” have been “playing” in “alliance with greedy corporations.” Read full story:

UCAN: Philippine Catholic bishop condemns reported mining havoc – Catholic Online