Today Williamstown is a quiet country village, but in days gone by, it was far much more. One of the local villagers, Monique Major, put together a  76 page pictorial essay for the 200th Anniversary of Williamstown. I scanned this wonderful document filled with pictures and various clippings etc., and posted it on the parish website: www.bvmparish.com.  It is posted as a slide show on Flickr. (The cheapest way I could make it available for viewing and reading.) Take a look, and have a little read by visiting my Flickr posting. (See if you can identify the buildings in this websites header.) Make sure to manually control the slide show, and have it fill your whole monitor. This way you will be able to proceed at your own speed, and fully read and digest the clippings. Enjoy, here is the Link: Beautiful Historic Williamstown by Monique Major

(more…)

This is the latest post from the National Catholic Reporter on Twitter: NCRonlineJohn Allen on pope’s new social encyclical: Fighting hunger, beefing up unions http://tinyurl.com/lbv8lqabout 5 hours ago from web.

This Sunday’s second reading in some ways captures what is reported to be a major theme of  Veritas in Caritas. (Truth in Charity)

“Remember how generous the Lord Jesus was: he was rich, but he became poor for your sake, to make you rich out of his poverty. This does not mean that to give relief to others you ought to make things difficult for yourselves: it is a question of balancing what happens to be your surplus now against their present need, and one day they may have something to spare that will supply your own need. That is how we strike a balance: as scripture says: The man who gathered much had none too much, the man who gathered little did not go short.” (2Corinthians

(more…)

Sister Mary Scullion was named one of the world’s most influential people by Time Magaizine for the year 2009.

Best known as the visionary founder of Philadelphia’s PROJECT HOME, the Religious Sister of Mercy beat even the Pope himself in ranking; Pope Benedict was 79th, and Sister Mary was 49th.

(more…)

 Representing Canada’s Catholic Bishops, Bishop Paul-Andre’ Durocher of the Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall offered a message of solidarity and hope to Canada’s First Nations at the National Day of Reconciliation on June 11, 2009.

(PHOTO: Assembly of First Nations CEO Bob Watts receives gifts from Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher during gift exchange among spiritual, political and First Nations leaders.)*

(more…)

It is sometimes difficult in our day and age for many to understand or appreciate how a young man could be called to the priesthood. It is a very special call to serve, and it also can be very difficult to resist. God always lets a person decide how to respond, but the call can be extraordinarily persistent. Take a look at this video from Paris, France. I think it might help. God calls and hopes we will respond with love, faith, and generosity of heart.

A few days ago I received an email entitled: The unforgettable Commencement Address. I was rushing out the door to a medical appointment when I clicked the email link and was confronted with these words: “I thought that you might enjoy reading this particular address to a graduating class.” Following were a few word of introduction to a man named Paul Hawken, who I had never heard of, and then a fairly long speech. I promptly filed the email in a folder entitled: Read at Leisure.  A few days later, as I read the speech, I understood why it was labeled ‘unforgettable’.  Here are just a few sentences that typify its unforgettableness:

“Ralph Waldo Emerson once asked what we would do if the stars only came out once every thousand years. No one would sleep that night, of course. The world would create new religions overnight. We would be ecstatic, delirious, made rapturous by the glory of God. Instead, the stars come out every night and we watch television.”

(more…)

Sometimes when I surf the various Catholic blogging sites, I am dismayed (even saddened) by the harsh critical words that Catholics use on one another. Living in a pluralistic society requires vigilance, if one hopes to remain true to one’s faith. But it seems that the pressure is just too much for some, and they turn to name calling, insults, and all types of derogation, as they strive for faithfulness. If we can’t be respectful of one another, what chance have we of witnessing to the world the Love of Christ? The planet we live on is very small, and the challenge we all face today is living together in love, forgiveness, and respect. This month America Magazine tackles this very issue. Although the article is written for and about the American Church, it still has relevancy in our Canadian context. The concluding paragraph is particularly relevant: 

In his book Models of the Church, the late Cardinal Avery Dulles, S.J., highlighted the image of the church as a “community of disciples.” This image from the early church (Acts 6:1-2) sees every Christian united in learning from and following Christ. Here the church is always a learning church led by the Spirit, not yet in full possession of the truth. A disciple is by definition one who has not yet arrived, but is on the way to full conversion. This more humble view of a pilgrim church always in need of purification and improvement may help to tone down the rhetoric and encourage Catholics to work together in addressing the great issues of our day, especially those involving the culture of life. True dialogue, as Cardinal Dulles noted, enables the church “to understand its teaching better, to present it more persuasively and to implement it in a pastoral way.” America Magazine Article: Community of Disciples

(more…)

Bishop Gary Gordon has been the Bishop of the Diocese of Whitehorse since 2006. Hear his Call to mission, See his tour of the countryside, meet his dog Kelly, and enjoy a little bit of church in this part of beautiful Canada.

(more…)

Yikes, I don’t like this editorial! (2009 America Magazine). I mean, I don’t want to hear this opinion because it sounds too much like reality. A reality that most of us, I suspect, don’t want to hear. When the stock market tumbled in September 2008 I wasn’t at all surprised. In fact, every bone in my body seemed to expect it.

When I read this editorial about the economy in America Magazine this June 2009, my bones seemed to ache with a sense that it is very true. Are we really facing our problems, or have we just been undergoing cosmetic surgery?

(more…)