Fr. Bob's Corner

As I was driving into the Cornwall a few days ago, one of the local radio stations was reporting on the percentage of Canadians that exercise their democratic right to vote. The numbers they were quoting were rather disturbing. It appears that many of us no longer think that voting is that important. The morning after our last election(Oct. 14, 2008) our National Post reported:

“Nearly 10 million eligible voters took a pass on casting a ballot Tuesday, plunging election day turnout to a historical low, according to preliminary Election Canada figures.

Only 59.1% — or 13.8 million out of 23.4 million — of eligible voters made the trip to a polling station, breaking the previous low from the 2004 election that saw a 60.9% turnout, according to the preliminary figures. Nearly 10 million eligible voters took a pass on casting a ballot Tuesday, plunging election day turnout to a historical low, according to preliminary Election Canada figures.”

Apparently we have dropped from almost 80% in 1958 to less than 60% in the last election. As we watch others around the world envy our democracy, and literally fight for the same rights, it is hard to imagine what they must think of our behaviour. It is imperative that we recall the old and very true saying: “What you don’t use, you loose.”

Now that I have had my little say, I would like to point you to a set of guidelines that our Canadian Bishops have put together to help us in exercising our democratic right to vote: They begin their document with these words:

Canadian Catholics are being called upon as citizens to exercise their right to vote. The Church encourages and reasserts its belief in “the political freedom and responsibility of citizens.” By exercising their right to vote, citizens fulfill their duty of choosing a government and at the same time send a clear signal to the candidates being presented by the political parties. (Read full text of Bishop’s Guidelines, it is well worth it)

(CCCB – Ottawa) – Pope Benedict XVI today named the Most Reverend Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., presently Bishop of Corner Brook and Labrador, as Bishop of Hamilton. Bishop Crosby is also a Co-Treasurer of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).

The Holy Father also accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Anthony F. Tonnos, in accordance with the Code of Canon Law which sets the mandatory age of retirement for Bishops at 75. Bishop Tonnos, who turned 75 in August, has led the Diocese of Hamilton since 1984. As a member of the CCCB, he has served on the Permanent Council and Executive Committee as Co-Treasurer and was also a member of the former Episcopal Commission for Canon Law / Inter-Rite, and what was previously called the English Sector Commission for Christian Education and is now the Commission for Catechesis.

Born on June 28, 1949, in Marathon, Ontario, after becoming a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate Bishop Douglas Crosby was ordained to the priesthood on September 27, 1975, at the Holy Canadian Martyrs’ Parish, Ottawa. After serving as CCCB General Secretary from 1996 to 1997, he was ordained Bishop in Ottawa on January 2, 1998, and installed two days later as Bishop of Labrador City-Schefferville.

In 2007, he was named Bishop of the newly established Diocese of Corner Brook and Labrador, which comprises all parishes and missions in the former Diocese of St. George’s on the Island of Newfoundland, in addition to those in the territory of Labrador which had previously been part of what used to be the Diocese of Labrador City – Schefferville.

As CCCB Co-Treasurer, he sits on both the Permanent Council and Executive Committee of the Conference.

Bishop Crosby has been very involved in liturgical questions both nationally and internationally. He is currently a member of the CCCB English Sector Commission for Liturgy and the Sacraments, and has previously served as the Commission’s Chairman. As the previous CCCB representative on the International Commission for English in the Liturgy (ICEL), he has also served as its Secretary and Vice-Chair.

The Diocese of Hamilton has a Catholic population of 559,290 in 155 parishes and missions, served by 122 diocesan priests, 88 priests who are members of religious orders, 24 permanent deacons and 281 religious Sisters and Brothers.

Last Updated on Friday, September 24 2010

reprint from cccb

His Holiness Pope Benedict XVI today appointed the Most Rev. Gerard Bergie, presently Auxiliary Bishop and Vicar General of the Diocese of Hamilton, as Bishop of St. Catharines in Ontario. The See of St. Catharines had been vacant since the resignation earlier this year of the Most Rev. James Wingle for health reasons.

Bishop Gerard Paul Bergie was born on January 4, 1959 in Hamilton, Ontario. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 12, 1984 for the Diocese of Hamilton, and named Auxiliary Bishop of Hamilton in July 2005.

He studied at St. Jerome’s College, the University of Waterloo and St. Peter’s Seminary, London, Ontario. He received a master’s degree in Divinity from the University of Western Ontario in 1983 and a licentiate in Canon Law from the University of Saint Thomas Aquinas (the Angelicum) in Rome in 1991.

Bishop Bergie is currently a member of the English Sector Episcopal Commission for Catechesis of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and a member of the Catholic-United Church of Canada Theological Dialogue.
The Diocese of St. Catharines has a Catholic population of 153,565 in 46 parishes and missions, served by 56 diocesan priests, 32 priests who are members of religious orders, ten permanent deacons and 43 religious Brothers and Sisters.

Reprint: http://www.cccb.ca

I thought you might be interested in an update on Bishop Gary Gordon. Last June I posted a video, a few pictures, and an article on him: Bishop Gary Gordon: A Call to Mission. Neil MacCarthy, who looks after the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Blog,  just posted a story on him: A Bishop, a Chainsaw, and a Bear!

In response to Pope Benedict’s request that Catholics “make astute use of the unique possibilities offered by modern communications,”  the Bishops of Canada have answered the call:  http://www.cccb.ca/

The Bishops of Canada are meeting here in Cornwall this week (Oct.19-23, 2009). For those of you interested in this meeting, you will find that the the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’ web site to be an excellent place to visit.  Also, Bishop Daniel Bohan of Regina has a post on his blog of this event with numerous pictures: Archbishop’s Blog.

The members of the CCCB Executive Committee for the next two years: (from left to right) Bishop Douglas Crosby, O.M.I., Bishop Pierre Morissette, Archbishop Richard Smith and Bishop Paul-André Durocher.

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.

Additional Pictures of the Bishop:

Chief Fontaine insisted a number of times on the need for rebuilding the relationship between the Catholic Church in Canada with Native Peoples. He was addressing Canada’s Bishops.

“I don’t want to look at the hurts of the past,” he said. “I want to recommit ourselves and to talk about the future. So much in the past was also good and healthy, and we can build on this and learn.” At the same time, he acknowledged, “this will be a difficult journey, because too many Canadians do not believe in us, the Aboriginal Peoples.”

Full Story:

Ottawa-CCCB)… Relations between the Catholic Church and Canadian Aboriginal communities were the focus for the opening day of the annual meeting of Catholic Bishops from across Canada. Their meeting will continue until this Friday at the Nav Canada Centre in Cornwall, Ontario, with about 90 Bishops in attendance.

In his opening report on the activities over the past year, Archbishop V. James Weisgerber, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, already signaled that Aboriginal questions would be a key element of the meeting.

“One of the major aspects about the history of the evangelization of our country is our partnership with the Aboriginal Peoples,” Archbishop Weisgerber stated. “As part of the story of the Paschal Mystery, it too is a history marked by both glory and tears, deeds of generosity and betrayal, the dawning of new light and continuing shadows of darkness. Most of all, it is part of the constant reminder, in the words of Paul, that we are to be ambassadors for Christ and witnesses of reconciliation,” he said, citing Saint Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians (chapter 5, verses18 and 20).

Archbishop V. James Weisgerber, President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, and Mr. Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations.
The call for reconciliation, after recent years in settling difficult issues from the former Indian Residential Schools, was also highlighted by Mr. Phil Fontaine, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations, who spoke to the Bishops just before noon. In a 30-minute address, Chief Fontaine insisted a number of times on the need for rebuilding the relationship between the Catholic Church in Canada with Native Peoples.

“I don’t want to look at the hurts of the past,” he said. “I want to recommit ourselves and to talk about the future. So much in the past was also good and healthy, and we can build on this and learn.” At the same time, he acknowledged, “this will be a difficult journey, because too many Canadians do not believe in us, the Aboriginal Peoples.”

At the end of the day, three Aboriginal Canadians were awarded the Benemerenti Pontifical Medal by the Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, Archbishop Luigi Ventura, in acknowledgement of the work of the Council for Reconciliation, Solidarity and Communion with Aboriginal Peoples. The three members of First Nations communities who were honoured were Mrs Nicole O’Bomsawin from Quebec, Mrs Shirley Leon from British Columbia, and Judge Graydon Nicholas from New Brunswick, who were among the first members to be named by the CCCB to the Aboriginal Council after it was launched 10 years ago.

Other items on the opening day of the Plenary included a review by the Bishops of Canada of the International Eucharistic Congress held in Quebec City earlier this year. Cardinal Marc Ouellet, Archbishop of Quebec City and head of the organizing committee, said he is convinced there will be a positive impact on all the Church in Canada because of the Eucharistic Congress. How could it be otherwise, he asked, given the unfathomable riches of the Eucharist? Cardinal Ouellet also proposed a number of ways how the experience of the Congress in Quebec City could assist Canadian dioceses and parishes to continue living the faith experience of the Congress.
A major part of the afternoon of the opening day of the Plenary was also devoted to preparations for the Synod of Bishops on The Word of God in the Life and Mission of the Church, which will meet 5-26 October in Rome. The members of the Plenary Assembly shared their observations and suggestions with the six Canadian Bishops who will be participating in the Synod.

Canadian Bishops involved in preparations for the next Synod of Bishops on the Word of God: from left to right, Archbishop Terrence Prendergast, S.J.; Cardinal Marc Ouellet; Archbishop Anthony Mancini (substitute delegate); Bishop Raymond St-Gelais; Bishop Louis Dicaire (substitute delegate); Bishop Ronald P. Fabbro, C.S.B.; Metropolitan Lawrence Huculak, O.S.B.M.; and Bishop Luc Bouchard.

The Canadian Catholic Bishops along with the Bishop’s from France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Scotland, England &Wales, and the U.S. have just sent a letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper encouraging him and the Leaders of the upcoming G8 Conference to deepen their commitments and actions to reduce global poverty and address global climate change:

19 June 2008
The Right Honourable Stephen Harper
Prime Minister of Canada

Technorati Tags: G8,Prime Minister Stephen Harper,Poverty,Climate Change

House of Commons
Ottawa, ON
K1A 0A6

Re: Letter from Catholic Episcopal Conferences to G8 Leaders

Dear Prime Minister:

As the G8 Summit in Japan approaches, we write on behalf of the Catholic Bishops’ Conferences to the leaders of our respective nations to urge you to deepen your commitments and actions to reduce global poverty and address global climate change.

As our Holy Father Pope Benedict XVI said at his visit to the United Nations in April: “[Q]questions of security, development goals, reduction of local and global inequalities, protection of the environment, of resources and of the climate, require all international leaders to act jointly and to show a readiness to work in good faith, respecting the law, and promoting solidarity with the weakest regions of the planet. I am thinking especially of those countries in Africa and other parts of the world which remain on the margins of authentic integral development, and are therefore at risk of experiencing only the negative effects of globalization.”

Our religious and moral commitment to protect human life and promote human dignity moves us to be particularly concerned for the poorest and most vulnerable members of the human family, especially those in developing countries. The experience of the Catholic Church in serving the needs of poor communities leads us to applaud the Summit’s focus on development and Africa.

It is critically important that you reaffirm and build upon the substantial commitments made in Gleneagles in 2005 and in Heiligendamm in 2007. In 2005 the world’s richest countries promised to spend an additional $50 billion per year on development assistance by 2010, with half that amount going to Africa. This commitment must be met and additional commitments should be made in the areas of health care, education and humanitarian aid. The September 2008 UN summit on the Millennium Development Goals will offer a crucial opportunity to mobilize more broadly the international community.

The global food crisis, which disproportionately devastates poor communities, and the terrible toll of HIV-AIDS, malaria and other diseases, make concerted action even more urgent. We ask you to consider concrete proposals that mitigate the impact of the world food crisis on poor communities, increase health and education spending, and move towards just world trade policies that respect the dignity of the human person in their working life. To ensure long-term success of these measures, the poor must be empowered to be drivers of their own development. Promoting their self-help capacities

and their participation in economic, social, political and cultural processes are essential prerequisites for development.
Once again the agenda of your Summit includes global climate change, an issue of particular concern to people of faith based on our commitment to protect God’s creation. As Catholic Bishops, we have a special concern for the impact of climate change on the poor. The poor, who have contributed least to the human activities that aggravate global climate change, are likely to experience a disproportionate share of its harmful effects, including potential conflicts, escalating energy costs, and health problems. This is true in our own countries as well as in Africa and elsewhere in the developing world. The costs of initiatives to prevent and adapt to the harmful consequences of climate change should be borne more by richer persons and nations who have benefited most from the emissions that have fueled development and should not unduly burden the poor. Specific mechanisms should be created to help poor persons and nations adapt to the effects of global climate change and adopt appropriate technologies that will enhance their development in ways that do not contribute to global climate change.
The G8 Summit will explore many issues of critical importance to human life and dignity. We pray that your meeting will be blessed by a spirit of collaboration that enables you to advance the global common good by taking concrete measures to reduce poverty and address climate change.

Sincerely yours,

Most Reverend V. James Weisgerber
Archbishop of Winnipeg
President
Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

Jointly with:
- His Eminence Cardinal André Vingt-Trois, Archbishop of Paris,
President of the Bishops’ Conference of France (Conférence des évêques de France)
- Most Rev. Robert Zollitsch, Archbishop of Freiburg,
President of the German Bishops’ Conference (Deutsche Bischofskonferenz)
- His Eminence Angelo Cardinal Bagnasco, Archbishop of Genoa,
President, Bishops’ Conference of Italy
- Most Rev. Peter Takeo Okada, Archbishop of T?ky?,
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Japan
- Most Rev. Joseph Werth, Bishop of the Diocese of the Transfiguration of the Lord in Novosibirsk,
President, Conference of Catholic Bishops of the Russian Federation
- His Eminence Keith Patrick Cardinal O’Brien, Archbishop of Edinburgh and St Andrews,
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of Scotland
2
- His Eminence Cormac Cardinal Murphy-O’Connor, Archbishop of Westminster,
President, Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales
- His Eminence Francis Cardinal George, Archbishop of Chicago,
President, United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3

In a powerful little booklet (pastoral letter) entitled, The Need for Conversion, the ‘Social Affairs Commission of the ‘Canadian confidence of Catholic Bishop’s’ challenged Canadians this March 2008 to take a hard realistic look at the way that we, as Canadians, are treating our planet. “Are we not like the prodigal son”, they ponder, “who asked his father for his inheritance and then left home and proceeded to waste it (Luke 15:11-32)?” Commenting on our excessive need for more and more, the Bishops observe that we are mismanaging the Garden of Eden: “In our drive to earn more, to possess more, to consume always more, we have sacrificed a great deal to the economic almighty, which has become like the substance of modern life. We have mismanaged the Garden of Eden entrusted to us.”

Stating that we have the knowledge and know-how to protect the environment, they compare our present attitudes and behaviors to those of selfish ‘spoiled children’. “We have yieled to the innate selfishness that marks each of us like a scar.” “We have tarnished the image of God that is within us.”

The letter is a personal and communal call to conversion, and a timely and forceful reminder to our elected representatives. The Bishops conclude, The Need for Conversion, by offering us a choice between death and life: “Our faith in Christ, offers us a radical choice: To choose between life and death (Deuteronomy 31:15). This could not be a timelier invitation. Only genuine conversion will help us mend the ruptures and re-establish our life relationship with nature, our sisters and brothers, and the Creator of Life. For this St. Francis of Assisi presents a beatuiful model of renewed humanity and rediscovered harmony.

The Full Pastoral Letter may be downloaded here.