Fr. Bob’s Corner

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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/

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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:

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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 [show]Luke 15:11-32 The Parable of the Prodigal Son [11]And he said, "There was a man who had two sons. [12]And the younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of property that is coming to me.’ And he divided his property between them. [13]Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took a journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in reckless living. [14]And when he had spent everything, a severe famine arose in that country, and he began to be in need. [15]So he went and hired himself out to(1) one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed pigs. [16]And he was longing to be fed with the pods that the pigs ate, and no one gave him anything. [17]"But when he came to himself, he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired servants have more than enough bread, but I perish here with hunger! [18]I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, "Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. [19]I am no longer worthy to be called your son. Treat me as one of your hired servants."’ [20]And he arose and came to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and felt compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. [21]And the son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’(2) [22]But the father said to his servants,(3) ‘Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. [23]And bring the fattened calf and kill it, and let us eat and celebrate. [24]For this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.’ And they began to celebrate. [25]"Now his older son was in the field, and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. [26]And he called one of the servants and asked what these things meant. [27]And he said to him, ‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because he has received him back safe and sound.’ [28]But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, [29]but he answered his father, ‘Look, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command, yet you never gave me a young goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. [30]But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your property with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ [31]And he said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. [32]It was fitting to celebrate and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.’" (ESV) Footnotes 1. [15:15] Greek ‘joined himself to’ 2. [15:21] Some manuscripts add ‘treat me as one of your hired servants’ 3. [15:22] Greek ‘bondservants’
)?” 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.”

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If the people of Canada are like me, they really don’t know what is best for Afghanistan. There are so many conflicting pieces of information that it is like a giant jig-saw puzzle that seems impossible to figure out and put together. About two and a half weeks ago the Canadian bishops called for more transparency, but I don’t think our government heard them:

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I usually try to promote and relay information on the Canadian Church. Since I have been very busy these last few weeks, I missed a number of important events, especially, the Canadian Bishop’s Conference in our own Diocese, and the naming of two Bishops for the Docese of Halifax, and the Diocese of St. John’s. The New Archbishop of Halifax is a classmate of mine (Tony Mancini), and is a very down to earth and compassionate person. I’ll certainly be praying for him in his new Diocese.

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OTTAWA - On June 1, Pope Benedict XVI made three Episcopal appointments in Canada and accepted two resignations, close on the heels of recent appointments to Ottawa, Edmonton and Saint John, N.B.
Read More:
The Catholic Register - Pope makes flurry of episcopal appointments

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On May 1st, 2007, International Workers’ Day, the Social Affairs Committee of the Assembly of Québec Catholic Bishops (AQCB)proposes a reflection on finding a balance between the value of our work and the demands of new technologies. Read Article:
AECQ : Life-Work Balance in a Digital Era

Why do we go to church? Bishop Paul-André Durocher has an answer: Read answer
(blog post of Marie-Linda Boghdady at www.adventus.org)

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

Episcopal ordination of Most Rev. G?rard Pettipas

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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:

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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:

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CECC / CCCB - HomeOn Saturday 16 Decembre 2006, Pope Benedict XVI named Most Reverend Thomas Collins as Archbishop of Toronto. At the time of his appointment, he was Archbishop of Edmonton. The Cardinal retires…..
Read more at the above link.

Canadian Catholic News: Sexual-abuse victims push Canadian Catholic bishops at annual meeting - Catholic Online: “CORNWALL, Canada (CCN) – Clerical sexual abuse remained a hot topic for Canada’s Catholic bishops as they gathered for their annual plenary in Cornwall, Ontario Oct. 16-21.”

7-September-2006 — Vatican Information Service

AUDIENCE WITH CANADIAN BISHOPS
VATICAN CITY, SEP 7, 2006 (VIS) - The Holy Father today received in separate audiences:
- Nine prelates from the Canadian (Ontario) Conference of Catholic Bishops on their “ad limina” visit:
- Archbishop Marcel Andre J. Gervais of Ottawa.
- Bishop Richard William Smith of Pembroke.
- Bishop Vincent Cadieux O.M.I., of Moosonee.
- Bishop Nicola De Angelis C.F.I.C., of Peterborough.
- Bishop Paul-Andre Durocher of Alexandria-Cornwall, accompanied by Bishop emeritus Eugene Philippe LaRocque.
- Bishop Jean-Louis Plouffe of Sault Sainte Marie, accompanied by Auxiliary Bishop Robert Harris.
- Bishop John Stephen Pazak C.SS.R., of Saints Cyril and Methodius of Toronto of the Slovaks of Byzantine Rite.
- Archbishop James Patrick Green, apostolic nuncio to South Africa, Namibia and Lesotho, and apostolic delegate to Botswana, accompanied by members of his family.

National Catholic Mission 2006: “Beware of the Undertow”

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Annnouncement and resources from ‘Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops’.
CCCB / CECC