Today, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the Most Reverend Thomas Dowd Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste-Marie. At the time of his appointment, Bishop Dowd was serving as Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Montréal. Bishop Dowd will assume the pastoral governance of the Diocese currently under the care of Monsignor Jean-Paul É. Jolicoeur, H.P., who has been its Diocesan Administrator following the appointment of the Most Reverend Marcel Damphousse as Coadjutor Archbishop for the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall on 6 May 2020.

Bishop Dowd was born in Montréal on 11 September 1970. He obtained a bachelor’s degree in commerce from Concordia University prior to entering the Grand Séminaire de Montréal to pursue his theological studies and was ordained to the priesthood on 7 December 2001. Following his ordination, he served in pastoral ministry for the Archdiocese of Montréal in various parishes from 2001 to 2005. In this same period, Bishop Dowd furthered his studies, obtaining a Master’s of Divinity from the Grand Séminaire de Montréal (2002), a Licentiate in Theology from the University of Montréal (2002) and later a licentiate in canon law from the Institut de droit canonique at the Université de Strasbourg (2014). He likewise served as a course lecturer in various subject areas at Concordia University, the Grand Séminaire de Montréal and McGill University. From 2006 to 2011, he served as the Associate Director of the Office of Pastoral Personnel for the Archdiocese. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of the Archdiocese of Montréal on 11 July 2011 and ordained Bishop at Montréal on 10 September 2011. As Auxiliary Bishop, he served as the Episcopal Vicar for the English-speaking faithful and the Director of the Office for English Pastoral Services.

As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Dowd serves as a member of the Orthodox-Catholic Bishops’ Dialogue, as the Bishop Promoter for the Maritime Ministry, formerly known as the Apostleship of the Sea Canada (Stella Maris) and also as a member of the CCCB Ad hoc Committee on Maritime Ministry. He was appointed as a member of the Standing Committee on Canon Law in 2017, and since 2019 has served as its Chairman. He was previously a member of the then Standing Committee for Communications (2014-2016). In October 2018, Bishop Dowd was an English Sector Delegate for the CCCB to the 15^th Ordinary Synod of Bishops on “Young People, Faith and Vocational Discernment”.

The Diocese of Sault Ste-Marie has 92 parishes and missions, with a Catholic population of 129,266 served by 67 diocesan priests, 21 priests and 108 Sisters who are members of institutes of consecrated life, as well as 56 permanent deacons.

On Tuesday 20 October 2020, the Congregation for Eastern Churches announced that Pope Francis had accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Marian Andrej Pacák, C.Ss.R., from the pastoral governance of the Eparchy of Saints Cyril and Methodius for Slovaks of the Byzantine rite in Canada. The Holy Father appointed the Most Reverend Kurt R. Burnette, Eparchial Bishop of the Byzantine-Rutherian Eparchy of Passaic (USA) as the Apostolic Administrator sede vacante of the same circumscription.

The Eparchy of Saints Cyril and Methodius for Slovaks of the Byzantine rite in Canada has four parishes, with a Catholic population of 1,500 served by four diocesan priests.

Ottawa – With the approval of the Executive Committee, the Most Reverend Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), signed a statement on behalf of the Bishops of Canada expressing their opposition to the re-tabling of Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying), re-introduced by the federal government on October 5, 2020. Prepared on behalf of the CCCB, this statement is in addition to the joint ecumenical and interfaith statement released on 14 October 2020 entitled: “We Can and Must do Much Better – Religious Leaders in Canada denounce Bill C-7, ‘An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)’“.

As the legislation introduced this month remains unchanged from that which was tabled on 24 February 2020, the Bishops of Canada once again express their serious concerns regarding Bill C-7 and call upon all Canadians to express their opposition to the Bill. As said in the statement: “The proposed legislation of Bill C-7 remains deeply flawed, unjust, and morally pernicious. The Bishops of Canada call on Catholics and all people of good will to make their voices heard in opposition to the Bill. Similarly, all Canadian legislators should recall that no law that permits the taking of innocent human life can ever be morally justified. Such a law would always violate the intrinsic dignity of the human person.”

Statement in Response to the Re-tabling of Bill C-7, An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)

Ottawa – Today, more than 50 religious leaders from across Canada released an open letter to all Canadians in opposition to Bill C-7 An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying). This ecumenical and interfaith message is a response by religious leaders to the legislation introduced by the federal government on 5 October 2020 which seeks to expand the eligibility criteria for euthanasia and assisted suicide (euphemistically called “medical assistance in dying”) by removing the “reasonable foreseeability of natural death” criterion currently in the Criminal Code, and by loosening some of the existing “safeguards” allowing patients whose death is “reasonably foreseeable” to waive final consent to receiving euthanasia by making an advance directive.

The religious leaders said in part: “We are obliged to express our strong concern and opposition to Bill C:7 which, among other things, expands access to euthanasia and assisted suicide to those who are not dying. It perplexes our collective minds that we have come so far as a society yet, at the same time, have so seriously regressed in the manner that we treat the weak, the ill, and the marginalized.”

The message reflects a unity of thought and concern among Canada’s diverse religious communities in the face of human suffering, dying and death, and the inadequacy of euthanasia and assisted suicide as a response. The religious leaders further expressed: “We are convinced that a robust palliative care system available to all Canadians is a much more effective response to suffering and to protecting the sacred dignity of the human person. Palliative care addresses pain in a loving and caring environment, wherein people go out of their way to offer comfort and solace. It makes everyone into a better person.”

The development of the message was initiated by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Rabbi Dr. Reuven P. Bulka, CM, Ph.D., the Canadian Council of Imams (CCI), the Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) and Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama’at Canada.

Media is encouraged to direct inquiries to any of the endorsing signatories to the message.

We Can and Must do Much Better – Religious Leaders in Canada denounce Bill C-7, “An Act to amend the Criminal Code (medical assistance in dying)”

The annual Collection for the Needs of the Church in Canada will be held on  26 and 27 September 2020. In his message to pastors and other collaborators in pastoral ministries, the Most Reverend Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), reflected on the impact of the Coronavirus on the Church in Canada and society at large. At the same time that dioceses and eparchies respond to the realities and challenges of living with COVID-19 in communities of faith, donations to this collection will help continue the facilitation of common action among Bishops, the provision of pastoral encouragement and resources for local churches, and the proclamation of the Gospel message for all to hear.

As part of their episcopal ministry, the Bishops will continue to work together on important doctrinal and ethical questions; ecumenical initiatives and interreligious dialogue; international relations; evangelization, faith education and catechesis; strengthening relations with Indigenous peoples; questions of social justice, and the development of a culture of life and family.

The collection is primarily to assist Bishops in paying their annual diocesan/eparchial assessment to the CCCB as well as any yearly financial contribution they make to their regional episcopal assembly. All additional revenues that may be raised may be used by the diocese/eparchy for its own pastoral needs, although some Bishops choose to contribute these supplementary funds to the CCCB as a donation.

In order to promote the collection and the collective work of the Bishops through their Episcopal Conference as well as the Regional Episcopal Assemblies, the CCCB is making the promotional materials available on its website. The material, to be used by parishes and missions, Church media and diocesan/eparchial communications services, includes the following documents:

• Message from the CCCB President to pastors and collaborators in pastoral ministry;
• Two short texts intended to be adapted or printed in parish bulletins on 20 and 27 September, or distributed by other means of communication such as websites and emails;
• Suggested prayers of the faithful for the weekends of 22 and 29 September;
• Overview of activities and events in the life of the Conference (September 2019-September 2020).

Ottawa – Following the 25 June 2020 release of the new Directory for Catechesis by the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the New Evangelization, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) Publications is pleased to offer the official English translation for sale in Canada through pre-order beginning today.

Common to the General Catechetical Directory (1971) and the General Directory for Catechesis (1997) that preceded it, the Directory for Catechesis (2020) focuses on the goals and tasks of catechesis (religious formation and education). However, the new document places particular emphasis on the important relationship between evangelization and catechesis as a response to the realities of the 21^st Century, as well as on advancements in digital communications and also on the need for evangelization at all stages of an individual’s ongoing catechetical formation. This is known as “kerygmatic catechesis”.

“Catechesis is an essential part of the broader process of renewal that the Church is called to bring about in order to be faithful to the command of Jesus Christ to proclaim always and everywhere his Gospel (cf Mt 28:19). Catechesis participates according to its own nature in the effort of evangelization, in order that the faith may be supported by an ongoing maturation and express itself in a way of life that must characterize the very being of the disciple of Christ. Because of this, catechesis is related to the liturgy and to charity in making evident the essential unity of the new life which springs forth from Baptism.” (cf. Directory for Catechesis, p. 10)

The Directory (2020) will be particularly useful for Bishops, priests, deacons, consecrated persons and lay people who are directly involved in the work of evangelization and catechesis at the diocesan level, and may also be of interest to Eastern Catholic eparchies. It will be an indispensable aid for pastoral planning with key descriptions of evangelization, kerygmatic catechesis and pastoral conversion to missionary discipleship.

To help diocesan personnel learn about the key themes outlined in the 2020 Directory and its integration into their own work at the local level, the CCCB’s Office for Evangelization and Catechesis will host a four-part webinar series throughout the month of October 2020. There is no cost to register, but space is limited to the first 100 participants. If interested, please complete the online registration form no later than 21 September 2020. For more information, please contact the Office for Evangelization and Catechesis.

To pre-order a copy of The Directory for Catechesis (English), please call CCCB Publications at 1-800-769-1147 or e-mail publi@cccb.ca.

Availability of the official French translation of the Directory (2020)

The CCCB is awaiting further information regarding the publication of the official French translation of the Directory and will provide an update as soon as this is received.

28 July 2020, Montreal/Ottawa – Following an organizational review of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada to improve its collaboration with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, implementation of the resulting recommendations will begin this fall.

The organizational review was conducted by the firm Deloitte and involved the participation of staff and members of Development and Peace, as well as staff of the CCCB and Bishops across Canada. The results of the analysis suggested 14 recommendations, which were then integrated into the four following work streams to facilitate the implementation process:

1. Criteria for international partnerships
2. Governance structure and reporting
3. Communications and crisis management
4. Organizational culture within Development and Peace

The recommendations of the report were accepted by Development and Peace’s National Council in November 2019, and several meetings between the Executive Committees of the CCCB and Development and Peace took place to discuss the expectations of both parties in the implementation of the recommendations and agree to a process.

“Throughout these discussions, we never lost sight of Development and Peace’s mission to serve the poorest and most vulnerable of our world and to build God’s kingdom of peace and justice,” says Evelyne Beaudoin, President of Development and Peace. “We all agree on the vital importance of preserving the identity of our organization as rooted in the Church’s social teachings and embodied in and through acts of solidarity; and we agreed to move forward in the vision of Pope Francis of a synodal Church”

It was also agreed that Development and Peace’s National Council will be reduced from 21 to 15 members, with 11 elected representatives from Development and Peace and four Bishops from the CCCB. The following four Bishops, representing also the four regions, will join the National Council at its next meeting in November 2020:

• Most Rev. William McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary and Co-treasurer of the CCCB’s Executive Committee (West)
• Rev. Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and Co-Treasurer of the CCCB’s Executive Committee (Quebec)
• Most Rev. Peter Hundt, Archbishop of St. John’s, Member of the CCCB Permanent Council (Atlantic)
• Most Rev. Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Pembroke (Ontario)

Each Bishop will also serve on one of the four working committees put in place to implement the recommendations for each of the above-mentioned work streams. Each committee will be chaired by a member of the management team of Development and Peace. In addition to the participation of a Bishop, each committee will be composed of members of the National Council and staff of the CCCB. The four working committees will report to an oversight committee composed of two Bishops and two members of the Executive Committee of the National Council.

Preparatory meetings will take place over the summer with the formal work of the working committees to begin in September. The working committees will be assisted by the firm Deloitte, and the implementation process is expected to be completed by the end of December 2020. Regular progress reports will be communicated throughout the process.

“We are pleased with the progress of the collaborative conversations and joint meetings.” says the Most Reverend Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg and CCCB President. “We are hopeful that, as we begin this new chapter of greater and more far reaching collaboration and alignment between the Bishops of Canada and CCODP – Caritas Canada, much good fruit will ensue in our outreach to the poor and those most in need. The necessary changes to be made, as well as the good will and hard work they entail, will help the Church radiate its mission to the world.”

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Media contacts:
Kelly Di Domenico                                  Lisa Gall
kdidomenico@devp.org                     gensec@cccb.ca
514 226-9620

Today, the members of the Executive Committee of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) released a Message entitled They Still Bring Forth Fruit in Old Age: A Lesson on Caring in the midst of the COVID-19 Pandemic. This timely Message serves as an occasion for the Bishops of Canada to acknowledge the most serious difficulties faced by many vulnerable persons across the country during the pandemic, with particular concerns raised for the elderly in our communities.

The situation of Canada’s seniors, frequently including inadequate institutional care for their mental and physical health, as well as for their emotional and spiritual needs, often places them among the many others in society who are likewise vulnerable and marginalized. As stated in the message: “What emerged at the beginning of the pandemic were the conditions in long-term care facilities and similar institutions that were particularly disturbing, as government and healthcare authorities began to acknowledge. […] That many elderly endured weeks practically in solitude to avoid contracting the virus even from caregivers, and that many died without either the presence of family members or the comfort and strength of the Church’s Sacraments and pastoral care is heartbreaking. […] Most upsetting and what has come to light is the admission that this situation already existed long before COVID-19 appeared on the horizon.”

The Message not only identifies concerns, it also serves as an opportunity for Bishops to express their hope, encouragement and recognition, which are equally important. It remains incumbent upon all members of society to understand, appreciate and cherish the gifts of the elderly and to bring about those necessary changes to improve the care and comfort of those most senior and vulnerable in our communities. “As we slowly return to a more normal way of life, let us not forget the elderly among us who still have so much wisdom to impart, faith to share, stories to tell and joys to offer. Let us create space in our hearts, homes, families and communities to honour them and truly care for them in their weakness and their many needs. Let us welcome their unique giftedness in building a world which is more human, loving, generous, forgiving, and radiant with God’s grace.”

Today, His Holiness Pope Francis appointed the Reverend Abba Tesfaye Woldemariam Fesuh, as Apostolic Visitator for Ethiopian Faithful of the Alexandrian Rite Ge’ez, in the United States of America and Canada.

On 6 May 2020, the Holy Father announced the creation of a new ecclesiastical circumscription, the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall, by amalgamating the former Archdiocese of Ottawa with the former Diocese of Alexandria-Cornwall. At the same time, Pope Francis appointed the Most Revered Terrence J. Prendergast, S.J., as Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall and the Most Reverend Marcel Damphousse, currently Bishop of Sault Ste- Marie, as Coadjutor Archbishop of Ottawa-Cornwall. Yesterday, Tuesday 16 June 2020, and respecting the limitation of participants due to COVID-19, the Most Reverend Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., Bishop-elect of Pembroke, having been delegated by the Apostolic Nuncio in Canada, Archbishop Luigi Bonazzi, presided at Mid-Morning Prayer, during which Archbishop Prendergast took possession of the new archdiocese and Bishop Damphousse was welcomed as Coadjutor Archbishop.

To view photos from the celebration, please visit the website of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall at https://catholicottawa.ca/photos-of-recent-events.