The Anglican-Roman Catholic Dialogue (ARC) has released a new resource entitled New Stories to Tell: Living Ecumenism Today. The resource is testimonial in nature, offering examples from across Canada where Anglican and Catholics have come together in cooperation and dialogue. A total of 17 testimonials address a wide variety of common issues. Four of the testimonials have been translated into French as they come from Francophone communities in Canada. The resource is well suited for parish settings, and especially for joint study and reflection groups of Anglican and Roman Catholic faithful. The dialogue is sponsored by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the Anglican Church of Canada (ACC). Resources published by ARC are available on the following website: https://churchesindialogue.ca .

New Stories to Tell: Living Ecumenism Today

The Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land held its annual meeting in the Holy Land, 11 to 16 January 2019. Among the participants were the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), together with Mr. Kyle Ferguson, Advisor for Ecclesial and Interfaith Relations with the CCCB. As customary, the participating Bishops issued a news release at the conclusion of their annual visit.

Link to the final news release

The Office for Evangelization and Catechesis (English Sector) recently developed a new resource on Family Catechesis. The resource provides insight into the value of family catechesis as a means to evangelization not only of children, but of adults who accompany them.

The resource includes tips for planning family catechesis, templates with sample learning activities, and links to a variety of websites that offer resources for family catechesis. In addition, the resource includes three embedded videos from dioceses that have introduced new models of family catechesis. Each video provides a unique perspective on the benefits and challenges the diocese s have experienced in their efforts to engage parents more fully in their own faith development and in the faith lives of their children.

The resource is available online (in PDF format), free of charge, from the Office for Evangelization and Catechesis (English Sector).

Ottawa – With only days remaining until the official start of 2019 World Youth Day (WYD) encounter from 22-27 January, Catholic youth and young adult pilgrims from around the world are descending upon Panama City, Panama. Held every two to three years, World Youth Day is an international gathering of youth and young adults (15-30 years old) for a celebration of the Catholic faith. Numerous Bishops, priests, consecrated people, and lay faithful also take part in gathering to experience their common faith in Christ. It is estimated that some 500,000 people will participate in this year’s event with an emphasis on prayer, spiritual formation, and cultural exchange.

Canada will be represented in Panama by a strong delegation of more than 1,000 pilgrims representing over 20 dioceses, religious institutes, and ecclesial movements from across the country. In addition, nine Bishops from Canada will attend WYD to accompany the pilgrims during the encounter. The Bishops attending WYD are: the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), His Eminence Gérald Cyprien Cardinal Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec and Primate of Canada, the Most Reverend Denis Grondin, Archbishop of Rimouski, the Most Reverend Christian Lépine, Archbishop of Montréal, the Most Reverend Terrence Prendergast, S.J., Archbishop of Ottawa, the Most Reverend Jean-Pierre Blais, Bishop of Baie-Comeau, the Most Reverend Christian Rodembourg, M.S.A., Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe, the Most Reverend Noël Simard, Bishop of Valleyfield, and the Most Reverend Brian Bayda, C.Ss.R., Ukranian Eparchial Bishop of Saskatoon. The Bishops in attendance will be joined by 18 priests, 30 volunteers and 11 representatives from the media. A number of Bishops from Canada will likewise be giving catechesis during the days in Panama City.

On Saturday 19 January, two Canadian participants, Kevin Reda and Kimberly Fontes, will attend a special one-day conference on the safeguarding of creation under the theme Youth for the Common House. Ecological Conversion in Action and inspired by Pope Francis’ message on the environment, Laudato Sí.

Media Coverage for World Youth Day
Looking to watch coverage of WYD from the comfort of your home? Canada’s Salt +Light Television will broadcast all the major events from WYD live on their television network and on their website. Please visit the Salt + Light WYD Central website for more information.

The Most Reverend Christian Blouin, C.M.M., Bishop Emeritus of Lae, Papua New Guinea, passed away on 12 January 2019 at the age of 77. Bishop Blouin was born in Saint-Sébastien, Québec in 1941 and was ordained to the priesthood in 1969 as a member of the Congregation of Mariannhill Missionaries.

Bishop Blouin was appointed Bishop of Lae, Papua New Guinea, on 15 January 2007, was ordained to the episcopate on 5 May 2007, and served as Bishop of Lae until his retirement in October 2018. The funeral Mass will be held on Wednesday 16 January in Papua New Guinea.

Ottawa – The Most Reverend Attila Miklósházy, S.J., Bishop Emeritus for the pastoral care of Hungarian emigrants (worldwide), died on 28 December 2018 in Pickering, Ontario.

Bishop Miklósházy was born on 5 April 1931 in Diosgyor, Hungary. He entered the Society of Jesus at the Manreza in Budapest, Hungary in 1949. He began a long and distinguished career in academics, pursuing philosophical and theological studies at the Central Roman Catholic Theological Academy in Budapest (1950-1952), followed by additional philosophical studies in West Germany (1957). It was during his theological studies at Regis College in Toronto (1959-1963) that Bishop Miklósházy was ordained to the priesthood on 18 June 1961 by His Eminence James Cardinal MacGuigan. He completed his Doctoral studies in Theology at the Gregorian University in Rome (1965-1968).

Prior to his ordination to the priesthood, he was an orderly at St. Stephen Hospital, Budapest (1952-1957) and was also drafted into Hungarian military service (1953-1955). From 1957-1959, he served as Prefect for Kolleg Kalskburg near Vienna, Austria. In Canada, he was a Professor of Theology at Loyola College, Montréal (1963-1964), Regis College, Toronto (1967-1974), and the University of St. Michael’s College, Toronto (1974-1984). While teaching at the University of St. Michael’s College, he also served as Chairman of the Theology Department of the Toronto School of Theology from 1978 to 1980. He served in the dual capacities of Professor of Systematic Theology and Dean of the Faculty of Theology at St. Augustine’s Seminary in Scarborough, Ontario from 1984-1998, after which he became Professor Emeritus. On 12 August 1989, Pope John Paul II appointed him Bishop in charge of the spiritual assistance to the Hungarian emigrant people, and Titular Bishop of Castel Minore. He was subsequently ordained to the episcopate by His Eminence Emmett Cardinal Carter on 4 November 1989 at Toronto, from where he served as the Bishop of the Hungarian Emigrants-Worldwide (Episcopus Hungarorum in exteris) until 2003.

As a member of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), Bishop Miklósházy was a member of the Episcopal Commission for Liturgy (English Section) from 2000-2003.

Two funeral Masses were celebrated at St. Elizabeth of Hungary parish and St. Michael’s Cathedral in Toronto on 2 January and 3 January 2019 respectively.

From 11 to 16 January 2019, the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), will participate in the annual meeting of the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land. Bishop Gendron will be accompanied by Mr. Kyle Ferguson, Advisor for Ecclesial and Interfaith Relations with the CCCB. The meeting this year will focus on challenges and opportunities for Christians in Israel. This annual international gathering involves representatives from Conferences of Bishops in Europe and North America who meet with the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land (AOCTS).

Prior to the start of the meeting, Bishops and invited guests will have the opportunity to experience Shabbat evening prayer at Yedidya Synagogue in Jerusalem followed by Shabbat dinner in the homes of members of the synagogue community. Once the meeting is officially underway, the delegates will have a full agenda including visits to the Latin Patriarchal Seminary, several schools, a hospital, a home for disabled children, and a United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) camp and school located in the northern West Bank. The delegates will also participate in an inter-faith discussion involving Sunni, Ahmadi, Bahai, Druze and Jewish leaders. The five-day gathering will conclude with a series of meetings between the delegates and several non-governmental organizations (NGOs) operating in the Holy Land.

Link to the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem

The National Week for Life and the Family will be celebrated across Canada 12 to 19 May 2019, with the start of the week coinciding with Mother’s Day. For the seventh consecutive year, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) is offering dioceses/eparchies, parishes as well as Catholic organizations and associations groups possible resources and options for planning and organizing local activities. The theme for 2019 is “Listening to the Gospel as a Family“. The resources have been prepared by the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF), working in collaboration and consultation with the CCCB, and are available online, and may be freely downloaded and reproduced by dioceses/eparchies, parishes and other non-profit groups.

The materials include a poster; a prayer card ; a proposed plan for pastors and lay pastoral workers on how they might organize the Week; a message from the CCCB President, the Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil; proposals for homily notes and Prayers of the Faithful; and suggestions for related events and activities. Each diocese/eparchy decides how to adapt or use the suggested resources, in view of its own specific pastoral priorities, needs, and capacities.

The dates of the National Week are determined primarily by the United Nations 1993 resolution which declared 15 May the International Day of Families. In turn, the International Day is used to establish the dates for Quebec Family Week (Semaine québécoise des familles).

Link to the proposed resources on the CCCB website

Link to the message of the President of the CCCB (PDF)

Ottawa – The national bilateral dialogue of the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops met for its biannual meeting 13-14 November 2018 at the Dominican University College in Ottawa. The dialogue members reviewed and reflected on the recently released book entitled “Cast Out of the Covenant: Jews and Anti-Judaism in the Gospel of John” published by Dr. Adele Reinhartz, a member of the dialogue and Professor of Classics and Religious Studies, Faculty of Arts, at the University of Ottawa. Furthermore, the dialogue continued in its work on the Jewish and Catholic approaches to praying with and understanding the Psalms looking specifically at Psalms 115-116, which, in the Jewish tradition, comprise part of the Hallel set of prayers that are recited on joyous occasions.

The evening of 13 November, the dialogue coordinated a concert hosted at Kehillat Beth Israel Synagogue in Ottawa entitled “‘Sing to the Lord a New Song’ – The Psalms in the Jewish and Catholic Traditions”. The evening was marked by choral music, sung in Hebrew, French, English and Latin, provided by the Notre Dame Cathedral Basilica choir, led by its director, Mr. Michel Guimont, and the Kehillat Beth Israel Synagogue’s choir, led by Cantor Jason Green. Likewise, members of the dialogue discussed on how each respective tradition prays with the Psalms both in community and in personal prayer. The dialogue dedicated the evening’s concert to the victims of the Pittsburgh shooting which tragically occurred at the Tree of Life Synagogue 27 October 2018.

The next meeting of the national bilateral dialogue of the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops is scheduled for the spring of 2019.

Ottawa – On 20 September 2018, the Canadian House of Commons unanimously adopted a motion recognizing the recent violence against the Rohingya people as genocide. Today, in partnership with the Canadian Council of Imams, the Canadian Rabbinic Caucus and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), faith leaders in Canada responded to the crisis through the release of a joint public statement that calls for an end to the violence in Myanmar and for a just and peaceful resolution to the conflict. The statement has been endorsed by over 20 faith leaders and organizations in Canada, including The Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and President of the CCCB.

In the statement, the signatories underscored their commonly held belief in the dignity of all persons stating that, “As faith leaders of diverse communities in Canada, we are united in our belief and concern for the inviolable dignity of all persons […]” The faith leaders continued their message by saying, “We strongly encourage the people of Myanmar to build peace, to heal the wounds of your communities through dialogue and forgiveness, and to let justice be realized for those who have been wronged.”

Noting that 2018 marks the 70th anniversary of the United Nations’ Convention for the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, the signatories implored “…let us raise our voices once again and say: Never again“.

Lastly, the statement challenges all Canadians to take action by calling for justice, reconciliation and peace for the people of Myanmar and to become agents of peace and reconciliation in their own families, workplaces and communities.

Link to the Joint Public Statement in Support of the People of Myanmar