(CECC – Ottawa)… The Most Reverend Cardinal-designate Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec and Primate of the Church in Canada, together with 18 other Bishops, will be elevated to the College of Cardinals during the Consistory to take place in Vatican City on February 22, 2014. The Holy Father, Pope Francis, had announced the nomination of the new Cardinals on January 12, 2014. Archbishop Lacroix will become the eighth Cardinal in the history of the Archdiocese of Québec and the 17th Cardinal in the history of the Catholic Church in Canada. Canada will now have four Cardinals. The three others are His Eminence Jean-Claude Cardinal Turcotte, Archbishop Emeritus of Montreal, His Eminence Thomas Cardinal Collins, Archbishop of Toronto, and His Eminence Marc Cardinal Ouellet, Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops and former Archbishop of Québec.

The new Cardinal will be accompanied to Rome by a small delegation from the Archdiocese of Québec together with members of his family including his parents. The Mayor of Quebec, Mr. Régis Labeaume, will be also present. The official representative of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) will be the Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau and President of the CCCB. The Catholic Channel Salt + Light Television will offer coverage of the creation of the new Cardinals on February 22 at 10:00 a.m. and the Closing Mass of the Consistory on February 23 at 8:30 a.m. 

In a statement issued January 13, 2014, CCCB President Archbishop Durocher congratulated Archbishop Lacroix on behalf of all the Bishops of Canada. “This appointment by Pope Francis is a great honour for all the Church in our country, as well as indicating the importance of the See of Québec and the important role it played in evangelizing the New World,” the CCCB President stated. “What an honour this is for the people of Quebec and those of the entire country, as we celebrate the 350th anniversary of the erection of the first parish in North America outside Spanish-speaking territories.”

Cardinal-designate Lacroix was born July 27, 1957, in Saint-Hilaire de Dorset, Quebec. He attended Laval University where he earned a master’s degree in pastoral theology. A member of the Pius X Secular Institute (I.S.P.X.), he was ordained a priest on October 8, 1988. In 1990, he began missionary work in Colombia, where he assisted in establishing his secular institute there as well as working in a parish and teaching at the Major Seminary of Popayán, Colombia. Upon returning to Canada in 1998, he became the head of the Pius X Secular Institute, a position he held until his appointment as Auxiliary Bishop of Québec on April 7, 2009. On February 22, 2011, Pope Benedict XVI appointed him Archbishop of Québec. He had previously been elected Administrator of the Archdiocese on August 17, 2010, following the appointment of Cardinal Ouellet as Prefect of the Congregation for Bishops. As Archbishop of Québec, Cardinal-designate Lacroix also became an ex officio member of the CCCB Permanent Council.

A welcoming celebration for Cardinal Lacroix will be held in Quebec City on February 28, 2014, at the Pavillon de la jeunesse on the site of ExpoCité. This public celebration is expected to involve 4,000 people and will start at 7:00 p.m. There will be three major parts to the evening’s celebration: brief speeches from civil and religious authorities; a Liturgy of the Word, focusing on the Archdiocese itself; and an opportunity for the faithful of the Archdiocese to greet the new Cardinal.

(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Most Reverend Cornelius Pasichny, O.S.B.M., Ukrainian Eparchial Bishop Emeritus of Toronto and Eastern Canada, died on January 30, 2014, at the age of 86.

Bishop Pasichny was born on March 27, 1927, in Winnipeg, Manitoba. He entered the Order of St. Basil the Great in 1942, made his solemn profession in 1948 and was ordained a priest in Rome on July 5, 1953. He was appointed Bishop of the Ukrainian Eparchy of Saskatoon by Pope John Paul II on November 22, 1995, and ordained to the episcopate on January 17, 1996, in St. Nicholas Ukrainian Catholic Church, Winnipeg. On July 1, 1998, he was appointed Ukrainian Eparchial Bishop of Toronto and Eastern Canada. After reaching the age of 75, he offered his resignation to the Holy Father, which was accepted in May 2003.

During his episcopal ministry, Bishop Pasichny served on of the former CCCB Commission for Ecumenism, 1996-1997, and the former Commission for Theology, 1997-1999.

Funeral services will be held in Toronto beginning on Tuesday, February 4, 2014, at 7:00 p.m. at St. Nicholas Church, with Parastas. Services will continue on Wednesday, February 5, at 10:00 a.m. at the same church with the Divine Liturgy. On February 7, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Nicholas Church, Winnipeg, the Divine Liturgy will be celebrated, followed by burial at Holy Family Cemetery. 

In a letter to the Honorable John Baird, Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), has expressed the concerns of the CCCB about the security wall in the Cremisan Valley, near Bethlehem. Archbishop Durocher is also a signatory of a statement issued today by the Coordination of Episcopal Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land on a proposed extension of the Israeli security wall. This situation will affect the lives of many Christian families and the pastoral work of the religious communities in this area of the Holy Land.

In his letter to Mr. Baird, Archbishop Durocher conveys the concerns of the Catholic Bishops of Canada: “we ask your government to raise our objections about the extension of the security wall in the Cremisan Valley, with the hope that a change to the present Israeli plan could become one step forward toward making it possible for Palestinians and Israelis to live in peace and justice.”

Link to the letter of CCCB President
Link to the statement (PDF)

(16 January 2014 –) The Christian community of Gaza was the focal point of this year’s visit to the Holy Land by Bishops from across Europe, North America and South Africa in support of the local Christian communities and the pastoral work of the Church at the service of all in the Holy Land.

The visiting Bishops make up the Holy Land Co-ordination, mandated by the Holy See, focusing on prayer, pilgrimage and advocacy for justice and peace with the aim of acting in solidarity with the Christian community there and sharing in the pastoral life of the local Church as it experiences intense political and socio-economic pressure. This year it met from 12 to 16 January 2014.

The Christian community of Gaza is made up of around 2,500 Christians, of whom Catholics number just under 200, out of a total population of over 1.5 million. After celebrating Mass with the Holy Family parish in Gaza and meeting the parishioners, the Bishops met with Religious Sisters and Christian agencies, visiting projects for the disabled and deaf and the vocational training of young people. They also offered their support to the Christian schools and hospitals at the service of all in Gaza.

Time and again, the Bishops were thanked for their visit to Gaza as the people urged Christians across the world not to forget them, to pray for them and support them however they could.

In their final communique, the Bishops called for an urgent resolution to the situation, describing Gaza as a man-made disaster: “Gaza is … a shocking scandal, an injustice that cries out to the human community for a resolution. We call upon political leaders to improve the humanitarian situation of the people in Gaza, assuring access to the basic necessities for a dignified human life, the possibilities for economic development, and freedom of movement.”

Following the two-day visit to Gaza, the Bishops met with representatives of Israeli civil society in Tel Aviv before going on to Bethlehem, Ramallah and Jerusalem. There they heard from senior Palestinian negotiators on the peace process before meeting with students from Bethlehem University. They also listened to the young people’s experiences of day-day life in this divided land, following the encouragement of the Mayor of Bethlehem to all Christians to come on pilgrimage and meet Christian families, “the living stones” of the Holy Land.

On Wednesday, 15 January, the Bishops visited Schmidt School in Jerusalem, which educates Palestinian girls, and heard about projects focusing on youth empowerment. They also visited the Cremisan Valley where the planned route of an Israeli security wall threatens the land and livelihoods of 58 Christian families based in the Bethlehem area. Families, who will lose their land as a direct result of this wall, called for urgent intervention with building scheduled to start imminently. Their testimony brought home the fragility of their continued presence in the Holy Land and the urgency of their pleas for international support.

Following meetings with His Beatitude Patriarch Fouad Twal and the Apostolic Nuncio Archbishop Giuseppe Lazzarotto, Mass was celebrated for the Golden Anniversary of Catholic Relief Services.

The Holy Land Co-ordination concluded with a visit to the Armenian Patriarchate, following prayers and Mass.

Link to the statement by the participating Bishops (PDF)

The Bishops who took part in this year’s Holy Land Co-ordination were:

Archbishop Stephen Brislin, South Africa
Bishop Pierre Burcher, Scandinavia
Bishop William Crean, Ireland
Bishop Michel Dubost, France
Archbishop Paul-Andre Durocher, Canada
Archbishop Patrick Kelly, England and Wales
Bishop William Kenney, England and Wales
Bishop Declan Lang, England and Wales (chair of the Holy Land Co-ordination)
Bishop Denis Nulty, Ireland
Bishop Richard Pates, United States of America
Bishop Thomas Renz, Germany
Bishop Janusz Stepnowski, Poland
Archbishop Joan Enric Vives, Spain

The Co-ordination of Bishops’ Conferences in Support of the Church in the Holy Land was formed in 1998 at the request of the Holy See. It is more simply called the Holy Land Co-ordination. Each year they come at the invitation of the Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries of the Holy Land. The Holy Land Co-ordination focuses on prayer, pilgrimage and advocacy with the aim of acting in solidarity with the local Christian community and sharing in the life of the Church as it experiences intense political and socio-economic pressures.

From January 11 to 16, 2014, the Most Reverend Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau 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. The meeting’s theme this year is “Empowering Young People”. The 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). The visit this year will be special because of the upcoming visit of Pope Francis to the Holy Land, May 24 to 26, 2014.

Current information about the Church in the Holy Land is available on the website of the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. 

(CCCB – Ottawa)… The Episcopal Commission for Doctrine of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has now posted on the CCCB Website a text entitled “The Essential Elements of Evangelization Today”. Written from the context of the Canadian pluralist society, this new 16-page document is intended not only for priests, consecrated men and women, and those actively involved in pastoral work, but also for “all Catholics who desire to understand better and respond more zealously to their call to evangelize the modern world.” Although composed prior to the release of Pope Francis’ recent Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), its approach and recommendations are similar, while providing a uniquely Canadian perspective.

Following the recent Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization for the Transmission of the Christian Faith, the Commission “would like to reflect on the challenges this pluralism brings, as well as how it affects the proclamation of the Gospel.” In its pastoral reflection, the Commission proposes a path forward following the example of the early Church. The central theme is that of a threefold witness which manifests (1) a personal, living encounter with Christ, (2) the love lived in Christian community, and (3) service to others.

The Bishops of the Commission state that the style of ecclesial witness must be humble and with joyful confidence. “As Christians, we must respond ‘with gentleness and reverence’ (1 Peter 3.16), always keeping in mind that the ultimate goal for ourselves and those we meet is an encounter with God the Father in his kingdom, by means of our union with Christ in the Spirit” ( paragraph 21).

Printed copies of the document are on sale from CCCB Publications (telephone 1-800-769-1147 or email publi@cccb.ca).

Link to the Document (PDF)

CCCB – Ottawa… His Holiness Pope Francis today appointed the Reverend Christian Riesbeck, C.C., as Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa. At the time of his appointment, he was the Chancellor of the Archdiocese and Assistant General Superior of the Companions of the Cross – a priestly Society of Apostolic Life founded in Ottawa.

Bishop-elect Riesbeck was born in Montreal on February 7, 1970, to Heribert Riesbeck, a native of Germany, and Colette Levesque, originally from Grand Falls, New Brunswick. His elementary schooling took place in Aylmer, Quebec, and Nepean, Ontario; his secondary schooling at St. Pius X High School in Nepean. He holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences in political science from the University of Ottawa, a Master of Divinity from St. Augustine’s Seminary in Toronto, and a Master’s degree as well as a licentiate in Canon Law from Saint Paul University, Ottawa. Besides English and French, he also speaks Spanish and German.

The new Auxiliary Bishop was ordained to the priesthood as a member of the Companions of the Cross on October 12, 1996, by the then Archbishop of Ottawa, the Most Reverend Marcel Gervais. After doing pastoral work in Ontario for brief periods between 1996 and 1999 in the Archdiocese of Kingston (Our Lady of Lourdes parish, Kingston, and St. Francis Xavier parish, Brockville) as well as in the Archdiocese of Ottawa (St. Jude’s parish, Hawkesbury, and Our Lady of Divine Love parish, Pendleton), Bishop-elect Riesbeck served as pastor of Queen of Peace parish in Houston, Texas (1999-2008). After obtaining his degrees in Canon Law in December 2010, he was appointed Chancellor of the Archdiocese of Ottawa in January 2011.

According to the 2013 Directory published by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Archdiocese of Ottawa has 108 parishes and missions, with a population of 392,635 Catholics, served by 137 diocesan priests, 48 priests who are members of religious institutes, 86 permanent deacons, 591 religious Sisters and Brothers, and 15 lay pastoral workers.

His Holiness Pope Francis today, December 18, 2013, appointed the Most Reverend Luigi Bonazzi Apostolic Nuncio to Canada. At the time of his appointment, Archbishop Bonazzi was Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania, Estonia and Latvia. The previous Apostolic Nuncio, the Most Reverend Pedro López Quintana, ended his mission in Canada at the end of September 2013 in order to receive a new assignment from the Holy Father.

Archbishop Bonazzi was born in Gazzaniga, Italy, on June 19, 1948, and ordained priest on June 30, 1973, for the Diocese of Bergamo. Having obtained a Doctorate in Education, he entered the diplomatic service of the Holy See on March 25, 1980. He previously served in the diplomatic missions of the Holy See in Cameroon, Trinidad and Tobago, Malta, Mozambique, Spain, the U.S.A., and Italy, as well in Canada. On June 19, 1999, Archbishop Bonazzi was appointed Apostolic Nuncio to Haiti, following which he was named Apostolic Nuncio to Cuba on March 30, 2004, and then Apostolic Nuncio to Lithuania and Estonia, as of March 14, 2009, and to Latvia, as of March 25, 2009. The date for his official installation as Apostolic Nuncio to Canada has not yet been announced.

Link to the Holy See announcement

At the conclusion of the Sunday Angelus, December 8, 2013, in St. Peter Square, Rome, Pope Francis extended his best wishes and blessing for the opening of the jubilee year marking the 350th anniversary of the parish Notre-Dame de Québec. The first Catholic parish canonically erected in North America outside Spanish territories, it is today Quebec City’s cathedral parish. The celebrations began with the official opening of a Holy Door,  presided  by the Most Reverend Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop of Québec and Primate of the Church in Canada. The Holy Door, a gift of the Holy See, is the seventh in the world. There are four in Rome, one in Ars-sur-Formans, France, and one in Santiago de Compostela, Spain, making this the first outside Europe. Visitors can pass through the Holy Door starting today, December 9, and for the duration of the jubilee year.

The words of the Holy Father on the celebration in Québec City were the following: “We unite ourselves spiritually to the Church in North America which today remembers the foundation of the first parish 350 years ago: Notre-Dame de Québec.  Let us give thanks for the journey that has been made from that moment, especially for the saints and martyrs who have rendered that land so fruitful.  With all my heart I bless all the faithful who are celebrating this jubilee.” (Translation)

Tonight, December 9, 2013, beginning at 8:30pm Eastern Time, Salt + Light TV will televise part of the ceremony opening the Holy Door which was celebrated in Quebec City last night.

Video of the Pope’s Angelus

Complete video of the opening celebration on the TV web portal for the Archdiocese of Québec

Programming of the 350th Jubilee

The Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP)  announced December 5, 2013, that it will join Caritas Internationalis in a special focus on world hunger. This will begin with launching a “wave of prayer” this coming December 10, International Human Rights Day. The campaign theme by Caritas Internationalis, “One human family, food for all”, will also be used by Development and Peace as its theme for the 2014 Share Lent Campaign. According to news reports earlier this week, Pope Francis will offer his blessing and support for the Caritas Internationalis campaign in a video message to be released at the beginning of the global campaign.

Further information is available on the following links:

• News release by CCODP
• Information from Caritas Internationalis
• Video message by Caritas Internationalis President, His Eminence Oscar Cardinal Rodríguez Maradiaga (Subtitled in English)