News RSS Feed

Last month, 23 churches, alongside several local businesses and service groups, joined together for SOCKTOBER — a collection of socks for those in need within the Miramichi community and surpassed the goal. John Swales, a survivor of sexual abuse at the hands of a London, ON, priest doesn’t want Catholics to walk away from their Church over another round of abuse revelations emanating now from France. Moments of difficulty and desolation are opportunities for praying, drawing closer to Jesus and discerning the right path, Pope Francis said.

As Canada welcomes more immigration, there are concerns that the Church is not keeping up with the changing face of the people in the pews. Canada’s Ukrainian Catholic bishops are asking all Catholics for prayers, charitable giving and three days of fasting November 24 to 26 in solidarity with Ukrainians. As world leaders gathered at the U.N. climate conference to figure out how to deal with climate change, young climate activists found their voices through protests.

On November 6, Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC of the Diocese of Saint John joined nearly 30 young people from the Miramichi Region at the Middle Island Irish Historic Park in Miramichi for an afternoon of music, food, reflection, and fellowship. Father Robert “Bob” Bedard (1929-2011), a beloved advocate of the Canadian and global Catholic communities, is the subject of an upcoming documentary-drama from award-winning Catholic filmmaker Kevin Dunn. A society that does not give women the same rights and opportunities as men will become impoverished, Pope Francis said at the end of a four-day visit to Bahrain.

Pope Francis’ November prayer intentions are for children who suffer, that they be granted the security of family and opportunities for education. Meanwhile, doctors, nurses, and healthcare workers are writing to the House of Commons committee on MAiD to warn against expansions of MAiD availability to marginalized and vulnerable Canadians including newborns deemed ‘unfit for life.’ Mother Teresa’s constant work for life with her Missionaries of Charity is documented in a Knights of Columbus-backed movie Mother Teresa: No Greater Love, with showings across Canada in November. Locally, Knights of Columbus councils continue to serve meals in support of community members. Parishioners of Holy Trinity Parish in Torbay, NL are working with the Saint John’s Archdiocese to raise $450,000 to save their church as a place of worship.

Reverend Peter Noteboom, Canadian Council of Churches general secretary believes its argument to strike down the Safe Third Country Agreement with the United States has been heard by the Supreme Court of Canada. Bill C-230 — which aimed to enhance the rights of medical personnel who refuse to participate in medically assisted death for reasons of conscience — has died in the House of Commons, but its supporters vow to keep up the fight for the rights of physicians and patients. Saying he did not want to rush the process of discerning how the Holy Spirit is calling the church to grow in "synodality," Pope Francis announced that the next assembly of the Synod of Bishops would take place in two sessions.

At their first in-person meetings in three years, Canada’s bishops spoke about concrete steps toward reconciliation with Indigenous Canadians — concrete steps that include the continued efforts to raise $30 million over the next five years, easier access for residential school survivors and their families to diocesan archives across the country and forging personal relationships between bishops and Indigenous leaders. To know oneself is a gift and a grace that allows Christians to properly discern between feelings and convictions, Pope Francis said. During his weekly general audience in St. Peter's Square October 5, the pope said that knowing oneself requires "patient soul-searching" and the awareness of one's "way of acting, of the feelings that dwell within us." Since September 1, 2021, the research team for the Miramichi Historical Linkages Project has worked towards uncovering forgotten stories from that region’s past. An intriguing figure was Father Dennis Dunne, who became vicar general of the Diocese of Chicago.

This Pastoral Letter is meant to inspire young Catholics to live their faith in an extraordinary way, encouraging them to strive toward holiness, and assuring them of the steadfast support and accompaniment of their Bishops along their individual journeys of faith.

Jesus never abandons, coerces or blackmails anyone when they stray, rather, he patiently waits and is "our greatest and most faithful friend," Pope Francis said. As Ukrainian refugees continue to make Canadians aware of the war in Ukraine, Soviet nuclear threat adds to Ukraine's worries. As the reality of losing their parishes comes to fruition, Catholics in Newfoundland are feeling a wide array of emotions.

Over the past seven years an outreach ministry of Kings Church in the Saint John/Quispamsis area, has been a witness to the community in sharing the love of Jesus. Through its Love Week initiative, church members spend an entire week showering kindness on people in their community as a testament to the love of Jesus. Just under a year away, the hype is already beginning around World Youth Day (WYD) 2023 to be held in Lisbon, Portugal. Pope Francis generated some hype himself with a special written address for young people. Biological engineering, such as gene therapy for treating human disease, is making such swift advancements that the public's knowledge and understanding of what is happening and what ethical and legal guidelines are needed are lagging too far behind, said speakers at a Vatican conference.