News - October 2020 RSS Feed

Bridging faith and politics: A group of MPs from different political parties are working together to try and get a new all-party caucus going in parliament that would not only cross political party lines but faith differences as well. True prayer, like true faith, leads to care for others: Being indifferent to or hating others is to deny the existence of God's presence in one's neighbour, Pope Francis said. Promoting devotion to Mary: Lady of Fatima Parish in Fredericton opens a gift shop in the Church basement.

On the evening of October 13 in Fredericton, the rain held off just long enough for parishioners of Our Lady of Fatima Parish to commemorate the miracle of the sun. Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC, of the Diocese of Saint John, joined those assembled for an outdoor candlelight vigil to bless the newly-constructed grotto, made by members of the parish. On October 5-9, priests of the Diocese of Saint John gathered at the Villa Madonna Retreat Centre in Rothesay, for their annual priests retreat. Father Michael McGivney, the founder of the Knights of Columbus, will be beatified during a special Mass October 31 at the Cathedral of St. Joseph in Hartford.

Pope Francis reads the headlines and sees moral decay. He reads the Gospel and wishes it were alive in the hearts and minds of people. Some experts believe that Fratelli Tutti could inspire a lot of people to look at the Catholic Church in a different light, to revisit their faith. Christians around the world celebrated this weekend as Carlo Acutis was beatified, bringing him one step closer to being declared an official saint of the Catholic Church. He was beatified on October 10, 2020, at the Basilica of St. Francis, in Assisi. And during the mass, young people were urged to imitate Blessed Carlo by establishing close links with God and other people on social media. So strongly does Monsignor Bernard Rossi believe in the importance of Catholic health care, he once told a priest whose bishop dispensed him from hospital calls that if he didn’t like to visit the sick he shouldn’t be a priest.

In 2014 this high school student inspired a parish to create a new outreach program to support Avenue B in Saint John. Teams at both worship sites within the parish (St. Rose of Lima and St. Matthew) make individually-portioned meals that are frozen for clients which are delivered to Avenue B for pick up. Pope Francis' new social encyclical offers a vision for the world of dignity for every person around the world and promotes a call to 'build a new culture of fraternity and dialogue.' The COVID-19 pandemic has forced the Catholic Church in Canada to significantly change the way it operates. CCCB president Richard Gagnon said how the Church has had to adjust to the realities of the pandemic have been difficult for parishioners and clergy, but it has shown how important a personal connection with God and the Church is in the lives of many Canadians.

Hospital chaplains are present for some of the most intimate and vulnerable moments in a person’s life. Ministering during the pandemic has presented some unique challenges, but Father Aaron Knox continues to do whatever he can to nurture the humanity of those he serves. For the past few months on his travels around the diocese, Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC, of the Diocese of Saint John, has been encouraging parishes to offer one tool of evangelization in their parishes this fall. And one program he recommends is Alpha. The world will not overcome the current crisis if only big businesses, financial institutions and the powerful have a voice, Pope Francis said. "Everyone must be listened to. Everyone -- those on the top, those on the bottom," he said September 23 during his weekly general audience.