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Sa Sainteté le pape François a terminé son voyage apostolique au Canada du 23 au 29 juillet 2022. Lors de ce « pèlerinage de pénitence », il a fait une série de déclarations publiques concernant la réconciliation et la guérison avec les Autochtones.

His Holiness, Pope Francis, completed his apostolic journey to Canada from July 23rd – July 29th, 2022. On this “pilgrimage of penance”, he made a series of public statements regarding Indigenous reconciliation and healing.

The words “I am sorry” are powerful. For Tammy Ward of the Samson First Nation, those words from Pope Francis brought tears as she listened on the Maskawacis powwow grounds. FULL TEXT of Pope Francis' July 25th apology. While the perfect bishop does not exist, he does have to be a person who knows how to get others involved in the life of the church and to listen to everyone, including those with whom he may disagree, said a new member of the Dicastery for Bishops. What the Church believes, what it thinks, what it cares about and where it’s going are subjects of debate and speculation. Sudbury, ON, theologian Christopher Duncanson-Hales is seizing on the synod process to inject some real-life, empirical data into the Catholic conversation.

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John (the "Diocese") is recruiting a Director of Finance and Administration, located in Saint John, NB. This a rewarding and meaningful permanent full-time position at the Diocesan office and we are seeking a highly motivated, organized and detail-oriented individual who has their CPA designation and is interested in working in a faith-based Roman Catholic organization. For more details or to apply, please see the job advertisement.

All dioceses, parishes and ecclesial communities are called to celebrate this Day, whose theme is "In old age they will still bear fruit" (Ps. 92:15). All dioceses around the world are invited to celebrate the Day with a liturgy dedicated to the elderly. There are two main ways to participate in the Day, suggested by the Dicastery for Laity, Family and Life: by celebrating a Mass or by visiting the elderly alone - 'visiting the elderly who live alone is a work of mercy in our time.' Pope Francis established in 2021 that this Day will be celebrated annually on the fourth Sunday of July, around the feast of St. Joachim and St. Anne, the “grandparents” of Jesus. This year it will take place on July 24. On the same day, the Pope begins an apostolic journey to Canada.

Tous les diocèses, paroisses et communautés ecclésiales sont appelés à célébrer cette Journée, dont le thème est « Ils portent encore des fruits dans la vieillesse » (Ps 92, 15). Tous les diocèses du monde sont invités à célébrer la Journée par une liturgie consacrée aux personnes âgées. En effet, il y a deux façons principales de participer à la Journée, suggérées par le Dicastère pour les Laïcs, la Famille et la Vie: en célébrant une messe ou en rendant visite aux personnes âgées seules. Le pape François a établi, en 2021, que cette Journée sera célébrée chaque année le quatrième dimanche de juillet, autour de la fête des saints Joachim et Anne, grands-parents de Jésus. Cette année, elle est célébrée le 24 juillet. Le même jour, le Pape commencera un voyage apostolique au Canada.

Sculptor Timothy Schmalz has created a new piece - Mary, Untier of Knots, to be his artistic muse to symbolically represent the ongoing truth and reconciliation efforts in Canada. While she was executive director of the pro-life group Vancouver’s Life Community, Annabelle Chong heard many stories from faithful Catholics who had to be cautious what they said in the workplace when hot-button subjects like abortion, same-sex marriage, and transgender rights came up for discussion around the coffee machine or lunchroom.

My dearest brothers and sisters, with this letter I desire to reach you all – after having written already only to the bishops after the publication of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes – and I write to share with you some reflections on the liturgy, a dimension fundamental for the life of the Church. The theme is vast and always deserves an attentive consideration in every one of its aspects. Even so, with this letter I do not intend to treat the question in an exhaustive way. I simply desire to offer some prompts or cues for reflections that can aid in the contemplation of the beauty and truth of Christian celebration.

Très chers frères et sœurs, par cette lettre, je désire vous rejoindre tous - après avoir déjà écrit uniquement aux évêques après la publication du Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes - et je vous écris pour partager avec vous quelques réflexions sur la liturgie, dimension fondamentale pour la vie de l’Église. Le sujet est vaste et mérite d’être examiné attentivement sous tous ses aspects : toutefois, dans cette lettre, je n’ai pas l’intention de traiter la question de manière exhaustive. Je souhaite plutôt offrir quelques pistes de réflexion qui puissent aider à la contemplation de la beauté et de la vérité de la célébration chrétienne.

Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC continues confirming young Catholics in their Christian faith, with the Sacrament of Confirmation celebrated recently at Saint Raphael’s Church of the Good Shepherd Parish in Blackville. The Saint John High School choir returned to public performance at Saint Rose of Lima Church, Holy Spirit Parish, West Saint John. Three local Catholic groups issued a joint bid to save Saint John the Baptist Cathedral Basilica as a Catholic church in the Archdiocese of St. John’s, NL. Basilians make their bicentennial pilgrimage to Rome and pray for Pope Francis’ knee, before his Canadian visit.

During his homily on June 19, 2022, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC, of the Diocese of Saint John, began by reflecting on St. Francis of Assisi and the invitation, three times, from the crucifix to repair the church, which was falling into ruins. People have a responsibility to care for the elderly and cherish their wisdom rather than regard them as a burden on society, Pope Francis said. When Sister Nancy Brown began serving as pastoral counsellor at Covenant House Vancouver in 1998, her eyes were opened to the sex-trafficking crisis happening right under the nose of everyday Canadians. Involved in legal advocacy work today, she says to end this scourge, people need to become more aware of the signs.

New Brunswick State Council of the Knights of Columbus wives fundraise for the Indigenous Solidarity Fund. Former lieutenant governor Graydon Nicholas delivers a workshop on healing and reconciliation to Saint Croix Parish. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception community continues to work toward physical and spiritual restoration. Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz installs a pro-life sculpture of Jesus in the womb, in a Roman church to be seen by countless tourists. African Catholics in Canada are praying for peace in the wake of the Pentecost Sunday massacre in a Nigerian Catholic church.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John, located at 1 Bayard Dr. in Saint John, NB, is seeking a full-time Director of Finance and Administration. For more information and to apply please visit https://www.careerbeacon.com/en/job/1801606/239463/director-of-finance-and-administration/saint-john-nb . Applications will be accepted until Friday, June 17, 2022.

To aid in this Cathedral restoration effort, an annual collection will be taken up in the parishes on the weekend of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), this year on June 18-19, 2022. I am asking you to prayerfully consider a generous personal donation towards this campaign. Gifts of either a one-time donation, multi-year pledge, securities, bequests or life insurance are a tremendous blessing and will aid significantly in the success of this campaign. This will be a multi-year process but God-willing, the good fruits of this effort will bless our diocese for generations to come.

Pour appuyer le projet de restauration de la Cathédrale, une collecte annuelle aura lieu dans les paroisses, le 18 et 19 juin cette année, à l’occasion de la Solennité du Saint-Sacrement du Corps et du Sang du Christ (la Fête-Dieu). Je vous demande de songer, dans un esprit de prière, à faire un don généreux à cette campagne. Que ce soit un don unique ou un engagement pour plusieurs années, un don de valeurs mobilières, sous la forme de legs, ou de prestations d'assurance-vie, tous ces dons seraient une immense bénédiction et contribueraient considérablement au succès de cette campagne. Ce projet s’étendra sur plusieurs années mais, si Dieu le veut, les bons fruits de cet effort béniront notre diocèse pour des générations à venir.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John, located at 1 Bayard Dr. in Saint John, NB, is seeking a full-time Director of Finance and Administration. For more information and to apply please visit https://www.careerbeacon.com/en/job/1801606/239463/director-of-finance-and-administration/saint-john-nb . Applications will be accepted until Friday, June 17, 2022.

The next World Meeting of Families will be multi-centered and spread out throughout dioceses all over the world. The limits dictated by the pandemic are proving to be, in this sense, an opportunity so that families may truly participate and offer their contribution to diocesan meetings. Each particular Church will be able to live an ecclesial experience, on the one hand, by maximizing local resources, and on the other, being able to listen to and follow the Meeting in Rome with the Holy Father via live streaming. Among other things, the World Meeting is part of the current synodal journey of the Church and can prove to be a valuable experience of "participation, communion and mission" of families. This Vademecum is designed to support the particular Churches that are responsible for organizing local meetings. Each diocese/parish can gather inspiration from the indications offered in this pastoral kit, while remaining free to adapt the initiatives to the local cultural context and their own pastoral needs. The ecclesial goal is to realize a global event, which bears the particular features of each community.

La prochaine Rencontre Mondiale des Familles aura un caractère multicentrique et sera répartie dans tous les diocèses du monde. Les limitations imposées par la pandémie se révèlent, en ce sens, être une opportunité pour les familles de participer et de contribuer réellement aux rencontres diocésaines. Chaque Église particulière pourra vivre une expérience ecclésiale, d'une part en mettant à profit ses ressources locales, d'autre part en ayant la possibilité d'écouter et de regarder en streaming la Rencontre à Rome avec le Saint-Père. La Rencontre mondiale s'inscrit, entre autres, dans l'actuel parcours synodal de l'Église et peut se révéler une précieuse expérience de « participation, communion et mission » des familles. Ce vade-mecum est conçu pour être utile aux Églises particulières qui sont responsables de l'organisation des rencontres locales. Chaque diocèse/paroisse peut s'inspirer des indications proposées dans ce kit pastoral, tout en restant libre d'adapter les initiatives au contexte culturel local et à ses propres besoins pastoraux.

Old age, frailty and vulnerabilities should not be hidden, Pope Francis said. "Do not hide old age, do not hide the fragility of old age," he said, because society needs to be taught and reformed to respect all seasons of life. Evidence is mounting that assisted suicide’s introduction into the Canadian medical system is not only undermining governments’ oft-stated plans to improve palliative care but is actively damaging the country’s already inadequate palliative-care system. Worse yet, patients are choosing to die rather than to continue to live without adequate palliative care. A five-year study by a non-partisan think tank is complicating the narrative of Canadian religious decline while highlighting the shifting and sometimes complicated nature of Canadian religious identity.

Divine Mercy Catholic School in Saint John surprised Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC of the diocese by co-honouring him, and the Redemptorist Province of Canada, with the school’s Spiritus Award. As the outcry from those who say the life of a loved one was wrongfully extinguished due to blind spots in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) legislation has grown louder, many are worried that their concerns are falling on deaf ears. The evidence piling up before a special joint committee on Medical Assistance in Dying includes a disability rights advocate calling Canadian senators and MPs racist and ableist to their faces.