Catholic Conscience | Catholic Conscience †

New encyclical, stewardship, and voting Catholic

Sacristy - Madonna in prayer — Sacristy – Madonna in prayer

“Brothers and sisters, all”

Dear friends,

We have something to celebrate this coming October—news that Pope Francis is finishing a new encyclical, Frutelli tutti, which will be released for the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi on October 3rd.

This Pope always has something important to tell us about the way we relate to and love our neighbours—including (and perhaps especially!) those who do not share our Catholic faith. In the Holy Father’s uniquely warm yet realistically paternal spirit, Frutelli tutti (“Brothers and sisters, all” in English) will address the theme of human fraternity, that is recognizing each other as brothers and sisters, and the importance of this in the contemporary world for the promotion of peace, harmony and solidarity between individuals and nations.”

We look forward to reading the full encyclical and sharing with you the ways it can be applied to your own unique charism as a Catholic leader, witness, and citizen here in Canada. This is the purpose of this newsletter, and all of Catholic Conscience’s work: to help you love your neighbours through practical and realistic works in the community, civic, and political life.

We hope you enjoy this newsletter—and we always welcome feedback and ideas for what can be included in future additions! You can reach us at matthew@catholicconscience.org or brendan@catholicconscience.org.

As always, you’re in our prayers—may you remain safe and healthy in these challenging times.

With love,
Matthew Marquardt & Brendan Steven

WE’RE EXCITED TO BRING THE CATHOLIC ACTION CAMPAIGN TO SASKATCHEWAN IN 2020

Saskatchewan is set to hold a provincial election this fall, and we’re proud to be offering Saskatchewan Catholic voters a localized version of our Catholic Action campaign in partnership with Saskatchewan’s Catholic community. We first launched the Catholic Action campaign for the 2019 provincial election—a non-partisan, get-out-the-vote and voter education initiative. Catholic Action is centered on educating Catholic voters about Catholic social teaching and how they relate to relevant political issues; and mobilizing the Catholic community to go out and vote. Our first Catholic Action campaign was for the 2019 federal election, an unprecedented effort that reached thousands of Catholic voters in the GTA. It included our popular Conscience Cards, one-page briefs on themes of Catholic social teaching and its relation to relevant election issues. We’re excited to be bringing Catholic Action to Saskatchewan, to help Saskatchewan Catholic voters prayerfully and thoughtfully discern their vote in this provincial election.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR 2020 SASKATCHEWAN CATHOLIC ACTION CAMPAIGN

HELP TORONTO KIDS RETURN TO SCHOOL WITH THE ANGEL FOUNDATION FOR LEARNING

As students across Canada begin a new school year and return to classrooms, there’s a great deal of anxiety among parents, teachers, and kids about the reality of education during COVID-19.

We can help support students returning to class through our donations. For example: here in Toronto, the Angel Foundation for Learning—the official charity of the Toronto Catholic District School Board—works to ensure every student has an equal opportunity to succeed, through special support programs for kids who need them.

Consider a donation to the Angel Foundation this year, in solidarity and support of students returning to class under difficult circumstances.

CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THE ANGEL FOUNDATION

AND CLICK HERE TO DONATE NOW!

Bigger is not always better, says the B.C. Catholic

In a recent article for the B.C. Catholic, writer Paul Schratz reviewed the too-little known Catholic social teaching principle of subsidiarity—and why it’s a vital principle to keep in mind when thinking about politics from a Catholic perspective. Paul quoted at length from our recent Conscience Conversation on the topic of subsidiarity:

“[Subsidiarity] stands between the twin monsters of collectivism – the idea that all decision-making should be made by larger aggregations of distant governing bodies – and individualism, the idea that all power should be invested in individuals and that only individual interests should drive societal decision-making.”

READ THE FULL ARTICLE FROM THE B.C. CATHOLIC

OR CLICK HERE TO READ OUR CONSCIENCE CONVERSATION ON SUBSIDIARITY

ARCHDIOCESE OF TORONTO LAUNCHES FIRST-EVER STEWARDSHIP SUNDAY

On September 20, the Archdiocese of Toronto launched its first-ever Stewardship Sunday—a celebration and call to stewardship. Stewardship is a critical theme for us here at Catholic Conscience. Everything we have and everything we are—our time, talents, and treasures—do not belong to us, but rather, are loaned to us by God. In turn, we are called to use those gifts for the benefit of all—to multiply God’s gifts through good works. Our mission at Catholic Conscience is to inspire a sense of stewardship among Catholics, to offer their gifts in civic and political life. We hope you enjoy the Stewardship Sunday resources as much as we did.

Click here to watch Cardinal Collins’ homily for Stewardship Sunday.

To mark Stewardship Sunday, the Archdiocese also produced this wonderful video thanking all those who have worked so hard and volunteered to support the re-opening of parishes. Click here to watch.

Last but not least, read Cardinal Collins’ pastoral letter Stewardship, which reflects on these critical themes at length:

Cardinal Collins’ pastoral letter, “Stewardship”, is both a reflective guide and an urgent exhortation for Catholics to be aware of God’s gracious gifts and to live fully, gratefully, in service to others through sharing of time, talent, and treasure. He begins by unpacking the meaning of stewardship in Christian life. In this section, he offers the context for stewardship: the acknowledgement that we have received everything from God, and are “asked to make good use of what has been entrusted to us.” We are called to live as stewards with “creativity and boldness” and to regularly examine how we use the gifts that we have been given.

Read in the National Catholic Reporter more details about Pope Francis’ upcoming encyclical, clearly inspired by the life and ministry of St. Francis of Assisi:

Pope Francis will travel to Assisi Oct. 3 to sign an encyclical on the social, political and economic obligations that flow from a belief that all people are children of God and therefore brothers and sisters to one another.

The Vatican press office, confirming the pope’s trip, said the document will be titled “Fratelli Tutti” in Italian or “Brothers and Sisters All.”

Conventual Franciscan Fr. Mauro Gambetti, custodian of the Assisi convent, said the document “will indicate to the world a style for the future and will give the church and people of goodwill the responsibility for building it together.”

“The pope is clearly inspired by Francis of Assisi who, in following Jesus, recognized in fraternity, lived under the sign of mutual and loving service, the horizon of a fulfilled and happy humanity,” Gambetti added.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE BY CLICKING HERE

HOW TO VOTE CATHOLIC

We greatly enjoyed this video produced by the Archdiocese of Cincinnati on “how to vote Catholic.” It’s a great, short video resource on how any Catholic can prayerfully and thoughtfully reflect on their vote through Scripture and Catholic social teaching, to discern and form your conscience and cast your vote with the dignity of all in mind.

“By voting we help to determine and structure the common good. One of the core teachings of Christ is love your neighbour. This [voting] is a way of expressing our love for neighbour—by looking at our Christian principles and teachings of Christ and raising the question, who is best addressing the needs of my neighbours?”

With elections underway in British Columbia and Saskatchewan, and a federal election possible at any time, it’s a great introduction for Catholics who want to learn about the process of determining their vote through formation of conscience and Catholic faith.

CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO

STRONG IN TRIBULATION: PRAYERS FOR PANDEMICS

Earlier this year, the Vatican published a special book of prayers specially for pandemics. You can click here to read the entire book. Consider saying these prayers that God might deliver us from COVID-19, which has taken too many lives and caused such extraordinary harm to the world.

As you pray these prayers, please keep in your heart our brothers and sisters in British Columbia and Saskatchewan—that despite these circumstances, each citizen in those provinces discern their vote thoughtfully, by educating themselves on the party platforms and a positive vision for their community’s future.

Prayer for Liberation from the Epidemic to Our Lady of Divine Love

O Mary, You shine continuously on our journey as a sign of salvation and hope. We entrust ourselves to you, Health of the Sick, who, at the cross, united with Jesus’ pain, keeping your faith firm.

You, Salvation of the Roman people, know what we need, and we trust that you will provide for those needs so that, as at Cana of Galilee, joy and celebration may return after this moment of trial.

Help us, Mother of Divine Love, to conform ourselves to the will of the Father and to do what Jesus tells us. He who took our sufferings upon Himself and burdened Himself with our sorrows to bring us, through the Cross, to the joy of Resurrection.

Amen.

Saints and citizenship, going to Joseph, and becoming a better Catholic leader

WHAT THE SAINTS CAN TEACH US ABOUT CITIZENSHIP

Dear friends,

Both of us are subscribers to Magnificat—that marvelous little journal with daily mass readings, morning prayers, and evening prayers. It’s a perfect accompaniment to the calendar of the Catholic Church—as a conductor conducts an orchestra, so Magnificat helps thousands of Catholics follow together in the seasonal rhythms of our church. This includes helpful reminders of whose Feast Day it is, and rich reflections on their lessons for Christian life.

As Catholics, we live in a blessed calendar where every day is a holiday. Every day is a Feast Day marked by the virtuous example of a saint. And every saint tells us so much about how to live as better Christians—and in turn, how to be better citizens by more perfectly loving our neighbours. So many of these saints also demonstrated Christian virtue in the wake of disastrous politics in their times. Take August, for example. August 4 is the Feast Day of St. John Vianney, the patron of parish priests. He was renowned for bringing piety and zeal to a parish community that was once devoid of faith—a faith that was lost in the wake of the violent, anti-clerical, and atheistic French Revolution. August 14 is the Feast Day of St. Maximilian Kolbe, a Franciscan friar who famously volunteered to die in place of another prisoner, at the diabolic Nazi death camp of Auschwitz during World War 2. His radical act of charity brought the light of God’s love into a horrible place of political catastrophe—the Nazis’ murderous ideology of hate.

Some treat the saints as demi-gods—impossibly spotless, impossible to follow. But we are all called to be saints, and all saints were sinners. Moreover, there are thousands of them—and a thousand different paths and journeys towards God, each as unique as the saints who walked them. The saints have so much to teach us about living as virtuous citizens—in the way we lead in our communities, serve others, vote, run for office, and more. Come September, consider following the calendar of Feast Days and reading about these extraordinary servants of God. You will discover in their example an irresistible call to emulate their virtues, and a sense of wonder: How is God calling me to be a saint?

With love,
Matthew Marquardt & Brendan Steven

RISE UP! and be a Catholic leader

Helping you become a better Catholic leader is at the heart of our mission here at Catholic Conscience. So, we’re happy to share with you this upcoming Zoom conference on becoming a better Catholic leader, hosted by the team at Catholic Moms Group. Read the details below:
In this time of pandemic, Catholic leaders are needed now more than ever. All Catholic leaders are welcomed to join a Zoom conference that will inspire you to use your voice at work, home, parish or in ministry.
The Rise Up! conference takes place on Saturday, September 12, 2o2o from 9 a.m. to noon.
Conference speakers are:

Cardinal Thomas Collins, Archbishop of Toronto
Fr. Edward Curtis, rector of St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica
Dr. Josephine Lombardi, professor at St. Augustine’s Seminary
Dorothy Pilarski, founder of Catholic Moms Group

Registration is limited, so click here to claim your spot. You will receive a link to the conference video two days before the event.
Regularly priced tickets range $11.30 to $33.90 per ticket (there are also free tickets and sponsorship level rates available).
The conference is organized by the Catholic Moms Group, which was founded in the Archdiocese of Toronto and now operates in more than three dozen parishes around the world. Its mission is to revive the vocation of motherhood by supporting mothers at different stages in their mothering journey. You can learn more about their many events, resources and virtual meet-ups on the Catholic Moms Group website.
Catholic leaders of all genders, ages and experience-levels are welcome to join.

CLICK HERE TO RSVP

ShareLife in Toronto by generously supporting your local Catholic agencies

The ShareLife campaign here in the Archdiocese of Toronto is in full swing, and the aim is to raise nearly $14 million for Catholic charities and agencies serving our vulnerable neighbours here in the region. We are called to bring God’s love to those who most require our solidarity and supporting the ShareLife campaign is a powerful way to do that. ShareLife’s impact through the work of its charities is incomparable:

2,785 people with special needs and their caregivers were supported
21,750 people helped through counselling and mental health programs
Over 10,000 seniors’ lives were improved through social activities, health services and income support

The parish collections are coming up in September, but you can also donate online through ShareLife’s new website. Please consider donating—in the time of COVID-19, the need for good works through Catholic charities is critical.

Click here to visit their website and donate.

Rewatch our webinar on serving and leading during COVID-19

Did you miss our webinar on volunteering during COVID-19? Worry not—you can find a full recording by clicking here. Read a description of the webinar below and learn more about the content. Send us an email if you’re looking for volunteer opportunities during COVID-19—we’re always happy to help connect people!

In a famous prayer, Saint John Henry Newman wrote, “God has created me to do some Him some definite service… I have my mission.” We all have a mission to serve and lead in our communities—including you! As Catholics we are called to love our neighbours by serving them—bringing food to the hungry, comforting the suffering, healing the sick, being the face of God’s love in the world. But COVID-19 has shut down volunteer programs, parishes, community groups, and charitable initiatives. How do we continue serving our neighbours, despite the pandemic? This webinar features Catholic and community leaders in Canada, and will offer an inside look at how Catholic community organizations are responding to the crisis; how volunteer programs are adapting to COVID-19; creative new volunteer opportunities that have emerged in response to the crisis; and most importantly, how you can find new ways to volunteer and serve others in this time of extraordinary suffering. Your neighbours need you—we’ll help you get involved!

CATHOLIC PARISHES NEED OUR HELP

Last month, we shared with you the urgent need for more volunteers to support the re-opening of Catholic parishes. That urgency has not faded. As they re-open amidst the ongoing thread of COVID-19, many parishes are implementing strict policies around social distancing, mask-wearing, cleaning of shared spaces, and more to ensure parishioners are kept safe. By volunteering to clean parish spaces, usher parishioners to designated seats, and more, you will help our Church and your fellow Catholics in a time of great need.

We strongly encourage you to reach out by email or phone to your parish priest to see if you can volunteer and support the church’s re-opening.

If you live in the Archdiocese of Toronto, click here for the Archdiocese’s search engine of local parishes—simply input your postal code, find your parish, and click the link for their contact information.

WITH MILLIONS DEPRIVED OF BASIC NEEDS, CHRISTIANS MUST ACT, SAYS POPE FRANCIS

Pope Francis is offering a series of talks on key themes in Catholic social teaching—critical reflections from His Holiness on the application of these timeless Christian principles to the challenges of modern life. In the Catholic Register, you’ll find the Holy Father’s reflection on the principle of the universal destination of goods—which the Pope calls “the first principle of the whole ethical and social order.”

A person should see his or her legitimate possessions “not only as his own but also as common in the sense that they should be able to benefit not only him but also others,” according to the Second Vatican Council’s Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World (“Gaudium et Spes”).

In fact, the catechism says ownership of any property makes the “holder a steward of providence, with the task of making it fruitful and communicating its benefits to others,” he said.

“We are stewards of goods, not masters” or lords keeping them “selfishly for yourself,” he added.

Click here to read the full article.

SIGN UP FOR THE NEWMAN CENTRE’S FREE FAITH AND REASON LECTURE WITH SAMUEL GREG

Our friends at the Newman Centre at the University of Toronto are hosting Dr. Samuel Gregg for a free lecture on the synthesis of faith and reason, and the latter’s roots in Christian principles.

The genius of Western civilization is its unique synthesis of reason and faith. But today that synthesis is under attack. The stakes are incalculably high.

In this lecture, Samuel Gregg shows that the increasingly common assumption that reason and faith are incompatible is simply at odds with the facts of history. The revelation in the Hebrew Scriptures of a reasonable Creator imbued Judaism and Christianity with a conviction that the world is intelligible, leading to the flowering of reason and the invention of science in the West. It was no accident that the Enlightenment took place in the culture formed by the Jewish and Christian faiths.

We can all see that faith without reason is benighted at best, fanatical and violent at worst. But too many forget that reason, stripped of faith, is subject to its own pathologies. A supposedly autonomous reason easily sinks into fanaticism, stifling dissent as bigoted and irrational and devouring the humane civilization fostered by the integration of reason and faith. The blood-soaked history of the twentieth century attests to the totalitarian forces unleashed by corrupted reason.

This lecture will do more than lament the intellectual and spiritual ruin caused by the divorce of reason and faith. It will show that each of these foundational principles corrects the other’s excesses and enhances our comprehension of the truth in a continuous renewal of civilization. By recovering this balance, we can avoid a suicidal winner-take-all conflict between reason and faith and a future that will respect neither.

Click here to RSVP

PRAYER TO SAINT JOSEPH AFTER THE ROSARY

These are difficult days for Canada, the Canadian Church, and the Catholic Church around the world. In these extraordinary times, we need the intercession of the saints more than ever. We must especially turn to Saint Joseph, the patron and protector of both Canada and the Catholic Church, for his powerful intercession and support in our struggles. The below prayer was written by Pope Leo XIII and is meant to be said at the conclusion of the Rosary. Consider adding it to your Rosary prayers as a special intention for the protection of our nation—that the coronavirus crisis be ended swiftly.

To you, O blessed Joseph,
do we come in our tribulation,
and having implored the help of your most holy Spouse,
we confidently invoke your patronage also.

Through that charity which bound you
to the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God
and through the paternal love
with which you embraced the Child Jesus,
we humbly beg you graciously to regard the inheritance
which Jesus Christ has purchased by his Blood,
and with your power and strength to aid us in our necessities.
O most watchful guardian of the Holy Family,
defend the chosen children of Jesus Christ;
O most loving father, ward off from us
every contagion of error and corrupting influence;
O our most mighty protector, be kind to us
and from heaven assist us in our struggle
with the power of darkness.

As once you rescued the Child Jesus from deadly peril,
so now protect God’s Holy Church
from the snares of the enemy and from all adversity;
shield, too, each one of us by your constant protection,
so that, supported by your example and your aid,
we may be able to live piously, to die in holiness,
and to obtain eternal happiness in heaven.
Amen.

Webinar: You Have Your Mission!

An online webinar that will help you find new ways to volunteer, serve others and love your neighbours during the pandemic In a famous prayer, Saint John Henry Newman wrote, “God has created me to do some Him some definite service… I have my mission.” We all have a mission to serve and lead in our communities—including you! As Catholics we are called to love our neighbours by serving them—bringing food to the hungry, comforting the suffering, healing the sick, being the face of God’s love in the world. But COVID-19 has shut down volunteer programs, parishes, community groups, and charitable initiatives. How do we continue serving our neighbours, despite the pandemic? This webinar features Catholic and community leaders in Canada, and will offer an inside look at how Catholic community organizations are responding to the crisis; how volunteer programs are adapting to COVID-19; creative new volunteer opportunities that have emerged in response to the crisis; and most importantly, how you can find new ways to volunteer and serve others in this time of extraordinary suffering. Your neighbours need you—we’ll help you get involved!

FEATURING:

Michael Fullan, Executive Director, Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto
Louise Coutu, Executive Director, Society of Saint Vincent de Paul Greater Toronto Central Council
Ilan Orzy, Public Affairs Manager, TakeCare Supply See Less

Join our July 22 webinar, the newest Canadian cardinal, growing in your faith, and more

June 2020 Common Good Catholic (Newsletter)

You have your mission: To serve and lead during COVID-19

Dear friends,

We hope you’re safe and well as our communities begin to re-open, and life begins to return to normal. We echo Pope Francis’ (always) wise words: that our return to normal should not suggest a return to the normalcy of injustice in our world—that rather than taking advantage of the crisis to find new ways of trampling human dignity and seeking ways to gain personally, we should seek to build on new opportunities to advance the common good, at home and across the globe. This is a time to advance justice and build the Kingdom of God among us.

To that end, we invite you to attend our upcoming webinar entitled You have your mission! An online webinar that will help you find new ways to volunteer, serve others, and love your neighbours during COVID-19. The webinar will be live at 5 pm EST this Wednesday, July 22 – click here to RSVP. Our purpose is self-explanatory: to help Catholic volunteers across Canada find new ways to love and serve their neighbours under these strange circumstances. Many volunteer programs have been closed or suspended as a result of the pandemic. But many creative new ways to serve others have sprung up, and Canada needs Catholic leaders and volunteers to continue shaping the world by supporting their neighbours. This webinar will help you make that happen. Please share with your friends and family looking for new volunteer opportunities!

As always, we hope you find this newsletter edifying and spiritually nourishing. We hope to see you at our webinar on July 22—featuring leaders from across the community and specific ways you can get involved to help others during COVID-19.

With love,
Matthew Marquardt & Brendan Steven

UPCOMING EVENTS

Wednesday, July 22
JOIN OUR FREE WEBINAR ON HOW YOU CAN SERVE AND LEAD OTHERS DURING COVID-19
CLICK HERE TO RSVP

WORKS OF MERCY IN OUR COMMUNITY

FAITH CONNECTIONS WITH FONTBONNE MINISTRIES

It can be hard to remain connected to others during COVID-19. Endless Zoom and phone calls only do so much. And of course, it’s even harder to meet new friends during this crisis. Young adults can turn to our friends at Faith Connections, part of the family of Fontbonne Ministries in Toronto. In their own words:

Welcoming young adults (aged 18 to 39), Faith Connections’ wide variety of events are inclusive places to meet young adults who are searching for ways to grow spiritually, deepen their faith, and build community. Anything from a visit to the AGO for “Christ and Culture” to a discussion on politics, the environment, faith or more at “Theology on Tap”, we welcome you to join us.
Our events are open to all young adults: single, married or divorced, differently abled, religious, students, employed or not, spiritually minded or struggling with their faith… all.

Faith Connections’ events are continuing digitally and offer young adults’ wonderful opportunities to grow in faith, solidarity and friendship with one another. Click here to visit their website. And click here to sign up for their newsletter and receive updates about upcoming events.

Read the rest of the conversation by clicking here.

CONSCIENCE CONVERSATIONS

Taking responsibility for our personal faith formation by Father Michael McGourty

We wanted to share a beautiful and necessary reflection from the Archdiocese of Toronto’s Our Faith Alive series, written by Father Michael McGourty—pastor of St. Peter’s here in Toronto, and member of Catholic Conscience’s board of directors. In this article Father McGourty reminds us of our responsibility to grow in faith through our own attentiveness to Christ’s teachings:

The present challenges of our times — the uncertainty surrounding COVID-19 and our public discussion about race — are raising questions about life and its meaning in the hearts of many. People with deep and meaningful questions search the internet and YouTube for answers. Some of the answers found on the internet are good; others are motivated by evil and harmful groups. It is important that we all be aware of what we are looking at.

As Christians, if we are really seeking life, our answers need to be rooted in Christ. Ultimately, each one of us is responsible for the information that we place our confidence in and the power that we allow it to have over our lives. In this Sunday’s readings, Jesus challenges us to allow His Word to be that which is rooted in our hearts and bears fruit in our lives.

Click here to read the full article. And consider following Father McGourty’s suggestions for deepening your faith this summer:

Considering reading a Gospel (Matthew, Mark, Luke or John) from beginning to end.
Attend a Bible study or watch one online.
If you are really ambitious, considering reading the entire Catechism of the Catholic Church (or the shorter Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church or YouCat).
Read the Bible over the course of the year; there are editions of the Bible that have been broken down into daily readings for a year.
Watch Bishop Robert Barron’s series “Catholicism.”
Watch Cardinal Thomas Collins’ Lectio Divina series.

SERVING YOUR COMMUNITY

CONTACT YOUR PARISH AND VOLUNTEER TO SUPPORT THEIR RE-OPENING!

Across Ontario, parishes are re-opening for daily and weekend Masses. But just because our parishes are re-opening, doesn’t mean the threats of coronavirus have disappeared. Many parishes are implementing strict policies around social distancing, mask-wearing, cleaning of shared spaces, and more to ensure parishioners are kept safe. You can help ensure our parishes re-open safely.

We strongly encourage you to reach out by email or phone to your parish priest to see if you can volunteer and support the church’s re-opening.

If you live in the Archdiocese of Toronto, click here for the Archdiocese’s search engine of local parishes – simply input your postal code, find your parish, and click the link for their contact information.

FROM THE HOLY FATHER

HOW A CANADIAN STREET PRIEST BECAME A CATHOLIC CARDINAL OVERNIGHT

We read with great interest the Globe & Mail’s recent profile of Cardinal Michael Czerny, the newest Canadian cardinal and among Pope Francis’ closest advisors on issues dear to the Holy Father’s heart—the environment and refugees. Cardinal Czerny is undersecretary for the Migrants and Refugees Section of the Dicastery of Integral Human Development, and one of those who helped draft the landmark Laudato Si encyclical.

“The question is how you help others who are suffering,” Cardinal Czerny says in the article. Amen!

Read the full profile by clicking here.

WHAT WE’RE WATCHING

CAN YOU VOLUNTEER AND HELP ST. FRANCIS TABLE?

Readers of the Catholic Register will have recently read about the difficult situation facing St. Francis Table, a ministry of the Capuchin friars serving meals to vulnerable neighbours in Toronto’s west-end. Like so many Catholic charities and ministries, operations have suffered during COVID-19 because of declining donations and volunteers.

In normal times, up to 250 three-course meals are served daily and its mission of service has been helped over the years to a large degree through the efforts of school groups and other volunteers… (Brother John) Frampton (animator of St. Francis Table) says these volunteers have not been able to help out because of the pandemic… Donations are also down and together with fewer volunteers, that has affected the number of meals being served. Normally St. Francis Table would have nine restaurant sittings a week, but health restrictions have turned St. Francis Table into a takeout restaurant for now.

“Right now, we’re only doing six meals a week, Monday through Friday, lunch and dinner on Tuesday. If we had more volunteers, we’d be able to do more,” said Frampton.

Are you able to help St. Francis Table? Please consider donating or volunteering your time to support this critical Catholic ministry in Toronto. Click here to donate.And click here to contact St. Francis Table about volunteering.

PRAYER

A CATHOLIC CONSCIENCE PRAYER FOR CANADA, IN HONOUR OF CANADA DAY

Catholic Conscience President Matthew Marquardt offered this prayer for our country to mark Canada Day. You can find it and share it on our Facebook page.

St Joseph, Patron of Canada, pray with us, please, that as free citizens we might choose to form ourselves in accordance with the values of truth, freedom, justice, and love; the principles of the common good, solidarity, subsidiarity, and the dignity of life; and the virtues of prudence and humility, and thereby select and support leaders who will:

• Celebrate life, freedom, and the dignity of all people, so that each of us might be encouraged and enabled in our journeys back toward God, throughout the entire course of our lives on earth;

• Respect all creation, so that we and future generations alike might enjoy the bounty and the copious fruits of God’s love;

• Ensure truly dignified work for all, and encourage us in our work so that each of us might work with God as faithful co-creators of a beautiful, fruitful, and dignified world;

• Show the world the gentleness, humility, and strength of the example Canada can set for the world; and

• Remind us always that we are all here together – one family, one community, for the good of all, including the poorest, most marginalized, and most lonely among us.

Lead us, Saint Joseph, to the Most Gentle Shepherd.

Amen

Lord, where there is darkness, let me bring your light

June 2020 Common Good Catholic (Newsletter)

Thinking of St. Francis, and asking God to make us instruments of His peace

Dear friends,

I’m sure we all wondered what further chaos and discord 2020 could bring. And of course, 2020 did not disappoint us. The death of George Floyd in the United States and other people of colour across North America has sparked painful social upheaval. We have seen both peaceful protests and deadly riots in our cities. And everywhere, we see pain and anguish—the pain of those of our neighbours who feel racism’s heavy burden and sharp sting; the pain of family members who have lost loved ones; the pain of those whose lives have been injured in these riots, people who were already suffering as a result of coronavirus. These issues provoke powerful emotions and senses of injustice. Amidst such upheaval, what are Catholic citizens called to do?

For us, the Prayer of Saint Francis comes to mind. Those beautiful words that are so hard to live: Where there is hatred, let me bring love. Where there is offence, let me bring pardon. Where there is discord, let me bring union. Where there is despair, let me bring hope. Where there is darkness, let me bring your light. How do we stand amidst pain, anger, and injustice, and live those words? Amid these tense and polarized issues, it is easy to see those we disagree with as inhuman monsters. God does not see them that way. He sees them as unique, irreplaceable, precious children, imbued with a dignity that comes from Him.

How do we respect the dignity of those we disagree with? It starts by listening more than talking. Hearing the suffering of others and treating it like the suffering of a dear family member. And then acting—addressing the suffering in a constructive, empowering way. Refusing to harm others in the process. Seeking a peace rooted in justice—the exact kind of peace we are called to create, in building the Kingdom of God.

May the Lord make you an instrument of his peace. We need those instruments now like never before.

With love,
Matthew Marquardt & Brendan Steven

WORKS OF MERCY IN OUR COMMUNITY

SUPPORT AWARD-WINNING CATHOLIC JOURNALISM: DONATE TO THE CATHOLIC REGISTER

Journalism is essential in a democracy like ours. Journalists bring us essential information about our culture, politics, and economies which help us discern the truth and determine our actions as citizens—how we vote, how we serve, and more. Journalism has been especially critical during COVID-19, so Canadians have access to the most up-to-date information for keeping themselves and their families safe. We are blessed in Canada to have access to high-quality Catholic journalism, in particular from the Catholic Register. We are especially blessed because that journalism is free—unlike many other media sites, the Register does not charge readers for its news.

The Register has delivered faith-based journalism for over 125 years. Let’s help them continue for another 125. Please consider a donation in support of the mission of Catholic journalism. Click here to read the Catholic Register—and be sure to bookmark it on your browser! It’s always a great source of Catholic news. And click here to make a donation.

CONSCIENCE CONVERSATIONS

CONSCIENCE CONVERSATION: What is subsidiarity? Understanding one of “the most constant… directives of the Church’s social doctrine

Many Catholics understand Catholic ideas of the common good and solidarity. But what about the third essential pillar of that triad, subsidiarity? Subsidiarity is the principle that social decisions should always be pushed to the lowest level that they can be responsibly left to. In their latest Conscience Conversation, Matt and Brendan explore the idea of subsidiarity and how it informs Catholic thinking on political and communal life.

“Properly applied, subsidiarity is a critical tool for preserving individual and social freedom, which itself is one of the fundamental values of the Church’s social teaching. The idea is that each of us should retain the maximum responsible amount of control over our own lives, so that we can put the unique gifts God has entrusted to us to work in seeking our own proper paths back to God. Government should not do things that can responsibly be left to us to do for ourselves, or left to our families or our communities; to ethical and responsible private initiatives such as business, civil society organizations, the press, schools, or the church; or to more-localized levels of government… this enables each of us to maximize our opportunities for learning and growth. It also ensures that policies reflect of the legitimate and particular needs and concerns of local communities, respecting that it is most often these local communities that best understand their needs.”

Read the rest of the conversation by clicking here.