Author: admin

Who is orchestrating your life? If it’s God—and not you—what will you say to him? Fr. Mike suggests trying “yes.” 

Whether life circumstances bring the best out of you or the worst out of you, you need Jesus more than you think you do. And that is a very good thing. Here’s why.

A number of “Case for” titles have been popularized in Christian circles lately, several of them written by former atheist journalist Lee Strobel, including The Case for Christ, The Case for Faith, and The Case for the Real Jesus. (I was looking forward to his eventual penning of The Case for Catholicism, but that one’s already been covered by Catholic apologist Trent Horn.)

Next week in Toronto, a group of Catholic journalists will make their own case — The Case for Religion Journalism — in a public panel discussion exploring the current state of religion reporting, why it still matters, and its place in today’s media landscape.

It wasn’t long ago that religion had a regular home in Canadian newspapers. Across the country, newspapers like The Vancouver Sun had writers like Douglas Todd who would explore religion and faith on a regular basis. But slowly, religion pages vanished, and then so did the media that once carried them.

On Aug. 14, veteran religion journalists will gather at St. John Henry Newman Catholic Church in Toronto to reflect on what’s been lost, and what the future might hold. The event is part of the “God in the City” Catholic journalism course, offered all week by Canadian Catholic News (CCN).

I’ll be moderating the panel, which features:

• Barb Fraze, longtime international news editor for Catholic News Service

• Michael W. Higgins, columnist and religion commentator for The Globe and Mail and CBC, affiliated with St. Michael’s College at the University of Toronto, and former interim president of St. Mark’s and Corpus Christi Colleges in Vancouver

• John Longhurst, Order of Canada recipient and freelance religion writer for the Winnipeg Free Press, Religion News Service, and CBC Radio

• Michael Swan, award-winning journalist and former associate editor of The Catholic Register, now freelancing for Canadian Affairs, will serve as respondent

The summer course is organized by CCN, with Matthew Marquardt of Catholic Conscience; Laura Ieraci, editor of ONE magazine; Barb Fraze; visual journalist Jermaine Bagnall, and me.

The initiative will build on CCN’s recent Teaching Truth in Charity journalism courses, as well as a recent session Ieraci, Fraze, and I presented in Phoenix — “What Makes Journalism Catholic?” — where we unpacked Canada’s MAiD debate and the broader collapse in media credibility. 

Sadly, trust in journalism has cratered, particularly in Canada. Recent surveys show trust in Canadian news as low as 32 per cent, with Statistics Canada reporting only 16 per cent of Canadians have “high trust” in the media.

Is the decline of religious journalism a symptom of media collapse or a cause? Maybe we’ll find out next week. But I do know that when the search for truth disappears, it’s not surprising that the search for God isn’t far behind.

The Legion of Mary was founded by Frank Duff, a Servant of God, on Sept. 7, 1921. The Legion of Mary honours Our Lady under the title of “Mary Immaculate, Mediatrix of all Graces.”

In his 1894 Rosary encyclical Iucunda Semper Expectatione, Pope Leo XIII emphasized Our Lady as “Mediatrix of Divine grace.” He wrote:

“The recourse we have to Mary in prayer follows upon the office she continuously fills by the side of the throne of God as Mediatrix of Divine grace; being by worthiness and by merit most acceptable to Him, and, therefore, surpassing in power all the angels and saints in Heaven. Now, this merciful office of hers, perhaps, appears in no other form of prayer so manifestly as it does in the Rosary.”

Leo XIII invited the faithful to contemplate the Blessed Mother as “Mediatrix of Divine grace” in the Joyful, Sorrowful, and Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary:

“First come the Joyful Mysteries. The Eternal Son of God stoops to mankind, putting on its nature; but with the assent of Mary, who conceives Him by the Holy Ghost. Then St. John the Baptist, by a singular privilege, is sanctified in his mother’s womb and favoured with special graces that he might prepare the way of the Lord; and this comes to pass by the greeting of Mary who had been inspired to visit her cousin. At last the expected of nations comes to light, Christ the Saviour. The Virgin bears Him.”

Regarding the Sorrowful Mysteries, Leo XIII wrote:

“She knew beforehand all these agonies; she knew and saw them… It is certain, therefore, that she suffered in the very depths of her soul with His most bitter sufferings and with His torments. Moreover, it was before the eyes of Mary that was to be finished the Divine Sacrifice for which she had borne and brought up the Victim.”

Regarding the Glorious Mysteries, Leo XIII wrote:

“Though worthy of Heaven, she abides a while on earth, so that the infant Church may be directed and comforted by her… Mary is in the room, and there, praying with the Apostles and entreating for them with sobs and tears, she hastens for the Church the coming of the Spirit, the Comforter, the supreme gift of Christ, the treasure that will never fail. And later, without measure and without end will she be able to plead our cause, passing upon a day to the life immortal.”

St. Bernardine of Siena said, “Every grace granted to man has three degrees in order; for by God it is communicated to Christ, from Christ it passes to the Virgin, and from the Virgin it descends to us.”

Emmanuella Kim has been a quiet, humble, and loving presence in Vancouver for the past 18 years. The third local director of Madonna House in our city, she recently left Vancouver to return to the Madonna House Motherhouse in Combermere, Ont.

Her departure marks not only a personal transition but also comes during a season of significant change for the Archdiocese of Vancouver. This spring and summer of 2025 — our Jubilee Year of Hope — saw the arrival of a new Pope and Archbishop, and the farewell of three remarkable consecrated women who profoundly affected our faith community: Sister John Mary Sullivan (Franciscan of the Eucharist), Lioba Na (from the Focolare Movement), and Emmanuella of the Madonna House Apostolate.

Emmanuella will be deeply missed by many in Vancouver, and I was moved to reflect on what she leaves behind: a legacy of deep friendship, faithful teaching, and a lived witness to God’s love through everyday presence and service.

When asked about the highlights of her time in Vancouver, Emmanuella answered without hesitation: it was the people. For her, the friendships and the unique beauty of each person she encountered were the true treasures of her ministry.

Speaking about her transition, she reflected honestly on the nature of detachment in her vocation. The most difficult separation, she said, happened many years ago when she first left her family in Korea to join Madonna House. In those early days, she felt profoundly homesick — her heart still anchored in Korea while her body was in Canada.

She admitted there were many tears. But what kept her going, she said, was the clarity of her calling: the unmistakable signs, graces, and encounters with God that confirmed her path.

Over time, Madonna House became home. And just as she came to embrace her life in Canada, she now carries the love and bonds formed here as she returns to Combermere.

Before joining Madonna House, she served as a social worker in Seoul. Here in Canada, she was known for her humble service, her gift for connecting people, and her quiet attentiveness to those in need — especially the sick, the grieving, and the lonely. She journeyed closely with many families, offered retreats in the Ignatian tradition, and, alongside her fellow community members, welcomed countless guests into their home with warmth and sincerity.

Hospitality is central to the Madonna House charism — a hospitality not just of the home, but of the heart. Foundress Catherine Doherty spoke of the “Chit Chat Apostolate,” where the simple act of listening and being present allows people to feel seen, heard, and loved, and in that, to encounter Christ.

Governments have a remarkable way of framing issues differently from how the average person sees them.

Take the B.C. government, which marked the UN’s World Day Against Human Trafficking by announcing a new specialized anti-trafficking policing unit. B.C. Solicitor General and Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger said the unit will investigate human trafficking crimes and support victims. She added that its education team will train officers on responding to human trafficking and on differentiating between what is and isn’t human trafficking.

Wait, what? A key element of the unit is ensuring it doesn’t go after what isn’t human trafficking?

Krieger clarified: although human trafficking victims are often forced to engage in sex work, the unit will not target sex workers who are there by choice.

Just in case there was any doubt, reiterated: “To be clear, those who engage in sex work out of their own choice are not the targets of our province’s response to human trafficking.”

Apparently the unit’s role needs to be so well defined that an education team is tasked with keeping the lines from blurring.

Then police said the same thing. BC RCMP Chief Supt. Elijah Rain said the unit “will not focus on sex workers engaged in consensual sex work.”

It almost sounded like an effort to reassure sex‑worker advocacy organizations that present prostitution as a freely chosen profession. It even sounded a bit compassionate as police suggested they have better things to do than monitor what consenting adults do for money. But characterizing sex work as comparable to restaurant work, with staff tolerating conditions because of flexible hours and good tips, ignores the reality of exploitation.

To confirm what was being said, The B.C. Catholic’s Terry O’Neill asked the RCMP about the remarks. Doesn’t Canada’s Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act (PCEPA) reject the notion of sex work as a neutral market service? Doesn’t its preamble state: “It is important to denounce and prohibit the purchase of sexual services because it creates a demand for prostitution that leads to the exploitation of vulnerable persons, especially women and children.”

The RCMP didn’t back down. A spokesperson confirmed the unit is not interested in sex workers engaged in consensual sex work or their clients. “These individuals are not being trafficked. The clear focus of the unit is to target individuals and groups who are trafficking persons that are typically forced into the sex trade or other forms of forced labour.”

Authorities appear confident they can draw a clean line between human trafficking and the sex trade: a lot of trafficked individuals do sex work, but not all sex workers are trafficked.

Taking that approach, however, ignores the disturbing data.

18th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year C
First Reading: Wis 18:6–9
Second Reading: Heb 11:1–2, 8–19
 Gospel Reading: Lk 12:32–48

“Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen,” we hear in this Sunday’s Second Reading. Accordingly, people of faith are also people of hope, or—better—trust.

We are like the Israelites in the First Reading, who had been told beforehand of their delivery from slavery in Egypt “so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted.”

We are like Abraham in the Second Reading, who stayed “as in a foreign land, living in tents,” waiting for “the city that has foundations, whose architect and builder is God.”

We are like the servants in the Gospel Reading, dressed for action, our lamps lighted, “like those who are waiting for their master to return … so that they may open the door for him as soon as he comes and knocks.”

Pope Francis declared 2025 a Jubilee Year of Hope, thus continuing the message of his first encyclical, The Light of Faith, begun by Pope Benedict XVI.

“In God’s gift of faith, a supernatural infused virtue, we realize that a great love has been offered us, a good word has been spoken to us, and that when we welcome that word, Jesus Christ the Word made Flesh, the Holy Spirit transforms us, lights up our way to the future, and enables us joyfully to advance along that way on wings of hope,” Pope Francis said. “Thus wonderfully interwoven, faith, hope, and charity are the driving force of the Christian life as it advances toward full communion with God.”

Many people today reject the idea of faith as a light, for they associate it with darkness, he noted. It appears to give “an illusory light, preventing mankind from boldly setting out in quest of knowledge.”

Other people admit faith only where the light of reason does not lead to certainty. They understand faith “either as a leap in the dark, to be taken in the absence of light, driven by blind emotion, or as a subjective light, capable perhaps of warming the heart and bringing personal consolation, but not something which could be proposed to others as an objective and shared light which points the way.”

Faced with the fact that “the light of autonomous reason is not enough to illumine the future,” the Pope noted, people have “renounced the search for a great light, Truth itself.” Instead, they have contented themselves “with smaller lights, which illumine the fleeting moment yet prove incapable of showing the way.” People can no longer distinguish between “the road to our destination” and “roads which take us in endless circles, going nowhere.”

In 2023, the Archdiocese of Vancouver’s Proclaim team gathered testimonies from Vancouver Catholics who were inspired to pick up the mantle of Christ and lead ministries in their communities and parishes. 

This month marks the two-year anniversary of the #WeAreProclaim campaign, highlighting stories of everyday missionary disciples boldly living and sharing the Gospel. 

Now we’ve launched We Are Proclaim 2.0, and a new group of evangelizing Catholics is stepping forward to share faith stories and describe how working in Catholic ministry has enriched their relationships with God and their fellow Catholics.

From parish leaders to parents, students to seniors, Proclaim 2.0 puts the diversity of the Church on full display. These stories highlight the courage, creativity, and compassion that define the Church in Vancouver and those who answer the call to service.

The common thread uniting each testimony is their mission: to proclaim the name of Jesus, Proclaim director Eric Chow told The B.C. Catholic.

“Through these stories, we hope you’ll be inspired, challenged and reminded: you are not alone in the mission. We are a people sent. We are missionary disciples.”

The annual Upper Room conference, which launched the original Proclaim movement, will take place on September 20, at Pacific Academy in Surrey. 

We will be publishing these inspiring stories over the coming weeks. 

Journeying from restlessness and emptiness to beloved son of God

By Alfredo Chu

In my early years after arriving in Canada, I lived for the moment—parties, pleasures, and chasing every temporary high the world could offer. If I earned it, I spent it. Life was loud, fast, and fun on the surface, but deep down, I was restless, spiritually empty, lost in confusion, not knowing who I really was or what I was living for.   

Then came marriage. Gabriela and I loved each other deeply, but that first year was no honeymoon. Once we moved in together, the differences in our lifestyles clashed hard. Suddenly, love had to meet reality, and I wasn’t ready. I doubted myself as a husband. As for being a father, I didn’t think I had what it took. I felt overwhelmed, unqualified, and, honestly, scared.

That’s when I knew I needed something more, and not just advice or quick fixes. I needed transformation from the inside out.    

So I returned to church, not just to find answers, but to find God. And he met me there.

Patient, kind, steady, he began reorienting my life, peeling away my layers of pride, fear, and selfishness, and showing me a new way – his way.    

St. Faustina said, “Suffering is a great grace; through suffering the soul becomes like the Saviour; in suffering love becomes crystallized; the greater the suffering, the purer the love.”

The Second Letter to the Corinthians allows us to know the inner life of the Apostle Paul. In Chapter 12 St. Paul shared the visions and revelations he received and the “thorn in the flesh” which helped to keep him humble.

St. Paul wrote, “I know a man in Christ who fourteen years ago was caught up to the third heaven—whether in the body or out of the body I do not know, God knows … On behalf of this man I will boast, but on my own behalf I will not boast, except of my weaknesses” (2 Cor 12:2, 5).

St. Thomas Aquinas commented: “For it should be noted that there are two things to consider in man, namely, the gift of God and the human condition. If a person glories in a gift of God as received from God, that glorying is good … But if he glories in that gift as though he had it of himself, then such glorying is evil.”

St. Paul shared his weaknesses writing: “So to keep me from becoming conceited because of the surpassing greatness of the revelations, a thorn was given me in the flesh, a messenger of Satan to harass me, to keep me from becoming conceited” (2 Cor 12:7).

St. Augustine pointed out that the providence of God draws good out of evil: “‘And so,’ they ask, ‘is the devil good because he is useful?’ On the contrary, he is evil insofar as he is the devil, but God who is good and almighty draws many just and good things out of the devil’s malice. For the devil has to his credit only his will by which he tries to do evil, not the providence of God that draws good out of him.”

Even though Paul was a saint, his prayer was not answered when he prayed that the “thorn in the flesh” be removed: “Three times I pleaded with the Lord about this, that it should leave me. But he said to me, ‘My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.’ Therefore I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may rest upon me” (2 Cor 12:8–9).

Reflecting on his own experience of suffering, Venerable Fulton Sheen wrote, “The first lesson I learned, but only gradually, is that all sufferings come from either the direct or the permissive Will of God. God has two kinds of medicines, bitter and sweet.

“In praying, do not babble like the pagans, who think that they will be heard because of their many words.” Matthew 6:7 (New American Bible, Revised Edition) 

Does Jesus warn us against repetitive prayers? Does praying the rosary contradict the way Jesus asked us to pray? Why is the rosary even designed that way? 

Whether you pray the rosary everyday or have never prayed it before, Fr. Mike has some insights from Jesus and his Church regarding repetition in prayer that will change the way you look at prayers like the rosary.