Category: BC Catholic

Pope Leo XIV has appointed Bishop Stephen A. Hero of Prince Albert, Sask., as the eighth Archbishop of Edmonton, succeeding Archbishop Richard Smith, who became Archbishop of Vancouver in May.

The announcement came just days after the Nov. 17 announcement of Father Susai Jesu, OMI, as the new Archbishop of Keewatin-Le Pas in northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

In a letter to the clergy and faithful of Edmonton, Archbishop-Designate Hero said he was “humbled and grateful for the trust placed in me to take up this new mission in the Church and to serve in a community that is already close to my heart.” He will be installed on Jan. 23 , 2026, at St. Joseph’s Basilica in Edmonton.

Archbishop-Designate Hero, 56, is a native of Lachine, Que., and moved to Edmonton at age 10. He was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Edmonton in 2000 after studies at the Seminary of Christ the King in Mission, B.C., and at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome. He later obtained a licentiate in liturgical theology from Sant’Anselmo.

He served as an assistant pastor in Edmonton parishes, as vocations director, and then joined the formation team at St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton. He became vice-rector in 2010 and rector in 2012, teaching spirituality, liturgy, and sacraments at Newman Theological College. Pope Francis appointed him Bishop of Prince Albert in 2021.

In his message to the Diocese of Prince Albert, he expressed sadness at leaving, thanking parishioners, clergy, and religious and, referencing the North Saskatchewan River, noted the “river that flows from Edmonton to Prince Albert” as a reminder of their shared connection and “the same grace of God that gives us life.” He becomes diocesan administrator of Prince Albert until his installation in Edmonton.

His episcopal motto, Deus solus (God alone), comes from Psalm 86:10 and reflects his conviction that God must remain at the centre of Christian life. His updated coat of arms will incorporate the heraldic insignia of an archbishop, including the archiepiscopal cross and 10 tassels on each side. A black field signifies the finiteness of creation; A gold saltire cross marks Christ’s saving death and resurrection; turtledoves evoke St. Joseph and his Temple offering; and 12 stars represent Our Lady and the hope of eternal glory.

Father Paul Kavanagh, administrator of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, welcomed the appointment on behalf of clergy, religious, and faithful, calling the new archbishop “a gift from God” and assuring him of prayers and support as he returns home.

VATICAN CITY (CNS) — Pope Leo XIV fulfilled a promise made by the late Pope Francis to return to Canada’s Indigenous communities artifacts — including an Inuit kayak, masks, moccasins and etchings — that have been held by the Vatican for more than 100 years.

The pope gave 62 artifacts to the leaders of the Canadian bishops’ conference Nov. 15, the Vatican and the bishops’ conference said in a joint statement.

The bishops “will proceed, as soon as possible, to transfer these artifacts to the National Indigenous Organizations,” which will ensure they are “reunited with their communities of origin,” said a separate statement from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops.

‘Concrete sign of dialogue’

Pope Leo “desires that this gift represent a concrete sign of dialogue, respect and fraternity,” the joint statement said. “This is an act of ecclesial sharing, with which the Successor of Peter entrusts to the Church in Canada these artifacts, which bear witness to the history of the encounter between faith and the cultures of the indigenous peoples.”

The artifacts, which came from different First Nation, Métis and Inuit communities, “are part of the patrimony received on the occasion of the Vatican Missionary Exhibition of 1925, encouraged by Pope Pius XI during the Holy Year, to bear witness to the faith and cultural richness of peoples,” the joint statement said.

“Sent to Rome by Catholic missionaries between 1923 and 1925,” it said, “these artifacts were subsequently combined with those of the Lateran Ethnologic Missionary Museum, which then became the ‘Anima Mundi’ Ethnological Museum of the Vatican Museums.”

Indigenous asked for years for their return

Members of Canada’s Indigenous communities have been asking for years that the items be returned. In the spring of 2022, when community representatives visited the Vatican for meetings with Pope Francis before his trip to Canada, they visited the Vatican Museums and were given a private tour of the collection.

In 2023, the Vatican did something similar, giving the Orthodox Church of Greece three marble fragments from the Parthenon in Athens; the church then gave the marbles to the government.

Pope Francis addressed artifacts in 2023

Speaking to reporters in April 2023, Pope Francis had said the Canadian artifacts would be returned.

“This is the Seventh Commandment: if you have stolen something, you must give it back,” he said.

TORONTO — A survey jointly released by the Cardus think tank and the Angus Reid Institute on Nov. 6 indicates 18 per cent of 5,000 surveyed Canadians identify as religiously committed, significantly less than the 37 per cent of the 5,000 polled Americans.

Respondents who self-categorized as religiously committed are more likely to believe in God, pray, read sacred texts and, perhaps most distinguishably, regularly attend liturgical services.

Participants who labelled themselves as privately faithful — 27 per cent of Americans and 19 per cent of Canadians — on Cardus’ Spectrum of Spirituality are likely to engage in worship practices in their own home but are skeptical of organized religion.

The 44 per cent of Canadians and 27 per cent of Americans designated as spiritually uncertain “express doubts over the existence of God or life after death, but do not rule it out.” Notably, 77 per cent of this Canadian segment “say they have feelings of faith and spirituality.”

Nineteen per cent of Canadians branded themselves as non-believers in contrast to 10 per cent of Americans.

This year marked the first time since the Spectrum of Spirituality index was established in 2017 that Cardus and the Angus Reid Institute sought data from Americans in order to present a cross-border comparison of religiosity.

“I don’t think the overall numbers are a surprise,” said Ray Pennings, the executive vice president and a co-founder of Cardus, in reaction to the data. “We’ve known for some time that if you count religious activities, typically in the States on a per capita basis, you end up with almost double the rate that you do in Canada. What I thought was interesting was that the nature of that religious activity, both in terms of the satisfaction it was providing people as well as their participation in public life, is very different in the two countries.”

Pennings alluded to how 70 per cent of Americans strongly or moderately agree with the statement “I’m public about my religion and faith and don’t mind other people knowing I’m a believer,” as opposed to 56 per cent of Canadians.

More strikingly, 56 per cent of Americans believe that individuals who hold public positions should “feel free to speak and act based on their religious beliefs,” a sharp difference from the 66 per cent of Canadians who indicated we should “keep God and religion completely out of public life.”

Correspondingly, 64 per cent of Canadians either strongly or moderately disagree that “religion is very important to my day-to-day life,” while 58 per cent of Americans strongly or moderately agree.

This chasm also bears out with 32 per cent of Americans indicating they feel God’s presence every day, compared to 44 per cent of Canadians who stated they never feel God’s presence.

For months now, friends, parishioners, and longtime companions of the Focolare Movement have been asking the same question: “Is the Focolare closing in Vancouver?”

The honest answer is both yes and no.

After a long period of discernment, our small community of consecrated members has been assigned to serve in countries where the need is greater. That means the Focolare house in Coquitlam — opened in 2001 and home to many years of shared prayer, formation, and daily life — will temporarily close.

But the Focolare itself is not disappearing. Far from it.

Long before any consecrated members arrived, families and individuals throughout the Lower Mainland were already living the “Word of Life,” the spiritual practice drawn from the Gospel that shapes our way of following Christ. When we consecrated members arrived, we simply found people already walking the path of unity.

Over the years, some of us worked within the Archdiocese of Vancouver — in PREP, in parish bookkeeping, and in a variety of ministries. Others taught, served, or accompanied the movement’s young people. Our work was not dramatic, but it was steady: building relationships, offering formation, and trying — imperfectly but sincerely — to live the spirituality of unity in ordinary places.

The heart of the Focolare is the desire expressed by Jesus in John 17:21: “That all may be one.” That mission does not require a house; it requires people committed to living the Gospel wherever they are.

And that is already happening.

This October, families gathered at All Saints Parish in Coquitlam for Mariapolis Day. Monthly family meetings continue around the region, with children’s programs held at the same time. Word of Life groups meet regularly, both in person and on Zoom. Many members are active in their parishes, serving in ministries that quietly strengthen the whole Church.

The closing of our house simply means that the charism is now being lived in living rooms, parish halls, classrooms, workplaces, and around kitchen tables — which is precisely where it is meant to flourish. Chiara Lubich, our foundress, described the “great attraction of modern times” as the ability to reach contemplation while “mingling with everyone, one person alongside others.” Vancouver is full of such places.

Our communities may look different for a time, but the spirituality of unity continues wherever people choose to love first, build bridges, forgive, and work for the common good. In neighbourhoods, at schools, at work, and in parish life, members continue to be the “glue” that brings people together.

If anything, this transition is an invitation to return to the roots of our charism: living the Gospel in simple, concrete ways, trusting that even small acts of unity can strengthen the whole body of Christ.

One of Canada’s leading anti-euthanasia physicians is warning about a little-known Health Canada recommendation that would require doctors and nurse practitioners to raise the possibility of euthanasia with patients they believe might be agreeable to — and eligible for — Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD).

Vancouver family physician Will Johnston, head of B.C.’s Euthanasia Resistance Coalition, said implementing Health Canada’s Model Practice Standard for MAiD, published in 2023, would coerce medical professionals and lead to a troubling rise in euthanasia deaths.

“Whoever is in charge of ‘Death Canada,’ as I’ll call them, seems to have forgotten the promises that were made to the medical community when euthanasia was first proposed — that no one would be forced to become complicit in it,” Johnston said in an interview. 

“And now they’re simply reneging. They’re violating that promise by insisting on compelled speech.”

A Health Canada spokesperson said in an email to The B.C. Catholic that the Model Practice Standard for MAiD was developed by a task group convened in September 2022. Members were chosen for their expertise in MAiD practice and professional regulation.

“Draft versions of the model were subject to a thorough review and extensive feedback from the majority of regulatory bodies across the country, health professional associations, clinicians, as well as provinces and territories,” said media-relations officer Karine LeBlanc.

While Health Canada issued the guidance, the federal government cannot compel provinces or health authorities to adopt it. A limited review by The B.C. Catholic found no evidence that any public agency has done so.

Meanwhile, Vancouver’s Catholic health authority, Providence Health Care, explicitly prohibits its employees from initiating a discussion about MAiD.

“We don’t proactively mention MAiD as an option to consider,” Providence spokesman Shaf Hussain said in an email earlier this year. “We never initiate an offer of MAiD.”

By contrast, there is widespread anecdotal evidence from the public system that doctors and nurses do initiate such discussions.

After Canada legalized MAiD in 2016 — and expanded eligibility in 2020 to include people not dying but suffering from incurable diseases — numerous reports have surfaced of patients being pressured about euthanasia options.

The B.C. Catholic first exposed the problem in a 2021 investigation, Patients being offered euthanasia contrary to Fraser Health policy, B.C. Catholic investigation finds.

Canadian culture of life organizations breathed a sigh of relief after the federal government tabled its 2025 budget Nov. 4, which left the charitable status of pro-life non-profits intact.

These groups were on edge in the lead-up to the budget, as recommendations 429 and 430 of the House of Commons Standing Committee on Finance’s (FINA) 2024 pre-budget consultations report called for removing charitable status from pro-life and advancement of religion non-profits, respectively.

Organizations, individuals, and media outlets — including The Catholic Register — sought a clear answer from the Department of Finance on whether pro-life charitable status would be upheld or revoked, but no response came before budget day.

A finance department communications officer did confirm, however, that “the Government of Canada is not considering amending the Income Tax Act to remove the advancement of religion as a qualifying charitable purpose or to revoke the status of faith-based charities.”

Jeff Gunnarson, national president of Campaign Life Coalition, the political arm of Canada’s pro-life movement, said Oct. 30 he was “deeply alarmed” by the department’s silence. Six days later, he was able to celebrate.

“The Liberal government was right to listen to ordinary citizens and faith leaders and ultimately reject these outrageous recommendations,” said Gunnarson. “Thanks be to God; Canada lives to see another day without a dark cloud of persecution hanging over religious and pro-life organizations.

“This victory belongs to the concerned citizens across Canada who took the time to sign a petition or write a letter to their MP or the Finance Minister. This proves that when enough people speak out, good things can happen.”

Pregnancy Care Canada (PCC), a Christ-centred organization that supports 80 pregnancy centres nationwide, played a key role in defending charitable status for religious and pro-life groups.

In a submission to FINA, PCC executive director Laura Lewis urged “the government ensure charitable status continues for organizations offering medically accurate pregnancy care support, including those that do not provide or refer for abortions.”

Lewis made that appeal in response to recommendation 429 and to proposed October 2024 legislation that sought to revoke charitable status for pregnancy care organizations that do not refer for or provide abortions. She also emphasized that “religious charities play a vital role in Canadian social support systems.”

The office of Liberal MP Karina Gould, current FINA chair, affirmed that role in an email to Christian Reformed Church pastor Al Postma, shared with the Register. Gould’s team wrote: “We respect the role faith-based organizations play in communities across the country, and religious organizations continue to enjoy charitable status under the same rules that apply to all charities in Canada.”

In the same message, Gould’s office noted that the two recommendations were “made in 2024 during the previous session of Parliament, under the previous government and prior to MP Gould being a member of the Standing Committee on Finance.

Classical piano music fills my family room and kitchen in the morning as I watch my daughter play with her toys. She picks up a cow plushie and her Squishmallow cat, then carries them to another part of the room. She lays her head on them and babbles.

Listening to classical music is great for concentration and memory, and it can even release dopamine — the “happiness chemical.”

Toddlers love simple joys, and it’s a pleasure to learn from my daughter. I can’t wait for her to learn how to play the piano, as she already shows an interest in it. At home with my daughter, I sing to her often — sometimes songs written by artists, sometimes ones I improvise.

Music has always been a big part of my life. I sang in school choirs and community choirs, and once performed in the chorus for an Italian opera at a local winery, as well as singing at my parish. Each choral performance was a wonderful experience.

Music is a must-have in my mental health toolkit. I keep playlists for different moods, which help me find calm, focus, or happiness. Music helps me change my emotional state when I need it.

“Music, great music, relaxes the mind, awakens profound sentiments and is, as it were, a natural invitation to raise one’s mind and heart to God in every situation of human existence, both joyful and sad. Music can become prayer.” — Pope Benedict XVI

Sacred and worship music hold deep meaning for me, and they make me feel good — even better about myself. It’s a wonder that it has that effect. Many Christian songs have come to my aid in low moods. I sometimes get caught up worrying about all the bad things that could happen instead of being present to the moment. This causes me to feel sad and discouraged. The words of Scripture set to music bring me peace and comfort.

Medication is still needed, but with music in my day, I can do more and feel like a calmer person.

I used to play ukulele with my friend Stephanie and a group of seniors. Once, for my birthday, we went to a mall in the city that had a piano in its food court. Stephanie sat down and started playing songs I could sing along with. We had so much fun! People danced beside us, and an elderly couple said they loved our voices.

The Lord loves cheerfulness in his people. It can be a struggle to smile when I’m tired and emotionally drained, but I know that being warm and happy helps my family feel content too.

Young people—and their struggles with mental health—have much to teach us about dealing with our own mental health struggles, Archbishop Richard Smith told attendees at the Green Mass, held Oct. 24 at All Saints Church in Coquitlam.

The Green Mass, celebrated by Archbishop Smith, was offered for the work of mental health professionals and ministry volunteers in the Archdiocese of Vancouver, as well as to celebrate the launch of the Archdiocese’s Mental Health Ministry, coordinated by Jane Waldock, who welcomed those attending.

During his homily, Archbishop Smith drew on a conversation he had with a group of teenagers about mental health. After he asked how they and their friends were doing, they immediately began to speak of anxiety and described pressures faced by young people today, especially from social media.

“They told me they were getting messages and seeing images about what makes a person popular, successful, noticed,” said Archbishop Smith. “They felt they weren’t measuring up, couldn’t measure up, and told me it was leaving them and many of their peers anxious or depressed, and they even spoke of friends with suicidal ideation.”

This sense of “not measuring up” is not unique to young people, he said. “People of all ages struggle with that constantly.”

In the case of those teenagers, “they were comparing themselves with illusions spread through social media,” said the archbishop. This happens to all of us and leads to the trap of comparing our real world with the imaginary world on social media: “that classmate is so talented, this colleague is so happy, their children are so well adjusted and so on, without knowing the facts of the matter,” he said.

“We compare our real difficulties and limits with what we imagine the situation of others to be and draw the conclusion that we cannot and will not measure up to some illusory standard of happiness or false image of perfection. This can lead to frustration and despair.”

He said the conversation with the teenagers shows how natural and human it is to experience mental health challenges. While sometimes there is a clinical dimension, he said, everyone experiences such challenges at some point because of human limitation.

He added that it’s important to talk openly about those struggles. “They did not hesitate to bring their concerns out into the open with me,” he said.

Combat veteran Kelsi Sheren told an Ottawa news conference she joined the Canadian Armed Forces at 18 knowing she might die for her country, but she never imagined her own government would one day offer to help her do it.

“Behind closed doors, in quiet conversations, veterans are being offered medical assistance in dying not therapy, not recovery, not support, but death,” Sheren said. “When somebody’s drowning in trauma and desperation, that’s not a choice. That’s coercion wearing a polite face.”

The former artillery gunner and mental-health advocate spoke at a Euthanasia Prevention Coalition news conference with other anti-euthanasia voices calling on MPs to support legislation blocking the expansion of medical assistance in dying (MAiD) to people suffering solely from mental illness.

Bill C-218 is a private member’s bill introduced in June by Conservative MP Tamara Jansen (Cloverdale–Langley City). The bill would permanently exclude mental illness as a sole qualifying condition for MAiD.

Sheren, who served in Afghanistan and lives with post-traumatic stress disorder, traumatic brain injury, and major depressive disorder, pointed out several incidents of veterans seeking help instead being “offered medical assistance in dying not therapy, not recovery, not support, but death.”

“This isn’t compassion,” she said. “It’s a moral rot disguised as mercy. Veterans are being told their lives cost too much money. That’s not health care, it’s surrender.”

Gordon Friesen, EPC’s president, said the coalition’s message was simple: “No euthanasia for mental illness.”

The government plans to expand MAiD to make it available to individuals whose only medical condition is a mental disorder. Friesen said that would violate the original safeguards promised when Parliament legalized assisted dying in 2016.

“MAiD was only to be for people who are dying, only for adults, and only for people able to truly choose,” Friesen said. “Unfortunately, all of those promises have been broken.”

Friesen warned that allowing MAiD for people with psychiatric disorders “destroys all notion of MAiD as an authentic patient choice,” since mental illness can directly impair judgment and decision-making. He cautioned that “once the door is opened,” other vulnerable groups such as children or people with dementia could follow.

EPC executive director Alex Schadenberg said the coming change “should never even be considered.”

He said Bill C-7, passed in 2021, removed the requirement that a person’s death be “reasonably foreseeable” and laid the groundwork for extending MAiD eligibility to non-terminal illnesses. Although Parliament has twice delayed the mental-illness provision, now set to take effect in March 2027, the expansion remains law.

The divine drama of the Toronto Blue Jays’ postseason run isn’t lost on Father Terrence “Terry” McKenna, who continues to support his favourite team and find spiritual echoes hidden on baseball’s grandest stage.

The retired pastor of St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Richmond Hill, Ont., Father McKenna has long been a notable fan of the sport of baseball and the hometown Toronto Blue Jays. Just days after the team’s 5–2 win over the New York Yankees to advance to the American League Championship Series (ALCS), he shared his thoughts on the Jays’ remarkable charge — one that has now carried them all the way to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, following their victory over the Seattle Mariners.

“It’s great to see how a lot of no-names, at least to the average public, have accomplished this athletic feat. These young men have chosen to believe in teamwork instead of being lone rangers, and they’re looking to make a name for themselves,” he said.

After ending the Yankees’ season with an exciting Game 4 win on Oct. 8 in the American League Division Series, Jays infielder Ernie Clement was caught rushing to join a team photo while in the midst of a post-game interview — a now-viral moment that Father McKenna points to as an example of the passion the 2025 team holds.

“When he left that interview and readied himself to get in the photo with his teammates, it was too late, and they had to start over, but it shows that everyone wants to be there. When you add up everyone doing their best, it’s a winning staff,” he said.

The Blue Jays’ current run marks their first appearance in the World Series since their back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. Father McKenna said he still vividly remembers where he was when those titles were won.

“I can remember what I was doing the day they won in ’92 or ’93,” he said. “I was in Richmond Hill at St. Mary Immaculate, and I’ll never forget it.”

Father McKenna served at St. Mary’s for many years, with it holding the distinction of being the last parish he called home before being appointed to the Pearson Airport chaplaincy and retiring officially in 2021.

Now, with a little more time on his hands, the priest still keeps up with the team the old-fashioned way, preferring to follow the Jays in the sports reports on the radio rather than watching television broadcasts.

The 79-year-old said he continues to view the Blue Jays — and the sport of baseball itself — as a much-needed source of unity in a divided world.

“We need something that’s not about partisan politics, good versus evil, even Catholic versus Protestant or something like that.