Church Closing in Quebec Sends Message
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Single Issue: $1.00 Publication Mail Agreement No. 40030139 CATHOLIC JOURNAL Vol. 93 No. 5 June 17, 2015 Summer schedule Church closing in Quebec sends message The Prairie Messenger publishes every second By Philippe Vaillancourt estimated at $10 million, a gar - Baptist to a week in gantuan amount for a parish that lighthouse, July and QUEBEC CITY (CNS) — has been accumulating deficits for because its high takes a With the decision to close one of years. Even with the help of the steeple it can be three- its largest and most important archdiocese, the Catholic Church seen from all churches, the Archdiocese of of Quebec simply doesn’t have around the city. week Quebec is sending a clear mes - that kind of money. Not anymore. “It was the summer sage: the future of even the most Over the past decade, the dio - symbol that the vacation majestic churches cannot be guar - ceses of the Quebec province had Catholic faith is in August. Summer issues anteed anymore. to close churches in response to well established will be dated June 24, On May 24, one last mass was the new secularized reality: less here,” he said. July 1, July 15, July 29 celebrated in renowned St. John faithful, less money, yet too “But it also and August 26. the Baptist Church. Dedicated to many churches. But still, some of symbolizes a the patron saint of French Cana - the buildings were considered legacy. Priestly dians, the church stands among “untouch able.” With the closing Churches are to anniversaries the high-profile churches of both of St. John the Baptist, parish - the province of the archdiocese and Quebec ioners realize change is afoot. Quebec what province. Built in the 1880s, it is “It’s sad, obviously,” said castles are to Msgr. Ray Senger and recognized as a major heritage Quebec Auxiliary Bishop Gaetan France.” Rev. Denis Phaneuf were church. Its seating capacity of Proulx. “It’s the signal that we’re And it both ordained June 5, 1965, 2,400 compares to St. Patrick’s moving toward something else, seems the by Bishop Francis Kline, Cathedral in New York. with smaller communities. The Cath olic and recently celebrated But such a marvel comes with model for our church is changing.” Church in their 50th anniversaries. a steep price: it needs renovations Proulx compared St. John the Quebec will — page 6 not be able to Ending hunger requires save all of its Baptism program castles. changes in lifestyles: pope Throughout A pilot program to bring the French- baptism preparation classes speaking to non-baptized students in By Carol Glatz hunger, now “an unpopular topic, Canadian an unsolvable problem” that does - two Regina Catholic schools province, there VATICAN CITY (CNS) — n’t get an adequate response or are 2,756 resulted in a class of 35 Vague concerns and long-winded find consensus during the limited places of wor - students who were baptized reports about hunger must be timeframes of presidential and ship. Most are CNS/Philippe Vaillancourt on three separate Sundays turned into action with policies congressional mandates. Catholic DWINDLING MEMBERSHIP — An exterior of St. in May. that guarantee access to food, and What is required is a “politics churches. The John the Baptist Church in Quebec City is seen in a — page 7 lifestyles that stop wasting and of the other,” which considers in - Que bec arch - late May photo. Dedicated to the patron saint of start sharing, Pope Francis said. vesting in helping others as impor - diocese, the first French Canadians, the church stands among the high Fifty years People’s tendency to run and tant as helping one’s own nation, and oldest profile churches of both the archdiocese and Quebec an Ursuline hide from difficult issues is natural, he said. Canadian dio- province. Despite being a heritage church, the arch - which means sometimes “instead of diocese planned to close it because of dwindling mem - acting, we prefer to delegate, at — MANy ISSuES , page 19 bership and massive repairs. “I will retire when all my — COStS , p. 4 every level,” the pope said June 11 hopes for in an address to participants in an Native min - annual conference on hunger organ - Online environment video released istry are sat - ized by the Rome-based UN Food isfied,” says and Agriculture Organization. By Dawn Deme individual sin in the church, but we ment toward the environment.” Sister In fact, avoiding hard truths is also need to focus on collective Events would overtake the pub - Bernadette something “we often prefer even if SASKATOON — Cultivating sin,” says Bolen, bishop of the lishing of that document. Pope Feist, who we then won’t miss a meeting, a and Caring for Creation is a series Roman Catholic Diocese of Benedict resigned in February 2013; recently cel - conference or drafting a docu - of 12 online videos and study Saskatoon and chair of the Justice Pope Francis was elected in March. ment” addressing the problem at ebrated 50 years as an guides recently released in antici - and Peace Commis sion, Canadian Almost immediately, Francis began hand, he said. pation of Pope Francis’ coming Conference of Catholic Bishops to speak about the environmental cri - Ursuline Sister. People must respond concrete - en cyclical on the environment, (CCCB). sis and it soon became known that his — page 7 ly to the urgent imperative that demonstrating how Catholics are Bolen’s words are part of the 12- first encyclical (encyclicals are Landmark “access to necessary food is a right leading and participating in a new part series of video shorts and les - among the most informative forms of for all people. And rights do not commitment to respect and pro - son plans distributed by the CCCB papal teaching) would provide a new symposium allow for exceptions,” he said. tect creation. to dioceses across the country as eco justice framework for Catholics, Meeting the group at the Vati - “Cultivating and caring for cre - background for Pope Francis’ and indeed, the entire world. Tom Ryan, CSP, presents can, the pope gave an unusual ation is God’s indication given to much-anticipated en cycli cal on the As a group of Catholic organiza - highlights from a landmark lengthy speech touching on a num - each one of us not only at the environment entitled Laudato Sii tions got together to prepare the on- symposium titled Nostra ber of issues he said were part of beginning of history; it is part of (Latin for Praised Be, from St. line video series, Bolen agreed to Aetate : Celebrating Fifty the fight against world hunger. his project; it means nurturing the Francis’ Canticle of the Sun, a 13th- contribute to the videos, which bring Topping the list, he said, was world with responsibility and century hymn of praise to God). together the thoughts of popes, bish - Years of the Catholic the need to turn declarations, plans transforming it into a garden, a Bolen worked with other mem - ops, and lay people long active in Church’s Dialogue with and good intentions into concrete habitable place for everyone,” bers of the CCCB Justice and developing Catholic thought and Jews and Muslims. responses to the some 800 million Pope Francis said in a message on Peace Commission on Building a action on eco justice issues. — page 14 people who are undernourished or World Earth Day 2013. New Culture — Central Themes Along with the contributions starving, according to statistics Produced by greenspirittv.com in Recent Church Teaching on the from the CCCB’s Justice and Peace Kennedy dies provided by the United Nations’ (GSTV), a participant in roman - Environment released in January Commission, the series content- World Food Program. catholictv.com (RCTV), Cultivating 2013. providers include: Building Bridges The passing of Eugene A second concern is the amount and Caring for Creation is narrated “The Justice and Peace Com - Project (Standing Com mit tee on Cullen Kennedy closes a of food being wasted — estimated by Bishop Donald Bolen, and in - mission was asked by the plenary Aboriginal Affairs/Western Catho - rich chapter in Catholic to be a third of total food produc - cludes content from several Ca - of the Canadian bishops to produce lic Bishops); the Elliott Allen church history, writes tion, he said. nadian Catholic eco justice leaders. a document on the environment,” Institute for Theology and Ecology, Thomas Fox. Another problem, he said, is “The environment is hurting, our recalls Bolen, “and we felt that it Uni versity of Toronto; Farmland — page 15 that it seems countries and people earth is suffering, and future gener - was useful to highlight recent state - Lega cies (Sask.); Madonna have become discouraged or even ations will suffer as a result. People ments of successive popes who uninterested in the problem of today suffer as a result. We focus on have expressed a strong commit - — POPES , page 4 2 Prairie Messenger INTERNATIONAL NEWS June 17, 2015 Pope sympathizes with families who care for sick By Carol Glatz because “it is love that makes us ness of the spirit and illness of the the withered hand on the Sabbath. and not get lost in gossip. Always feel” the suffering and anxious - body,” the pope said. “The doctors of the law re - help, console, alleviate, be close VATICAN CITY (CNS) — ness of others even more. “It’s truly moving,” he said, to proached Jesus because he healed to the sick,” the pope said. The hidden heroes of this world In fact, “how many times do see how so many people would on a Saturday. He did good on Jesus also healed those who are those family members who we see at work — we’ve all seen bring those who were ailing to Saturday.