Hip deep in canon law, part 3: our new Official Gazette!

While it went up on the web a couple of days ago, I wanted to wait until today's introductory email went out before announcing it on my blog: we have a new diocesan publication! Welcome to the Official Gazette of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie!

Here is the email I sent out to our distribution list today, explaining what it is about:

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Dear friends,

With this email you are receiving a link to the very first issue of a new publication, the official Gazette of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie.

Official Gazette : https://dioceseofsaultstemarie.org/gazette

What is an "official gazette"? It is a technical publication meant to record and transmit decisions, notices, reports, drafts of governance documents, etc. My predecessor, Bishop Marcel Damphousse, had already established an internal set of "acts" to record the various documents of his episcopal governance. This custom continued in the months after he left and before I arrived. I am grateful for this, as it helps me a lot as I begin my new role as diocesan bishop. I want to continue this practice, and provide a consistent means of sharing these decisions when they concern the public good. Hence, this official gazette.

If you take a look at the gazette, you will see that it isn't a newsletter, nor a tool for catechism. To be honest, it isn't meant to be these things. The goal here is really very modest: to record and share key leadership decisions that affect our common life as a Diocesan Church.  My hope is that this will, in the long run, be empowering for us as we act in service to Jesus and his mission.

Because of the costs involved the gazette will be distributed in paper form only to a smaller set of people most closely involved in providing input to diocesan governance, but we will also let people know by email when a new edition has become available on the diocesan website. As for its frequency, it will likely come out every couple of months or so, as needs warrant. Frankly, we are still learning too!

In the meantime, if you have any suggestions for improving the gazette, they are most welcome. I hope it will be received in the spirit in which it is offered: as a tool which, in its own small way, will help us live in communion with each other.

God bless you!

Hip deep in canon law, part 2: the presbyteral council

Yesterday I wrote about my work on a national level in canon law. Today, I spent a big part of my day doing canon law, only this time for my diocese.

The Code of Canon Law says that every diocese is supposed to have a special advisory body called the Presbyteral Council. This council ceases when the diocese loses its bishop, but it must be reconstituted within 6 months of a new bishop taking office.

Which, of course, is what happened last December 17 for the diocese of Sault Ste. Marie :-)

This means that the Presbyteral Council needs to be re-established for our diocese. This is normally done simply via new elections, but often a new bishop takes the opportunity to examine the existing structure and see if things need to be adapted to new circumstances. That's what I'm doing. And, in particular, what I did today.

My hope is to have new statutes for the Presbyteral Council reviewed by the priests and then promulgated by the end of February. We can then proceed to new elections, and hopefully start the work of reviewing things like a new policy regarding sex abuse allegations, which really needs to be completed by Easter.

I really believe in consulting as part of governing. For me, it's not just a good management practice, it is a way to recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of all the members of God's people. That's why we have these sorts of council: to listen to the voice of the Spirit together.

Hip deep in canon law

One of my areas of service to the Church in Canada is as chairman of the standing committee for canon law of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops. This is now my second three-year mandate on the committee, following a first mandate in which we managed to produce new bylaws for the conference (the last ones hadn't been updated since 1984). Now, we have a new project: to update all the Procedural Norms for the conference.

I know, I know, this may all sound very boring. But I believe in the importance of doing boring things well, especially if they are key parts of an overall system. A few years ago there was a big recall of GM cars which, it was found, could easily switch off if (get this) there were too many other keys on the keychain holding the main car key. It turned out that the reason for this was a faulty part called a detent plunger (basically, a small pin held in place by a spring). Later, newer ignition switches had detent plungers which were 12.2 mm long, while the older, faulty ones were only 10.6 mm long.

Those 1.6 mm are not a lot -- about the thickness of a quarter. And yet, because of this problem, dozens of people lost their lives when they lost control of their cars after something as simple as hitting a bump in the road.

Now here's the thing: at some point some engineer somewhere was given the job of designing that detent plunger. It's not exactly the most interesting part of a car -- people doing years of engineering school at university want to work on the engine, not a pin and spring not even half an inch long. But people lost their lives (and GM hundreds of millions of dollars) because some more "boring" part of the car wasn't handled properly.

The Church is like that. Just like the engine is the real heart of the car, the real work of making the Church "go" is rooted in the preaching of the word and the celebration of the sacraments. But sometimes, there are seemingly little pieces that, if neglected, cause big problems down the road. I doubt it's from malice, just as designing a pin a bit too short wasn't probably from malice either. But it needs to be addressed -- even if it is boring.

The good news, of course, is that I don't, in fact, find canon law discussion of bylaws and procedural norms boring -- far from it. And I see their importance. Please pray for the members of our canon law committee, that we may serve the Church and help keep her running well!

Article in the Sault Star

I was interviewed yesterday by Brian Kelly of the Sault Star. The article appeared today.

I have to say, it's pretty good. Mr. Kelly had clearly done some research before our interview. There are a few slight inaccuracies in the details (I was ordained a priest at the age of 31, not 30, and he put the web address of my old blog, not this one). But he kept the focus on the bigger message, and in doing so has helped introduce me and my ministry to the people of my diocese. And for that, I am grateful.

Updating our diocesan sex abuse reporting policy

One of the more difficult tasks I've had to do in my time as a bishop has been to receive complaints, and the most difficult of all has been receiving allegations of sex abuse against Church officials. Some of my work in this area is a matter of public record, but in addition to all that I've also helped work on background stuff like policy development. The Archdiocese of Montreal, for example, first put together its process for dealing with allegations of sex abuse back in 2003, but the detailed procedure was written up in 2019 by your truly following my very practical experience of actually doing a sex abuse investigation.

Now that I am in Sault Ste. Marie I'm learning that the bishops of Ontario have been asked to have their diocesan policies renewed. So I'm starting to take a look at ours. We've got the Montreal policy as well as the updated document from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops as sources, as well as my own experience.

There are a few things I've rarely seen in these sorts of policies that I'd like to make sure are in place: how we communicate our policy and train people; how we make sure the policy is being continously improved; and how we verify that the process is actually being followed. Done right, this policy can be a prototype for the renewal of all diocesan legislation. But one step at a time.

Visite à l'église Saint-Dominique

Visite à l'église Saint-Dominique ce matin, dans le Nouveau-Sudbury. Merci au curé Guy Albert de son accueuil!

I visited Saint-Dominique church today, in New Sudbury. Many thanks to Father Guy Albert for welcoming me! pic.twitter.com/9Qfe1wbCun

— +Thomas Dowd (@thomasdowd_ca) January 25, 2021

Too cold to walk, time to try out my new toy!

Yesterday was c-c-cold (-26°C with wind chill) so I stayed in to exercise, with my new toy: a RingFit! Thanks to Marc and Matt for the gift.

Hier faisait pas mal frette (-26 avec vent) donc je suis resté chez moi, et j'ai fait mes exercises avec mon RingFit! Merci Marc et Matt! pic.twitter.com/h2XIVTl98t

— +Thomas Dowd (@thomasdowd_ca) January 24, 2021

The Catholic tradition of the Friday fast

Simple meal tonight. Some Catholics do fish on Friday, but as for me when I cook for myself I usually do pasta (no meat in the sauce). For non-Catholics (or maybe Catholics too) wondering why the special diet: Jesus died on a Friday, so it is our tradition to do a penance (such as not eating meat) on Friday, in union with Him.

UPDATE: A Facebook reader asked the following question: "Hmmm... disn't that get kicked with Vatican 2?"

Short answer: no! In fact, there is no mention of the Friday fast at all in the documents of Vatican II.

That said, Saint Pope Paul VI issued an apostolic constitution called Paenitemini in 1966. The subject of the document was the customs of fasting and abstinening from meat. The Pope opens the document with a discussion of what the whole point of these disciplines is, and then provides some directives. One of them is as follows: "abstinence is to be observed on every Friday which does not fall on a day of obligation".

So there you have it: the rule did not change. Except...

One of the odd things about the custom of avoiding meat on Friday is that it meant that you eat a fancy lobster supper but you weren't supposed to eat a hot dog. This kind of lost the whole purpose of the tradition. You see, for most of human history (and for much of the world today) eating meat is a luxury. Most of the poor don't eat meat all that often. So this custom actually meant was that, for 1 day per week, the wealthier had to eat like the poor. It was a reminder of the kind of solidarity we are all meant to share with each other.

So while the common custom was to avoid eating meat, in places where it made less sense because of the lobster/hot dog dichotomy, the Pope also allowed the local bishops to come up with an alternate penitential discipline.

The Code of Canon Law of 1983 summarized all of this in one sentence: "Abstinence from meat, or from some other food as determined by the Episcopal Conference, is to be observed on all Fridays, unless a solemnity should fall on a Friday. Abstinence and fasting are to be observed on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday." (canon 1251) It also expressed the possibility for even other forms of penance to substitute for the not-eating-meat discipline: "The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast." (canon 1253)

So why has the practice of Friday penance fallen by the wayside? It is hard to say. Perhaps it isn't well explained these days. As well, in 1985 the conference of bishops in Canada confirmed the looser discipline by saying that "The conference of bishops can determine more precisely the observance of fast and abstinence as well as substitute other forms of penance, especially works of charity and exercises of piety, in whole or in part, for abstinence and fast." (decree 8) This had the net effect of leaving the choice completely up to the individual. I'm sure they meant well, but of course it meant that this was no longer a common tool of building social solidarity (like the not-eating-meat was originally meant to be). 

As for me, once I realised what the original discipline meant I stopped eating meat on Friday, even if it can be allowed. I do make exceptions, such as if I am invited to someone's home for supper (I don't believe in imposing my choices of other people's generosity), although to be honest I find they often offer to be accomodating. On the flip side, I have also taken up the practice of going vegan during Lent. Being vegan is an even more demanding discipline, and so requires me to be even more intentional -- something I appreciate and (I believe) benefit from.

So what about us? Take some time to think about where you live. What restrictions on lifestyle does poverty bring? Make that your Friday fast. The poor can't afford a car... take the bus. The poor can't afford cable TV or a high-speed internet connection... turn it off. The poor can't eat out all that often... brown bag it, don't buy your lunch that day. And it doesn't have to just be material poverty. New immigrants in your neighbourhood suffering from exclusion and racism? Maybe the penance that breaks down social barriers is to go and eat their unfamiliar food -- even if it uses meat. Use your imagination, and practice some effort, some sacrifice that let's you walk in someone else's shoes. Then you are discovering what Friday can bring.

Chili night! I do love to cook...

A friend from Montreal told me she wanted to make sure I was eating ok. Well, tonight was chili night. What do you think? :-)

Un de mes amis de Montréal voulait s'assurer que je mange bien. J'ai fait du chili ce soir, qu'en pensez-vous? :-) pic.twitter.com/LnsJ2QgHAK

— +Thomas Dowd (@thomasdowd_ca) January 21, 2021

Rotary Park Trail

When I lived in Montreal I would go for a good walk every morning (well, I'd try to). I know Sudbury has many trails but I hadn't tried any of them yet. Well, we had a gorgeous sunny morning today, so I set out to discover the one closest to my residence: the Rotary Park Trail. 

It was lovely! And I'll tell you, 12000 steps in the snow, with trees to cut the wind,  means you barely feel the cold. Walking in the sunlight is important for me given my seasonal affective disorder, so who knows, maybe this will become part of my daily routine. At the very least it was a nice discovery!

News articles on the diocesan shutdown

I was interviewed by a couple of journalists regarding the decree we issued yesterday closing the churches to the public celebration of the mass. The North Bay Nugget had this article:

Local diocese cancels in-person Sunday mass

It is very brief and basically contains information we provided in our press release. I'm glad it was useful to them.

Radio-Canada also came in did a video interview of me at the diocese, and published this article in French.

Les messes en personne suspendues dans le diocèse de Sault-Sainte-Marie

I'm quite happy with how the media covered this story. They have helped us get the word out to our community, and for that I'm grateful.

A wonderful evening with wonderful friends

This pandemic sucks, but it doesn't mean we can't find ways to spend time with people we love. That is what I lived this evening.

I was one of the founders of Catholic Action Montreal, and before leaving Montreal last December I was asked to reserve this evening as a way to say goodbye to the team. Well, they went all out. Different parishes and community groups were invited to participate, and we had quite a crew online -- childhood friends, parishioners, and community leaders of all sorts. I was very touched by all their testimonials. Some members of the diocesan team here in Sudbury were also present, and I'm so proud that they got to meet all those amazing people from back home.

I'll be honest, though: while I do think I managed to do some good while I was in Montreal, most of it can only be considered a team effort, so I have to share credit. I've always seen my ministry, especially as a bishop, as one of being a catalyst. I try and get the different ingredients for success together and then being my own gift of bringing the vision.

The evening was recorded, and I am looking forward to seeing the video again. Thank you to all -- my heart was full!

Decree concerning the state of emergency in Ontario

Today I signed a document that I never thought I'd issue: a decree closing our churches to the public celebration of the Eucharist. You can read the full text of the decree here.

How did it come to this? On December 26 the Ontario government put all of the province in a state of lockdown (a so-called "grey zone") due to rising COVID-19 cases. It apparently was not enough, so three days ago Premier Ford announced that the government would be declaring a state of emergency across the province, with even more restrictions, and coupled with a special "Stay-at-Home" order. In particular, gatherings outside was to be limited to 5 people, and indoor gatherings were forbidden entirely.

The diocese, of course, started to get phone calls right away from parishes wanting to know what we should do for the weekend masses. That said, I do not like relying on mere press releases regarding such matters -- I wanted to see the government decree itself, so that we could decide on our course of action in a way that was fully informed. 

Our churches had already come came under new restrictions with the December 26 lockdown, reducing the number of people who could attend mass from 30% capacity to a maximum of 10, regardless of church size. As it turned out, this Stay-at-Home order did not change that at all. Strangely, this meant that gatherings outdoors were limited to 5, unless they were for worship: in that case, it was still 10! And indoor worship services were still permitted -- the only type of gathering, it would seem, that enjoyed that possibility.

While the numbers had not changed, however, the contact clearly had. I met with the College of Consultors along with the regional chairs yesterday, and the general mood of the group was that we should be encouraging people to, well, stay at home. And that meant closing our churches.

That's a really serious decision to make. Our tradition, for example, says that a pastor of a parish "is to see to it that the Most Holy Eucharist is the center of the parish assembly of the faithful". I know this passage well, because it is taken from the official description of a parish priest. When I was a seminarian I used to read that description and think to myself, "This is what I want to do." And yet, here we were, seemingly telling our parishes to *not* do what was central to their life. Ouch.

I decided to widen the consultation before coming to a conclusion. I contacted the bishops of the neighbouring dioceses to see what they were doing. Some had decided to stay with the same policy prior to the state of emergency (i.e. stick with the limit of 10), while others were closing up. Toronto, I learned, had already previously decided to cancel all masses more specifically.

I also contacted the three public health authorities (Algoma, Sudbury, and Nipissing-Parry Sound) that have resposibility for some part of the diocese. They confirmed the details of the decree, but as we spoke it became clear that they really hoped that the priority was going to be for people to actually stay at home. One woman, in particular, mentioned that she was a catechist at her parish, and that it broke her heart to contemplate the closing of the churches. That said, when she put on her public health hat, she knew how important it was for people to stay at home.

I was ready to move in that direction, but I wanted to present these findings to the College of Consultors and regional chairs once again. There is no question that by the end of the process we had looked at every angle. The meeting ended by 4 pm, and the process of writing and communicating the diocesan decree.

Writing the actual text of a decree is something I'm fairly comfortable with, as I had taken courses years ago in legal writing. Still, while I knew what needed to be written, I wanted to make sure it would be understood. I also wanted to publish it in both English and French simultaneously. So we decided to do something new. I created a document in Google Docs and used the sharing function to allow members of our team to edit it. We may have been in different rooms, but we were able to speak by conference call and work together with amazing efficiency. 4 hours later we had a decree, a press release, and a note to the pastoral staff of the diocese ready to go, and all in both languages.

Of course, it was 4 hours later, so I was beat. I headed home, wondering how to take this to the next level. For the real question is not about the closing of churches -- it's about what we do once they are closed, to continue the pastoral care of our people.

Visiting the Anglican diocese of Algoma

After visiting Precious Blood Cathedral (see previous post) I walked over to the synod office of the Anglican diocese of Algoma (based in Sault Ste. Marie). Archbishop Anne Germond had reached out to me as I was originally arriving in the diocese in December, and I wanted to say hello and express my thanks.

I was met at the offices of the diocese by Archbishop Germond herself. She then introduced me to her team. Social distancing makes visits always a bit more complicated, but we enjoyed one another's company. It was a good chance for me to hear of the dreams and challenges they are facing.

After our meeting, we headed across the parking lot for a visit to Saint Luke's Cathedral. I got a nice introduction to the place, offered by the Dean.

Oh, and did I mention that I came away with goodies? Archbishop Germond offered me a bag of treats like local beers, maple syrup, a small stuffed animal that is sold as part of a charity fundraiser, and so on. It was very kind.

Christian unity has long been a passion of mine. I know that the differences between Catholics and Anglicans remain important, especially on a theological level. But I also know we believe together in Jesus Christ, the Son of the Father, who sends us the Spirit. And that's already a huge start for finding ways to collaborate in promoting the Good News.

Visit to Precious Blood Cathedral

When this diocese was established back in 1904 Rome decided that the seat of the bishop would be in the city of Sault Ste. Marie, with Sacré Coeur as its cathedral. The first bishop, however, decided to remain in North Bay, where he established a pro-cathedral for the exercise of his ministry. It is that church, the Pro-Cathedral of the Assumption, where I was installed.

Sacré-Coeur church was later renamed Precious Blood, and it remain to this day the official cathedral of the diocese. I was really eager to see it, so I made sure to drop in on my way back from Wawa to Sudbury.

I was hugely impressed. The church itself is gorgeous, as you can see in the photo. But then the pastor, Fr. Hamish, took me on a tour of the back of the building where the newly constructed hall is located. It is amazing! He also pointed out another building in the back, which is the location of a charity called the Centre for Social Justice and Good Works. You sure can't beat a name like that!

One of the four corners of the diocese

This is a bit of a combined post for the past couple of days. I mentioned in a post dated two days ago that I was headed to Wawa via the Soo. Well, I made it! The Wawa goose is proof of that!

I got to the rectory of Saint Monica parish in Wawa around lunchtime. It was a gorgeous drive up. Upon arriving, Fr. Michael treated me to a traditional meal from Ghana (his home country), and then took me on a tour of the town. We then had two masses that evening, and after I hit the hay.

The next day we had another mass in Wawa, and then headed up to White River. The church there is called Saint Basil.

We had Mass, followed by a meeting with some leaders in the parish. We also had lunch in a home across the street (where I had an absolutely delightful conversation with our hosts).

After lunch we headed to Dubreuilville, to Sainte-Cécile parish.

The entire church is made of wood, like you see in the wall of the sanctuary. Very appropriate for a lumber town!

Mass at Sainte-Cécile was also followed by a meeting with parish leaders, and then we headed back to Wawa, getting there in time for a final mass that evening. It was quite a round trip! Thank you Fr. Michael for introducing me to one of the 4 corners of our diocese!

Social media

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Ma première entrevue à Église diocésaine

"Quoi?" vous me demandez. "Première entrevue? Tu n'as pas déjà une entrevue avant cela?"

Oui, bien sûr, mon cher interlocuteur! Mais aujourd'hui, c'était ma première fois comme animateur! Je n'avais jamais animé une émission de télévision avant aujourd'hui. Un grand merci à Monsieur Marc Larochelle d'avoir accepé d'être mon cobaye. :-)

Je crois beaucoup à la mission de l'émission Église diocésaine, et j'ai hâte de vivre l'expérience une prochaine fois.

MISE-À-JOUR: voici l'entrevue!

Overnight in the Soo

My pastoral visit this weekend is to the northwesternmost part of our diocese (Wawa, White River and Dubreuilville). If I were to head straight to Wawa from Sudbury it would be a 6 hour drive, assuming good weather and no stops along the way. As I could only head out in the afternoon, and I didn't want to drive isolated stretches of road for the first time at night, I decided to stop over in Sault Ste. Marie. After all, I have a Cathedral there!

Readers of this blog will know the story of how I visited Manitoulin Island the weekend before I got the news of my appointment to this diocese. But once I was past Espanola heading west, I was on a stretch of road I had not seen since 1986, when my family camped across Canada to get to the international exposition in Vancouver. I felt like I was exploring something new.

To my surprise, along the way I passed a horse and buggy! It turns out there are a number of Mennonites who have moved up here from further south, reclaiming old farms and establishing their particular way of life.

I also discovered that cell phone coverage is very spotty. I thought I could use the time to catch up on phone calls, and I did succeed somewhat, but I'll have to see if my new phone will have better connections.

I was received in the Soo by Fr. Hamish Currie, the pastor there. As I got in late and had to leave as soon as possible the next morning, we did not have time for a visit of the church. But I'll try and drop in on my way back.

Thanks to the kids of Saint Paul's elementary

I've been trying to catch up on mail (opening it, and responding to it) and I came across a package of "welcome to the diocese" cards that some kids at Saint Paul's elementary school had written to me. I usually try and respond to people one-on-one, but how was I going to do this here? And then it hit me: do a video!

After making the video I contacted the school to let them know about it. It was then that I learned there were at least 3 different schools in our diocese with this name! I eventually managed to speak with the teacher, and she was tickled to be able to share it with the students. I look forward to visiting them some day soon.

Messe à la paroisse Sainte-Anne-des-Pins

J'ai eu la chance de célébrer la messe à la paroisse Sainte-Anne-des-Pins ce midi. Cela a été diffusé sur Youtube. La procession d'entrée commence à 13:10, et l'homélie à 21:30.

Catching up with one of my former professors

Back when I was a student at Concordia University I had Professor Mahesh Sharma as one of my teachers. At that time I was also very involved in student life. One weekend, as we were leaving the building after working late, we ran into Professor Sharma leaving his office. It turned out he had been in all day, meeting students in his office and helping them with their studies. Not long after we have Professor Sharma a special award for his dedication as a teacher.

For Professor Sharma, teaching the students and caring for them was more than a job, it was a calling. He had, very tragically, lost his entire family in the terrible Air India bombing of 1985. After a time of depression he got into shape through running, and with his new energy his students became the family he would now care for. Needless to say, I admired him greatly, and still do.

Professor Sharma and I had hoped to see one another sometime in the last few month, but alas, the COVID pandemic got in the way. Still, we made a point of connecting today via technology. Professor Sharma is a Hindu but he has always expressed great respect for my faith convictions, and I can sense he is proud of my vocation. Now in his 80's, he continues to teach and serve the students. I am proud to call him my professor, mentor and friend.

Persian night in the kitchen!

Last weekend we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany, and so to commemorate the Magi who visited the infant Jesus I decided to cook a Persian dish: Noodle Soup! Although, to be honest, it turned out to be more of a noodle vegetable stew. But it was still delicious!

I started by frying some red onion in olive oil until it was nice and crisp. This was to serve as a garnish later, and really helped make the dish.

While that was cooking, I soften some onion and garlic in a pot, and then added tumeric and vegetable broth. This was set to a slow cook, with the onions and garlic slowly dissolving in.

Also also added some kidney beans and some lentils to the mix. That slow cook was going to take a while, so I used the time to chop up some parsley, mint, green onion and cilantro. I also rinsed some lentils. This eventually got added as well.

One the mix had cooked some more, with lots of stirring the blend the flavours, I added the noodles. I didn't have anything authentically Persian, so I used linguini.

The final ingredient was some spinach. This goes in last, and cooks just long enough for the leaves to wilt.

And voila! Dinner is served, with salt and pepper to taste, and dollop of Greek yogourt with friend red onion on the top (same as in the first picture). 

I do enjoy cooking, I must say. There are a few things I'd adjust in this recipe, such as the suggested amount of noodles (it just sucked up the water in the soup) as well as the timing of some of the cooking. As well, next time I'll go with dried beans rather than canned ones (I just need to remember to leave them to soak for a few hours first). But the end result was still delicious!

Visit to Holy Redeemer in Sudbury

I was going to write that this was my 15th visit to a church so far, but I realised now that Holy Redeemer was actually my second visit to a parish in this diocese! When I first came in November 2020 I stayed at Saint-Jean-Brébeuf parish, and at the end of that week I also went for a social visit at Holy Redeemer.

The church is somewhat different with regards to its internal decoration. The most obvious element is the image of Jesus suspended above the altar, which evokes his Resurrection (and, particularly, his Ascension). There is also the two beams, which meet to for the image of the cross, present over the assembly. However, as a more subtle element, the sanctuary also has an interesting placement for the altar, which is not in the middle but off to the side. This is an expression of what is sometimes called the "two tables" approach to understanding the relationship between the Liturgy of the Word and the Liturgy of the Eucharist within mass.

My visit today included a broadcast mass, and many thanks to Father Sam D'Angelo for his warm welcome!

Visit to Our Lady of Hope

Visits to churches continue! This weekend I was at Our Lady of Hope. I started to the do math: my 14th church visit so far!

I have to admit,  I love the name of this parish. Hope is at the heart of my personal spirituality, and we often don't realise how Mary's faith was not just a faith in God but in his providence in his plan. In other words, Mary, the model of our faith, is also the model of our hope.

Many thanks to Fr. Larry for his warm welcome!

Back to Sudbury, day 3, part 3: Saint Andrew the Apostle in Sudbury!

The title of this blog post has a bit of a double meaning. On the one hand, I am referring to the parish church that I visited this evening (the last of 4 for today). But on the other hand, I mean that Saint Andrew the Apostle can literally be found in Sudbury (well, a piece of him!)

To put this in context: I got home from my visit to Sturgeon Falls in the early evening. I took some time to unpack and rest up before heading out to my last stop of the day (the aforementioned Saint Andrew the Apostle). I was given a nice tour by the parish priest, Father Denis Vaiz. As we looked around the church, he casually pointed out a small monstrance affixed to the wall in a small box. This, he explained, was a first-class relic of Saint Andrew the Apostle. 

To which I thought to myself, "Wow!"

For those who don't know what a relic is, it is a generally a piece of the body of a saint, or a bit of his clothing or other artifact closely associated with that saint, or a cloth touched to one of the above. The earliest written record we have of this practice is found in the Bible itself, in the Acts of the Apostles, which describes how "God did extraordinary miracles through the hands of Paul, so that even handkerchiefsc and aprons that had touched him were taken to the sick, and the diseases and evil spirits left them." (Acts 19:11-12)

With regards to the practice of keeping the actual body of the saint, while this is sometimes seen as gruesome it is actually part of an ancient tradition meant to honour the saint in question. In one of the earliest written testimonies we have to the practice. When Saint Polycarp was martyred in the second century, the Christians of the time gathered up his bones and placed them together in a suitable place so that, every year, they could celebrate his "birthday" into eternal life. Then, as people moved about they carried these special devotions with them, and erected shrines to those same saints in the places with one or more of the bones of the saint in question with them. 

And, believe it or not, that's what we've got in Sudbury: a bit of Saint Andrew the Apostle! First class relics of apostles are very rare, so I was really quite amazed to see it there!

There are some who think the devotion to saints via their relics is a bit passé, but the practice continues to draw the faithful despite those who do not understand. A major relic of Saint Francis Xavier, for example, recently made a tour of Canada, and many articles were written on the subject (scroll down to see). I especially enjoyed this fun article called Have arm, will travel. Only a Newfoundlander could come up with an article like this, that is both reverent and a bit cheeky! :-)

Want to know more about relics? Here is a good article in the Catholic Encyclopedia on the doctrine and practice of this kind of devotion.

Back to Sudbury, day 3, part 2: Visiting two churches along the way

After Mass at Saint Peter's in North Bay I hit the road for Sudbury. That said, given I would be in the area I thought it would be a chance to visit other visit churches along the way. So I called ahead to Fr. Tensingh Alexander in Sturgeon Falls to see if he'd be free. Happily, he was!

I first visited the English-language church of Our Lady of Sorrows in Sturgeon Falls (I already visited Sacré-Coeur on Christmas Eve). Unfortunately I don't have a photo of this sanctuary on my phone (not sure why), but trust me, it's a lovely little church.

We then headed to the other community served by Fr. Alexander: Holy Spirit Mission, in Nipissing First Nation. While the territory has normally been closed to outsiders due to COVID, a couple from the community who look after the church were able to meet us and open up for us (many thanks to them). I have to admit, I marvelled at the view from the pews, looking over Lake Nipissing. I love traditional stained glass, but this must just showcase the beauty of creation. I can't wait to see it in the spring or summer.

Our visit was necessarily brief, in part because I really did want to make it back home. I drove Fr. Alexander back to the parish in Sturgeon Falls, and then kept on my way. I had one more church to visit after getting back to Sudbury.

Back to Sudbury, day 3, part 1: Mass at Saint Peter the Apostle parish

Day 3 of my journey back to Sudbury brought me to Saint Peter the Apostle parish, also in North Bay. Although this parish is not equipped for streaming the service, the pastor still made sure to offer mass even if only a maximum of 10 people could be present. This led to a moment of amusement: as I pulled up in the parking lot, parish greeters came to warn me that there was no more room. They quickly recognized me, though, and we had a good laugh about my presence: "I guess you can go in, Bishop!"

People kept arriving, as news of the effect of the lockdown on worship had not yet reached everyone. I was then asked, "Could people stay in the parking lot, doing the reading and saying the rosary, and then receive communion?" I was very moved by this request, so of course I said yes. In fact, I adjusted my whole homily around this new development. This idea of having people inside the church engaged in the sacrificial worship, while others pray outside in communion with that sacrifice, is actually a very old idea, dating back to Jewish times. We see it mentioned in the gospel of Luke, when Zechariah goes to offer incense while others are praying outside of the sanctuary. Their prayer was being done in union with what Zechariah, as a priest, was doing: despite the separation, the unity of intent made it one act of worship.

As the Jewish people spread throughout the world, they brought this tradition of prayer with them. Jews in Rome, for example, could not go to the Temple in Jerusalem to take part in the sacrifices, but nothing prevented them from being united in their hearts with those sacrifices regardless of distance. They diligently studied the Old Testament, and when the temple was destroyed in 70 A.D., they kept on praying at times that symbolically represented those times when sacrifices would have been scheduled. Prayer itself became the expression of the sacrifice.

The early Christians maintained this custom of scheduled prayer, known as the Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours, and it became a core part of the spirituality of those in monastic life. For those unable to afford (or read) the prayer books it involved, an alternative developed: the Marian Rosary. Until recently it involved the recitation of 150 Hail Mary prayers, to match the number of Psalms (which formed the core of the Divine Office).

So think of it: a group of people in the parking lot, doing the readings and praying the Rosary: they were spontaneously copying a tradition that has very ancient origins. So we made sure everyone received communion, and after mass was over inside I made sure to make my way outside to offer a brief homily explaining all these elements, and then offering the solemn blessing for the New Year.

I love these moments when the work of the Holy Spirit becomes so visible!