Confirmations in Gore Bay

I was in the small church of the Immaculate Heart of Mary in Gore Bay this afternoon, to celebrate Confirmation for two candidates. Congrats to both of them!

While there, a parishioner showed me a relic she rescued from a dealer on eBay. I examined the wax seal, and it (and the threads) were unbroken. Based on the writing style it seems to be from the Holy Roman Empire, but that's just a guess (albeit an educated one).

Most importantly, the relic seems to be a fragment of the True Cross. If so, this is exceedingly rare. She has donated the relic to the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, and I am going to do my best to have the seal properly identified and dated. Many thanks for this generosity!

Visit to Mom

I visited with my mom this past weekend (Sunday, Aug 17). We went to Mass in the morning at St. Pat's, where she lives. Mom loves being with people, and was so happy to be there.

Visit with Amy Dignan

 I had a lovely visit twith Mrs. Amy Dignan, a relative of Ralph Hubert Dignan, the second Bishop of the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie. She is donating some artifacts from Bishop Dignan that were passed down since his passing in 1958. Thank you Amy!

Assumption Mass at the Grotto

We had a lovely Mass last Friday for the feast of the Assumption (Aug 15). It was held outdoors at the Grotto in Sudbury, and the weather was perfect. A large crowd attended, the largest I've ever seen at the Grotto. I even had trouble finding parking - a nice problem to have!

 

Jubilee of Hope, day 1

Day 1 of our Jubilee of Hope pilgrimage! We left our hotel at 7 am to take a train to Saint Peter's Basilica. Once there we got in line for the Holy Door. But first, group photo! 

We made it through the Holy Door fairly quickly, thanks to our early start. 

We then explored the interior of the basilica. The high altar is built directly over the tomb of Saint Peter.

While in the basilica, I ran into I ran into Sr. Nathalie Becquart, which was a nice surprise. We were at the Synod of Bishops in 2018 together, and it was nice to reconnect.

After a bit more exploring we climbed up into the dome of Saint Peter's. I got some very nice views!

After that was a visit to the Vatican museum. My favourite part was the ethnological collection, which began in 1925 with a world-class exhibit of cultures from around the world, including Canada. 

The collection included a wampum belt. It was especially fascinating, as it seems to copy the Mi'kmaq Concordat.

We then has Mass in St. Peter's square. It was presided by Archbishop Rino Fisichella, but we had a surprise visitor at the end. Look for the little white hat making its way through the crowd.

It was quite a day - and my FitBit agrees! Whew! But it was a blessing, and I'm looking forward to tomorrow.

Greetings from Rome!

Hello friends, greetings from the Eternal City! I am here in Rome with a group of pilgrims from Ontario for the Jubilee for Youth. We had an uneventful flight and have settled in to our hotel. I'll keep you posted as the week progresses!

Meeting with the Canadian Council of Churches

 I had the pleasure of taking part in a meeting of the Governing Board of the Canadian Council of Churches this week. The Council gathers reps from many different churches from across the country, as well as reps from Christian NGO's. This time we met at a Coptic Orthodox church in Ottawa.

The highlights of the meeting are available online here. Enjoy!