
Celebrating World Youth Day 2023

I can still recall waving to the skies as the helicopter carrying Pope John Paul II flew over my neighbourhood, with the Pope heading to Lake Simcoe for a brief rest amid the World Youth Day activities taking place in Toronto in 2002.
I hadn’t known much about World Youth until it came to Toronto, but I was quickly caught up in the excitement, becoming a big fan. Rarely had I seen my hometown feel quite so nice. There was a very gentle vibe in the city, with both citizens and guests extra patient and polite as we let our collective guard down and chatted with strangers in a friendly, upbeat way. The days-long event was prime-time TV. I heard many non-Catholics, including my husband, express surprise at what a beautiful event was taking place around us, and I suspect it changed more than a few hearts and minds about the Catholic Church.
Toronto has changed greatly in the 21 years since World Youth Day took place here. So has the world. We are a much more cynical, sometimes sour bunch, fueled both by legitimate challenges such as COVID and worries about the economy and the health of the planet but also by the nasty comments and conspiracy theories you can read posted on social media, often written by people hiding behind the anonymity of the Internet.
And this is why World Youth Day matters more than ever. Having had a child participate in Toronto’s event, I know the benefits for the whole family because WYD is based on encounters. In this cynical world, it is great for teens and young adults to meet others who share their faith. What results is a joyful experience that can carry them forward in their daily lives.
When I look at pictures from Portugal of the most recent gathering earlier this month, the participants seemed to be enthusiastic and engaged, including in receiving both Communion and Reconciliation. Yet when I look at social media, I find an ongoing torrent of negative comments, including calls for this tradition of almost 40 years to be cancelled.
And that prompts one question: Why? I have seen everything from criticisms about how participants were dressed, even though August is the warmest month in Portugal, to a priest who served as a DJ being criticized as inappropriate, even though he was providing entertainment for young people engaged in a days-long event. This mother thinks the kids deserved some fun time, too. Perhaps one of the most controversial issues this WYD was time dedicated to interreligious dialogue. Those of us in the greater Toronto area know we live in one of the most diverse locations in the world. If we truly are to love our neighbour, learning a little bit about other religions and religious rituals can only help that goal. And one of the most powerful ways to reflect on one’s faith is to see it in light of other traditions. It helps us understand why we do what we do, why we believe what we believe.
I wonder whether some of the armchair critics actually spoke with participants to learn more about what they did while in Portugal and what they have learned. Participation in World Youth Day is sometimes mistakenly seen as a frivolous vacation, but it is anything but. It can mean sleeping on floors, joining long lines to use the washroom, and sometimes – as happened to thousands of pilgrims in Toronto – waiting in the pouring rain. I can still see my son’s sodden sleeping bag left out on our back deck to dry after a rainy wait for Mass. It took ages!
There is fundraising involved to travel to WYD, and participants are giving up key summer job hours to take part. World Youth Day isn’t a frivolous vacation but a chance for those fortunate enough to attend to test-drive their faith in an adult way, leaving home and family behind for a few days and travelling to another place, often very far away, to engage in their faith, to celebrate as a community and, heaven forbid, to have a little bit of fun.
To me, World Youth Day 2023 was a success. Our temptation these days to politicize everything is unfortunate because, to this viewer, WYD was a joyful and fruitful celebration, reminding us that the Church has a strong future in those who participated. How do we take issue with that?
We are Easter People

What does it mean to be Easter people? Christians are encouraged to be –are, in fact, called to be – Easter people. There are many profound theological explanations for what the term implies, all tied to the miracle of the empty tomb on Easter morning. But, at its most essential, to be an Easter person is to be a person of hope.
Often, the simplest things can bring us hope –– the sight of a crocus poking through the snow after a long and trying winter, for example. But we also place our hopes in far more serious matters, like trusting in the ability of our various levels of government and the will of society to care for all people, including our most vulnerable neighbours. We want – we need – to know that things can be better.
Canadians have been through long and trying times in recent years, with the stress of the pandemic, financial turmoil, random violence, and great rifts exposed in our political and cultural fabric. Many people appear stressed, short-tempered and overwhelmed, and often those feelings flow over into interactions with other people.
But as Easter people, we don’t stand on the sidelines as the world goes by. Instead, hope calls us to help and to engage. Easter people participate, raising our voices to express our hope that we can do better, whether it’s by engaging in the electoral process, or volunteering to help our neighbours, sharing our blessings, or remembering people in our prayers. That hope rests not in individuals and isolation but in community and engagement.
Hope is the great inspiration for Catholic Charities and our 21 member agencies. Every day we hear moving stories of change and positive growth, whether it’s that of a family learning sign language to communicate with a deaf child or a migrant family being offered a place to stay; a teen mother approaching her delivery date being given essentials to care for her baby, or a person fighting addiction finding the supports needed to begin the journey to sobriety.
Our faith rests in the great hope of the Resurrection, which holds out the promise of forgiveness of our sins. That good news is a powerful motivator to reach out to others to help.
It is that knowledge that moves our agencies to contribute to the common good for all people. We know that even in the darkest hours we can help our neighbours improve their situation, finding comfort, peace – and hope.
As we celebrate Easter, we are mindful that Muslims are marking Ramadan and Jews, Passover. We offer our sincere good wishes to all our neighbours and remain committed to our call to serve all people, in great hope, regardless of background or faith tradition– because we are Easter people.
Being Easter People in the Season of Lent

If you feel like you have the weight of the world on your shoulders these days, you are probably not alone!
For Catholics, the 40 days of Lent form a somber period, a time of fasting, penance and almsgiving as we journey with Christ toward the cross. Our tradition holds that celebrations like weddings normally be put off until after Easter, and the alleluias usually heard in Mass disappear during the Lenten season. You won’t see the altar decked with flowers for weeks to come yet.
This year, though, Lent seems particularly weighty. While we have largely emerged from the strictures imposed by COVID regulations, the world around us can seem particularly grim. Each day brings worries about sky-high rents and grocery prices, with concerns increasing over seemingly random neighbourhood violence or the systematic violence of the ongoing war in Ukraine. We worry about finding help for our struggles in what can feel like an increasingly confusing and lonely world. Even social media, originally designed to build community and keep us informed and entertained, often feels like a nasty, nasty place.
But we have just celebrated Laetare Sunday, the fourth Sunday in Lent, in which we pause to remember that the somber and the sorrowful are not the end. In a church imbued with sensory symbolism, the priests donned not in the penitential purple vestments of the season but in the rose of hope. Many churches opt to decorate the altar with flowers on this Sunday and asked the organist and other church musicians to turn to a lighter approach. It all served to remind us that hope is more powerful than sorrow.
Laetare Sunday doesn’t mean the end to the penitential tone of the season, but it serves as a signpost, reminding us of the road ahead. Ahead lies Holy Week, with the Passion calling us into the suffering and death of Christ, yet we remain mindful that the resurrection overcomes that suffering, offering new hope to all people.
It is in that spirit that the member agencies of Catholic Charities operate. Daily, staff and volunteers are mindful of the struggles and challenges people throughout the Greater Toronto Area experience, whether working with teen mothers, or isolated seniors, people with mental and physical disabilities or migrants seeking a new home.
We recognize those challenges, even if we cannot know ourselves exactly what families and individuals are feeling and experiencing. The call of Catholic Charities’ agencies is to point to the hope that is at the heart of the cross, serving people in practical ways in the spirit of Catholic Social Teaching, which encourages us to model what Christ taught us about loving our neighbour. If we can help with the hardships that the people in our community face, recognizing the dignity in each and every person – and that includes all people, regardless of faith tradition and backgrounds – we can bring not only help but also hope to people, improving their lives. Out of suffering and challenges can come change and good news.
Catholics (and by extension, Catholic agencies serving others) are called to be Easter people, with attitudes and motivations shaped by the empty tomb of Easter Sunday. Lent helps remind us of that call, helping us not to take our good fortune for granted but to embrace it, reaching out in turn to share that good fortune – and the good news.
This coming Sunday, March 26, marks the first of three Sunday collections for ShareLife’s 2023 parish fundraising campaign. The vast majority of Catholic Charities’ funding, which supports all 27 member agencies, comings from these collections. By supporting ShareLife you are helping to offer life-giving, life-affirming assistance to your neighbours. We encourage you to participate.
The Pairing of Single-sport Betting with Sports Heroes Creates Problems

The intentions were good. In legalizing single-sport betting in 2021, the federal government was responding to Canadians gambling billions illegally on individual events each year. Moving the process of betting on things like the Super Bowl or the Stanley Cup out of the shadows – and often the hands of organized crime – was designed to offer a safe and regulated environment, cutting off a rich resource for criminals while keeping gamblers safer.
Today, however, many are observing that the roll-out of safe betting comes, ironically, with its own risks. Some days it seems that advertising for sports betting is everywhere, whether it’s billboards on main thoroughfares, or pop-up ads while online or the frequent ads during professional sports broadcasts. A simple Internet search indicates a wealth of choices should one want to place a bet, making it incredibly easy to take a risk. As we are seeing in Ontario, the first province to legalize sports betting, this is rapidly becoming big, big business, clearly placed in public view, complete with apps to make the betting process easier.
One of the most troubling aspects of the arrival of legalized sports betting is the endorsements of some of the biggest name in professional sports in Canada, with a multi-generational approach. Wayne Gretzky, hockey superstar of the 1980s and 1990s, beams down from billboards, while Auston Matthews, currently a star with the Toronto Maple Leafs, has added his endorsement to the same company.
These are men who are revered by countless fans, and no doubt their endorsements carry weight. It’s important to ask, therefore, about the impact such ads have on people vulnerable to a gambling addiction, or to impressionable teenagers watching sports programming at home with their families.
Anyone who becomes a big name in sports cannot help but know the influence he or she will have on a fan base. To think that an activity that carries inherent risk is now being endorsed by people placed on pedestals by millions is alarming.
Many people can buy the odd lottery ticket occasionally and that’s it in terms of taking a chance with money, but for far too many people, gambling can become an addiction that affects finances, relationships, careers and mental health. For those who are vulnerable, gambling can become a vicious circle that simply builds upon itself, increasing debt and worry while chasing after a sure thing. Betting is a very different game than hockey or basketball.
Attempting to wrest the betting industry out of the hands of criminals is a wise move, especially as it’s a move that will help protect participants. But if various levels of government are serious about legalizing the industry, they must also consider the impact of the advertising and endorsements.
We have come to understand not only the health risks of smoking, but also the temptations posed by having products out in the open, which normalizes them. Cigarette advertising is long a thing of the past, cigarettes are no longer sold in drug stores and are kept behind screens in convenience stores, and you cannot smoke a cigarette without first being confronted by the cautionary warnings on packaging.
In contrast, the beaming face of a sports star helps to glamourize betting, and the happy demeanor of big-name figures offering endorsements ignore the very real problem sports can create. It remains puzzling that an activity that is a risk to so many people is being brought into their homes via television and the internet.
An important step as governments wrestle with the reality of sports betting would be to place restrictions on advertising and seek the advice of addiction experts on how to help minimize the impact gambling has on families and individuals. Here’s hoping these are the next step taken in what should be ongoing scrutiny to protect individuals and families for an activity that can become a demon.
Homeless Crisis Demands Our Immediate Attention

In 2015, the news of a man found dead in a bus shelter on a cold January night shocked the city of Toronto. People were appalled, with many calling for new measures to ensure this never happen again.
Sadly, such deaths have happened multiple times since then, with one week in 2022, it is suggested, seeing at least three cold-related deaths. Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital, meanwhile, is now reporting a dramatic increase in the number of cold-related injuries it sees.
We can name many of the issues underpinning this ongoing tragedy: a shortage of shelter beds; a dislike on the part of some homeless people of the shelter system; pandemic conditions reducing the number of shelter beds available.
But recognizing the problems and repairing them are two different issues. The bottom line, simply, is this: any death related to cold in this country that could have been avoided is simply unacceptable.
We cannot solve the great challenges of the world overnight, but we certainly can work harder to offer remedies, especially at a time when we are still basking in the glow of Christmas, a season that has a housing crisis at its very core.
A start would be to create more warming centres where people could escape the brutal cold. On top of the practical response a warming centre offers by providing an escape from the elements, it also signals a community that cares, both to the users of the centres and to other citizens who may have been oblivious to the need. A caring society is more likely to respond effectively to the crisis of homelessness and we clearly need to care more.
So far this winter, Toronto has been criticized as slow to respond to the needs of those living on the streets, in spite of brutal weather forecasts. On top of responding in a timely manner, though, we clearly need more services available as a tough economy forces more people onto the streets.
Plans to increase affordable housing take more time. There are buildings to be built, and bylaws to be amended. But a call to your city councilor’s office to let staff know housing issues are important to you is one way to keep attention focused on this issue and to move the process along, as well as to create more warming centres as an emergency stop-gap.
Some in the city are noting that Toronto recently found an extra $40-million to put toward policing. Let elected representatives know you care about the lives of the people living on the streets. If we have more money for policing, we should also have more money for the homeless.
It’s easy to be critical and judgmental, especially of people we do not know, and especially when the unavoidable reality of others’ pain makes us uncomfortable. It’s easier to point fingers than to share responsibility. But no matter what failings someone has, cold and hunger can kill. Every single person alive deserves a roof over their head and food to eat. If that is not our minimum expectation for all people we have a far, far way to go, not only as a society, but also as individuals.,
An open letter to Toronto Mayor John Tory, drafted by Rev. Alexa Gilmour, National Drector of the Stone Soup Network, is currently circulating, asking for an immediate increase in the number of warming centres in the city. Catholic Charities will be signing the letter, and we urge leaders of various denominations and faith-based agencies to sign as well. Here is the link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScT5rhTgR4CANU1QH1Mi3pVkWBcMNhssLqbUFJt75-VVPA_Ug/viewform
As winter digs in for the next several weeks, we are called to remember Matthew 25:40: “And the king will answer them, ‘Truly as I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.’”
Help shield our most vulnerable from the cold.
Warm Wishes for Michael Fullan as he Begins Retirement

For the past 29 years, Michael Fullan’s official title has been Executive Director of Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Toronto (CCAT).
But his colleagues, his friends, and the many people he engages with daily know his real vocation is that of teacher. Anyone who comes in contact with Michael walks away having learned something, whether it is about Catholic Charities’ procedures and current government social policy, the Church in Toronto over the past several decades, how to diffuse a tense situation with a dose of charm, patience and a little bit of humour, or just what it means to be a decent person who lives his faith daily.
For decades, Michael, a social worker by training, has been a leader in the archdiocese not only because of the authority his title carries but also because he leads by example. As someone who embraces not only the Gospel but also the Catholic Social Teaching that flows from Scripture, he is an example of faith in action, a man who understands that “love your neighbour as yourself’ means not just thinking warm thoughts but also rolling up your sleeves, calling on your particular talents and labouring in the vineyard (a parable he cites frequently) to help build the kingdom of God.
Michael’s first day with Catholic Charities was September 27, 1993, a day of great significance for him because not only is it the anniversary of the founding of CCAT, but it is also the feast of St. Vincent de Paul, Catholic Charities’ patron, as well as the anniversary of Michael’s marriage to his wife, Frances.
In the intervening years, Michael has worked tirelessly to help the people on the peripheries of society because he knows the needs, some days, can seem bottomless. He has consistently inspired people to be ahead of troubling trends in society. Rather than simply bemoan the rise of medical assistance in dying (MAID), for example, he has lobbied to improve and increase palliative care services for those with chronic and life-limiting illnesses. And he was already heavily involved in increasing programs for the elderly by the time COVID-19 arrived and revealed, in horrifying ways, the plight of so many of our older people.
He has consistently thought creatively about how to help as many people as possible and garnered respect of all who encounter him due to his humble, kind, and caring personality. And when CCAT marked its 100th anniversary in 2012, Michael engaged in the celebrations as if he were honouring a beloved family member.
In a statement announcing Michael’s retirement as of the end of this month, CCAT Board President Maureen Leon called Michael a bridge builder between member agencies, the board and those CCAT serves.
“His unwavering dedication to those in need is an inspiration to everyone who has had the good fortune to work with him,” she said. “He has consistently approached his role with patience and good humour, bringing out the best in people, allowing them to do their best for the people we serve.”
He is all of these things, of course, as well as a loving husband, a dedicated father of three and grandfather of eight, a dear friend to many and a man of great faith.
Michael, you will be missed.
Good health and Godspeed.
Advent

Each year, the busy-ness of the weeks leading up to Christmas can make it all to easy to lose track of the fact that, for Catholics, the weeks of Advent are a time of preparation not just forb parties and presents, get-togethers and relaxation, but also a period in which to be mindful of the coming of Christ.
Advent is itself a gift, as it calls us to reflect on the reality that Christ comes into our lives in many ways. Yes, the
Christmas story means we recall the profound mystery of the Christ child entering into human history some 2,000 years ago. The iconography of mangersand Wise Men you’ll find on Christmas cards reminds us of that truth. But in pondering the birth of Christ, we also become mindful that his birth was not a random event but, in fact, a promise of salvation with the resurrection that followed holding out to all people the hope of eternal life when Christ comes again. As Catholics, we believe that Godsent Jesus, his son, to earth to save us from our brokenness, our sin, offering us great hope. Christ will come again – and Christmas is a time to remind us of
how to prepare for that day as well as celebrate it.
But it is the third way that Christ entersour lives, on a daily basis, that is the most immediate for the member agencies of Catholic Charities. If we are watching – and listening – we will find the face of Christ in every single person we encounter – every day — as Catholics believe that all people, no matter their background or beliefs, are made in the image and likeness of God. This is the essential underpinning of our member agencies, and the prime motivation for their work. Whether it’s our neighbour, the stranger next to us in the grocery store, or even the person at work who really gets under our skin – all are a reminder and a reflection of the presence of God in our lives. When we embrace that truth, the notion of working for the common good not only make sense but also takes on a new urgency.
In thinking of the Christmas story, we’ll find at its roots many human vulnerabilities. Mary found herself pregnant
outside of marriage. She and Joseph faced the challenge of not having a roof over their heads when their child was born. The new family could not immediately return to their home after the birth of Christ but fled as migrants
due to an evil ruler’s commands and a hostile environment at home.
While the Christmas story is unique, it speaks to all of us, and it certainly informs the work of Catholic Charities’ member agencies, whether the call is to help teenaged mothers and the underhoused, refugees and other persecuted people, or so many of the people who find themselves on the margins of society. Two thousand years on, people continue to face similar struggles and we continue to be called to help.
The life of Jesus, as seen in the Gospels, is an important model for us as to how we are to treat others, because even the simplest gesture of support or kindness helps make the world a better place, helping us build the kingdom of God.
So if you haven’t yet done so, take some quiet time in the coming days to ponder the gift of Christmas. Imagine the life of the young Mary being changed forever by the Archangel Gabriel. Think of the courage inherent in her saying Yes to what was asked of her, perhaps the greatest leap of faith ever.
And then think of your neighbour, think of the stranger in line at the grocery store, and think of your troublesome
colleague – and ponder what you might do to help.
Merry Christmas!
Dying – and Living– with Dignity, November 21, 2022

The concept of medical assistance in dying (MAID) had been making headlines long before the Canadian government first introduced federal legislation in 2016 to end the ban on medical personnel being able to help patients end their lives.
That legislation has been expanded since then, and as of March, 2023 people with mental illnesses will also be eligible to opt for MAID.
The latest report from Ottawa on medical assistance in dying, which offers statistics for 2021, indicates that 10,064 MAID deaths took place in Canada last year, a figure which represents 3.3% of all deaths in Canada in 2021. That figure is up 32.4% over 2020, and anecdotal evidence suggests the practice continues to rise.
In the years since legislation was first introduced, we have seen many profiles of people who have opted to end their lives with input from doctors, nurse-practitioners, pharmacists and even family members.
These stories are often positioned as offering the suffering ones “death with dignity.” But as these stories unwind, often featuring not only great pain but also loneliness, isolation, poverty, and mental health challenges, they shine a light on how society has not done enough to provide all Canadians with a life dignity long before we determine what a death with dignity actually entails.
As Catholics, we believe our dignity is inherent because we are made in the image and likeness of God: “So God created humankind in his image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them.” (Gn. 1”27) What could be more dignified that reflecting our Creator?
A wealth of Catholic Social Teaching reminds us that we are each invaluable and that our lives are sacred. It also tells us that we are members of a society, with responsibilities for each other. Therefore, a rising number of MAID cases should call out to us that we are falling behind in our responsibilities because we are called to care for our brothers and sisters. They are not a burden but a reflection of God.
The inability of a person with medical issues to meet the rent should never be cited as one of the motivations seek out an end to life. Nor should the need to use a food bank. That these challenges exist – and to such an extent that life no longer seems worth living for vulnerable people–should call out to the rest of us to offer assistance. These needs are why we talk about corporal works of mercy, the responsibilities we face as members of the human race.
Similarly, when someone cites loneliness as a reason to lose interest in life, our hearts should turn immediately to the essential Catholic doctrine of loving one’s neighbour. Even Christ himself suffered the pain of loneliness, calling out to his sleeping disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane, “Can you not keep awake one hour?” (Mk 14:37) We are not to turn away because we are troubled by the suffering, but instead are called to answer, responding to that suffering.
Questions surrounding physical and mental suffering require medical expertise that goes far beyond the knowledge of the average lay person, but we can call out for more funding for medical research into various diseases, as well as into enhanced pain relief. We can also lobby for more funding for good palliative care, which can significantly improve the quality of life for dying patients. Sadly, the World Health Organization estimates that only about 14% of people who would benefit from palliative care have access to it.
On a good day, each of us knows that life is a beautiful gift. That beauty of that gift can soon become tarnished, however, when we feel lonely or frightened or are hurting. If we can focus on each of us being made in the image and likeness of God, we can be reminded of our worth, and the worth of others. When life becomes difficult, and the suffering that is an inevitable part of life, looms over us, we should be able to trust that our neighbours, and the society to which we belong, will help us and care for us. If we cannot answer with confidence, we need to do more.
Ending the perception that MAID is the only answer to suffering will not be easy. In some quarters, it will take a radical overhaul of our understanding of what our responsibilities are as part of the human family. It will take practical organization to ensure we are responding to isolation, that we are doing more to study pain relief, that we can offer strong, dignified palliative care.
We do not live only for ourselves, but for each other, too. That an increasing number of people see death as the only solution to problems should tell all of us that we have a great deal of work to do to support each other in times of sickness and suffering.
This we can say for certain: it will be work with – and for – dignity.
Seeking Inspiration from St. Vincent de Paul, September 27, 2022
