Archbishop J. Michael Miller celebrates Mass at Sacred Heart Church in Delta before the March for Life in Victoria, British Columbia, on May 9, 2024. He prayed that they “may be worthy and effective messengers of hope.” / Credit: Paul Schratz
Victoria, Canada, May 11, 2024 / 09:00 am (CNA).
At a pro-life Mass before the March for Life in Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, Vancouver Archbishop J. Michael Miller prayed that those heading to the British Columbia Legislature “may be worthy and effective messengers of hope to a world where self-centeredness, greed, violence, and cynicism so often seem to choke the fragile growth of grace in people’s hearts.”
The acceptance of abortion in particular in the law and the popular mind is “a telling sign of an extremely dangerous crisis of the moral sense, which is becoming more and more incapable of distinguishing between good and evil,” the archbishop said.
He told the pro-life worshippers that they are “praying in a special way that reverence for life will grow and increasingly be realized in concrete ways in our province of British Columbia and in our nation of Canada.”
Speaker Brittany Garisto speaks at the March for Life in Victoria, British Columbia, on May 9, 2024, about her love for her baby, who died at a young age. Credit: Paul Schratz
Speakers at the legislature told the crowd of about 1,000 people that they need to remember the causes behind society’s choices of accepting death through abortion and euthanasia.
Victoria Bishop Gary Gordon told the crowd that fear lies behind those who choose abortion and euthanasia. “Everybody loves life,” Gordon said, but fear of an unplanned pregnancy or being abandoned leads them toward what they see as the solution to their fear.
“If we listen to people who choose things we don’t agree with, listen deeply — you will hear the fear. And we have the ability to dispel the fear, with love.”
Archdiocese of Vancouver pro-life chaplain Father Larry Lynn at the March for Life in Victoria, British Columbia, on May 9, 2024. Credit: Paul Schratz
Amanda Achtman, whose mission to end euthanasia in Canada led to her online project Dying to Meet You, reminded the crowd that people who choose euthanasia typically fear “the loss of ability to participate in meaningful life activities.” Doctors who perform euthanasia “think that they are doing something good, she said.
“The dying person deserves not to be abandoned as they’re suffering and dying. When someone requests euthanasia, it betrays that insecurity.”
Participants at the March for Life in Victoria, British Columbia, walk down a street with signs calling for life to be respected at all stages. May 9, 2024. Credit: Paul Schratz
Alex Schadenberg of the Euthanasia Prevention Coalition said: “We have a feeling of hopelessness among many people … We have a serious problem with loneliness and feelings of lack of hope and meaning so what we really have is a cultural abandonment going on. This is not about freedom and choice and autonomy, it’s about killing people who are in despair. And those people need you as people of hope.”
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Alfred Magero, Matthew Njogu, and Edward Chaleh Nkamanyi are three Catholic fathers from Africa who recently shared insights about being a present dad, protecting their families amid threats to the African family, and being a model of family values for their children with ACI Africa, CNA’s news partner in Africa. / Credit: Photos courtesy of ACI Africa
ACI Africa, Jun 17, 2024 / 12:37 pm (CNA).
On the occasion of Father’s Day 2024, a day focused on the celebration of fatherhood, four Catholic men from different African countries recently shared their experiences of impacting the lives of their children.
The Catholic fathers — who hail from Cameroon, Kenya, and Nigeria — talk about the importance of “being present,” of protecting their families amid threats to the African family, and of being a model of family values for their children, who they believe someday will become parents as well.
Tony Nnachetta, 68: Fatherhood is a full-time enterprise
Tony Nnachetta shares a moment with Pope Francis. The married father of four is a parishioner in the Catholic Archdiocese of Onitsha. Credit: Photo courtesy of ACI Africa
Tony Nnachetta is a married father of four who attends the Church of the Assumption Parish in Nigeria’s Archdiocese of Lagos. Nnachettahas been a parishioner there for 40 years, and he was wed there 38 years ago. A member of the Grand Knights of St. Mulumba, he originally hails from the Archdiocese of Onitsha.
I got married to my friend after we dated for four years. I was looking forward to fatherhood and I was mentally prepared for it. Here are the lessons I have learned along my fatherhood journey.
First, being a father means you watch your children grow and become independent. You watch them get to a point in their lives where they can engage in a debate with you and even disagree with you.
Fatherhood is a long process. You would be fortunate to go through the entire process and maybe see your children’s children. I have seen mine achieve excellence in school and even leave home and go across the world as they sought to become independent.
Wherever your children go, what is important for them is what they take away from home — what they take from mommy and daddy. I have always told mine to “remember the child of who you are.” This means that they are not allowed to break the Christian values in our family.
I taught them to always stand for the truth and never to flow with the tide. We have encouraged them to always say what they mean. These days, they have jokingly turned around the statement and they tell me, “Remember the dad of who you are,” and we laugh about it.
You can’t always be there to take the bullet for them, but you can support them through prayers. Our family relies a lot on the intercession of the saints. We call ourselves a family of Jesuits because the school my children went to is under the patronage of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
Fatherhood is a full-time engagement. It is not like you can be a father in the morning and take a break in the evening. You worry about your children even when they are grown and have left your home. They preoccupy you everywhere. You wonder whether they are warm and if they have had their meal. But all this brings a father immense joy.
Young fathers in Africa are overburdened by poverty. Because of poverty they don’t have a way to help their families. Others are scared to enter the marriage institution. Poverty has made young men weak and helpless. Some are leaving their young families and going to faraway places outside the continent to make a living.
Poverty is eroding family values because some fathers do what they do, including stealing, for their children to survive. In doing so, they are setting a bad example for their children …
It is important for our leaders to confront this situation. They must accept that they have let us down.
Matthew Njogu, 75: Tips on being a present dad
Matthew Njogu is the moderator of the Catholic Men Association at St. Austin’s Msongari Parish of Kenya’s Archdiocese of Nairobi. His children are now adults. Credit: Photo courtesy of ACI Africa
Fathers need to be present in the lives of their children. For a long time, it was assumed that it was the mother’s responsibility to take care of the young children; fathers kept off. But being absent in the lives of your children hurts your relationship with them. They end up growing up without you having any impact on their lives.
Unfortunately, some fathers assume that fatherhood ends at providing material things… They don’t pay attention to their children’s growth milestones. And when they eventually try to establish a connection, they find that the children are already all grown without knowing anything about their fathers.
Simple things like dropping your children off at school help you connect with them. While stuck in traffic on the way to school, you can talk about things that will help you understand your child and for him to know you.
Always try as much as possible to have dinner with your children and help them with schoolwork. And always try to make up for the time you don’t spend with them.
Edward Chaleh Nkamanyi, 53: Raising a Christ-like family
Edward Chaleh Nkamanyia runs a medical college in Doula, Cameroon. He is a father of two, though he tells ACI Africa that he is “a father of many” as he takes care of several orphans and other vulnerable children. Credit: Photo courtesy of ACI Africa
Nkamanyi runs a medical college in Doula, Cameroon. He is a father of two children ages 16 and 20. He tells ACI Africa that he is “a father of many,” as he takes care of several orphans and other vulnerable children. Here are his insights into nurturing a Christ-like family.
It is the joy of every responsible young man to be called “daddy” or “papa.” Having a Christ-like family is the greatest gift for a father; a family like that of Joseph, Mary, and Jesus.
My appeal for Catholic fathers is to hold their families firmly, to provide for them, and to protect them from all dangers in the contemporary society, where values are being eroded.
I don’t believe that being a father is a challenging task. God already gave us the innate potential to be fathers. I believe that God can’t give you a role that you can’t perform.
It is unfortunate that many young men are choosing to be absentee fathers. From what I have seen, many children raised by a single parent end up adopting wayward behaviors.
Alfred Magero, 48: Being a present dad in a low-income setting
Alfred Magero belongs to the Catholic Men’s Association group of St. Joseph the Worker Kangemi Catholic Parish of in the Nairobi Archdiocese. The father of three has been married for 29 years. Credit: Photo courtesy of ACI Africa
Magero belongs to the Catholic Men’s Association group of St. Joseph the Worker Kangemi Parish of the Archdiocese of Nairobi. The father of three has been married for 29 years and shares his experience and that of other Catholic dads raising their children in a low-income neighborhood.
I am raising my children to become God-fearing adults. This is not an easy task in the community in which we live, where there is a lot of poverty, drunkenness, and other characteristics typical of a low-income [neighborhood].
Many fathers rarely interact with their children since their main focus is to provide for their families. They leave for work before their children wake up and come back at night when the children have already gone to bed.
The young men and boys we are raising are experiencing a different environment from ours when we were growing up. With the whole world brought to them on the palm of their hand by a simple tap on the phone, this generation is dangerously exposed. They need us, their fathers, to constantly give them direction. They need us to be their role models.
They need us to constantly remind them that they are in Africa and that they should not adopt alien cultures, especially those bound to destroy the family.
As fathers, we must remind our young ones to uphold African values that kept the family unit and the society glued together. Africans knew the importance of loving and caring for each other. Unfortunately, this value is being eroded, and in its place, now we have individualism. Older men in families would educate young men to be responsible adults. Unfortunately, we no longer have this kind of education.
Asunción, Paraguay, Sep 24, 2017 / 02:42 pm (ACI Prensa).- Paraguay Secretary of Education, Enrique Riera told reporters that the country’s constitution recognizes “the traditional family” consisting of “dad, mom, and children,” and stated that the government would remove from schools all material promoting false gender ideology, introduced by the previous administration.
At a September 18 press conference, Riera lamented the “confusion” and criticism the government received after posts on social media stated that the country’s schools were teaching that gender is a social construct, that man and woman are not born as such, among other concepts related gender ideology.
The Secretary blamed this content on an agreement signed between the administration of former president Fernando Lugo, and a homosexual group called “We are Gay.”
The Lugo administration signed an agreement between We are Gay and the Directorate of Ongoing Education. That agreement generated some educational materials, and they remained in use and available on the government’s website, Riera said.
The Secretary explained that his office “ordered them to be taken down and revised because there is a phrase which created the whole problem,” which is “where it literally says that gender is a social construct.”
“I want to tell you that the Ministry of Education is basing itself on Article 52 of the National Constitution, on the traditional family, on traditional values, with dad, mom and children: It’s also my personal position and we naturally respect different options, but we’re not going to inculcate them in our public schools,” he assured.
Article 52 of the Paraguayan Constitution establishes that “the union in matrimony of man and woman is one of the fundamental components in the formation of the family.”
Riera indicated that he informed the President of Paraguay, Horacio Cartes “where this confusion came from. We all saw WhatsApp, there was some very severe criticism from some quarters.”
Watch EWTN’s coverage of the funeral Mass for Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI / EWTN
Vatican City, Jan 5, 2023 / 04:50 am (CNA).
Tens of thousands of people were present in St. Peter’s Square for the funeral Thursday of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, a leading theologian of the 20th century and the first pope to resign from office in nearly 600 years.
Because the Mass began at 9:30 a.m. Rome time (3:30 a.m. ET) many people in the U.S. and elsewhere were not able to watch it live. You can watch EWTN’s live coverage in the YouTube video at the bottom of the story. EWTN will rebroadcast the Mass on its cable network Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET and again at 9 p.m. ET.
The funeral Mass was simple and solemn, in accord with Benedict XVI’s wishes. The Sistine Chapel Choir sang the “Salve Regina,” “In Paradisum,” and other hymns. An image of the resurrection of Christ was hung from St. Peter’s Basilica behind the altar.
Royalty, cardinals, patriarchs, government officials, and many Catholic families and religious attended the funeral on a cold and foggy morning at the Vatican. More than 3,700 priests concelebrated the Mass.
Cardinals Joseph Zen, Daniel DiNardo, Timothy Dolan, Gianfranco Ravasi, and Giuseppe Betori, all cardinals created by Benedict, were seated in the front row. The Vatican said 125 cardinals concelebrated.
The ceremony began with the transport of the pope emeritus’ wooden coffin from the basilica to St. Peter’s Square.
Pope Francis presided over the funeral for his predecessor. In his homily, Francis reflected on Jesus’ final words on the cross: “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit.”
“God’s faithful people, gathered here, now accompany and entrust to him the life of the one who was their pastor,” he said. You can read CNA’s full report on the funeral here, and the full text of Pope Francis’ homily here.
Nothing like a mother’s love is seen in Brittany Garisto’s eyes speaking of her loss. A mother’s love is seen throughout nature.
It’s mating time for birds here in upstate New York, my ‘cabin in the woods’ a favorite nesting place to my delight because I love birds. Lady birds protect their nests, the male the valiant guardian flying about, even watchful of me [one can never be too careful]. Last year a remarkable sight. Grey squirrels are notorious egg snatchers. A large grey ran down a tree egg in mouth chased by a robin both involved in a wild melee on the ground, the squirrel apparently surrendering to her ferocity.
How often have mothers made a similar last stand against a crazed lover, even wacko husband, perhaps an intruder. A scene of violent intrusion [shown by the media] was captured on home surveillance video when the intruder, a massive man burst through the door and pounded a reclining woman then bolted up the stairs. She managed to revive and met him as he descended and received an even more terrible beating by the monster, then the video was stopped. Perhaps I’m mistaken, that there likely was a child or two upstairs.
Our anomaly today is the disparity of a mother’s love and a mother’s disinterest in the life of their child. Abortion is more monstrous than the vicious intruder. That a mother would permit her child to be slaughtered by scalpels, suction, burned alive with saline solution in her infant’s nesting place where God ordained nature to be its safest place.
“Our anomaly today is the disparity of a mother’s love and a mother’s disinterest in the life of their child. Abortion is more monstrous than the vicious intruder. That a mother would permit her child to be slaughtered by scalpels, suction, burned alive with saline solution in her infant’s nesting place where God ordained nature to be its safest place.”
Hi Father,
I do not understand the callous attack in your comment. The son I spoke of, Joseph, passed away naturally at 10 months old from the rare genetic disorder he was born with. We cherished every day with him and did everything we could to help him. Joseph’s disorder was so rare that we did not know it was fatal until a week before he passed. Words cannot describe the trauma and heartbreak we have gone through. Joseph was a perfect reflection of God’s unconditional love and he taught us how to find joy through suffering. At the time of that rally I was 8 months pregnant with our third child and had no idea if he would have the same genetic disorder (a 25% chance for any of our children) because I would not risk his health or life with invasive testing. My husband and I have always and will always say yes to life and God’s plan for our family, no matter the personal heartbreak and suffering that comes. My message at that rally and always is to testify to God’s love and that all life is valuable, even the terminally ill, and that being a mother to any child that God sends is an honour. Shame on you for your unkindness. I will keep you in my prayers.
Sometimes comments can be hastily stated, or misread, or both.
Fr. Morello is honoring you. Yours truly reads his meaning as surely that “Nothing like a mother’s love is seen [more clearly than] in Brittany Garisto’s eyes speaking of her loss. A mother’s love is seen throughout nature.”
A mother’s nature is seen in nature. Instinctive animal behavior is natural to animals and is very different from ‘love.’ ‘Love’ is God’s gift to rational humans. Human love is open to elevation by supernatural aspects; the animal nature is simply not capable of ‘love.’ Humans are free to reject ‘natural motherly’ instinctive behavior. Animals are not free to reject or deny their nature. Instinct is not love.
A mother’s nature is seen in nature. Instinctive animal behavior is natural to animals and is very different from ‘love.’ ‘Love’ is God’s gift to rational humans. Human love is open to elevation by supernatural aspects; the animal nature is simply not capable of ‘love.’ Humans are free to reject ‘natural motherly’ instinctive behavior. Animals are not free to reject or deny their nature.
Hi Brittany,
It is easy to read and understand words as they are written. Often these days our words are unkind and uncharitable. I too have taken umbrage at some of Father Morello’s words. I stopped reading most of his posts, even those sent directly to me. I empathize with you.
I too have a child with a serious genetic defect. Although my child is alive, the defect will lead us to succumb sooner or later. God bless you. Please know that you are loved and many others grieve with you.
God bless you & your child meiron. I’m so sorry to hear about that.
One of my children inherited a couple disorders, one of which is usually life limiting. Thankfully in their case, one disorder mostly cancels out the effects of the other one but it could easily have played out differently.
We just never know what others are going through & need to take more time to be charitable & count our blessings.
Nothing like a mother’s love is seen in Brittany Garisto’s eyes speaking of her loss. A mother’s love is seen throughout nature.
It’s mating time for birds here in upstate New York, my ‘cabin in the woods’ a favorite nesting place to my delight because I love birds. Lady birds protect their nests, the male the valiant guardian flying about, even watchful of me [one can never be too careful]. Last year a remarkable sight. Grey squirrels are notorious egg snatchers. A large grey ran down a tree egg in mouth chased by a robin both involved in a wild melee on the ground, the squirrel apparently surrendering to her ferocity.
How often have mothers made a similar last stand against a crazed lover, even wacko husband, perhaps an intruder. A scene of violent intrusion [shown by the media] was captured on home surveillance video when the intruder, a massive man burst through the door and pounded a reclining woman then bolted up the stairs. She managed to revive and met him as he descended and received an even more terrible beating by the monster, then the video was stopped. Perhaps I’m mistaken, that there likely was a child or two upstairs.
Our anomaly today is the disparity of a mother’s love and a mother’s disinterest in the life of their child. Abortion is more monstrous than the vicious intruder. That a mother would permit her child to be slaughtered by scalpels, suction, burned alive with saline solution in her infant’s nesting place where God ordained nature to be its safest place.
“Our anomaly today is the disparity of a mother’s love and a mother’s disinterest in the life of their child. Abortion is more monstrous than the vicious intruder. That a mother would permit her child to be slaughtered by scalpels, suction, burned alive with saline solution in her infant’s nesting place where God ordained nature to be its safest place.”
The things psychopaths will say. 🙃
Your words here will be repeated to you at your judgment.
Hi Father,
I do not understand the callous attack in your comment. The son I spoke of, Joseph, passed away naturally at 10 months old from the rare genetic disorder he was born with. We cherished every day with him and did everything we could to help him. Joseph’s disorder was so rare that we did not know it was fatal until a week before he passed. Words cannot describe the trauma and heartbreak we have gone through. Joseph was a perfect reflection of God’s unconditional love and he taught us how to find joy through suffering. At the time of that rally I was 8 months pregnant with our third child and had no idea if he would have the same genetic disorder (a 25% chance for any of our children) because I would not risk his health or life with invasive testing. My husband and I have always and will always say yes to life and God’s plan for our family, no matter the personal heartbreak and suffering that comes. My message at that rally and always is to testify to God’s love and that all life is valuable, even the terminally ill, and that being a mother to any child that God sends is an honour. Shame on you for your unkindness. I will keep you in my prayers.
Sometimes comments can be hastily stated, or misread, or both.
Fr. Morello is honoring you. Yours truly reads his meaning as surely that “Nothing like a mother’s love is seen [more clearly than] in Brittany Garisto’s eyes speaking of her loss. A mother’s love is seen throughout nature.”
A mother’s nature is seen in nature. Instinctive animal behavior is natural to animals and is very different from ‘love.’ ‘Love’ is God’s gift to rational humans. Human love is open to elevation by supernatural aspects; the animal nature is simply not capable of ‘love.’ Humans are free to reject ‘natural motherly’ instinctive behavior. Animals are not free to reject or deny their nature. Instinct is not love.
A mother’s nature is seen in nature. Instinctive animal behavior is natural to animals and is very different from ‘love.’ ‘Love’ is God’s gift to rational humans. Human love is open to elevation by supernatural aspects; the animal nature is simply not capable of ‘love.’ Humans are free to reject ‘natural motherly’ instinctive behavior. Animals are not free to reject or deny their nature.
Hi Brittany,
It is easy to read and understand words as they are written. Often these days our words are unkind and uncharitable. I too have taken umbrage at some of Father Morello’s words. I stopped reading most of his posts, even those sent directly to me. I empathize with you.
I too have a child with a serious genetic defect. Although my child is alive, the defect will lead us to succumb sooner or later. God bless you. Please know that you are loved and many others grieve with you.
God bless you & your child meiron. I’m so sorry to hear about that.
One of my children inherited a couple disorders, one of which is usually life limiting. Thankfully in their case, one disorder mostly cancels out the effects of the other one but it could easily have played out differently.
We just never know what others are going through & need to take more time to be charitable & count our blessings.