RALPH HIMSL

Probably only poets, romantics and other playful souls would bother to try to assign distinctive characteristics to the months of the year. As for the poets, we can think of T. S. Eliot and his label for April as the "cruellest month." more . . .

BISHOP FRED HENRY

On Oct. 15, Syrian Catholic Archbishop Athanase Matti Shaba Matoka of Baghdad delivered one of the most memorable interventions during the Synod of Bishops for the Middle East - words made even more poignant by the Oct. 31 attack on worshippers at his cathedral. more . . .

GORDON SELF

In recent months there has been a surprising amount of public interest regarding so-called "angel cradles" where babies may be safely abandoned at hospitals (see "Will abandoned babies get a home? WCR, Oct. 4). more . . .

FR. RAYMOND DE SOUZA

About a dozen years ago I was at a dinner party in the home of people I had not previously met. When our hostess discovered that I was a seminarian, she shrieked with perverse delight, announcing to all, "Wait until my husband hears about that!" more . . .

As he sat in jail month after month trying to make sense of his life, Bruce Rowe one day knew he wasn't quite so interested in freedom.

"I realized when I was inside, all of that didn't matter if I didn't become a better person," said Rowe.

Prison isn't philosophy class. They're not asking what it means to be human. Nor is it a great place to form community, to discover your humanity by sharing your experience with others. more . . .

Last night I had a very energized conversation with a good friend. We discussed many things like philosophy, politics and social justice issues.

The discussion eventually led to the challenge of a marriage between a Christian and a Muslim in a “Post 9/11” world. He is a Catholic and she is a Muslim whereby both faith traditions call for certain creedal commitments and public profession of faith. more . . .

OTTAWA — Catholics can be confident money they contribute to the Catholic Organization for Development and Peace (CCODP) "will be properly spent and properly supervised," said Msgr. Patrick Powers.

In a Nov. 12 interview from Rome, the secretary general of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) said the work of an ad hoc committee of bishops established a year ago has produced "substantive results" and has "brought everyone together." more . . .

When Roger Rouleau realized he was being called to the priesthood, he dropped everything to answer the call. His girlfriend supported him. So did his parents.

Now, after years of theological studies, he feels ready for ordination. "I'm completely convinced that this is what God is calling me to do," Rouleau said Nov. 11. more . . .

SPRUCE GROVE — Miguel Irizar is not married, and has no intentions of getting married or having children. So why was he chosen to speak at a conference on strengthening Catholic families?

The seminarian, soon to become a different kind of father, grew up in Mexico where he learned from experiences with his parents and siblings how a family lives out its faith. more . . .

SPRUCE GROVE — The normalization of cohabitation, pornography, contraception, infidelity, abortion and same-sex unions are all potential threats to a happy home.

With so many factors working against it, this generation has difficulty staying married, raising children and leading a Christian life. more . . .