One of the biggest challenges Holy Heart of Mary Parish has faced in the last century has been the loss of its resident pastor in the late 1980s.

"It was a huge loss," recalls parish leader Eileen Cunningham. "You always suffer when you don't have a resident priest because Father is (now) too busy and he can't be here for all our spiritual functions."

Perry Kieftenbeld, a horticulturalist by trade, got involved with the Church in the Sturgeon Region as her five children started getting more drawn into the Church's youth activities.

In 2001, she was hired as pastoral assistant and youth minister at St. Peter's Parish in Villeneuve. The church has three mission parishes in Calahoo (St. Catherine), Mearns (St. Charles) and Riviere Qui Barre (St. Emerence). The four parishes in total have about 400 families.

ZAGREB, CROATIA - Pope Benedict used his apostolic journey to the Croatian capital to encourage nations to build their communities on Christian values.

They should also support the traditional family and the sanctity of life, the pope said during his brief two-day pilgrimage June 4-5.

EDMONTON — Being Catholic means to see everything in the world as sacramental, said the director of adult faith formation for the Archdiocese of St. John's, Nfld.

"There is one distinctive thing about being Catholic. We see the world through special glasses," Anne Walsh told pastoral assistants from across the Edmonton Archdiocese.

There is nothing more beautiful than to be surprised by the Gospel, by the encounter with Christ.”

These words of Pope Benedict inspired the archbishop of Edmonton to launch a series of presentations on beauty; I have had the opportunity to listen to some of these and have been impressed by the wonderful variety that exists in the way people appreciate the beautiful.

OTTAWA — Quebec’s ban on God, prayers, songs to Jesus and religious instruction in subsidized daycares discriminates against religious believers, says the Catholic Civil Rights League.

The league has expressed support for Jewish and Catholic parents who are appealing to the Quebec Superior Court on grounds the ban violates the constitution by infringing on religious freedom.

To paraphrase the French philosopher, Jacques Maritain: The Quebec government cannot see that man must choose between two ways: the way of Calvary and the way of slaughter. Maritain's comment, made in 1938, was actually about the German philosopher Friedrich Nietzsche.

But it is appropriate to describing the current path of government in Quebec which, having abandoned the Catholic faith, is now on a path of militant atheism. The government no doubt blindly believes this is a path of liberation for its people.

FR. RON ROLHEISER, omi

The Last Supper account in John's Gospel gives us a wonderful mystical image. The evangelist describes the beloved disciple as reclining on the breast of Jesus.

What's contained in this image? A number of things.

KATHLEEN GIFFIN

Trinity Sunday — June 19, 2011

Our readings this Sunday present a beautiful consistency between the Old Testament and New.

The First Reading recounts Moses' reception of the Ten Commandments. When Moses had taken the tablets, "the Lord passed before Moses, and proclaimed, 'The Lord, the Lord, a God merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness.'"

JOE GUNN

Canadians elected a new government last month and this month saw a new federal budget. There shouldn't have been any surprises, as the Conservatives won their majority on the promise of deficit reduction and low taxes.

One way to evaluate the budget is simply to ask if the governing party actually did what it promised to do. Christians might pose a deeper reflection: Does this budget deliver for those in need, while responsibly and fairly sharing the burden?