Re: "Holy Spirit inspired new Mass translation" (WCR letters, Feb. 13).

I am really impressed with the new Mass. I have been, for a few decades (mea culpa) an irregular attendee at Mass, attendance being a handful of times per year.

Glen Argan Western Catholic Reporter

Fortunately, there are people who rein me in. There was the priest who, when I mentioned that I had been asked to take on a responsible, time-consuming volunteer position, looked at me as though I was daft.

Then, he calmly said, "If you have any extra time that you feel you can give, you should devote it to your work at the Western Catholic Reporter."

Andy Johnson met Elsie at a dance in McLennan in late 1954. She had just graduated from nursing school in Edmonton and was serving her first year at the McLennan Hospital. He was a train conductor.

They liked each other enough to continue seeing each other. He even got transferred to Edmonton to be closer to Elsie.

EDMONTON – Matthew Hysell, a 34-year-old partially deaf seminarian at St. Joseph Seminary, is producing a series of catechetical videos for Edmonton's deaf community.

Hysell is involved with St. Mark's Community of the Deaf. The prevalent language of deaf people is visual, not spoken. So when a Catholic person without hearing is to learn Church doctrine, it is most often through video. Unfortunately, video resources about the Church are scarce.

EDMONTON – The Catholic Women's League is most notable for its fidelity to the Church, Archbishop Richard Smith told a gala celebration marking the CWL's 100th anniversary.

"Your identity as Catholic informs all that you do and you are very public about that and unapologetic," Smith said.

In a Lenten letter inviting Catholics to contribute generously to this year's Share Lent campaign, Archbishop Richard Smith also urged those with any concerns about overseas projects to contact the conference.

"For Catholics in Canada, the annual Share Lent Collection offers a special opportunity to hear the cry of the poor and to reach out to those in need," Smith wrote in a Feb. 9 letter in his role as president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).

SHERWOOD PARK – In various Catholic school systems, Michael Hauptman has assumed many roles, including student, parent, teacher, administrator and trustee.

Soon he will be the superintendent and CEO for Elk Island Catholic Schools.

OTTAWA – An Ottawa-based think tank has recommended against forcing students into activism by the Ontario government's mandating gay-straight alliances (GSAs) as part of its anti-bullying strategy.

The Institute of Marriage and Family Canada (IMFC) warns of negative effects on freedom and equality if Ontario's Equity and Inclusion Strategy forces students to move "beyond tolerance to acceptance and respect," as the government's 2009 document states.

VATICAN CITY – The take-away message from a Vatican-backed symposium on clerical sex abuse was clear: Victims, truth and justice come first. And the Church can no longer wait for a crisis to erupt before it begins to address the scandal of abuse.

"We do not need to wait for a bomb to explode. Preventing it from exploding is the best response," said Philippine Archbishop Luis Tagle.