The Quotation of the Week (March 29 - April 4, 2020)

A quotation of Abraham Lincoln on 'marriage,'
compiled by Jerome D'Costa

Photo © Jerome D'Costa (2020)

The Ordinary Synod of Bishops on the Family Opens in the Vatican

Pope Francis inaugurates the Ordinary Synod of Bishops on Family in St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican, on Oct. 14

Photo courtesy: EPA, through USA Today

Pope Francis on Sunday, October 4, in a solemn Mass at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican, inaugurated the Ordinary Synod of Bishops on Family. 

The Pope in his homily reiterated that the Catholic marriage is between a man and a woman, but he pleaded for acceptance of and mercy on couples facing real life difficulties and challenges. The synod will run from October 4 to 25.

For details on the ongoing synod, please read the following:

• God's dream for creation?  The Union of a man and woman, Pope says (Catholic News Agency -- CNA)
• Synod on Family (Vatican Radio)
• Pope Opens synod; calls for welcoming Church but no gay marriage (Reuters)
• Pope Francis' homily for the Opening of the Synod on the Family (Rome Reports)
• Pope Francis opens divisive Vatican meeting of bishops on family issues (USA Today) 
• Pope declares that marriage is forever, but church must accept wounded couples (The Toronto Star)
• Synod of Bishops on the Family (Catholic News Service)
• Synod of Bishops on Family (BBC)
• Synod on the Family (Association of Catholic Priests)
• Pope Francis Opens Vatican Synod on Family Issues (The New York Times)
• Catholic bishops descend on Rome for contentious synod on the family (The Guardian)
• Synod on the Family -- Latest News (Catholic News Agency -- CNA) 
• Family Synod 2015 (National Catholic Reporter)

Global Surveys on Catholic Marriage and Family Life Present Surprises

St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican

One year prior to the Catholic Bishops' Synod on Family, started on October 5 this year, the Vatican had sent out a preparatory document with a questionnaire on marriage and family to all the Catholic Bishops' Conferences of the world to know the situation and mind of the present-day Catholics. The synod participants are now discussing their points based mostly on the results of this survey.

Following this, Univision Global, a U.S.-based communications company, through Bendixen and Amandi International, did a survey of its own of 12,038 Catholics in 12 countries of three continents. These countries are the USA, Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, France, Italy, Poland, Spain, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Uganda, and the Philippines. This survey, being independent of the Catholic Church, provides the changing nature of the Catholics in this modern world. 

Both the surveys give a picture of the gap between the official Catholic Church teachings and the life led by the Catholics around the world.


For details and additional information on the surveys, please access the following:

The Vatican survey of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of the world: 

• Vatican Preparatory Document with Questionnaire on Marriage and Family

• Vatican launches world survey on modern family life

• Vatican Collecting Diocesan Data, Not Lay Opinions in Worldwide Survey
• Vatican surveys church worldwide on response to social and family matters
• Lay groups launch surveys to answer Vatican questionnaire
• Vatican confronts shifting landscape on family issues
• German and Swiss Bishops publish first results of Vatican family life survey
• Pope's global survey reveals more Catholics support abortion, divorce than previously thought
• Marriage and the family -- what do Catholics around the world think?

 The Univision survey of Catholics in the world:

• Voice of the People (Global survey of Roman Catholics)
• Global Survey of Roman Catholics
• Poll suggests global split among Catholics on Church teaching
• Catholic Church Experiencing Global Divisions on Sexual, Gender, Social Issues: Survey

A Photo Essay on St. Lawrence the Martyr Church's Annual 'Life Chain' in Toronto

St. Lawrence the Martyr Church and the local Knights of Columbus organized the annual "Life Chain" yesterday on both sides of Lawrence Avenue East facing the church in Scarborough, Toronto. About 100 parishoners and supporters, from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., were holding posters with various pro-life messages towards two-way motorists, many of whom honked their vehicles expressing their support.

The purpose of the annual Life Chain at this parish is to support the "good cause to defend the unborn and to protect women from the harmful effects of abortion," says the weekly parish bulletin.

Some of the posters they were holding announced: "Abortion kills children," "Abortion hurts women," "Defend Life," "Adoption the loving option," and "Life the first inalienable right."

The Quotation of the Week (January 16 - 22, 2011)

A image of the Holy Family (Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph)
in St. Lawrence the Martyr Church, Toronto

Photo (Toronto: December 26, 2010) © Jerome D'Costa

The Quotation of the Week (August 15 - 21, 2010)

Clouds over Toronto

Photo (Aug. 7, 2010) by Mary D'Costa

Happy Family Day!

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Today is the Family Day. This day is being observed in the Canadian provinces of Alberta, Ontario and Saskatchewan -- on the third Monday of February. It is also the public holiday in these three provinces.

This day is observed in support of the values of a family. People spend this day in various ways with the members of their families. When life is so hectic, busy and distracted in different ways, this day provides an opportunity for families to spend the day as a whole unit.

It is noteworthy that Canada has different types of families recognized by the laws of the country.

The Family Day

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Types of Canadian Family
Graphic Design © Joachim Romeo D'Costa

Today is the Family Day in the province of Ontario. The third Monday of February is being observed as the family day since 2008. It's a statutory holiday in this province. The purpose of this day is to let busy and hard-working Ontarians spend quality time together in or with the family. On his re-election as the Premier of Ontario, Dalton McGuinty had declared this holiday on October 11, 2007 by saying: "There is nothing more valuable to families than time together. And yet it seems tougher than ever to find, with so many of us living such busy lives."

Family Day in Different Countries

The Family Day is not an all-Canada holiday because it is not a federal day of observance. Out of 11 provinces and two territories in Canada, this day is observed only in the provinces of Alberta, Manitoba, Ontario and Saskatchewan. Other countries that have the Family Day of their own on different dates are Australia, South Africa, Arizona State of the USA, and Vanuatu, an island in the South Pacific Ocean.

What is a Family?

This may seem to be a strange question, but the definition of family has been evolving in the last decade. The standard definition of a family is the religiously or civilly married man and woman and their biological or adopted children. This definition is no longer valid in some countries, including Canada.

In Canada, a family can be of different kinds:

• Religiously or civilly married husband and wife and their own or adopted children, if any.
• A man and a woman living in common-law relationship (living together without religious or civil marriage) and their own or adopted children, if any.
• A man and another man living in the same-sex marriage relationship and their own children (from previous marriage to women but now divorced) or adopted children, if any.
• A woman and another woman living in the same-sex marriage relationship and their own children (from previous marriage to men but now divorced, or from in vitro fertilization) or adopted children, if any.
  

Let this Family Day give some respite to family members who are otherwise busy bees in their daily grinds.