The Married Singles Lifestyle describes couples that may have lost a sense of closeness they once had as marriage partners and are living more like roommates. Retrouvaille (pronounced retro-vi with a long i) teaches couples how to survive times like these in their marriages. This program has thousands of couples experiencing difficulty at all levels of marital distress.

A Lifeline for Marriage – Do you feel alone? Are you frustrated or angry with each other? Do you argue … or have you just stopped talking to each other? Does talking about it only make it worse? This program has helped 10’s of 1000’s of couples experiencing marital difficulty at all levels including disillusionment and deep misery.

For confidential information about, or to register for the April program beginning with a weekend on April 9-11 in Niagara Falls, please call (905) 664-5212, or email: retrouvaille.hamilton@cogeco.ca or visit the web site at www.hamilton retrouvialle.com

The Office of the Permanent Diaconate is once again interviewing men who feel they may have vocation to Diaconate. If you feel the call to serve the Church as a deacon, contact the Office of the Diaconate at the Catholic Centre for further information and to set up and appointment. The next formation class will begin in September. Please call: Deacon George Newman at 905-684-0154 ext 225 or e-mail to deacons@vaxxine.com

NEW BEGINNINGS (support group for separated and divorced) is held every 1st and 3rd Wednesday of each month at St. Mary of the Assumption Parish, 169 St. Paul Cres., St. Catharines from 7:00 – 9:00pm. For info please contact Deacon Bob Wood at (905) 682-5664 or Karmen Plantic at (905) 646-2421. Next meeting will be held on Wednesday January 20th.

Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy, our life, our sweetness and our hope. To you we cry, poor banished children of Eve. To you do we send up our sighs, mourning and weeping in the valley of tears. Turn then, most gracious advocate, your eyes of mercy toward us, and after this exile show unto us the blessed fruit of your womb, Jesus. O clement, O loving, O sweet Virgin Mary.

Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus have been baptized into His death? Therefore, we have been buried with Him through Baptism into death, so that as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have become united with Him in the likeness of His death, certainly we shall also be in the likeness of His resurrection, knowing this, that our old self was crucified with Him, in order that our body of sin might be done away with, so that we would no longer be slaves to sin; for he who has died is freed from sin. Now if we have died with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with Him, knowing that Christ, having been raised from the dead, is never to die again; death no longer is master over Him, For the death that He died, He died to sin once for all; but the life that He lives, He lives to God. Even so, consider yourselves to be dead, but alive to God in Christ Jesus.

The church is subject to Christ, so let wives also be subject in everything to their husbands. Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that he might present the church to himself in splendour, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish. Even so, husbands should love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. For no man ever hates his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, as Christ does the church, because we are members of his body. “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.” This mystery is a profound one, and I am saying that it refers to Christ and the church.

Third Luminous Mystery: The preaching of the kingdom of God and the Call to Conversion.

Saint Paul standing in the middle of the Areopagus said: “Athenians, I perceive that in every way you are very religious. For as I passed along, and observed the objects of your worship, I found also an altar with this inscription. ‘To an unknown god.’ What, therefore, you worship as unknown, this I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and everything in it, being Lord of heaven and earth, does not live in shrines made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands, as though he needed anything, since he himself gives to all mortals life and breath and all things. From one ancestor he made all nations to inhabit the face of the earth, having determined allotted periods and the boundaries of their habitation, that they should seek God, in the hope that they might feel after him and find him. Yet he is not far from each one of us, for ’In him we live and move and have our being’; as even some of your poets have said, ’For we are indeed his offspring.’ Being then God’s offspring, we ought not to think that the Deity is like gold, or silver, a representation by the art and imagination of mortals. The times of ignorance God overlooked, but now he commands all people everywhere to repent, because he has fixed a day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”

So we do not lose heart. Even though our outer nature is wasting away, our inner nature is being renewed day by day. For this slight momentary affliction is preparing us for an eternal weight of glory beyond all measure, because at what cannot be seen; for what we can be seen is temporary, but what cannot be seen is eternal. For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. For in this tent we groan, longing to be clothed with our heavenly dwelling - if indeed, when we have taken it off we will not be found naked. For while we are still in this tent, we groan under our burden, because we wish not to be unclothed but to be further clothed, us for this very thing is God, who has given us the Spirit as a guarantee. So we are always confident; even though we know that while we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord - for we walk by faith, not by sight.

A reading from the First Letter of Paul to the Corinthians (1Cor 10:16-17 & 11:23-30)

Is not the cup of blessings which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ? Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.

For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night in which He was betrayed took bread; and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, “This is My body, that is for you. Do this in remembrance of Me.” In the same way He took the cup also, after supper, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my Blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me.” For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until He comes.

Therefore, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner, shall be guilty of the Body and Blood of the Lord. Examine yourselves, and only then eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For all who eat and drink without discerning the body, eat and drink judgment against themselves. For this reason many among you are weak and sick, and a number sleep.

Bishop Vital Grandin, OMI (1829 - 1902)
Alfred Pampalon (1867 - 1896)
Elisabeth Bergeron (1851 - 1936)
Delia Tetreault (1865 - 1941)

CANADIAN CAUSES FOR SAINTHOOD
(Servants of God)
Jerome Le Royer de la Dauversiere (1597-1659)
Jeanne Mance (1606-1673)
Fr. Pierre-Joseph Marie Chaumont (1611-1864)
Br. Didace Pelletier (1657-1699)
Jeanne LeBer (1662-1714)
Sr. Rosalie Cadron-Jette (1794-1864)
Sr. Marcelle Mallet (1805-1871)
Sr. Elisabeth Bruyere (1818-1876)
Sr. Elisabeth Turgeron (1840-1881)
Sr. Marie Fitzbach (1806-1885)
Sr. Eleonore Potvin (1865-1903)
Sr. Catherine-Aurelie Caouette (1833-1905)
Fr. Alexis-Louis Mangin (1856-1920)
Br. Theophanius-Leo (Adolphe Chatillon) (1871-1929)
Gerard Raymond (1912-1932)
Bishop Ovide Charlebois, OMI (1862-1933)
Sr. Marie-Clement Staub (1876-1936)
Fr. Eugene Prevost (1860-1946)
Br. Antoni Kowalczyk, OMI (1866-1947)
Louis Emond (1876-1949)
Fr. Victor Lelievire, OMI (1876-1956
Catherine de Hueck Doherty (1896-1985)
Pauline Archer-Vanier (1898-1991)
Georges Vanier (1888-1967)
Sr. Carmelina Tarantino (1937-1992)

Sweet Harmony community choir is welcoming new members (SATB). We practice Wednesday nights in the Sts Peter & Paul Parish Hall and perform region-wide, September thru June. Sacred, secular songs & camaraderie.

By observing the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary we honour this “jewel of our race” who, entirely free from all stain of original sin, at the end of her earthly life was taken body and soul into the glory of heaven. Her assumption is a unique participation in the glory of her Son’s Resurrection, but it also anticipates the resurrection of other Christians. Crowned now as Queen over all things by the Lord, she is conformed fully to her Son in glory. Yet, Mary remains for us a mother in the order of grace, and a model in her obedience, faith, hope and ardent love. Mother of God, pray for us!

Pope Benedict XVI is just days away from arriving in the U.S. for his first visit. As the Pope began his message, he offered his “heartfelt greeting and an invitation to prayer. “As you know", he continues, "I shall only be able to visit two cities: Washington and New York”.

…Benedict XVI also mentioned his conviction that prayer is the most powerful way to prepare for his visit. “Dear friends, I say this because I am convinced that without the power of prayer, without that intimate union with the Lord, our human endeavours would achieve very little. Indeed this is what our faith teaches us. It is God who saves us, he saves the world, and all of history. He is the Shepherd of his people. I am coming, sent by Jesus Christ, to bring you his word of life.”

“Christ our hope”, the theme for the Pope’s visit was also central to the Pope’s address. "Together with your bishops, I have chosen as the theme of my journey three simple but essential words: 'Christ our hope'. ... Jesus Christ is hope for men and women of every language, race, culture and social condition. ...Through Him, our lives reach fullness, and together, both as individuals and peoples, we can become a family united by fraternal love, according to the eternal plan of God the Father…

"I shall also bring the message of Christian hope to the great Assembly of the United Nations", the Pope continued, "to the representatives of all the peoples of the world. Indeed, the world has greater need of hope than ever: hope for peace, for justice, and for freedom, but this hope can never be fulfilled without obedience to the law of God, which Christ brought to fulfillment in the commandment to love one another. Do to others as you would have them do to you, and avoid doing what you would not want them to do. This 'golden rule' is given in the Bible, but it is valid for all people, including non-believers...

…Benedict XVI concludes his message by saying, “Dear brothers and sisters, dear friends in the United States, I am very much looking forward to being with you. I want you to know that, even if my itinerary is short, with just a few engagements, my heart is close to all of you, especially to the sick, the weak, and the lonely. I thank you once again for your prayerful support of my mission. I reach out to every one of you with affection, and I invoke upon you the maternal protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary.”

VATICAN CITY, 16 APR 2008 (VIS) - At the end of the private meeting between the Holy Father Benedict XVI and U.S. President George W. Bush in the Oval Office of the White House, the Holy See and the Office of the President of the United States of America released a joint declaration, the text of which is given below:
            President Bush, on behalf of all Americans, welcomed the Holy Father, wished him a happy birthday, and thanked him for the spiritual and moral guidance, which he offers to the whole human family. The President wished the Pope every success in his apostolic journey and in his address at the United Nations, and expressed appreciation for the Pope's upcoming visit to 'Ground Zero' in New York.
            During their meeting, the Holy Father and the President discussed a number of topics of common interest to the Holy See and the United States of America, including moral and religious considerations to which both parties are committed: the respect of the dignity of the human person; the defence and promotion of life, matrimony and the family; the education of future generations; human rights and religious freedom; sustainable development and the struggle against poverty and pandemics, especially in Africa. In regard to the latter, the Holy Father welcomed the United States' substantial financial contributions in this area. The two reaffirmed their total rejection of terrorism as well as the manipulation of religion to justify immoral and violent acts against innocents. They further touched on the need to confront terrorism with appropriate means that respect the human person and his or her rights.
The Holy Father and the President devoted considerable time in their discussions to the Middle East, in particular resolving the Israel-Palestinian conflict in line with the vision of two States living side-by-side in peace and security, their mutual support for the sovereignty and independence of Lebanon, and their common concern for the situation in Iraq and particularly the precarious state of Christian communities there and elsewhere in the region.
The Holy Father and the President expressed hope for an end to violence and for a prompt and comprehensive solution to the crises which afflict the region.
            "The Holy Father and the President also considered the situation in Latin America with reference, among other matters, to immigrants, and the need for a co-ordinated policy regarding immigration, especially their humane treatment and the well being of their families".

Cancer is so limited
It cannot cripple love
It cannot shatter hope
It cannot erode faith
It cannot eat away peace
It cannot destroy confidence
It cannot kill friendship
It cannot shut out memories
It cannot silence courage
It cannot invade the soul
It cannot reduce eternal life
It cannot quench the spirit
It cannot lessen the power of the Resurrection

A friend and admirer of St. Basil, whom the Holy Father remembered last week, St. Gregory was inspired to seek Baptism and to enter monastic life, devoting himself to prayer, solitude, and meditation. The Pope recalled how St. Gregory “loved to leave behind the things of this world and enter into intimate communion with God, so that the depths of his soul became like a mirror reflecting the divine light.”

“Here was a man who sensed the primacy of God and so speaks to us today, to this world of ours,” the Pope said. “Without God, man loses his greatness; without God, there is no true humanism. That’s why we listen to this voice and also try to come to know the face of God.” The Pope recalled how St. Gregory reluctantly, but in a spirit of obedience, accepted priestly ordination. He was then sent to Constantinople, where he preached his five Orations: “beautifully reasoned presentations of the Church’s teaching,” the Pope said.

The Orations, known as "The Theologian", stressed that “theology is more than merely human reflection,” the Pope explained. “It springs from a life of prayer and holiness, from wonder at the marvels of God’s revelation.”

Gregory was elected Bishop of Constantinople and presided over the Council that took place there in the year 381. But the Pope recalled how he encountered so much hostility that he withdrew once more to lead a life of solitude.

“His spiritual autobiography from this final period includes some of his most beautiful poetry,” the Pope said. “As we admire the wisdom with which he defended the Church’s doctrine, let us be moved by the love that is conveyed in his poetry.” At the end of the audience in the Paul VI auditorium, the Holy Father greeted the faithful present, and remembered the young, the sick and newlyweds.

He also recalled St. Dominic of Guzman, tireless preacher of the Gospel, and pointed out that tomorrow is the Feast of St. Teresa Benedetta of the Cross, also known as Edith Stein, co-patron of Europe. “These two saints help you, dear young people, to have simple faith in Christ,” the Pope said. “Their example sustains you, dear sufferers of illness, to participate with faith in the salvific power of the Cross. They encourage you, dear newlyweds, to be spread the light of God through your reciprocal faith.

A big THANK YOU to Elaine Pezanoski who took it upon herself to oversee and finance the new Rosary Society Banner. The Pastor, members of the Rosary Society and parishioners are very grateful for this generous endeavour.

If you answered "yes" to many of these questions, please consider getting involved in the Host Program at the Welland Multicultural Centre. Volunteers should be Canadian citizens or permanent resident with a genuine desire to help immigrants/refugees develop social connections in their new community while celebrating what makes Canada unique. To find out more, please call Lori, Host Coordinator for Welland Multicultural Centre at (905) 732-5507.

ANGELS are spirits, but it is not because they are spirits that they are angels. They become angels when they are sent. For the name angel refers to their office, not their nature. You ask the name of this nature, it is spirit; you ask its office, it is that of an angel, which is a messenger. (St. Augustine)

In eighth period English class I was told an interesting story. My teacher was parked outside of a church building because he was waiting for his grandmother. His car was blocking the drive-thru area, and another car began honking. He finally moved his car to the side, and upon turning around to see the other driver, he was exposed to the sight of a middle finger. The irony is that the driver had just come out of church. This situation and many others have made me wonder how come there is such a gap between the way a person acts in church and out of church? How come people have such a hard time applying the values of the Church to their own lives? What can young people do to make God more visible through their actions, rather than empty statements?

In the face of a mounting humanitarian crisis in Darfur, in West Sudan, DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE is sending an additional $100,000 to improve living conditions for 50,000 people housed in three refugee camps. They are already funding three aid programs totalling $400,000 to help Sudanese refugees or displaced people living in camps in Darfur and neighbouring Chad. The Canadian Catholic Organization for D. & P. (CCODP) is the official international development organization of the Catholic Church in Canada and the Canadian member of Caritas Internationalis. Last year, the organization allocated $11.8 million to 309 long term development projects in the South and $6.6 million to 72 emergency relief projects. This work is made possible by your generous contributions to CCODP. Thank you!

“We are not some casual and meaningless product of evolution. Each of us is the result of a thought of God. Each of us is willed, each of us is loved, each of us is necessary.” - Benedict XVI, Mass of Installation, April 24th, 2005.

The Holy Cross Cemetery in Welland does not allow solar lights on any of the graves. Any solar lights placed on the graves will be removed by the cemetery staff.

COLOGNE, February 14 (CNA) - A survey of 17 European Union countries has revealed that 56.7% of the people of Poland attend church regularly on Sundays. The Kath.net news agency reported that pollsters at the Mastershausen/Hünsruck Agency in Germany carried out the survey on church attendance in the EU.

The results left Poland in first place, followed by Portugal with 30%, and the mostly orthodox Greece with 24.5%.

In the traditionally Protestant countries, Sunday church attendance is much less, with Switzerland posting a mere 13%. Of the 82 million Germans, 8.7% attend Catholic or Protestant churches. Attendance in Sweden and Estonia is around 3.9%, while Denmark only reached 3.2%.

Two years before becoming Pope Benedict XVI, Cardinal Ratzinger, with the approval of Pope John Paul II, wrote in Doctrinal Note from the Congregation for the Doctrine of Faith: "{A} well-formed Christian conscience does not permit one to vote for a political program or an individual law which contradicts the fundamental contents of faith and morals." He went on to say: "Laws must defend the basic right to life from conception to natural death... Analogously, the family needs to be safeguarded and promoted based on monogamous marriage between a man and a woman."

Pope John Paul II said of St. Eugene that “his life was distinguished by an uncommon zeal - something that arose from his great faith, hope and apostolic love. He was one of those apostles who readied the coming of our time”. The love of Christ was what drove St. Eugene’s life and his works. “Jesus, make me love You. I ask nothing else of You, since I know well that love of You is everything.”

May the 3rd of December - the anniversary of St. Eugene de Mazenod’s canonization - be a day of great gratitude to God for the gift of our Founder and for calling us to the congregation of His sons. May we also ponder St. Eugene’s holiness and his total dedication to God.

Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre is a ministry of the Order of Carmelites, Most Pure of Heart Province, who arrived in the Niagara Falls region in 1875. The centre overlooks the world famous Niagara Falls and is located on 12 acres with wooded areas, open spaces, and gardens. Nearby are paths that wind around the bluffs overlooking the falls and leading through the Queen Victoria Park Niagara Greenhouse, and a Rose Garden.

Our ministerial Team offers a rich variety of spiritual and educational opportunities based on catholic tradition: on-going Spiritual Direction for individuals who would like to grow in their relationship with God; directed, guided, and preached retreats; workshops in Carmelite spirituality and other spiritual traditions, as well as in personal development, marriage enrichment, inner healing, and prayer; parish missions, days of recollection and lectures, and teacher professional days.

We welcome individuals and groups of all faiths, offering them hospitality and the use of our facilities so that they may pursue their own spiritual and/or educational programs.

Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre, 7021 Stanley Ave., Niagara Falls, Ontario, L2G 7B7, tel.: 905-356-4113, Fax 905-358-2548, Email: mtcarmel@computan.on.ca Website: www.carmelniagara.com

Sydney, Australia, will hold the next World Youth Day celebration in 2008, according to a report by journalist John Allen in the National Catholic Reporter.

World Youth Day celebrations, begun at a time when Pope John Paul II had established his reputation as a charismatic figure with a special appeal to young people, has always drawn enormous crowds. The 1995 event, in Manila, drew what was perhaps the largest crowd in human history, estimated at up to 5 million.

The 10 international events have been celebrated: In 1985 in Rome; In 1987 in Buenos Aires, Argentina; In 1989 in Santiago de Compostela, Spain; In 1991 in Czestochowa, Poland; In 1993 in Denver, Colorado; In 1995 in Manila, Philippines; In 1997 in Paris, France; In 2000 in Rome; In July 2002 in Toronto; In August 2005 in Cologne, Germany.

“In our times God has added to the power of the Rosary such that there is no problem, either temporal or spiritual, which cannot be solved this means.” Sr. Lucy of Fatima.

We would like to take part in a wonderful work to pray for vocations to the priesthood, especially from and for our Diocese of St. Catharines.

We are asking people to agree to pray fifty rosaries, or to include in fifty rosaries, the intention of vocations to the ministerial priesthood., especially for our Diocese. If you with to commit to this, or some part of it, please contact Fr. Paul McDonald, one of the vocations workers of our diocese at St. Vincent de Paul Church, Niagara-on-the-Lake, tel. 905-468-7272; e-mail pjm@vaxxine.com

Volunteers are required for variety of activities at both the Woodlands of Sunset and D.H.Rapelje Lodge Home for the Aged. A couple of hours of your time once a week or even once a month can make an incredible difference to our residents quality of life. For more information regarding these opportunities please call Sylvia Bleyswyk (coordinator of volunteers) at Woodlands 892-3845 ext. 249 or D.H.Rapelje Lodge 714-7428 ext. 249.

A Catholic priest and director of education for the National Catholic Bioethics Center in Boston attended the seventh annual BioFlorida conference last weekend, with the intention of debunking myths about the Catholic Church's position on stem-cell research, reported the Palm Beach Post.

Stem-cell research is a controversial issue that has gotten a lot of media attention, especially in this current presidential campaign. The most controversial source of stem cells is embryos. However, stem cells can also be harvested from adult human tissue, umbilical cords, placentas, amniotic fluid, fat from liposuction and cadavers.

It's true that the Catholic Church does not support embryonic stem-cell research, which necessitates the killing of an embryo, says Fr. Tad Pacholczyk. However, the Church does not oppose all stem-cell research. It depends where the stem cells come from, he said.

If the stem cells come from adult humans, miscarried fetuses and umbilical cords, the Church is not opposed, explained Fr. Pacholczyk. If the stem cells come from an aborted fetus, it opposes their use as it does abortion.

It is all that surprising that AIDS is on the increase worldwide? Where was AIDS before the time of "if it feels good do it" became a slogan?

Promoting safe sex and the use of condoms, which have proven to be ineffective, condoning extra and premarital sex, encouraging and expecting teenagers to be sexually active, at the same time protecting their privacy from parents, have all contributed to this worldwide epidemic and all the money poured into finding a cure will not help.

The only safe 100-percent protection from AIDS and STDS is abstinence and fidelity in marriage. In the meantime, if self-indulgence is the accepted norm, instead of self control, then we reap what we sow.

Mary P. Nicol, Scarborough, Ontario, Readers speak out,
"The Catholic Register" August 22-29, 2004
Email: Editor@catholicregister.org

Our Holy Father Pope John Paul II said… "To recite the Rosary is nothing other than to contemplate with Mary the face of Christ… by focusing our eyes on Christ, the Rosary also makes us peacemakers in the world… The Rosary allows us to hope that, even today, the difficult "battle" for peace can be won."

Each of us is obligated to join in an effort to evangelize the world around us, both by employing our time and our talents in the service of the Gospel, and also by supporting those organizations and Religious Congregations which have taken up the Holy Father’s call to become the “Light of the world, Salt of the earth”.

The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate are one such Congregation. Presently serving the poor in 68 countries around the world, the Oblates continue the work of evangelization by bringing the Word of God to those most abandoned by society. Without your help, without your support this would be impossible. Be generous and support the work we do on your behalf. By supporting our Missionaries you share in the work of evangelization.

The rich and powerful recent Encyclical Letter of the Holy Father on the Eucharist is available on Internet.

“Ecclesia de Eucharistia” OF HIS HOLINESS POPE JOHN PAUL II TO THE BISHOPS, PRIESTS AND DEACONS, MEN AND WOMEN IN THE CONSECRATED LIFE, AND ALL THE LAY FAITHFUL ON THE EUCHARIST IN ITS RELATIONSHIP TO THE CHURCH - can be found on several Websites and downloaded www.cccb.ca or www.catholic.net/RCC/POPE/Pope.html

Sister Jacquie, a Felician Sister, and brother Bill Carrothers, a Christian Brother, are co-directors of Jericho House.

Jericho House began in 1986 in St. John’s, Newfoundland and relocated to Mono Mills, Ontario in 1988. In 1997, Jericho House was invited by Bishop O’Mara to come to the Diocese of St. Catharines and moved to Thorold. Jericho House is located at its interim location at 309 Beatrice Street (former Felician Sisters Convent). Recently, Jericho House’s Board of Directors bought land in Wainfleet, and is developing a youth/adult leadership, justice and spirituality center. This facility will be an ecumenical retreat center in the Catholic tradition, dedicated to providing a setting for youth/adult retreats.

For the past 11 years, Sr. Jacquie and Bro. Bill have been developing and facilitating youth/retreats, peer-ministry workshops, justice days and leadership conferences. The facilitation of meetings, workshops and reflection days for teachers, caregivers, pastoral teams, parish councils and justice advocates is also very important and integral to their ministry. This year alone, over 5,000 young people and adults will have had a Jericho experience and the team has through the years, ministered in: Canada, the United States, West Indies and in Europe.

A disasterous flood or earthquake strike a nation at the other side of the world. Immediately many countries rush in food, medicine, blankets, money, and trained people. Prominent among such aid is the financial help offered by the Holy Father to people in need. In the name of Catholics everywhere, he displays Christ's love and compassion for those who suffer.

Canada has been consistent in giving such funds to the Holy See, enabling the pope to be even more generous in times of disaster.

Each year at this time, Canadian Catholics are asked to give generously to this collection, which is passed on to the Holy Father for his use amoung those stricken by natural disasters.

Those who are generous in their response to Christ's appeal for his needy brothers and sisters will someday hear his words:

Did you know that Catholic health care institutions throughout the world total 110,954?

The Catholic Church administers 6,038 hospitals, 17, 189 ambulatories, 799 leprosariums, 13,238 centers for old people, the chronically ill and the handicapped, 8,711 orphanages, 10,368 child care centers, 10,565 marriage counseling centers, 18,789 specialized centers for education or social re-education and 25,257 centers for the health care ministry.

DID YOU KNOW, THAT: According to the 2001 Catholic Almanac – Brazil has 139 million Catholics, Mexico 118 million, US 62.4 million. The remainder of the top 10 Catholic coutries, in order, are the Philippines, Italy, France, Poland, Spain, Colombia, and Germany.

Priests in the year 2000 numbered 405,178 (265,781 diocesan and 139,397 religious), a decrease of 3.75% compared with 1978. This reflects a reduction of 12.4% in the diocesan clergy and an increase of 1.26% in the religious.

Permanent deacons are the group that underwent the greatest evolution over the period in question: Numbers increased fivefold on all continents. Between 1978 and 2000 their numbers went from 5,562 to 27,824, a relative increase of 400.25% .

The number of candidates to the priesthood grew worldwide from 64,000 in 1978 to 111,000 in 2000, with uninerrupted upward trend over the entire period.

The 20th century may have been the most striking in the annals of Christian martyrdom, and a new book shows it with numbers.

In two millennia of Christian history, about 70 million faithful have given their lives for the faith, and of these, 45.5 million –- fully 65% -- were the the last century, according to "The New Persecuted".

Italian journalist Antonio Socci presented his work during a conference on "Anti-Christian Persecution in the 20th Century" held on May 10, 2002 at the Regina Apostolorum Pontifical Athenaeum.

In the journalist’s analysis, the term "Christian martyrs" is not understood in the specific sense of the word (with the recognition of the Church’s processes of canonization), but according to the common assessment of scholars who have compiled statistics on religious persecutions.

Socci’s map of the current persecution highlights countries where Christians are dying for their faith.

It includes the Molucca Islands of Indonesia, Bangladesh, India, Nigeria, East Timor, Cuba, the former Soviet republics, Saudi Arabia and other Muslim coutries, Vietnam, China and others.