The Sept. 4 article “Newly minted Catholic teachers share their stories” referred to the public education system’s promotion of the Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity curriculum.
Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity information is not part of any curriculum in B.C. My friends, who happen to be Catholic and are public school teachers, stress that SOGI is only a resource. Misinformation may be fuelling protests and high emotions.
Renee Bernard
Vancouver
(The writer is correct. The B.C. Government website says that in classroom discussions about the B.C. Human Rights Code, sexual orientation, and gender identity, “SOGI 1 2 3 is a resource that supports educators in addressing these topics in the provincial curriculum.” It also says, “Educators are not required to use this resource,” but offers links to “Learn more about SOGI and how to promote it at your school.” — Editor.)
Recently the tabernacle of Our Lady of Sorrows Church in Vancouver was put behind the main altar.
Archbishop Michael Miller said, now the tabernacle is in the centre of the church. Now we must make Jesus the centre of our lives.
To see the beauty of a pearl, one must remove the contents around the pearl. Its beauty is revealed when the light of day comes near.
So, too, we must remove all that is around the holy Eucharist in order to see the love of the blessed Trinity. All the settings of the church building are set aside so that the small host becomes our total focus. Its beauty is all consuming, like the face of a little child. All love is now contained in such a small place, yet there is nothing more beautiful in this life or in heaven.
God is love.
Dennis MacDonald
Vancouver
Re “Sto:lo findings confirm child deaths but raise more questions” (B.C. Catholic, Oct. 2):
This is an unstable situation. It can and must be acknowledged that the residential school system was abominable, should never have happened, must never happen again, and led to trauma and abuse of young people to a shameful degree.
What is disturbing is the way this dreadful historic event is being used in current politics and social engineering. It is easy to accuse the Catholic Church in Canada of structuring itself to shield itself from liability, even though the structure of the Church dates back millennia worldwide. Using (incorrect) history as a basis for damning theories to advance positions and enhance media presentations is toxic and perilous.
There is a tremendous emphasis on reconciliation, and that is certainly called for. The process, though, requires both truth and reconciliation. Playing fast and loose with the former, or even failing to acknowledge its importance, will place in peril the prospects of achieving the latter.
It would be good to be watchful and ensure that a position of listening does not morph into a position of silence that compromises the universal duty to truth. The balance is certainly delicate, but it must be addressed.
Gerry Hunter
Burnaby
I work at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom College in Barry’s Bay, Ont., and our college has a reach that extends to the West Coast, with current students and many alumni. My husband, Dennis, is originally from Vancouver and is a sessional instructor in theology at the college.
The college recently received three-year degree-granting status and is awaiting approval for a fourth year.
As a Serran, I was surprised to learn that in its nearly 25-year existence, the college has had 25 vocations to the priesthood or religious life – a significant number given that there have only been 800 students, alumni and current. A recent article in The Catholic Register referred to Our Lady Seat of Wisdom as “a vocations breeding ground.”
I hope The B.C. Catholic can highlight this small, inexpensive, faithful Catholic college, particularly in terms of vocations. Another consideration is that the college is in need of donors, as it doesn’t receive government funding.
Teresa Buonafede
Development Liaison
Our Lady Seat of Wisdom
Barry’s Bay, Ont.
What in the world is society trying to do, or, should I say, undo? God made two distinct genders, but it appears we have more righteous minds who favour neutrality and want to foist that misguided philosophy onto their innocent and malleable children.
If your son or daughter decides when they reach the age of maturity that they prefer to be the opposite gender, that tenuous decision belongs to them, not to some misguided parental figure.
Let’s raise our children to be men and women, not some mixture in between.
Bob Scott
Chilliwack
I recently heard that the mother of Father Stanley Galvon, rector of Holy Rosary Cathedral, turned 100.
This lady has done many remarkable things in her life, but one that few people know about is her knitting and crocheting 100 tuques for the homeless every year, while in her nineties and who knows for how many years before that.
The tuques, colourful and perfectly made, are delivered to the men’s shelter every fall by Father Galvon.
Thank you to that dear lady who did not let old age prevent her from helping others.
Maybe The B.C. Catholic can present stories on a regular basis showing how people help others in creative ways.
Marianne Werner
Vancouver
(Consider this an invitation to all readers. We’re always looking for interesting stories to tell about those in Vancouver’s Catholic community. – Editor)
The Sept. 18 issue published letters about the anchored cross on rosaries made of ocean plastic at World Youth Day.
I am also disturbed by the replacement of the crucifix with the anchored cross. With all the confusion coming at us from all directions, including from within our own Church, if we don’t look to the cross – the crucifix – in our prayers and every decision we make, what hope do we have of navigating our way through life?
Patrick May
Vancouver
Re Mark Norbury’s Sept. 25 letter “Catholics should care about climate change because it’s real”:
There is no climate crisis – the jury is still out as to what climate changes there are, what the main factors are that affect the climate, and what constitutes a crisis.
The massive climate lobby that funds everything from governments and NGOs to universities and the education system certainly promotes the narrative of anthropocentric climate change. But there are eminent scientists who are not being paid by these organizations and are suggesting otherwise.
The “science” is not settled. It’s the nature of science to pose hypotheses and then rigorously test them, changing the premises based on the data at hand and the scope of the problem.
There are just too many variables to factor reliably into the climate change conundrum, such that researchers have to narrow their parameters and come to some sort of consensus.
I’m not averse to caring for our environment, loving God’s creation, recycling, and responsible use of resources. It comes as a by-product of loving God and the beauty of his creation. But with respect to Pope Francis, who is not a climatologist, I would posit that we don’t need to include climate change inside Catholic doctrine.
Kevin O’Mahony
North Vancouver