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The earliest memories I have of the first steps in my faith journey are a large wooden statue of Our Lady of Grace that I played with, and my mother teaching me a song at age four, “Jesus Loves Me”.  At four years old, I had a sense of knowing Jesus and learning the song…

Some months ago, I made a passing comment on Facebook that has sparked an ongoing conversation. Before friends and colleagues, I proposed that we stop thinking of ourselves as an Independent Sacramental Movement and instead think of ourselves as a United Sacramental Movement.  Not surprisingly, we all did not rush out to immediately change our…

Solving the problem of homelessness is the same as solving any other problem: first, you have to admit that there is a problem. And, make no mistake, there is a problem, and I’ve seen it firsthand. For the past 37 years, my work as an advocate for the homeless, and I’ve found them in our…

When we speak of smallness, it is inevitable to think of the insignificant and perhaps disqualifying to our way of understanding, to believe that smallness is only to be less or to be only last. But we do not really realize what smallness and more than one soul really consists of … We have moved…

Cuando hablamos de la pequeñez, es inevitable pensar en lo insignificante y quizá descalificativo a nuestro modo de entender, creer que la pequeñez solamente es ser menos o ser solamente ultimo. Pero no caemos en la cuenta en realidad sobre lo que consiste realmente la pequeñez y más de un alma… Nos hemos movido a…

Like running into a long-absent friend, listening to music that’s fallen off your radar can be both a pleasure and a revelation. I recently reacquainted myself with Leslie Phillips’ 1985 release, Black and White in a Grey World (thanks, Spotify!) and I was pleasantly surprised by what I found. Some of the arrangements which seemed…

This year will be the third anniversary of my travelling from Regina to Toronto to profess my vows as a Franciscan. Prior to my profession, I was required to read several books on Franciscan theology and spirituality, and write reflections based on the material I had read. Something that stuck with me was the intensity…

Several years ago, I was contacted by a man who felt called to the priesthood. In the initial conversation I had with him I tried to understand how much Christian theology he knew and comprehended. I asked him to describe the doctrine of the Trinity and his response was, “I don’t believe in the Trinity,…

I grew up vaguely Christian. I say vaguely Christian not because I didn’t grow up going to church or getting baptized or hearing Bible stories…I had all that. I say I grew up vaguely Christian to differentiate myself from the many, many people I have met over the years who were either figuratively or literally…

I haven’t thought of a title for this reflection. And the reality is, when I think about the gravity of what the resurrection means, I am reminded of just exactly how small I am in this universe, and how great the mercy of God actually is. What I can tell you is that recently in…