Convivium Magazine

When Far Goes Too Far

Peter Stockland

November 12, 2019

Although he has long been known to ruffle feathers, Don Cherry took things a step too far in his remarks this weekend, writes Peter Stockland.

Such an attitude is exactly what Don Cherry manifested in his underlying comments, and particularly in his egregious use of “you people” as a slur against those who choose not to, or simply don’t know they’re expected to, wear poppies to honour those who fought wars for our freedom Equally true, Che...

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Between Holy Mystery and Pragmatic Faith

Hannah Marazzi

November 12, 2019

Hannah Marazzi refreshes her faith in poetry at an awards ceremony for writing that marks the intersection of our lives and the divine.

Despite working on the last two iterations of the Ross and Davis Mitchell Award for Faith and Writing, this was my first time as an audience member as winners and shortlisted poets alike shared excerpts of their work and gathered for an evening of celebrating the gift of poetry to “grapple with tran...

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Who’s Your Daddy?

Raymond J. de Souza

November 8, 2019

Father Raymond de Souza shakes some political family trees to observe the fallout of dynastic ambition on democratic life.

But perhaps Mulroney fils has something compelling to offer, at least as compelling as Trudeau fils had in 2013 and Mackay fils had in 2002 when they ran for party leadership? Not being familiar Ben’s oeuvre I fired up the search engine and discovered that as of yesterday, Ben’s principal interest w...

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Kanye Dig It? He’s Really Christian

Aaron Neil

November 7, 2019

While listeners puzzle over what to make of Kanye West’s new Gospel album, Jesus is King, Aaron Neil argues that Ye’s Christianity has been part of his music all along.

With a flurry of tweets leading up to the album’s release, Kanye compared himself to Paul, confirming that Kanye was comparing Paul’s conversion story to his own The Life of Pablo (TLOP) provides the most striking example of Kanye’s eccentric narrative style “Now that I’m in service to Christ, my jo...

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The Visual Prayers of Timothy Schmalz

Hannah Marazzi with Timothy Schmalz

November 7, 2019

For years, sculptor Timothy Schmalz has been turning the gazes of passersby towards visual representations of scripture, with his large-scale sculptures erected worldwide. Our own Hannah Marazzi sits down with Schmalz to discuss his art and the vision behind it.

I have this cynicism about what people think about artwork and Christianity, but I also have a faith that one can do a piece of artwork that can explain and show people how amazing Saint Thomas Aquinas is or how awesome Saint Padre Pio is TS: I think all artwork has to be something that communicates...

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Too Soon To Despair For Andrew Scheer

Rebecca Darwent

November 6, 2019

Convivium’s Rebecca Darwent argues that, attacks from his political and media enemies withstanding, Canadians haven’t rejected the federal Conservative leader because of his religious faith.

But might I suggest that abortion always has—and always will—divide Canadians? That the issue may be closed for discussion but surely a prime minister still has every right to hold his or her own personal views? That beyond trying to change laws, there are millions who would have readily accepted a ...

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Putting the Human Back in Dignity

Rebecca Darwent, with Andrew P.W. Bennett, Aaron Neil

November 5, 2019

In a just-released paper, the Cardus Religious Freedom Institute seeks to kickstart a Canada-wide conversation on the real meaning of human dignity. CRFI’s Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett and researcher Aaron Neil talked with Convivium’s Rebecca Darwent about why it’s urgently needed.

How human dignity relates to religious freedom, how it relates to other fundamental freedoms, so we can seek to build again this common life, and see how public faith and the freedom to live out that public faith is so fundamental to building up that life But what role does human dignity have? How d...

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Connecting the Core of Judaism

Peter Stockland

November 5, 2019

A delegation from Ottawa’s Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation takes a Torah to Tanzania today, a community endeavour connecting Jewish faithful across the globe.

When a delegation from Ottawa’s Kehillat Beth Israel Congregation takes a Torah to Tanzania today, the ornate scroll will have its own centre seat on the overseas flight from Toronto For the Rabbi and Richard Marceau, a member of Kehillat Beth Israel as well as general counsel and vice-president for...

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Newman and All Saints

Raymond J. de Souza

November 4, 2019

The canonization of the extraordinary Cardinal John Henry Newman leads Father Raymond de Souza to reflect on the day reserved to celebrate ordinary Christians.

That’s the key to All Saints, to that great multitude who are worthy – by the precious blood of the Lamb who was slain but lives – to behold the glory of God in heaven It is understandable that Blair may not have known that Newman argued, in the lines immediately following, that the Church “consider...

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A Dangerous Space for Faith

Daniel Proussalidis

November 4, 2019

Claims that Conservative leader Andrew Scheer’s Catholic beliefs disqualify him from becoming Canada’s Prime Minister are a dark turn away from tolerance and pluralism, writes Daniel Proussalidis.

Singh quite correctly opposes Quebec’s secularism law, which makes the NDP leader’s beliefs as a turban-wearing Sikh incompatible with being a teacher, police officer, or other public service worker “It is also not a good thing to have religion caricatured as being narrowly focused on only a few iss...

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Changing the Meaning of Climate Change

Peter Stockland

October 31, 2019

With the 2019 federal vote being dubbed Canada’s climate change election, Convivium’s Peter Stockland says all sides must change rhetorical theatrics into serious reasonable solutions.

Two tip-offs of that are a) the declaration that “the science is settled” on climate change and b) the caustically derisive snorts that such a claim invariably evokes from those opposed Beyond that, even if it were possible for science to fully settle, how is it that in the space of the fewest of ye...

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The Jesus Heart of Joker

Breanne Valerie

October 30, 2019

Watching director Todd Phillips’s cinematic take on what seems just another DC comic book tale, Breanne Valerie sees the face of Christ calling us to the reality of human suffering.

When we remain silent in the face of mental illness and the injustices that exist in society, we contribute to the making of humans who must destroy to feel a sense of control they have never had Joaquin Phoenix plays Arthur Fleck, the human behind the face of the Joker Because in a world that seeks...

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Beyond The Way Things Are

Alida Thomas

October 29, 2019

In Jeremy Courtney's Love Anyway, Alida Thomas finds stories of loving with resilience in the midst of war, disaster and betrayal, as well as important lessons of peace for a polarized world.

What Courtney does throughout Love Anyway, a standalone continuation of his first book, Preemptive Love: Pursuing Peace One Heart at a Time, is give not only an honest and raw look into his own story and the growth and evolution of Preemptive Love Coalition (with a refreshing amount of humility, adm...

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Syria Hits Situation Critical

Susan Korah

October 28, 2019

Susan Korah says the time for Canada to act is close to half-past too late for Syria’s suffering.

Driven by unshakeable faith in God and an unflinching determination to help Christians and other Middle Eastern minorities such as Yazidis and Mandaens, Kino and his volunteers coordinate their humanitarian aid efforts in partnership with the Syriac League, a Beirut-based non-profit organization tha...

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Written In Heaven

Gerry Turcotte

October 28, 2019

What's in a name? Gerry Turcotte reflects on Our Creator giving appropriate names to both things and people, and how sometimes the circumstances we find ourselves in, reflect the names we've been given.

I’m not sure what’s in a name, but I do like that idea that names are given in the hopes that children will model wonderful behaviour — Grace, Joy, Hope ...

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