Convivium Magazine

Reaching our Mothers

Gideon Strauss

March 3, 2017

In his eighth regular dispatch from Montreal’s faith-rich Outremont district, Gideon Strauss meets Nora Chénier-Jones and Jennifer Dorner, the women who co-founded Pluralisme Outremont, a group promoting an appreciation of diversity in Outremont's schools.

A few experiences with regard to the treatment of diversity in these schools that disappointed them, though, and a desire to “encourage, facilitate, and create interaction to promote respectful understanding among the diverse people who make up our school communities” (the mission of Pluralisme Outr...

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Coming Home from Hate

Gary Rose

March 3, 2017

In a Canadian home, the memories of suffering and heartbreak, the warmth of Yazidi hospitality, the gift of peace, and a tapestry of stories that brought new Canadians to "the land of milk and honey" mingle together.

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The Slow Professor

David J. Goa

March 3, 2017

David Goa reviews The Slow Professor, Challenging the Culture of Speed in the Academy by Maggie Berg and Barbara K. Seeber and reflects on the tension between corporatization of academia and the importance of cultivating vocation.

Given this, do the humanities still offer an opportunity to fall in love with learning, to glimpse the way a culture – its art, ideas, institutions and history – unfold? Is the development of the civil canopy taught in a way that deepens our regard for its fragile treasures? It prompted me to rememb...

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Canada Is Worth Another Look

Bill Reimer

March 3, 2017

Canada has been transformed in the 50 years since Canada’s 1967 Centennial. For some, the change shows we are now what history always meant us to be. But contrary voices have been to argue that we have, in fact, been cut off from our national origins, and natural development, by calculated ideological schemes. Do you agree Canada is a post-national State without settled, historic values? We'd love to hear from you! .

For many Canadians, in this “post-national” moment, the only Canada worthy of celebration is the last 50 years ...

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Reformation Thoughts in Rome

Raymond J. de Souza

March 2, 2017

Father Raymond de Souza reflects on the Reformation as an opportunity for reflection.

Peter’s – the baldachino over the main altar, itself built over Peter’s tomb, and the Chair of St de Souza for his ordination as a deacon in October 2001, which took place at the Altar of the Chair in St Studying Bernini’s “homily in bronze” teaches us that the Successor of Peter is a source of unit...

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Give It Up For Lent

Brian Dijkema

March 1, 2017

Program Director of Cardus Work and Economics Brian Dijkema reflects on the true nature of Lent.

The first is Mammon enthroned – full of shimmer, robed in silk, crowned with gold, and holding money bags The Archbishop of Canterbury’s latest book, Dethroning Mammon, asks you to move your body to a new beat, to break out of the trance and tune your ear to something sweeter ...

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Lending For The Long Term

Peter Stockland

February 28, 2017

Publisher Peter Stockland sits down with Work and Economics Program Director Brian Dijkema to talk about Pay Day Loans. Hear what Dijkema told Convivium before his testimony to the Queen’s Park Standing Committee on Social Policy.

Brian Dijkema, program director for Cardus’ Work and Economics, told the Queen’s Park Standing Committee on Social Policy that he applauds the Putting Consumers First Act for its efforts to control predatory practices around short-term, small dollar lending ...

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The Sidewalk View

Gideon Strauss

February 27, 2017

Columnist Gideon Strauss interviews Emile Kutlu, president of the Laurier West Merchant Association in another installment of his Outremont series.

Kutlu is the president of the Laurier West Merchant Association, representing commercial interests along this street that runs along the southern end of the borough of Outremont and on into Montreal’s Mile End neighbourhood But the merchants’ association would not like to see new places of worship o...

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Banana Peel Politics

Peter Stockland

February 27, 2017

Publisher Peter Stockland reports on the Manning Conference, Jason Kenney's new platform, and the University of Toronto's Jordan Peterson on the importance of speaking up.

Yet the same weekend that Hollywood flipped itself farce-over-coffee-pot by announcing that La La Land, errrr, whoops, we meant Moonlight was the year’s top film, delegates to the conservative Manning Centre Conference in Ottawa were urged to unleash their inner comic and laugh the rest of us past t...

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Giving Space

Gideon Strauss

February 24, 2017

Leila Marshy, the daugther of a Palestinian refugee, moved to Outremont in 2008. She grew to understand the Hasidim in her community and what they were contributing to her neighbourhood. When tension surrounding the referendum arose, she spoke out in support of her local synagogue.

It is an effort to cultivate greater mutual familiarity and understanding among the diverse people of Outremont and Mile End, and thereby to change what Leila calls (in a post for the blog "Outremont Hasid") “a punitive atmosphere where every Hasidic person is ‘illegal’ and every bylaw that does not...

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A Message From Manning

Peter Stockland

February 24, 2017

Publisher Peter Stockland sits down with Dr. Andrew Bennett on the eve of the 2017 Manning Conference.

The former Canadian ambassador for religious freedom, now program director for Cardus Law and a senior fellow with the think tank, will make the argument to delegates to the Manning Centre Networking Conference it’s “imperative” they grasp the importance of protecting spiritual belief and practices ...

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Prayer Houses

Jennifer Neutel

February 23, 2017

Calgary’s interfaith community hosted Habitat for Humanity build days during UN World Interfaith Harmony Week in early February. Pictured: a clergy build day last August in Calgary.

Incorporating the build days with Interfaith Harmony Week showed a “demonstration of solidarity among faith groups, each responding to the urgent need for affordable home ownership,” says Les Sawatsky, Habitat for Humanity Southern Alberta board member ...

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Finding Normal

Peter Stockland

February 23, 2017

Publisher Peter Stockland highlights the resonance of the upcoming release World Youth Day Krakow: A Pilgrimage of Mercy.

For Father Kalisch, such connection to the real world goodness of faith have been present from World Youth Day’s inception when 300,000 young people acted on an invitation from Pope John Paul II to gather in St For Father Jonathan Kalisch, a video reel highlight of last year’s World Youth Day was se...

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The Reading Light

Helen Warner

February 22, 2017

A decade ago, Helen Warner felt a calling to help incarcerated women keep their bond with their children. Since then, she has been recording women in custody reading to their children. Through this experience have come countless stories of the strength of love.

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Full Disclosure

T.W.S. Hunt

February 22, 2017

Author T.W.S. Hunt reflects on the true nature of pluralism as a tool to navigate difference within both society and literature.

It’s the kind of pluralism that can eventually – through constructive exposure and real debate, not just polite dialogue – help navigate society through our differences rather than around them (or into them) When we are public about our private faith – whether as Buddhists, Hindus, Muslims, Christia...

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