“Vas Honorabile”
(Vessel of Honour)
A Pastoral Letter on Mary as the Patroness of our Local Church
and the key to understanding our identity.
Tuesday, November 21, 2023
The Memorial of the Presentation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
I am writing to invite all the faithful of the Archdiocese to observe in a special way our new Archdiocesan Feast Day, which will be celebrated for the first time on December 8, 2023, the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception. I will also share some thoughts on the International Eucharistic Congress being held in 2024, and my hopes for how this might impact our local Church.
October 2, 2023
Dear Sisters and Brothers,
Last week at the Plenary Assembly of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), the bishops heard of the ongoing legal and legislative evolution connected with assisted suicide—more commonly called Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD). Locally, at a recent meeting of pastors, our priests expressed deep concern over how to respond to the increasing frequency of MAiD related issues in the pastoral care of their people. As Catholics it is important we affirm that “euthanasia/assisted suicide undermines the universal and inviolable dignity of human life and harms the building up of society” (CCCB letter, May 2023).
There is ever-growing concern for how euthanasia, or medical assistance in dying (MAiD), is evolving across Canada. As Catholics how do we respond? Archbishop Dunn encourages the faithful to educate themselves on the issue and our Catholic teaching on the dignity of life. Last week Archbishop Dunn released a letter to the faithful that expressed his concern about MAiD and offers some resources. You can read the full letter here or pdf.
