Bishop had merit

Albert Sanschagrin, Bishop emeritus of Saint-Hyacinthe in Quebec, died April 2 at the age of 97. Ordained to the priesthood in 1936 as a member of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate, he worked with the Young Christian Workers; established missions in Chile, Bolivia and Surinam; was named Provincial Superior for the Oblates of Eastern Canada in 1953; became Coadjutor Bishop of Amos in 1959; participated in the Second Vatican Council 1962-1965; and was named Bishop of Saint-Hyacinthe in 1967. He retired, becoming Bishop emeritus, in 1979.

This will make you smarter

Gary Thomas, author of the best-seller Sacred Marriage: What If God Designed Marriage to Make Us Holy More Than to Make Us Happy?, will be the keynote speaker at the annual 'Smarter Families Canada' conference at Associated Canadian Theological Seminaries in Langley, BC, May 8 - 9. Now in its seventh year, the conference aims to equip lay-leaders, pastors and Christian counsellors with practical tools to help with marriage, parenting and recovery ministries in the local church. In addition to Thomas's presentations, the conference will also offer workshops on 'Building An Affair Resistant Marriage,' 'Handle the Heat Without Getting Burned in Your Relationship,' 'How to Run Pornography Recovery Groups' and 'Marriage Bootcamps.'

Think tank comments

Cardus, a Christian think tank based in Hamiltion, Ontario, has upgraded its online journal, Comment: Equipping and Connecting the Next Generation of Christian Leaders. It will now feature contributions from regular columnists and others in four broad areas: Arts and the Academy, Business and Technology, Culture and Politics, and Delights and Comforts.

Mennonites write on the lines

Mennonites in North America have produced an unusually large body of creative writing, relative to their numbers (less than 1 million members). The Center for Mennonite Writing at Goshen College in Indiana has launched a comprehensive website dedicated to this body of work. It will include three main sections: a bimonthly online CMW Journal containing new writing and criticism; a resource section containing bibliographies, biographies, links to other sites and classic Mennonite texts; and an interactive community section for forums and discussion groups.

Grappling with the world

The Evangelical Fellowship of Canada (EFC) is facilitating six one-day seminars in Ontario and Saskatchewan that seek to address 'Being Evangelical in a Complex World: Stats, Facts and Trends.' These one-day seminars, held April 21 - May 7, are aimed at pastors and lay leaders and will be taught by the EFC's Bruce J. Clemenger, Don Hutchinson and Rick Hiemstra.

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Easter goes YouTube

Robert Bugbee, president of Lutheran Church.Canada (LCC), presented an MTV-style Easter message on YouTube. "The news of the first Easter was intended to go public," said Bugbee. "Putting the message online takes it public again." The video is part of an ongoing strategy to make stronger connections between the church and the online community. Bugbee noted that Martin Luther, who sparked the Protestant Reformation in 1517, "translated the Bible into a language people understood. That's what we're trying to do online." The denomination also operates a website where people are welcome to explore their beliefs and discover what the Christian faith is all about.

Jews and Christians meet

ICEJ Canada is joining with several other Christian ministries to host the Knesset Christian Allies Caucus (KCAC) in a Canada-Israel Friendship Tour April 19 - 23. ICEJ Canada's national director, Donna Holbrook, will be touring with the Canada-Israel delegation to each of the five cities on the tour: Toronto, Montreal, Ottawa, Winnipeg and Vancouver. Tickets are $50 per person. ICEJ offers online registration here.

Christian writers to be honoured

Tickets are now on sale for the fourth annual Canadian Christian Writing Awards Gala. This black tie event, honouring the best work published in 2008 by Canadian writers who are Christian, will be held June 17 at the headquarters of World Vision Canada in Mississauga, Ontario. Awards will be presented for outstanding career achievement, and for the best nonfiction books, novels, articles, columns, poems and song lyrics. "Every work to be awarded shares one thing in common with every other," says Denise Rumble, managing director of The Word Guild, the organization behind the event. "Each was written by a writer who professes to be Christian. It is our faith that unites us, and our faith that motivates our work." Previous award winners include L'Arche founder Jean Vanier; Paul Young, author of the bestselling novel The Shack; and broadcaster and Globe and Mail columnist Lorna Dueck. To purchase tickets, call 519-886-4196.

Catholic inquiry goes to Mexico

In response to recent allegations that funds from the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace have been given to five Mexican groups that support abortion, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has asked two Bishops to lead a committee of inquiry. The bishops, Martin W. Currie of St. John's, Newfoundland and Francois Lapierre of Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec will be in Mexico April 15 - 18. Archbishop V. James Weisgerber said the committee will investigate the specific issues raised by the allegations and review firsthand how Development and Peace approaches its work with its partners in the Global South. He also indicated that the committee would meet with bishops from Mexico. Development and Peace was founded by the bishops of Canada in 1967 as their official agency for development work and emergency relief in the Global South.

Not a good month

Religious leaders from around the world have designated April Genocide Prevention Month. April was chosen because atrocities in Darfur, Rwanda, Bosnia, Cambodia, the Holocaust and Armenia all have major anniversaries in April.

April 16/2009