Articles for Month: December 2005

By Hilary White No one wanted to know shepherds in first century Palestine; they were outcasts, almost as low as a criminal subclass. So it has always struck me as significant that the heavenly host, those highest of all the high, should have come to them for the great announcement. While the great of the world were looking the other way, the angels of God most high manifested to these lowest of the low a glimpse of celestial glory. The multitude of the heavenly host praising God and giving a message of assurance, one that could not be mistaken or […]

By Terry Vanderheyden OTTAWA, December 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – One of my most memorable Christmases was the Christmas of 1996. I had begun the process of discerning whether God wanted me to serve Him as a priest, so I attended a retreat in Cincinnati, Ohio, with a religious order there. At the same retreat was a young man from Ghana who, unlike me, was fairly certain of his call to the priesthood. Unfortunately for Peter, the seminaries in West Africa were not only full, but had a waiting list of three years or more. His parents had saved from their […]

By John-Henry Westen  Editor  LifeSiteNews.com For our family, these are the golden years of Christmas celebrations. Our seven children range in age from nine to newborn and so the holidays are filled with wonder and joy, excitement and singing. At some times there is a lack of quiet, but with grace, peace can always reign in our hearts. Five boys make for much of the action in the house, with a count down to Christmas having begun the first day of Advent. The anticipation of the coming of the Christ Child and the celebrations which ensue have grown exponentially these […]

By Gudrun Schultz My most beautiful memory of Christmas is also one of my earliest memories. I was four. My family was small back then, just my parents, two sisters, and me. We lived on an isolated farm in the Quebec woods, and I spent my days playing with my sisters and taking care of a family of dolls. I don’t remember the Christmas preparations that must have gone on that year, but on Christmas eve, when it came time for my Dad to do the barn chores in the evening, we all got dressed up in our winter coats […]

By Hilary White ROME, December 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Pope Benedict XVI, in his first Christmas address as Pope, has led the Cardinals of the Curia, the Vatican’s version of a cabinet, in a meditation on the events of the past year for the Church and the world. Starting with a reminiscence of his friend, mentor and predecessor, Pope John Paul II, Benedict asked the rhetorical questions that summarize the thoughts of many in the troubled world. John Paul, the Pope said, asked in his last book if evil were the last word. “Is evil perhaps invincible? Is it really […]

By Gudrun Schultz FINLAND, December 23, 2005, (LifeSiteNews.com) – 43 babies out of every thousand conceived using in vitro fertilization techniques are born with a serious deformity, according to yet another study indicating the dangers of IVF. A report by Stakes, Finland’s National Research and Development Centre for Welfare and Health, found a significant increase in the rate of birth deformity among IVF infants. Normal rates would be 29 per thousand. In particular, the study found a higher rate of genital malformation among IVF boy babies. There have been increasing numbers of studies linking infant health problems with IVF techniques […]

By John J. Jalsevac My personal preparation for this Christmas began a little earlier, perhaps, than most. Two months ago I was in Assisi, that blessed, enchanted town that once gave rise to perhaps the holiest and most popular saint in history – St. Francis. For three days myself and my twenty-eight fellow classmates from Christendom College tramped about from basilica to basilica, and shrine to shrine, through the cobblestone streets and alleys of the medieval city. And for the three days we were absolutely silent, allowing our undistracted minds to concentrate on the only things that really matter. It […]

By Terry Vanderheyden SEOUL, December 23, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The research of Korean embryonic stem-cell scientist Hwang Woo-suk has been declared “intentionally fabricated” by a panel of scientists at Seoul National University. The once national hero said, “I sincerely apologise to the people for creating shock and disappointment,” after the announcement, according to a BBC report. “Based on these findings, data in the 2005 Science journal cannot be regarded as a simple accidental error but as intentional fabrication made out of two stem cells,” the investigators reported. “This is a serious wrongdoing that has damaged the foundation of science.” A […]

We wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Blessed New Year! A special set of columns appear on LifeSiteNews.com today and over the holidays – reflections on Christmas from our team of writers, and a few good-news stories too. We trust you’ll enjoy them and remember to check online to see photos which accompany some of the reflections. (https://www.lifesitenews.com ) LifeSiteNews.com will not publish from December 24 till January 2. Service will resume January 3, 2006. At this time of year we reflect on how Joseph and the full-term Mary, the ‘Mother of my Lord’, were turned away from […]

By Steve Jalsevac  LifeSiteNews.com Managing Director This past year has been a trying one for those who love life and family. However, there has also been much good news, although often harder to recognize and appreciate. The best good news time of the year for me is always Christmas. We take a break from the world controversies and frenetic pace and focus on the bigger picture of why we are really here and what really matters for each one of us. Last week one son came home from Rome. Yesterday another came home from seminary in Ottawa. Today, my wife […]