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MISSISSAUGA, ONT. - At St. Francis Xavier parish in Mississauga, women have the Catholic Women������Ƶapp League, men have the Knights of Columbus and boys have the Columbian Squires. But there was nothing for the girls in the parish.

Some parishioners felt it was time to start something for the girls, said Olivia De Souza, chairperson for family and community life in the parish������Ƶapp Catholic Women������Ƶapp League. So they started a Catholic Girls’ League.

“It is the first Catholic Girls’ League in the archdiocese of Toronto,” said Mary Hawkley, president of the Toronto diocesan council of the Catholic Women������Ƶapp League of Canada. “Our aim is to have Catholic Girls’ Leagues in many parishes where we have CWL councils, but to date, this is the only one.”

During a Mass held at the parish last month, pastor Fr. Bob O’Brien officially inducted the Catholic Girls’ League of 28 members into the Church.

The Catholic Girls’ League is targeted at girls aged 10 to 18. Under the leadership of the members of the CWL and encouraged by inquiries made by girls in the community, the Catholic Girls’ League aims to unite girls in their Catholic faith through bonds of friendship and promoting their spiritual growth by embodying the Christian values of prayer and love.

Months prior to the official induction, the Catholic Girls’ League was already participating actively in the parish community. Last December, for instance, the girls participated in the parish������Ƶapp annual talent show to raise money for the Vita Centre (a centre for young and pregnant single women) and raise money for gift hampers for people living in retirement homes. And as Mother������Ƶapp Day neared, the girls were handcrafting cards for sale to raise funds as they prepared for yet another talent show. The girls also volunteer their time as part of Totus Tuus, a parish-based summer camp program for Catholic youth.

Ramona Leitao, president of the Catholic Girls League, believes that so far they have been able to reflect the organization������Ƶapp founding principles of faith, friendship, fun and formation while they develop as a family of sisters.

But like many other new clubs, the League also faces its own challenges, said Leitao, a Grade 12 student at St. Aloysius Gonzaga Secondary School. In their case, it is increasing awareness about the organization so that girls in their immediate community are given the opportunity to learn more about the organization.

Juleena Suvaminathan, a Grade 12 student at St. Marcellinus Secondary School, agrees.

“Right now the club is new so we haven’t achieved our potential yet because not that many people know about us…. We need to make ourselves more popular because that is the only way for girls to know that this opportunity is available to them,” she said.

Katherine Athaide, a Grade 5 student at St. Gertrude Elementary School in Mississauga, is one of the younger members of the league.

“(The league) teaches you what it means to be a Catholic girl… before I didn’t have as many friends and it helped me make a lot of new friends.”

De Souza hopes the organization will not only help the girls serve their community but also make them develop leadership skills necessary for them to become good members of society.

Meetings are held at the parish on the second Saturday of the month. These meetings usually have themes to go with the season (October was costume-party themed) or the occurrences in the Catholic calendar at that time (September was Our Lady������Ƶapp theme and different girls led the rosary at the Church every Saturday).

Preparations are currently underway for this year������Ƶapp talent show on Nov. 12 in support of the Vita Centre. For more information on the Catholic Girls’ League, email cglxaviermiss@gmail.com.

(Chigbo, 17, is a communication, culture and information technology student at the University of Toronto Mississauga. Read more about her at )

CLARIFICATION: An earlier version of this article stated Rachael Dillman worked for an Alberta MP. She was not working for that MP at the time of publication.

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OTTAWA - While October may be the official month dedicated to the Holy Rosary, for St. Pat������Ƶapp Young Adults Rosary Group in Ottawa, every month is Holy Rosary month. 

WINNIPEG - Parents who fear that pop music is having a negative impact on their children should listen carefully to those tunes perceived as pernicious and talk to their children about values and making the right decisions, says a California-based author and speaker.

Anna Scally, president of Cornerstone Media, was in Winnipeg recently for the annual Retrally (a combination of retreat and rally) at St. Mary������Ƶapp Academy. She told a theatre full of students that parents have legitimate concerns about what young people are listening to, but added “there������Ƶapp a way your music can help you grow spiritually, whatever style you listen to.”

WINDSOR, ONT. - The “undead” walked the streets of Windsor during the fifth annual Zombie Walk on Oct. 15 to collect food for the Windsor Food Coalition.

������Ƶapp 700 people came to the event dressed as zombies, with most participants being young adults and teenagers along with some adults and younger children.

“It������Ƶapp a good way to make a community event and to raise food cans for the poor,” said Matthew Johnson, 18, a young Catholic who participated in the walk.

Victoria Sullivan travelled to an impoverished village in the Dominican Republic for two weeks to help build houses as a Grade 11 student. She enjoyed it so much, she went back the following year with her family to continue the work she started.

“It was really amazing to see those less fortunate than ourselves but you would never know because of how happy they are,” Sullivan told The Catholic Register.

MANAGUA, Nicaragua - With his telenovela good looks and his “call me Chico” invitation, no one would guess 22-year-old Francisco “Chico” Gonzalez had skirmished with the police before landing in a special program for at-risk youth.

Chico������Ƶapp barrio, Jorge Dimitrov, was settled in 1982 after Lake Managua flooded and forced people out of their homes. Now, new generations are being born and raised in his neighbourhood.

VICTORIA, B.C. - Students at the University of Victoria (UVic) marked the blessing of its first Newman House, a residence and spiritual home for Catholic students on campus, Oct. 9.

Victoria Bishop Richard Gagnon presided over the blessing on the anniversary of the day that Blessed Cardinal John Henry Newman was received into the Catholic Church. ������Ƶapp 30 students and community members were in attendance. The Newman House, which is all male this year, opened for students at the end of August.

“God is blessing me and all the residents with this opportunity to grow in our faith, evangelize the campus and strengthen our resolve to live a faith-filled and holy life,” said Jeremy Côté, 22, the house leader. “I feel that this house has really become a home to me already, both for the people here and the atmosphere of community.”

TORONTO - Everything about the porn industry is fake, former Playboy TV producer Donny Pauling told an audience of about 175 students at York University on Sept. 27 at a lecture organized by its Catholic chaplaincy team. 

Partnering with Matt Fradd, founder of the Porn Effect, a web site dedicated to fighting pornography, the two exposed painful secrets surrounding Pauling������Ƶapp old business.

“I’m sorry if you think porn������Ƶapp not a big deal,” Pauling said. “I think it is a big deal.”

TORONTO - ������Ƶapp 25 young adults took to the streets during Nuit Blanche, Toronto������Ƶapp yearly all-night art festival, to explore the spiritual connections behind the exhibits.

The group gathered as part of Hike and Prayer, organized by Faith Connections, a ministry for young adults run by the Sisters of St. Joseph of Toronto.

“It was an opportunity for young adults to meet each other, to reflect on the spiritual side of art and to participate in the city of Toronto,” said program director Vanessa Nicholas-Schmidt.

For many, summer is a time to travel to the most exotic places in the world and experience their beauty. But for two Catholic youth, such a journey was taken for an entirely different reason.

Ashley Khan and Karena Ahwai-Mohammed, both students in the concurrent teaching program at Toronto������Ƶapp York University, decided to spend their summer in Fiji, an island in the south Pacific Ocean. Starting last June, Khan and Ahwai-Mohammed spent three months working on community projects in Sawakasa, an impoverished village only an hour away from Suva, Fiji������Ƶapp capital.

“Fiji seems like paradise but there is such poverty, especially behind the resorts,” said Khan. “There are people who do not have access to water for days and don’t have resources for the education system.”

During their time there, Khan and Ahwai-Mohammed mainly worked on school renovations, including sanding and repainting walls and doors, and building a rain water catchment near the school from which the children can drink.

While completing the projects, both stayed with a host family and lived in the same conditions as any other Sawakasa resident.

“We stayed with the most loving family with four children who treated us as if we were part of the family,” said Ahwai-Mohammed.

“The family that we stayed with didn’t have that much when it came to material possessions, but they had strong faith in God and appreciated everything that they did have,” she said.

“As long as they had God and their family, they were happy and satisfied, which has inspired me to be more appreciative for everything I have.”

Khan said the pair shared in the poverty of their hosts, bathing in the river because there was no running water and living in houses that had lizards and a variety of bugs.

But their positive attitude and the entire trip was inspired by their Catholic values, said Khan.

“Making a difference is truly an image of love, Christ������Ƶapp love for His people,” she said. 

And now, Khan belongs to an even bigger family.

“Even though I live in Canada, my family in Fiji will always be a part of my life and I will continue to watch out for them,” she said. “I’m planning to send a help package for Christmas with things like school supplies, toothbrushes and toothpaste.”

Their experiences in Fiji have also helped the pair to grow, both spiritually and personally.

“My overall experience was a rewarding one,” said Khan. “I’ve learned peace, humility, to be content with what I have and the importance of unity and family. This experience has led me to continue making an impact in my own community through the Church. It was the beginning of finding my true self and being able to do what I passionately love doing.”

Looking back on the experience, Khan recommends Catholic youth be more selfless in their everyday lives.

“Have a vision and persevere with it, always keeping God first,” she said. “By adopting an attitude of gratitude and giving, we begin to change the lives of those around us.”

(Hurren, 18, is a Media, Information and Technoculture student at the University of Western Ontario. )