Educational notes.

Charlottetown, P.E.I. -- After an absence of 35 years, credit courses in Catholic Religious Studies (CRS) will be offered at the University of P.E.I. It will offer a minor in CRS and offer some scholarships. Much of the cost will be borne by St. Dunstan's University, a continuing legal entity after its properties were sold to the U. of P.E.I. in 1970. It has set up a Centre for Christianity and Culture. Courses are open to all students (Atlantic Catholic, Aug. 6, 2005). It is not clear whether Catholics have any say about the appointment of Catholic professors.

The Saint John Diocese in New Bunswick has had to cut down on diocesan educational efforts because of financial pressures. In early March 2005, the bishop was forced to close the Lay Pastoral Ministry Formation Program, cut back on the Social Justice Office, and the Catechetical program for St. Malachy's Memorial High School, the only private Catholic high school in the province which does not have publicly supported Catholic schools.

There is also a tiny (5 students) Catholic private grade school in Fredericton, Our Lady of Grace, and a larger one in Saint John, Divine Mercy (New Freeman, May 13, 2005).

In Quebec, public schools are secular. As reported in our July/August edition (p.34), on July 1, 2005, the Educational Minister Jean Mare Fourmier announced that the five-year transitional program of confessional instruction--either Protestant or Catholic--introduced in 2000 when the denominational school systems were abolished, would not be renewed. All Catholic influence has ceased and the schools are now fully secular and "emancipated" from Christianity.

In the diocese of Valleyfield, the Opus Dei centre at Coteau-du-Lac has been enlarged. It is essentially a centre for retreats and conferences but attached to it is a small-scale training program for young women in the hospitality industry Opus Dei has 700 members in Canada, 200 in Quebec (Montreal Catholic Times, Feb. 1, 2005).

In the Ottawa archdiocese, Catholic laity have opened Maryvale Academy, a private Catholic school. John Paceco is vice-president and he can be reached at [e-mail].

In the neighbouring Pembroke diocese, Our Lady Seat of Wisdom Academy in Barry's Bay started its sixth year in September. This is an undergraduate college which now offers three years of college. It provides students with an immersion in Catholic culture, thought, history and theology, as well as regular college courses. It has 14 staff members and an enrolment of 54 students.

Radio Maria, a Toronto-based Catholic radio station operated by the non-profit corporation Holy Mother World Networks Canada, has begun broadcasting in English, to supplement Italian-language programming that has been on the air since 1995.

Like the Italian programming, the English broadcast is on a sub-carrier frequency, meaning listeners require a special radio in order to pick up the channel. The radios cost $70 and can be ordered through the head office. For more information, contact Holy Mother World Networks Canada at 1247 Lawrence Ave. W., Toronto, Ont., M6L IA1. Telephone: [phone], e-mail: [e-mail], website: www.hmwn.net.

In the diocese of St. Catherines, ON., the former Niagara Falls landmark, Loretto High School, turned into Loretto Christian Life Centre twenty years ago (which was then used for educational and spiritual purposes), has now closed. The renovation costs are too high for the declining community of Loretto Sisters (I.B.V.M.).

The Archdiocese of St. Boniface, MB, has opened a bilingual website (www.archsaintboniface.ca) with diocesan information. The homilies and writings of Archbishop Emilius Goulet, PSS, will be available. Many other dioceses in the West such as Calgary, Edmonton and Vancouver also have their own websites now.

In Edmonton, Newman Theological College just north of the city is starting a new six-week program for overseas priests who intend to work in Western Canadian dioceses. It is an attempt to make their transition into Canada easier and give them a chance to get used to Canadian customs and culture. The College has a new lay president, Mr. Bryn Kulmatycki.

In Calgary, St. Mary's University College, affiliated with St. Francis Xavier University in Antigonish, N.S., completed its first year in 1998 with 101 students, and today has over 500 full- and part-time students.

In Vancouver, the liberal arts College of Corpus Christi situated on the University of B.C. grounds at St. Mark's Theological College, opened in 1999 with 14 students. Today it teaches over 100 full-time students whose credits are fully transferable across Canada.

In Langley, B.C., the small Catholic component at Trinity Western University, Redeemer Pacific College which opened its doors in 1998, issued its own letter to Members of Parliament opposing same-sex "marriage" (B.C. Catholic, April 25, 2005). As of September, the college has 50 full-time students while some Trinity Western students also take courses at the college. Dr. Rolent Stackpole is the president and the only full-time faculty. Five other part-time faculty provide a variety of courses.