I was invited to speak at the Humanae Vitae: A Buried Treasure Conference held at the University of Toronto on Saturday, November 15. Despite the dreary weather, approximately 400 people jammed into the Sam Sorbara Auditorium, with over 200 people being turned away, either at the door or by phone, who were looking for tickets! I can’t lie – they certainly weren’t there to see me!
The other speakers included such luminaries as Ottawa’s Archbishop Terence Prendergrast, our very own Archbishop Thomas Collins, Father Thomas Lynch, Director of Priests for Life Canada, musician Mark Mallett, and Dr. Maria Kraw, who spoke on the medical dangers of contraception.
The phenomenal crowd was proof that the message of Humanae Vitae is still fresh, even in our day – in fact, it’s needed now more than ever. My topic was the Theology of the Body by Pope John Paul II. Appropriately so, because JPII viewed the TOB as the full flowering of Humanae Vitae.
It really felt like a family event for me – Archbishop Prendergrast was formerly Archbishop of Halifax, where I used to live. Of course, Archbishop Collins is my spiritual father now. Fr. Lynch reconciled me to the Church in ’04, hearing my confession. Dr. Kraw was my wife’s roommate in university. It’s like six degrees of Kevin Bacon!
(Hat tip to Jenny Beraun for the photo of yours truly, preaching up a storm!)
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