Tag: Canada

Christian Chronicle

In Canada, a reckoning after remains of 215 Indigenous children are found

Discovery at a former residential school offers a ‘painful reminder of that dark and shameful chapter’ in the nation’s history. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle At age 6, Brenda Cyr was taken from her family and forced to live at a church-run residential school — part of a 120-year Canadian government effort to assimilate Indigenous children. In seven years at two such schools, Cyr, … Continue reading In Canada, a reckoning after remains of 215 Indigenous children are found

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

Running away from religion

In Montreal’s secular culture, many native Canadians see no need for faith. Immigrants ‘are readier to hear about God,’ minister Roger Saumur says. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle MONTREAL — Montreal’s heart has grown cold to the Gospel. The largest French-speaking city in North America can be a lonely place to be a Christian. “Our society, it’s secular,” said Horald Shabanaj, an Albanian … Continue reading Running away from religion

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

In Canada, seeking redemption for a long, dark chapter

Ministry strives to overcome — and atone for — nation’s 120-year history of snatching indigenous children from their parents. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle DAUPHIN, Manitoba — The boy felt nauseous. A knot gripped him in the pit of his stomach. He couldn’t explain the feeling, but it overcame him each time he walked into the long, rectangular building. Nearly four decades … Continue reading In Canada, seeking redemption for a long, dark chapter

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle, The Ross News

Before baby bird leaves the nest, a trip to remember

A father and soon-to-fly-away daughter enjoy a travel adventure north of the U.S. border. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle TORONTO — “A six-hour layover, eh?” I posted that wisecrack on Facebook as my 17-year-old daughter, Kendall, and I awaited a connecting flight. It was early afternoon on a snowy, late winter day at Toronto Pearson International Airport. My youngest child and I were in … Continue reading Before baby bird leaves the nest, a trip to remember

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

In Canada, refugees find love and hope

For these Syrians, church members have become ‘a second family.’ First Place, Feature Article, Associated Church Press Second Place, Best Reporter portfolio, Oklahoma Society of Professional Journalists By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle ST. CATHARINES, Ontario — Ten-year-old Mohammed and his sister Miriam, 6, shriek with excitement when they hear knocking at the front door. The pint-sized Syrian refugees are expecting Jori Warren, … Continue reading In Canada, refugees find love and hope

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Religion News Service

In rural Canada, churches that once shunned one another open their hearts to Syrian refugees

By Bobby Ross Jr. | For Religion News Service DAUPHIN, Manitoba (RNS) Ken Yakielashek, a Roman Catholic and semiretired farmer in the Canadian Prairies, says he remembers when Christians of varying denominations “wouldn’t talk to one another.” To Yakielashek, that makes what’s happened in Dauphin — a rural community 200 miles northwest of the provincial capital of Winnipeg — all the more remarkable. A year … Continue reading In rural Canada, churches that once shunned one another open their hearts to Syrian refugees

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

Canadian churches embrace Syrian refugees

Two congregations adopt a family displaced by a civil war that has claimed half a million lives. Third Place, Feature Article, Associated Church Press By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle BEAMSVILLE, Ontario — As war ravaged their homeland, a Syrian family of eight fled for their lives. The Muslim father, mother and six children — among 4 million Syrians who have escaped to … Continue reading Canadian churches embrace Syrian refugees

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.
Christian Chronicle

More precious than gold

More precious than gold (reporting from Vancouver, British Columbia). Currents. By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle VANCOUVER, British Columbia – For two weeks, the world’s spotlight will shine on this coastal metropolis as athletes from more than 80 nations compete in the 2010 Winter Olympics. Long after the Games end in late February, however, the Pacific Northwest city will retain its international flavor, as … Continue reading More precious than gold

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Christian Chronicle

Lead me to Calgary

By Bobby Ross Jr. | The Christian Chronicle CALGARY, Alberta — In the shadow of a white steeple, spray-painted graffiti defames the beige brick wall of the Calgary Church of Christ. The black scrawls testify to the gritty nature of the area served by the 300-member church — one of only eight a cappella Churches of Christ in a province nearly the size of Texas. “It’s … Continue reading Lead me to Calgary

Unknown's avatarBobby Ross Jr.