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At the service of Christ and the Church

9/24/2023

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On many occasions, Pope Francis has stated that the Church must choose the path of attraction. He echoed this same message when talking about vocations. 
The Church must be attractive. Wake up the world! Be witnesses of a different way of acting, of living! It is possible to live differently in the world [...] It is this witness I expect from you”. ~Pope Francis (Rejoice, A Letter to consecrated men and women in preparation for the year dedicated to Consecrated Life)
This task of waking up the Diocese in cultivating vocations, providing opportunities for prayer, and in promoting awareness for the support of a culture of vocations is beginning a new path with the establishment of the Serra Club of Calgary. Serra is a global lay apostolate for the promotion of vocations within the Catholic Church.

On Saturday, September 16, 2023, we celebrated the official Charter Day of the Serra Club in our Diocese with Mass at St. Mary’s Cathedral and the induction of the founding lay members. I am grateful for the commitments they have made to foster and promote in our diocese vocations to the ministerial priesthood, to encourage and affirm vocations to the consecrated religious life, and to assist its members to respond in their own lives to God’s call to holiness in Jesus Christ and through the Holy Spirit.

The objectives of this lay apostolate in the Diocese of Calgary include:
  • Re-ignite enthusiasm for fostering vocations throughout the diocese
  • Establish coordination with parishes and schools
  • Focus on the most effective ways to raise vocation awareness and reach youth and young adults
  • Provide support for parish events, communications, and planning for vocation awareness
  • Provide parishes and schools with access to high quality resources, digital and print communication
The radical living of our baptism is a continuous call for every person to follow Christ. It is never static, nor is it focussed on self. 
Because when we put Christ at the centre of our life, we ourselves don’t become the centre! […] We are not at the centre; we are, so to speak, relocated. We are at the service of Christ and of the Church.” ~Pope Francis, Rejoice – A Letter to consecrated men and women in preparation for the year dedicated to Consecrated Life
The true heart and essence of a vocation to the priesthood and religious life is to be at the service of Christ and the Church. Waking up the Diocese, willing to be renewed in the service of Christ and for the Church involves promoting the beauty of vocations. The apostolate of the Serra Club can instill a renewal of spirit, of allowing our parishes, schools and families to become a path of attraction in which our young people can encounter Christ who draws them closer to himself in the discernment of their unique vocation.

In our parishes and schools, we must collaborate in the task of vocational promotion for our youth and young adults. The religious instruction that takes place in our publicly funded and private Catholic schools needs to be supported and strengthen by the involvement of our parishes and the members of the Serra Club if a spirit of vocational awareness is to permeate the life and formation of our youth.

These new strategies that are undertaken will reflect the impetus and commitment of the diocese in promoting a culture of vocations. Patience and endurance in implementing such strategies will assist parents in passing on the faith and in presenting the attractiveness of following Christ to their children by encouraging them to be open to discern God’s call and to consider a vocation to priesthood and religious life.
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In this coming year it is my hope that the initiatives of the Serra Club will begin to wake up the Diocese and our parishes so that we might become a diocese that promotes a culture of vocations. May the virtues of “patient expectation and apostolic endurance” guide our efforts in the Church to become a renewed path of attraction by promoting opportunities of closeness and encounter with Christ for our youth.
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Serra Chapters celebration with Bishop McGrattan, Sep. 16, 2023. Photos: Victor Panlilio.
Welcoming five new seminarians this year

This year, our Diocese was pleased to welcome five new seminarians who have begun their formation at St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton. They have joined the eight returning seminarians who have already been discerning the priesthood for our Diocese. In addition to the joyful ordination of Fr. Santiago Torres earlier this year, his former eight confreres represent the first group of seminarians in more than twenty years who have all chosen to remain in formation with none discerning out of the seminary over the summer. Of course, the Church continues to discern their call to the priesthood alongside them, but it is a tremendous blessing to see the commitment of these young men to their preparation for possible ordination.

​The five new seminarians who have joined them are also the largest entrance class we have seen in the Diocese in more than fifteen years. They have either been valued leaders in their home parishes from throughout Calgary or active participants in the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy. Two other young men- one from All Saints Parish, Lethbridge and another from St. Vincent Liem Vietnamese Parish, Calgary- have entered novitiates in the Franciscan and Dominican orders respectively.

​We give thanks for how richly the Lord is blessing our Diocese with vocational discernment and I urge us all to continue praying for this vital intention in our local Church. 

Please pray for our seminarians: ​
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Peter An,
​Theology IV
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Andre Boudreau,
​Arts III
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Joshua Capicio,
​Theology I
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Bennet Chacko,
Theology II
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Jonathan Dobek, 
​Propadeutic Year
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Samuel Ejeregbe, 
Theology III
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Evin George,
​Propadeutic Year
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Solomon Ip,
​Philosophy I
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Jeffrell Painaga,
​Propadeutic Year
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Antonio Pasqualotto, 
Propadeutic Year
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Mikhel Sari, 
​Propadeutic Year
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Benjamin Taylor, 
Philosophy I
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Joshua Walter,
​Philosophy I
To inquire about religious vocations, please contact the Office of Vocations at 403-218-5500 or email Fr. Cristino | Visit the Office of Vocations webpage
If you feel called to support our seminarians and priests in a tangible way, consider becoming one of the founding members of the Serra Club of the Diocese of Calgary. Email serracalgary@gmail.com for more information or to sign up. All are welcome! 
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Written by Bishop William T. McGrattan
Sep. 22, 2023
Seminarians photos: Lincoln Ho, for St. Joseph's Seminary, Edmonton; Serra Chapters celebration photos: Victor Panlilio (more photos here).
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Sharing the Living Memory of Lisbon

9/17/2023

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A month has passed since the World Youth Day pilgrimage in Lisbon, Portugal. Four pilgrims in the diocese share their memorable stories of Lisbon. Accompanied by stunning photographs, these stories provide a glimpse into their transformative World Youth Day encounters.
  • ​Andrew Min: Joy is missionary
  • ​Catarina Avila: Go with haste to encounter our Lord
  • Elizabeth Spiess: In a field with 2 million Catholics
  • ​Cameron Bluekens: The pilgrimage of love and kindness

Andrew Min: Joy is missionary
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World Youth Day crowd at Opening Mass. Photo credit: Andrew Min.
Joy is missionary! So, each of us has the duty to bring that joy to others." ~Pope Francis - WYD Vigil
I had an amazing time at World Youth Day 2023 in Portugal this summer. There were definitely some challenging moments – whether it was enduring the hot weather, navigating through multiple crowds, or staying overnight for the vigil gathering – but all of these experiences contributed to a deeper growth and relationship with Christ.

​I was particularly moved when Pope Francis remarked that “joy is missionary” during the vigil. All of us are invited to be the cause of joy for others, and to use that joy to spread the good news in our community. 
Since returning home, the joy that I experienced at World Youth Day has become my motivation throughout my involvement at St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy and in my home parish at St. Anne’s Korean Catholic Church.

​As a Korean-Canadian, I am proud to hear that the next World Youth Day in 2027 will be held in Seoul, South Korea. I am hopeful that the next pilgrimage will be a vehicle to not only revive the young adult community at my home parish, but to better integrate St. Anne’s Church to the larger Catholic community within the Diocese of Calgary.
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WYD Canadian Delegation Meeting
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In front of Sanctuary of Our Lady of Sameiro in Braga, Portugal
Submitted by Andrew Min for Faithfully. Andrew was born in South Korea but grew up in Calgary. He studied international economics at UBC, and is currently employed with the federal public service. His home parish is St. Anne’s Korean Catholic Church, a Korean Catholic Church in the Diocese of Calgary. In his spare time, Andrew loves playing hockey and is a certified official with Hockey Alberta. 

​Photos courtesy of Andrew Min.

Catarina Avila: Go with haste to encounter our Lord
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Group photo in the Church of Santa Catarina, Lisbon after Catechesis. Photo credit: Catarina Avila.
We must go with haste to encounter our Lord in the Sacraments and minister to our brothers and sisters as the hands and feet of Christ in the world." ~Catarina Avila
World Youth Day was one of the most profound experiences of my life!

Throughout our journey, I encountered the Lord in so many ways, both big and small. He was there in the loving eyes of the Holy Father, in the resounding holy silence at the vigil, in adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, in the veneration of the relics of Sts. Thomas Aquinas, St. Therese of Lisieux, and St. John Paul II.

From experiencing the famous Botafumeiro swing in Santiago de Compostela, to visiting the apparition site of Our Lady of Fatima, to each step that I took in our long and arduous treks, the Lord was present with me through it all, filling my soul with many wonderful graces along the way.
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Reliquary housing a spinal disc of St. Therese, first class relic.
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Catarina and Rui meeting Bishop Mark Edwards of the Diocese of Wagga Wagga, Australia at Catechesis.
This pilgrimage has reminded me that our whole lives are pilgrimages. We are pilgrims passing through this world seeking the Lord, uniting ourselves with Him in every step of our journey. By persevering in love and sacrifice for God, we pilgrims will have the joy to be united with our Lord and rest in the abode of His love for all eternity. And so, we must live every day of our lives as joyful and humble pilgrims, accompanied by the Blessed Mother, who helps us through our challenges and brings us ever closer to her Son.

​Just as “Mary rose and went with haste,” (Lk 1:39) so too, we must not delay in our pursuit of Heaven. We must go with haste to encounter our Lord in the Sacraments and minister to our brothers and sisters as the hands and feet of Christ in the world.
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Our group’s view of the Holy Father, Pope Francis.
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The botafumeiro, largest thurible in the world, and the main altar in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela.
Submitted by Catarina Avila for Faithfully.
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Basilica of Our Lady of Fatima in Fatima, Portugal.

Elizabeth Spiess: In a field with 2 million Catholics
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The vigil crowd. Photo credit: Elizabeth Spiess.
That is the only time, the only time that we are allowed to look down upon others: when we are offering to help them up.” ~Pope Francis, WYD Vigil 
During my trip to Portugal for World Youth Day, I was most impacted by all the youth there who shared the same faith as I do. Here in Lethbridge, I did go to a Catholic High School, but not many of my peers were Catholic, so seeing so many people who share the same beliefs as me was so amazing! I also thought it was unbelievably special getting to experience Adoration with the Pope.

Being in a field with 2 million other people in complete silence, so quiet that you could hear a pin drop, was incredible. One thing the Pope said that really stuck with me was, "the only time that we are allowed to look down upon others is when we are offering to help them up.”

World Youth Day was an amazing experience; I got to meet so many cool people! It's definitely an experience I will never forget!
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Gathering around Fr. Santiago at the vigil as he translated the Pope's message into English.
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The Pope arrived by boat on Sunday morning after the Vigil.
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Finding some relief after a long walk to the Vigil site with a water fight!
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Always time for a treat!
Submitted by Elizabeth Spiess for Faithfully. Elizabeth was born and raised in Lethbridge, Alberta. She has 3 younger siblings. Elizabeth is a member of All Saints Parish, where she currently serves in many ministries. She has just graduated in the spring from Catholic Central High School and is now attending Lethbridge College with the hopes of one day becoming a teacher. She is also playing on the Lethbridge College Women’s Basketball Team, which has been a dream of hers ever since kindergarten. She loves everything basketball, from playing to coaching her younger siblings, as well as reffing. ​Photos courtesy of Elizabeth Spiess. 

Cameron Bluekens: The pilgrimage of love and kindness
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A quick visit to the City of Joy vocation booths - here with the Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. Photo credit: Cameron Bluekens.
World Youth Day is extremely busy, but the moments I had in silence were one of the things I treasure most." ~Cameron Bluekens
World Youth Day was a good reminder of how God can bring blessings out of both joyful moments as well as struggles. One of the most noticeable things I experienced on the pilgrimage was how the constant kindness and generosity of others reflected Jesus’ own love for me.

There were days when I couldn't even stand unassisted due to muscle fatigue, but my fellow pilgrims were literally there to support me 24/7. This especially moved me one day when I could not stand at Mass, and I had to hang on to someone to receive Communion: I was leaning entirely on them and on the Lord.

Secondly, it brought home how much I need and cherish Mass and prayer. World Youth Day is extremely busy, but the moments I had in silence were some of the things I treasure most, even though my prayer was mostly just being in God’s presence and in the company of the Saints with their relics.
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Third, I recognized recently that I was granted the grace I had hoped for: a greater zeal for evangelization rooted in love. Since coming home, I have prayed for others more fervently and have felt a greater desire to share the truth of Catholicism with them simply out of love and concern, knowing that God so desperately wants to draw them to Himself.
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Submitted by Cameron Bluekens for Faithfully. Cameron studies Psychology at the University of Lethbridge. She entered the Catholic Church in 2018 and she attends All Saints Parish in Lethbridge. She is passionate about philosophy and music, and loves reading, going for walks, and spending time with other Catholic young adults.

​Photos courtesy of Cameron Bluekens.
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Don't euthanize me

9/9/2023

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“I suppose you could call me an old-fashioned woman,” began Calgarian Christine Nagel. “I always discouraged my children from getting tattoos.”

You can imagine how taken aback, then, Christine’s children were when she announced that she was getting her first tattoo at age 81. Perhaps the only thing more startling was that she had chosen that it would say: “Don’t euthanize me.”

​“Why are you getting that?” they asked.
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Christine told them, “Because the government passed a bill that is a way to eradicate human life, but human life is a gift from God. We don’t decide when it begins; no more do we decide when it ends.”
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Dying to Meet You

Like Christine, the legalization of euthanasia affected me very much as well. I started to think: Now, we don’t so much have a culture of death as we seem to have death without culture. I also began to wonder how we can bring cultural renewal to death and dying and restore its meaning and proper significance to our lives.

And so, on January 1, 2021, I made a new year’s resolution to blog about death and dying every single day for an entire year in a way that was ultimately edifying. To my surprise, writing each post became a highlight of my day. That blog “DyingToMeetYou.ca” (archived here) got more than 15,000 unique visitors and, more importantly, led people to take action in their own lives in ways I did not expect or anticipate.

I continue to blog, now at DyingToMeetYou.com. Always on the search for interesting stories, this is how I met Christine.

Born and raised in England, Christine was four when the Second World War began, and ten when it ended. She remembered the mandatory blackouts as well as classmates who lost parents during the war, saying: “There were German bombs dropping down and we couldn’t let out a chink of light. The civilian attitude was to obey rules to preserve life. And, particularly given the constant threat, the grownups I knew carried cards that said: 'I’m a Catholic. In case of an accident, call a priest.'"


While the overall wartime context certainly heightened Christine’s sensitivity to suffering, there were many personal experiences of suffering throughout this octogenarian’s life, too:

​“I know that suffering is a part of life, it’s a part of living,” Christine told me. “And I believe that everybody suffers in one way or another. I watched my mother suffer and die from ALS when she was 34. I suffered myself when she died and I was only 10. At the time, in the 1940s, it was not expected that children should go to funerals and my siblings and I were not told anything about our mother’s death until a few months later.”

When she became an adult, Christine seized the opportunity to move to Canada and settled in a small village in Saskatchewan to teach and eventually met and married a local farmer. On discovering that they were unable to have children, they chose to adopt. She had been particularly inspired to adopt by St. Thomas More’s example, which she read about in a book entitled, Two Fortunate Orphans.

​Over the years, the couple adopted seven children – including three Indigenous children – all of whose birth mothers had specifically requested a Catholic upbringing for them.

Asked what she thinks has changed with respect to the modern inability to contend with the trials of life, Christine told me, “There was so much suffering and death that people would hardly think of cutting life short intentionally. But now, the Western world has become more and more affluent and suffering is not so apparent. People feel entitled to have a life based on F-U-N. It’s got to be fun or else it’s not worth it.”
“We always ask the children, ‘Did you have fun?’ And adults tell each other, ‘Oh, that was such fun!’ Fun has become the goal of life. But life isn’t always fun; life has suffering. Life is a pit stop on the way to heaven.”

And so, with the nationwide legalization of euthanasia in Canada, Christine remembered those wartime cards to “Phone a priest” and briefly considered carrying a card in her wallet that would say, “I’m a Catholic, don’t euthanize me.”
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“But,” explained Christine, “knowing myself, I needed something more solid than a card because I traditionally lose things. I decided that a tattoo would last me until my death and would be a permanent feature.”

And so, Christine went to get tattooed and her kids came to watch.
The Church as an Expert in Humanity

Loneliness, increased cost of living, mental health crises, alienation amidst grief and loss — these are just some of the social issues of our time that lead some to consider suicide or euthanasia. And, while the crises are great, we the Church are prepared to meet them through ministry, accompaniment, and our confidence in the power of God to overcome even death.

When Pope Paul VI addressed the United Nations, he said that the Church was present there as “an expert in humanity.” Now, the Compendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church also states, “As an expert in humanity, “[the Church] is able to understand man in his vocation and aspirations, in his limits and misgivings, in his rights and duties, and to speak a word of life that reverberates in the historical and social circumstances of human existence.”

But what does that look like concretely?

How are we doing it? Is our witness credible? Are we sufficiently present?
To my pleasant surprise, I have become filled with hope by what I have found, including here in our own diocese. There are, in fact, so many quiet examples of ordinary heroism all around us. These examples are expressed through ministries, social groups, professional work, and even friendship. 

Inspired by these examples, I am pleased to share with you an invitation to an exciting Diocesan-Wide Open House Event on “The Church as an Expert in Humanity.” The daylong event on Saturday, September 23rd at St. Mary’s Cathedral, the Parish Hall, and the Pastoral Centre will be an opportunity for exploring life's great questions of suffering, death, meaning, and hope. ​
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It has been several years since Christine got the tattoo, so I asked Christine if she has had any regrets at all about it. 

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“Initially, I thought about getting the tattoo across my chest, but given the number of people who ask to see it, it’s good I went with my arm instead!” she chuckled.

If you want to hear more from Christine, attend the Evening Program - come and listen to her in person (she’s one of the speakers) at the 
Diocesan-Wide Open House Event on “The Church as an Expert in Humanity” event on Sep. 23! Be sure to check out the event website and register here! ​

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Contributed by Amanda Achtman for Faithfully. Amanda was born and raised in Calgary. During high school, she was a two-time winner of the Knights of Columbus Respect for Life speech contest. She studied at both St. Mary's University and the University of Calgary. She has worked in journalism, politics, and advocacy. Amanda holds graduate degrees in John Paul II Studies from the Catholic University of Lublin, Poland and in Judaic Studies & Jewish-Christian at the Pontifical Gregorian University in Rome. Determined to protect human life, Amanda's current priority is preventing euthanasia and encouraging hope.
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Healing & Thanksgiving

9/8/2023

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Photo credit: Peak Visor

 
Since the establishment of the Courage & Encourage Apostolate within the Diocese of Calgary in 2006, we have had a fruitful apostolate aimed at supporting our brothers and sisters journeying with same gender attraction and with those who live with or accompany them. Many have sought support from this ministry and each person has a very unique and special journey of their own.

This year was our first attempt at a common retreat for the Encourage group (parents, friends etc. of persons experiencing same gender attraction or gender identity and expression) at Aspen Ranch (Clearwater County, near Sundre). The retreat this past August provided a safe and caring space for people to openly share their fears, their hurts, their anxieties and all that accompanies this topic.

Taking time to listen to God's voice through Scripture reflection and meditation as well as prayer, presentations and worship, we opened ourselves to the Holy Spirit, to become tangibly present. As always, the Holy Spirit brought life and love, and renewed us from within. We ended our gathering with a wonderful Mass celebrated by Fr. John Wright. In entering into Eucharist, a mode of intentional thanksgiving to God, we trusted that despite all difficulties, God remains with us and will not fail us.
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Annette, one of the mothers who attended the retreat, expressed how blessed she felt to have had the opportunity to participate in the Encourage retreat. She thanked the organizers for their hospitality and was grateful to begin a journey of awareness and healing. Reflecting on the blessings she received on the retreat, Annette gratefully stated, "New friendships were formed amidst Aspen Ranch’s picturesque landscapes and hiking trails, thanks to the gracious hospitality of Deacon Dante. He provided us with refreshments, a delicious BBQ lunch, and overall use of their facilities."

We were able to bring to the altar of our Saviour all that weighed heavy on our hearts. In the end, all thanksgiving and credit goes to God's ever present Holy Spirit for leading us, guiding us and steering us, as we surrendered ourselves into the loving hands of our God. Our gathering became "holy ground”, an encounter with God who never ceases to call us "The Beloved."  

As a group we sought the wisdom contained in the US Bishop's Pastoral Letter Always Our Children as to how we can go back into our everyday lives and approach this matter with grace and dignity for all involved. The retreat helped us realize that our call is always to become more like Jesus himself who brought us the message "love one another, as I have loved you". 

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Written by Deacon Michael Soentgerath. Encourage & Courage group will have a follow-up meetings in October, with place and time to be announced, as well as Zoom access for members outside of Calgary. To find more information or to join the group, please email couragecalgary@gmail.com
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2023 Jubilarians

9/2/2023

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This year, seven remarkable priests in our diocese are reaching significant milestones in their priestly vocation. Each has uniquely responded to their calling, overcoming challenges with steadfast faith and dedication throughout their ministries. Read their stories, and join us as we honour and celebrate these extraordinary priests for their dedication and service.

Fr. Gregory Coupal

Raised in Calgary, Fr. Greg Coupal entered seminary in 1965, right as the Second Vatican Council closed. As such, much of his priestly training was lived out in the midst of major changes and upheavals. However, in the midst of all of these new things, Fr. Greg's priestly life testifies to a cyclical kind of time, where that which is important returns again as a gift from God.

Despite all the changes that have happened in his time, Fr. Greg has done his best to be one of these signs, pointing out God’s love for us steadily, throughout the cycles of his 50 golden years of priestly ministry. For Fr. Greg, at the centre of the all of the cycles of changes is the firm belief that priestly life is a "sign of God's love".  Read more
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Read Fr. Greg's vocation story | Fr. Gregory Coupal: Signs of God's love

Fr. Michael L. Storey

Celebrating half a century as a servant of God, Father Michael Storey's vocation story unfolds like a beautiful tapestry woven with faith, dedication, and service.

As a Pastor, Fr. Mike had the privilege of serving in numerous parishes within the diocese, each assignment enriching his journey and strengthening his commitment to serve God's people. With thankfulness and fond memories he looks back on his call from God in thanksgiving for all that the Lord had done and accomplished through his words, his hands and his heart! ​ Read more​
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Read his vocation story | Fr. Michael Storey: Servant of God

Fr. Bryan Frank

In a world where early vocations to the priesthood are often celebrated, Fr. Bryan Frank stands as a testament to the power of a late calling. His life took a different trajectory before he answered the call to serve God and his community. 

Before stepping into the seminary at the age of thirty, Fr. Bryan had already carved out a successful career in sales and entrepreneurship, backed by a diploma in Business Administration. Yet, the divine call resonated within him, influencing him to change paths and dedicate his life to spiritual service. Read more
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Read his vocation story | Fr. Bryan Frank: Looking back

Fr. Roy Jayamaha

Born in Wattala, Sri Lanka, Fr. Jayamaha was drawn to religious life from a young age. His path took a turn when he met a Sri Lankan missionary priest serving in Pakistan, leading him to offer his services as a missionary in Lahore, Pakistan. It was a challenging assignment, but one that Fr. Jayamaha embraced wholeheartedly.

However, after a harrowing incident with gunmen, his time in Pakistan ended. Unexpectedly, this journey led him to Calgary, Alberta, where he continues his ministry.​ His journey is a story of courage, resilience, and unwavering commitment to serving others. Read more
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Read his vocation story | Fr. Roy Jayamaha: A missionary journey

Fr. Jerald D'Souza, OCD

Fr. Jerald D'Souza, OCD, was born into a rural community outside of Mangalore, India. He showed signs of a religious vocation early on in life - he would often preach to the herd of cattle he was assigned to tend while in the pasture with them.

Fr. Jerry has had his fair share of trials in approaching the altar of God, but now, 25 years after ordination, the joy and happiness of being a religious is at the centre of his priestly vocation. Read More
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Read his vocation story | Fr. Jerald D'Souza: A joyful religious

Fr. Sajo Jacob

From the rich landscapes of Kerala in southern India to the bustling cityscape of Calgary, the spiritual journey of Fr. Sajo Jacob is a testament to the power of faith and the calling of service. After six years of dedicated service in various capacities within his priestly ministry in Kerala, Fr. Sajo embarked on a new chapter in his spiritual voyage, relocating to Calgary in 2004. 

Reflecting on his 25-year priestly journey as pastor, young adult chaplain, Syro Malabar community leader, hospital chaplain, and a reserve chaplain, Fr. Sajo highlights two fundamental aspects of his vocation: the Grace of God and the intercession of Mother Mary. Read more
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Read his vocation story | Fr. Sajo Jacob: God has walked with me

​Fr. Alexander Braganza, OCD

Fr. Alexander Braganza, OCD, is a new priest in the Diocese of Calgary. He had been appointed Associate Pastor of St. Thomas More Parish, Calgary, effective August 3, 2023. Prior to this assignment, Fr. Alexander was appointed to the Little Flower Monastery in India. Fr. Braganza celebrates his 25th year anniversary this year!

​Stay tuned for Fr. Alexander's vocation story. 

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2023 Jubilarian stories were organized and compiled by Solomon Ip. Solomon is a born and raised Calgarian. He studied music history in Lethbridge, and is now a seminarian in his pre-theology studies at St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton. He has been worshipping most recently with Canadian Martyrs Parish in Calgary, and with St. Mary's Parish in Banff where he has been working as a heritage interpreter with Parks Canada. He is an oboist by training, a chorister by grace, hobby wordsmith, amateur calligrapher, and museum enthusiast.
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Fr. Sajo Jacob: God has walked with me

9/2/2023

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I was born in Kerala, southern India, and blessed to have been raised in a Catholic faith environment. My parents were devout and churchgoing. The church played a significant role in my upbringing. My family frequented the parish church, and I was actively involved in the parish. I was also introduced to very solid catechism and different devotions.

I felt a calling to the priesthood at a very young age.  Reflecting on what triggered this priestly vocation, it was a fruit of my Novena devotion to Mother Mary at my parish Church. The priest at the time was very particular, that everyone must attend the Novena prayer on Saturdays immediately after the Holy Mass. This brought me very close to Mother Mary, and one day I felt that God is calling me to serve Him as told by a loving Mother-Mother Mary.It touched my heart as if a heavenly whisper had been percolating for a while, gradually maturing into a discernment of the priesthood. Fortunately, by that time, I had become well-acquainted with the parish priest and a few other priest friends. After a few years, I pursued my priestly studies in different parts of India. In 1998, I was ordained by the then bishop of the Archdiocese of Ernakulum, Mar Thomas Chakkiath. 

I belong to the Archdiocese of Ernakulam — claimed as the heart of the Syro-Malabar Church. The heritage of the Syro-Malabar Church goes back to St. Thomas the Apostle who is believed to have arrived in Kerala in 52 AD. I served in various capacities within my priestly ministry in Kerala for six years before relocating to Calgary in 2004.

My journey in Calgary has been very providential, with God guiding me through different ministries such as associate pastor, campus minister, and pastor. Looking back on my journey in Canada, I can profusely say that, as the psalmist prays in Psalm 7:1, God has walked with me, “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” It has been a journey where my experience of God's guidance was profound.

I could trust in God as He is in control of everything. My motto in my priestly journey reflects the words of 2 Corinthians 12:9 — "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  On this occasion, I would like to acknowledge the gracious and kind support of many bishops, priests, and fellow brothers and sisters.

Reflecting on my priestly journey of 25 years, two very pertinent aspects of my vocation have been the Grace of God, and the intercession of Mother Mary. I was quite blessed and privileged to lead a youth ministry as a campus minister at two post-secondary colleges for a while.  Engaging with post-secondary students for more than ten years not only transformed me but also brought many young people to the faith and Christian values."

Working in the secular landscape of universities was challenging, but having a platform to uphold that “Faith matters, Christ transforms” was incredible. It was eye-opening to interact with young people who were struggling in their search for meaning in life while aspiring for a better future. I must admit that it was rewarding. Moreover, engaging with pluralistic faith groups and diverse cultures, while specifically upholding the Christian values and faith connections in my ministry, was always intriguing.
           
Another highlight of my ministry that I humbly reflect upon is my role as director and pastor of Mother Teresa Syro-Malabar Church in Calgary.  It was in 2009 that Bishop Henry appointed me as the Director of the Syro-Malabar Community when it was still a very small community.

I have been privileged to witness its exponential growth from 30 to 450 families by 2018, and to have played a part in establishing a church for the community. God entrusted me with the role of becoming the founding priest of the Mother Teresa Syro-Malabar community in Calgary. Having had the privilege of meeting Mother Teresa twice in Kerala, her spiritual influence has greatly affected my priestly life and inspired me to rally for Mother Teresa's Church in Calgary.

Lastly, I am also involved with military chaplaincy as a Reserve Chaplain. This was an offshoot of campus ministry, where many students were drawn to military service and their persuasive invitation to serve the military community added another dimension to my priestly vocation. A chaplain's role in the military goes beyond the borders of religion and faith; it is more about embracing pure humanity and the well-being of anyone in need. It is a ministry of presence and strengthening robust resilience.  
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Fr. Sajo Jacob

Ordained: December 30, 1998, Kerala, India
  • Associate pastor at St. Mark’s, Calgary (2004-2006)
  • Associate pastor at St. Peter’s, Calgary (2006)
  • Associate pastor at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary (2009)
  • Chaplain at SAIT and Mount Royal College (2009-2019)
  • Director of Syro-Malabar Community, Calgary (2010-present)
  • Calgary Hospital Chaplaincy (2020-2022)
  • Pastor at  St. Pius X, Calgary (2022-present)

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Written by Fr. Sajo Jacob for Faithfully.
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Fr. Jerald D’Souza, OCD

9/2/2023

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Growing up, Fr. Jerald D’Souza showed signs of his vocation early. Fr. Jerry comes from Madanthyar, near Mangalore in India, an agricultural region.  One of his duties was to watch the cows and make sure they did not escape the pasture, and so by the age of 12, he would practice preaching to the Gospel to a bovine congregation.

Fr. Jerry lost his father at the age of one, leaving his mother widowed at a young age with three young children, of which he was the youngest. His mother never remarried, and made many sacrifices for her family in their poverty.

In one particular instance, he remembered that his mother once worked for a whole day, and made a meal of rice porridge or congee for her family.  His mother ensured there was enough for the family, and went into the kitchen to drink the cooking water of the congee for her own dinner. It was his mother’s sacrifices that led him to understand the sacrificial action of Christ on the Cross and how God the Father would sacrifice his Son.

His mother’s actions would also help him to understand the pains of his parishioners in their day-to-day lives. Fr. Jerry has also been blessed to have a spiritual mother as well, in a woman who would come and pray at the Carmelite Monastery where he spent his theologate. He recalled going through a dry spell in prayer, and was impressed by a woman who would come and pray in front of the Blessed Sacrament in the Carmelite way. Fr. Jerry asked her to pray for him, and this was the beginning of her spiritual motherhood to Fr. Jerry.

Fr. Jerry has had his trials during his formation. He first discerned his vocation to the Discalced Carmelites when he was in Grade 12, influenced by Carmelite seminarians coming to his high school. Upon entry into the novitiate, Fr. Jerry was not the ideal candidate, being noticeably timid and having low-self esteem. He remembers begging St. Teresa of Avila to take his vocation into her hands if he was to continue, praying “if you would like me to continue in the Carmelite life, then you have to take me.”

In his second year of theology studies, Fr. Jerry experienced a moment of crisis. He was assigned to the Shrine of the Infant Jesus in Mangalore, where each Thursday, roughly 2000 people would turn up to the 6pm Mass for the novena to the Infant Jesus of Prague. Each seminarian was expected to lead the novena prayers in turn, and to deliver a 3-5 minute sermon. In the midst of his crisis, Fr. Jerry says he became like Abraham at Sodom, saying “If I do well, then I will stay; if I do poorly, I will leave.” Ultimately, there was no reason to fear. He had no reason to fear — many people came up after the Mass, asking who was the seminarian who did so well!

Fr. Jerry was ordained in the Octave of Easter, on April 16th, 1998.  Immediately following ordination, he was assigned to the Carmelite farm house in Goa for a year, before being made the first director of the Shrine of the Infant Jesus in Mangalore. Afterwards, he served as rector and formator at the Carmelite minor seminary in Goa for a year and a half, before being asked to be one of the first two missionaries to Canada from his province, the Karnataka-Goa Province, arriving July 25, 2003. 

He served in a number of roles throughout the Archdiocese of Vancouver, watching the mission grow from a pair of priests to two monasteries in Mission, BC and Edmonton, AB, while fostering the first Canadian vocation, Fr. Frank Sharma, OCD. 

Fr. Jerry arrived in Calgary to be pastor of St. Thomas More Parish in 2019, and was immediately asked to complete the renovation of the sanctuary with little knowledge of the work in progress. The following March, COVID struck, putting the work at a standstill, and leaving him in a conundrum of having negligible cooking skills and suddenly having to fend for himself. For Fr. Jerry, the eight deepest months of the pandemic carry some of his happiest memories, having care extended to him by the parishioners of St. Thomas More.

In his ministry, Fr. Jerry has found that his biggest challenge has been to strengthen spirituality in the family, which St. John Paul II declared to be a domestic church. He believes that when the family is strengthened in its spirituality, prayer life and faith, the family will strengthen the parish; strong parishes will create a strong diocese, and strong dioceses will create a strong universal church.

As for prayer, Fr. Jerry’s favourite space is his meditation of 5 to 10 minutes in front of the Blessed Sacrament every morning, and his breviary is his source of strength. He also cites frequent confession and spiritual direction as the two wings to allow the spiritual life to take flight.

To grow close to Jesus, Fr. Jerry suggests taking the example of Christ Himself, being humble and simple. He suggests relaxing and being yourself, without baggage or lists of requests — in other words, being naked before Christ. All of this is done in the spirit of Carmel, which is both intellectual and simple, having St. Teresa of Avila and St. John of the Cross as great models of intellectual life, and St. Therese of Lisieux as a model of simplicity.

When asked for advice for those discerning religious life, Fr. Jerry advises the potential discerner to be honest before God and one’s superiors in the face of failure. God will send his “angels” to guide — formators, spiritual directors, confessors, and lay faithful.  His life as a religious has yielded excellent advice.

Fr. Jerry has served for some time as superior of the Carmelites, and leading into an election for a continuance of his term, he was advised that if there is a split in the vote, he has done the will of God. If the vote was unanimously in favour, it would mean that he spent his term trying to please others; if against, it would mean that he was a poor choice for superior.

His spiritual father also gave him the advice that a joyful Carmelite is a joyful religious — that the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience should lead to joy. In Fr. Jerry’s case, they most certainly have.

Throughout his interview, Fr. Jerry radiated a consistent, confident joyfulness throughout his office. It is evident he finds great joy in his vocation, where work can be tiring, yet never a burden. ​There can be no doubt that this joy will carry Fr. Jerry onward into the next 25 years of his priestly ministry, full of contentment and fulfilment.
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Fr. Jerald D'Souza, OCD

Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Regional Supervisor of the Carmelites in Canada (2017)
  • Provincial Delegate of the Carmelites in Canada (2020)
  • Spiritual Advisor of the Calgary Catholic Charismatic Renewal Society (2021 - present)
  • Pastor at St. Thomas More Parish (2019 - present)

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Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully. ​Solomon is a born and raised Calgarian. He studied music history in Lethbridge, and is now a seminarian in his pre-theology studies at St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton. He has been worshipping most recently with Canadian Martyrs Parish in Calgary, and with St. Mary's Parish in Banff where he has been working as a heritage interpreter with Parks Canada. He is an oboist by training, a chorister by grace, hobby wordsmith, amateur calligrapher, and museum enthusiast.
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Fr. Roy Jayamaha: A missionary journey

9/2/2023

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I, Fr. Roy Anthony Donatus Jayamaha, was born to God- fearing parents, Rex Arvin and Mary Magdalene Jayamaha of Wattla, Sri Lanka. I was the third child in a family of seven siblings and was attracted to the religious life from my childhood. I was  educated by the De la Salle Brothers and was attracted to become one of them. After completing my studies, I taught for two years in a leading La Salle School in Colombo.
 
One fine day, I met a Sri Lankan missionary priest serving in Pakistan, who had come on a home leave. After listening to his interesting stories and challenging conditions, I contacted some Pakistani Bishops and expressed my willingness to serve as a missionary in this mostly Muslim country. In 1976, although it was  heart-breaking news for my parents, I left with their blessing, to join the Diocese of Lahore, in Pakistan.
 
When I landed in Lahore, I was surprised to see the Bishop himself at the airport to receive this unknown seminarian-to-be. On the same evening, the Bishop took me to show the place where I would travel daily to learn the Urdu language. It was a convent of the Good Shepherd Sisters which was six km from the minor seminary. While travelling, the Bishop gave a running commentary about the historical city and suddenly asked me to look through the window where I saw a huge cemetery. Then with a serious gesture, he uttered, “Boy, we all have to come here.” As it was my first winter experience, the Bishop gave some old winter clothes to wear, but no pocket money, because the board and lodging did not cost me in the minor seminary. I travelled during the week, up and down on a bicycle from the minor seminary to the Good Shepherd Convent, in order to study Urdu. First, I had to learn the alphabet and then the words.
 
After four months of language study, I was sent to remote village parishes to work with a young diocesan priest for nine months and later another nine months with two Belgium Capuchin missionaries. While there I learned the Punjabi language, customs, culture, and what not. Afterwards, I did my Philosophy and Theological studies at Christ the King Seminary in Karachi which was nearly  1,100 km from Lahore. My greatest memory of this time was to eventually see that all five residential staff members were recognized for their services to God and were rewarded by getting the Red Hats ( i.e., one cardinal, two archbishops, and two bishops). Bravo!.
 
On October 1st 1983, the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Patroness of Missions, I requested, and was granted to be ordained a priest of God. That red-letter day took place in my hometown of Wattala, Sri Lanka, with the Pakistani late Archbishop Armando Trindade as celebrant and the late Archbishop Oswald Gomis of Colombo, Sri Lanka, assisting.
 
My first assignment as a priest was to work in a large remote parish near the Pakistani / Indian border which consisted of some 276 villages. The Catholic families were scattered far and wide and one was fortunate to see even a handful in some villages. There were thirteen full time paid catechists to assist me. There I  toured the villages on a motorbike over many rough and treacherous roads to administer the sacraments and other pastoral needs my flock required. Quite a few nights were spent in the villages, in order to, meet the people as they came home late from the fields and farms. Most were laborers, working for Muslim landlords.  Some laborers shared their pathetic stories with me by staying late at night, sitting in their courtyards.
 
From 1987 to 1993, I served as a pastor in another remote area. There I built a church and few chapels together with the people. The main church was dedicated to the Holy Spirit. In 2005, it was badly burnt and partly destroyed by a mob of rebellious group of people. One day my driver took the jeep to leave a newborn baby and her mother in a village nearly 23km away from a hospital. While the driver was returning, two dacoits beat him and  took my jeep at the gunpoint and fled away with it. Every Sunday, the parishioners prayed to Mother Mary to recover the vehicle. After 6 months, on a feast day of Mother Mary, the police returned the jeep with some bullet holes on it. It was unfortunate that notorious dacoits were shot dead by the police.
 
In 1993,  I  was appointed as the Director of the National Marian Shrine, which was built in 1886, and was the second oldest Catholic Church in Pakistan.
 
On a sabbatical, in 1995,I flew to Australia, where I met the good Father John Schuster and got a sweet taste for Calgary. During our get-togethers, I learned a lot about Canada and the Calgary Diocese. Upon my return to Pakistan, I was appointed the Director of the Renewal Centre in Lahore. There, I trained lay catechists for the archdiocese and taught diocesan spirituality for the propaedeutic year students in the Philosophy Seminary for seven years. For a short time, I was the acting rector of this seminary. In the absence of the Archbishop and Vicar- General, twice I was given the honor of being the administrator of the archdiocese. While being the executive secretary of the National Clergy Commission, I was involved in arranging renewal courses for clergy and on-going formation for young priests in the country. I compiled the Directory of the Catholic Church in Pakistan three times.
 
With the help of generous benefactors, I built a centre for special children. I always had a soft heart for the broken, poor, and needy. I felt honoured to serve under three Archbishops and elected twice as a member of the College of Consultors under two archbishops.
  
My services in Pakistan abruptly ended  when two gunmen attacked, threatened  and robbed me. As the Hindi song says “ajeeb dastan hai…kahan shuru, kahan katham..." which means  strange story, from where it started and where it ended. I learned many things as a student and as a missionary priest for thirty seven years from  loving Pakistani people. Little did I know that  I would leave Pakistan for good and be called to ministry in the dreamland, Calgary, Alberta in July of 2014. I'm really grateful to Bishop Emeritus Frederick Henry, for accepting me to the diocese with open arms.
 
After all is said and done, a priest has to be broken and shared with others, keep the Eucharist at the center of his life, and become another Christ wherever he is. Today, although no one comes for daily Mass, I bring one and all to the altar at every liturgy. As someone rightly said, “Let the Christ in me, meet and greet the Christ in them”.
 
This year, I have reached another milestone in my priesthood, 40 years of humble service as a missionary priest. As of Palm Sunday  2023, I have celebrated 14,307 Holy Masses. What a wonderful gift from our Lord!.
 
Priests need priests, especially when far away and alone in the missions. The beauty of this fraternity is that we know our brother priests do remember us and pray for us as we do for them as well as  our parents, families and friends. Today as a Jesus Caritas priest, this “Littleness” and “Hiddenness” of our universal brother, St. Charles de Foucauld, has helped me to live the life of Nazareth happily more than ever with the Indigenous people of Brocket.  I have just completed seven years in this mission, learning daily more than teaching. Together, we try to uplift the community, give new life, strengthen the families and  beautify the place that attracts many people even from nearby parishes.
 
Pope Francis’ document, “Amoris Laetitia" (On the Joy of Love) also reminds us regarding the practice of hospitality and how to reach out to people in parish communities. Our parishioners still worry about the same old question the Abbot asked, “How can we best serve the people who come to visit?” ( Holy Moments-by Matthew Kelly). Let us hope and pray that they will become a more vibrant community in the time to come.
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Fr. Roy Jayamaha

Ordained by Archbishop Armando Trindade in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Pastoral assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Associate Pastor: St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary (2014-2016)
  • Pastor in St. Paul's Brocket, (2016 - present)

Written by Fr. Roy Jayamaha, Pastor of St. Paul's Church, Piikani Nation, Brocket, AB.
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Fr. Bryan Frank: Looking back

9/2/2023

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I was ordained on April 15, 1983 by Bishop Paul O'Byrne at Saint Mary's cathedral. 

I was a late vocation and entered the seminary at the age of thirty after a successful career in sales and then owning my own businesses. I had already acquired a diploma in Business Administration. My vocation was influenced by two priests, Father Jim Sheridan and Father William Harding and the example of my parents. 
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I applied to and was accepted by the Diocese of Calgary and after a year's probation was sent to study at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon run by the Benedictine Monks.

I entered pre-theology being a mature student and in that time earned a diploma in Philosophy. After this year I entered the school of Theology and after four years received my M·aster's diplomas and was ordained in Calgary. 

My first assignment was at St. Peter's parish and Chaplain at the Calgary Correctional Centre. My first Pastor was Father Stan Henke. I was transferred after two years to St. Basil's Parish in Lethbridge and Chaplain at the Leth bridge Correctional Centre and the Young Offenders Centre. My Pastor was Father John Maes. 

My first pastorate was St. Ambrose's parish in Coaldale and responsibility for the Correctional Centre in Lethbridge. I was at Saint Ambrose for five years and in that time updated the interior and exterior of the church building, and had a successful youth group of thirty young people and reached out socially to the parishioners. 

I was transferred to St. Mark's parish in Calgary and was fortunate to work with Deacon Amadeo Malate. It was a parish, in those days, of 2000 families and six schools and pastoral responsibility for the faithful in Chestermere. 

After three years at Saint Mark's, I was transferred to Saint Mary's in Brooks with missions in Tilley and Tide Lake. I spent nine years in Brooks and in that time we formed a Catholic school district under the old two by two system of the provincial government. It was a K to 12 School. We formed a food Bank (Saint Vincent de Paul Society), a successful youth program and many outreach and social programs for the parishioners. I was fortunate to be able to work with Deacon Bob Wilson.· 

I was transferred after the nine years to the parish Nostra Madonna delle Grazie (Our Lady of Grace, now Mary, Mother of the Redeemer in Calgary) an Italian-English parish in Calgary and remained there three very good years working with Deacon Ron Nowell. 

I was transferred to the combined parish of Canmore and Banff. In that time we acquired the property and put in place the design for a new church building (The Shrine Church) in Canmore. We encouraged many social programs and outreach activities to the parishioners and to the many tourists that attended while on vacation. I was very ably assisted by Deacon Brian West. 

I retired after eight years and at 76, I am enjoying retirement. 
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Fr. Bryan Frank​

Ordained: April 15th, 1983, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary

Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Assistant: St. Peter’s, Calgary (1983-1985)
  • Assistant: Correctional Institute, Calgary (1983-1985)
  • Assistant: St. Basil’s, Lethbridge (1985-1987)
  • Chaplain: Lethbridge Correctional Institute (1987-1992)
  • Pastor: St. Ambrose, Coaldale (1987-1992)
  • Pastor: St. Mark’s, Calgary (1992-1995)
  • Pastor: St. Mary’s, Brooks (1995-2004)
  • Pastor: Our Lady of Grace, Calgary (2005-2007)
  • Administrator: St. Michael’s, Pincher Creek (2007-2008)
  • Pastor:  Our Lady of the Rockies, Canmore; St. Mary’s, Banff (2008-2015)
  • Retired: August 2015

Written by Fr. Bryan Frank, Retired Priest of the Diocese of Calgary.
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Fr. Michael L. Storey: Servant of God

9/2/2023

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Written by Deacon Michael Soentgerath. 

Father Michael Storey, diocesan priest for the Diocese of Calgary, celebrated his 50th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination on May 12 this year. For this special anniversary year, I had a chance to sit down with Fr. Mike to look back on those fifty years and highlight some of the very special events that Fr. Mike remembers with much gratitude.

Firstly, the ordination day itself was such a marvellous celebration of faith, with Bishop Paul O’Byrne having celebrated his ordination at St. Augustine Parish in Taber. Bishop Paul chose Taber as the location with the intention of allowing the rural parishes to experience a priestly ordination in their hometown. Fr. Mike’s connection to Taber was that he completed this parish practicum in his final year of seminary. The whole parish, as well as many from different parts of Canada, gathered in Taber for this special celebration that all would remember and cherish as a tremendous day of celebrating the ministerial priesthood.

Another highlight of Fr. Mike’s priestly life was when Bishop Paul O’Byrne appointed him as the Ecumenical Officer of the Diocese. Fr. Mike had been Pastor of Ascension Catholic Parish in Calgary, the first Parish within the diocese to be under the same roof as a Lutheran Congregation. The two parishes together and formed the "Sandstone Ecumenical Centre". A true hands-on experience of intentionally living daily the spirit of ecumenism, as one Body of Christ focusing on what unites us rather than our divisions. It came as no surprise several years later, that Fr. Mike was the priest, chosen to administrate the reunification of Anglicans who wished to return to the Catholic Church together with Father Colin O’Rorke. Approximately sixty  people were received back into the Catholic Church in this endeavour, initiated by Pope Benedict XVI. Fr. Mike feels very blessed to have been chosen to help facilitate this historical moment within our diocese and the Catholic Church.

As a Pastor, Fr. Mike feels very grateful for the opportunity of having been appointed to serve in many parishes of the diocese: Canadian Martyrs in Calgary, St. Michael’s in Pincher Creek, Sacred Heart in Oyen and Acadia Valley, St. Peter in Milk River, St. James in Okotoks, Ascension Parish in Calgary, St. James in Calgary-with a special ministry to the South Sudanese Catholics in Calgary, St. Peter’s in Calgary and St. Mary’s in Brooks.

Following his Brooks appointment, Bishop Henry appointed Fr. Mike to the Calgary Priest Hospital Chaplaincy Team. This is when I had the privilege of working more closely with Fr. Mike. His work within the various hospitals within the city of Calgary was an amazing and extremely fruitful ministry with many experiences of people healing and on occasion even being cured of illness. Father recalls with great amazement how often the Sacraments of the Church were of such great healing benefit to those who availed themselves to their reception. Even fellow Christians asking for pastoral support was a common occurrence. His Chaplaincy Ministry was also not limited only to hospitals, he also served as Chaplain to the Calgary Police Service until August of this year.

Finally, a special occasion that Fr. Mike will always cherish, was when his classmate Cardinal Thomas Collins, then Archbishop of Toronto, was made a Cardinal in Rome and he was invited to come and take part in the ceremony of his former classmate and friend. It was a powerful celebration of faith with Saint Pope John Paul II.

Now Fr. Mike resides at the Providence Care Centre in the Priest residence wing, together with the other priests of the diocese. He reflects on his marvellous 50-year journey as a Servant of God in priestly ministry with gratitude.

With thankfulness and fond memories he looks back on his call from God in thanksgiving for all that the Lord had done and accomplished through his words, his hands and his heart! May the years ahead be filled with much peace, grace and many blessings in the Lord!
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Fr. Michael L. Storey

​Ordained:  May 12th, 1973, at St. Augustine’s, Taber, AB.

​Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Assistant:  Canadian Martyrs, Calgary (1973-1974)
  • Assistant:  St. Michael’s, Pincher Creek (1974-1975)
  • Assistant:  Sacred Heart, Oyen; St. Mary’s, Acadia Valley (1975-1977)
  • Pastor:  Sacred Heart, Oyen; St. Mary’s, Acadia Valley (1977-1980)
  • Pastor:  St. Peter’s, Milk River (1980-1985)
  • Pastor:  St. Mary’s, Medicine Hat (1985-1987)
  • Pastor:  St. James, Okotoks (1987-1994)
  • Pastor:  Ascension of Our Lord, Calgary (1994-1996)
  • Pastor:  St. John’s, Calgary (1996-2000)
  • Pastor:  St. James, Calgary (2000-2007)
  • Pastor:  St. Peter’s, Calgary (2007-2009)
  • Pastor:  St. Mary’s, Brooks 
  • Chaplain:  Calgary Hospital Chaplaincy
  • Chaplain:  St. John the Evangelist (Anglican Ordinariate), Calgary (2011-2012)
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Fr. Gregory Coupal: Signs of God’s love

9/2/2023

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There are a number of theories about how time works. Some say that it is linear, others say that it is circular or cyclical. While the physicists argue the matter out, Fr. Greg Coupal’s life might be used as an argument for the case that time might just be cyclical after all.

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1946, Fr. Greg moved to Calgary at the age of 6.  He first attended Holy Name Cottage School in Glengarry, one of the cottage schools which were developed by the school boards in Calgary to help reach sparsely populated parts of the city before they filled out in the years after World War II. He later attended St. Charles School and then St. Mary’s Boys High School.

The Coupal family was a mixed-marriage family — Fr. Greg’s father, Jean-Paul, was a Catholic, and his mother, Dorothy, was an Anglican. Aside from himself, the Coupals also had a daughter, Cathy, five years younger than Fr. Greg. He, his father, and his sister would attend Mass regularly at Sacred Heart Parish, and his mother would join them for major occasions.  Fr. Stan Henke was the young assistant at Sacred Heart at this time, and he gave Fr. Greg his first communion; Fr. Stan would later become a very good friend. 

While the Coupals were not directly encouraging of their son’s vocation, they were very supportive of it. Fr. Greg was never an altar server (even though his mother typed out all the responses for the trainees learning their Latin), not was the family the kind to pray the rosary together every night, yet he remembers his father’s pride in telling the sisters who were guarding exhibits at Expo 67 in Montreal that “This is my son!  He’s going to be a priest!”

Fr. Greg got his first “feelings” that he was called to the priesthood while studying at St. Mary’s High School. The Basilians were his teachers at the time, and the family had just moved to the new St. Gerard’s Parish, where Msgr. J. J. “Jack” O’Brien was pastor and Fr. Phil Fry was assistant. Msgr. O’Brien was very influential for Fr. Greg as a terrific model, and it was he who arranged for Fr. Greg to meet with Bishop Carroll as he was finishing high school. Fr. Greg was still missing Math 30 at the end of high school, and had to return to St. Mary’s the next year to complete it. Bishop Carroll was nonplussed, and said: “You don’t need Math 30 to count the collection.”

Fr. Greg entered St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton in 1965, just as the Second Vatican Council was drawing to a close.  It was still very monastic when he entered, and change was very gradual.  Seminarians were not to visit in each other’s rooms, and there was complete silence after night prayer.  However, the anticipation of change after the council showed some weakness in the formerly unflappable structures of seminary life; “What do we do?” and “Where do we go from here?” seemed to be the unspoken, and sometimes seriously debated, questions that hung in the air in those years. 

The major development at the seminary at the time was the creation of Newman Theological College, and seminarians’ courses were conducted under the jurisdiction of NTC, even though they were within the same facility as in previous years. For a number of factors, Fr. Greg was the only member of his intake class at St. Joseph’s to be ordained, and even then, Fr. Greg did not graduate from St. Joseph’s Seminary.

As Fr. Greg parted ways with St. Joseph’s, Bishop O’Byrne arranged for him to attend St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary in Kenmore, Washington, just outside of Seattle.  It was discovered that Fr. Greg had completed most of his theology requirements, and so the faculty made the decision to place him in a parish — Our Lady of the Lake in Seattle, under Fr. Bill Lane and Fr. Pat Callaghan. These two were an excellent spiritual team, and served as top-notch mentors to Fr. Greg, ensuring that he was included in all social and spiritual activities in the parish. 

​Changes following the Second Vatican Council were beginning to take effect around this time — Fr. Greg was the last man to be ordained a subdeacon for the diocese of Calgary in the spring of 1972, before this holy order was suppressed that summer. He was ordained a deacon at St. James’ Parish in Calgary, where he served one of the first pastoral placements that would later become a regular part of seminary training. 
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Fr. Greg's ordination, St. Gerard's, 1973.
Fr. Greg was ordained on March 3rd, 1973, the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, at St. Gerard’s Parish in Calgary, in the midst of a beautiful chinook, which shocked his classmates from Seattle.

Fr. Greg was one of the last ordinandi from St. Thomas Seminary, which closed in 1977.  Immediately afterwards, Fr. Greg left for New Orleans for Mardi Gras and to visit a family, former parishioners of St. James, who could not make the ordination.  On the way home he stopped in Houston to visit their son, a seminarian for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, TX; this young man is now the Bishop of Biloxi, Mississippi, Louis Kihneman, III.          
       
In his priestly ministry, Fr. Greg’s placements have been varied.  He remembers the “Seek the Face of God” conferences at St. Mary’s in Medicine Hat fondly, as well as the retreats at St. Gerard’s in Calgary with the Redemptorists and with Grayson Warren Brown — “God is Good!”. 

He is grateful for the many incredible women and pastoral associates such as Doreen Yochim and Teri Hutchinson, with whom he has shared ministry and who highlighted to him the great potential and gifts that women have to offer within the church.

Notably, for much of his priestly life, Fr. Greg has been involved in ministry to high schools as chaplain, chaplain emeritus and adjunct chaplain, particularly with Barb Fabijan-Waddell at St. Mary’s, Bishop Carroll and St. Anne’s Academic Centre.  This has taken him as far away as the former Soviet Union with St. Mary’s High School in 1978. 

This particularly memorable trip involved a Mass in Communist Russia, where no liturgical changes had yet occurred after Vatican II, the only way to communicate with the priest was in extremely broken Latin, and an armed guard was posted at the back of the church.  There was also a five-hour trip to the hospital to escort one of the members of a Vancouver group with the same itinerary who sprained an ankle, which involved some very extremely broken Russian.  He was the chair of the police commission in Hanna, and had an RCMP officer boarding with him — the so-called “Odd Couple” are still friends today.  

Fr. Greg also still serves as a chaplain for Retrouvaille, helping couples with marriage challenges, having inherited the role from Fr. Jack Bastigal, and Fr. John Petravicius before him. Fr. Greg is not only chaplain for the Calgary community, but for the Vancouver community as well, and enjoys seeing that with a lot of hard work on their part and the power of the Holy Spirit, these couples leave these weekends with a lot more hope for their marriages.
           
When asked for advice for those discerning vocations today, his advice is steeped in his experiences in seminary:  “If you’re not happy…, get out.”  He was of 83 seminarians at St. Joseph’s at the time of his entrance in 1965, and one of 12 when he and St. Joseph’s parted ways. He has been very happy as a priest — and still is.

He also stresses that the importance for the discerner to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and that God will speak in little ways through the people and circumstances around us, rather than in a big booming way.  As well, it is important to remember that vocations are not ours, but that God gives each vocation as a gift, and we are to be stewards of the gift.

Included in the best advice he’s ever been given, words from Bishop Emeritus Henry come to mind, that a priest should “be a shepherd, not a cowboy.”  A shepherd invites his flock to follow him in front, while a cowboy pushes the cattle along the trail from behind. 

In his 50 years as a priest, his most effective pastoral ministry occurred by accepting people where they were, and then gently inviting them to grow, rather than by imposing his expectations upon them. To make the point, Fr. Greg gave the example of a funeral in which the family had no desire or intention to choose any readings for the service. Fr. Greg chose to leave the lectionary with the family over the weekend, and by the next meeting, they had chosen an Old and New Testament reading, a responsorial psalm, and a passage from the Gospels. At the funeral, they thanked Fr. Greg “for taking us where we were, and leading us a little bit further.”
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Fr. Greg's 25th anniversary, Corpus Christi, 1998.
Fr. Greg’s journey has been cyclical — many of his early influences would remain or return to be part of his life later. He presided over the funerals of his Grade 1 teacher, Alice Tucking, Grade 3 teacher, Cosma Luvisotto, Grade 12 English teacher Ron Thompson; and led a prayer service for his junior high teacher, Bernie Andrea. 

Part of his involvement as a high school chaplain in Calgary and Medicine Hat was conducting the “Search” program — he is still friends with some of the students who are now grandparents. He returned to St. Gerard’s, his home parish, as pastor later on; and his first placement as a priest was also his last — St. Mary’s Cathedral.

​For Fr. Greg, the life of a priest is a “sign of God’s love for people”.  Despite all the changes that have happened in his time, Fr. Greg has done his best to be one of these signs, pointing out God’s love for us steadily, throughout the cycles of his 50 golden years of priestly ministry.
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Fr. Gregory Coupal
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Ordained
:  March 3, 1973, St. Gerard’s Parish, Calgary.

Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Assistant:  St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary (1973-1979)
  • Chaplain:  St. Mary’s High School, Calgary (1975-1979)
  • Pastor:  St. George’s, Hanna (1979-1984)
  • Pastor:  Christ the King, Claresholm (1984-1987)
  • Pastor:  St. Mary’s, Medicine Hat; St. Albert the Great, CFB Suffield (1987-1996)
  • Pastor:  Corpus Christi, Calgary (1996-1998)
  • Pastor:  St. Gerard’s, Calgary (1998-2006)
  • Pastor:  St. Bonaventure, Calgary (2006-2008)
  • Rector:  St. Mary’s Cathedral (2008-2014)
  • Retired:  October 18th, 2014

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Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully. Solomon is a born and raised Calgarian. He studied music history in Lethbridge, and is now a seminarian in his pre-theology studies at St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton. He has been worshipping most recently with Canadian Martyrs Parish in Calgary, and with St. Mary's Parish in Banff where he has been working as a heritage interpreter with Parks Canada. He is an oboist by training, a chorister by grace, hobby wordsmith, amateur calligrapher, and museum enthusiast.
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Journeying Together: Hope & Healing

9/2/2023

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Grief, despite its painful nature, can reveal our resilience. It can deepen our relationships and enhance our spirituality. While it's a difficult journey, it's also an opportunity for growth and transformation.

I am a bereaved mother with experiences in traumatic loss, genetic loss due to a Edward’s Syndrome, and miscarriage loss. As well, I’m a psychologist, and for the past two and half decades, I have been privileged to journey with persons integrating grief.  My personal experiences, as well as those of my marriage and family, have motivated me to live in a way that celebrates life, deepens spirituality, and strengthens connections.

Grief often manifests as feelings of invisibility and isolation. These experiences, while common, can act as fertile ground for a range of challenges including anxiety, depression, unprocessed guilt, inhibiting shame, distorted personal narratives, marital disconnect, impacted sexuality, and infertility, among others. While I have grappled with feelings of invisibility and isolation, they occur less frequently now. Although I have benefited from psychological resources, I have found profound comfort in spiritual practices, and I am looking forward to share this with others.

Miscarriage and early infancy loss are unique forms of grief, with a myriad of potential facets. These can include medical trauma, survivor guilt, sometimes relief, confusion, spiritual questioning, depression, cultural differences, and spousal differences. Such experiences often receive minimal recognition and may not even be directly linked to the loss. Consequently, the intensity of the loss may be intensified by feelings of minimization, invisibility, and loneliness.
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I extend an invitation to grieving parents to attend a workshop/retreat hosted by the Diocese of Calgary, titled "Journeying Together: Hope & Healing for Those Grieving a Miscarriage or Stillbirth." - October 13 & 14, 2023 (Friday evening & Saturday) at Ascension Catholic Parish. Registration is now open.

​I have the privilege of being one of the speakers at this event, where I will discuss this specific form of grief.

The workshop is designed to be personal rather than personalized. Our aim is to address the heart (grief), soul (spiritual comfort and resources), mind (understanding and memorializing), and strength (reassuring attendees that they're not alone and fostering resilience). We've also allocated space to discuss the distinct experiences between husbands and wives, the impact on the family system, and how to carry life forward using practical and spiritual resources.
Why should you attend?

Firstly, grief is often a topic that is avoided as discussing it can be a painful reminder of the loss experienced, and people are biologically wired to avoid pain. Secondly, in my practice, I frequently encounter concerns about potentially hurting others by bringing up the subject of loss. However, have no fear - the pain already exists and discussing the loss can help relieving it, rather than intensifying it. When we avoid it, we risk creating a deeper wound - a sense of invisibility.

The purpose of this workshop is to journey together, creating a safe space where we can share and navigate the complexities of grief and its integration into our lives. Finally, I’ve heard many say, "I don’t know what to say." In the workshop, you will learn through testimony of what has been helpful, including this statement.

This workshop is open to everyone. You might consider attending if you have personally experienced a miscarriage, if you know someone who has suffered a miscarriage and you're unsure how to provide support, or if you frequently interact with families and want to be equipped to handle this specific form of grief. The organizers and participants hope that through this workshop, attendees will feel affirmed, find a space to share their experiences, receive comfort, embrace the opportunity to learn, possibly adjust their narratives if needed, and cultivate a desire to support others.

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Written by Eunice Peterson, R. Psych. Eunice is a registered psychologist in her private practice. Her primary areas of focus include trauma integration from a neurobiological perspective, disorders on the anxiety spectrum, as well as grief and loss, and life transitions. She, alongside her husband and five children, have been residents of Calgary since 2010 and are members of St. Joseph's Parish community.
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Sacred Service

8/28/2023

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The vocation of the permanent deacon is a great gift of God to the Church. Called to serve, the permanent deacon is a public and living icon of Christ the Servant within the Church. 

The upcoming ordination of the 12 candidates to the permanent diaconate by Bishop McGrattan on November 18, 2023, stands as a living testament to how Christ continues to raise ministers within the community for the purpose of mission. Much like the first apostles, this diverse group of 12 candidates has responded to Christ’s call in accordance with their unique circumstances, consistently exhibiting humble hearts, generosity, and a zeal for mission: 

  • John Arbeau, Ascension Parish, Calgary 
  • Bruce Alan Barnett, St. Martha’s Parish, Lethbridge
  • Ferdinand Gayos, St. Albert the Great, Calgary
  • Randy Victor Gritter, St. Michael’s Parish, Calgary
  • Thomas Hing Cheung Ha, Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Calgary
  • Brian Kinahan, St. Augustine’s, Taber
  • Timothy Peter Lilienthal, All Saints Parish, Lethbridge
  • James Arnold Manzara, All Saints Parish, Lethbridge
  • Carlos Perez, St. Thomas More, Calgary
  • Ricardo Rosero, Mary, Mother of the Redeemer, Calgary
  • Andrew Ross, St. Joseph, Calgary
  • Reynaldo Tadifa, St. Albert the Great, Calgary
Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are of good repute, full of the Spirit and of wisdom, whom we will appoint to this duty.”  (Acts 6:3)
The establishment of the diaconate took place with the ordination of the seven deacons described in the Acts of the Apostles. Renewing the practice of the early Church, the Second Vatican Council restored the order of deacons as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy. This restoration began in Canada in 1969 and in the Diocese of Calgary since 1998.
How did you find your calling? 

When candidates were asked how they were introduced to the diaconate, answers varied widely. Some had long harboured a calling. Others were invited by their parish priest. Interestingly, two candidates were personally tapped by Bishop Emeritus Henry, who seemed to employ a direct recruitment approach! 

Candidate Carlos Perez recalls, “During the Couples for Christ annual Evangelization Rally… Bishop Emeritus Henry asked me to talk to my pastor on how to go through the process of applying in the permanent diaconate program… It was quite unexpected and seemed  mysterious… I didn't even know at that time what exactly a deacon was.” 

Similarly, candidate Thomas Ha shares his experience a few years ago, “I passed by Bishop Henry at the Chinese New Year Banquet when he invited me to follow Christ through the Diaconate program. It was like Jesus asking the apostles to follow him by the shore of Lake Galilee, and I responded!”
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Carlos & Melrose Perez
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Thomas & May Ha
When candidate John Arbeau was asked by a priest years ago,  “My initial reaction was why are you asking me, as I didn’t think I was the person!” But with formation, training, and prayer, he adds that “I have matured and grown in my spirituality to understand the service of a deacon.”

Meanwhile, candidate Randy Gritter, formerly a staunch Protestant, underwent a significant conversion to Catholicism before he felt the call to the permanent diaconate. “I initially learned about the diaconate as a Protestant. We had deacons who were specifically tasked with aiding the poor in our community," he shares. His then-parish priest, Fr. Julian Studden, was highly supportive of his vocation. 

When Gritter applied for the second time, he discovered that Fr. Studden had been appointed Vicar of the Diaconate. He interpreted this as a sign that God was guiding him through this door.

Stay tuned to future issues of Faithfully for more detailed vocational stories of each candidate.
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John and Kerry Arbeau
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Randy & Mary Gritter with their family
The formation journey
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​“I believe you don't wake up one day and decide you want to be a Deacon. “ says candidate Ferdinand Gayos. He adds, “If we haven’t learned serving, it may be a difficult and uphill climb going through the formation. The Deacon's heart is formed first in serving our own family, our parish community and the wider community.” 

Deacons share in Christ’s threefold mission of teaching, sanctifying and leading the People of God. While the unifying principle of diaconal ministry is the service of charity, which shapes their service of the Word and of the liturgy, the three responsibilities are inseparably united. 

Quoting Galatians 2:20, candidate Reynaldo Tadifa shares, “It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. If I want to be the image of Christ to others, I have to recognize the gift of my own Baptism as a means of dying to my old ways and rising to a life of sacrificial love, just as Christ did for all of us, and let me be a channel of spreading his mercy, love and compassion to others.“

Under the leadership of Bishop McGrattan, the Diocese has developed a new formation program for the permanent diaconate that is both grounded in the nature of diaconal ministry and adapted to the pastoral needs of the multicultural and multiethnic Diocese of Calgary.  

The permanent diaconate formation program is based on four dimensions: human, spiritual, theological and pastoral. The overall purpose is to help candidates to mature spiritually and to develop the personal and pastoral skills which will enable them to be servants of the Word, of the liturgy and of charity.

Over a period of 4 years, candidates spent an average of 35 hours per month in formation weekends, supervised pastoral education, personal study and spiritual formation.
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Ferdinand Gayos & wife Malou Ponon
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Reynaldo & Pam Tadifa
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Brian & Linda Kinahan
During the formation years, our deacon candidates also experienced strong prayer support from their fellow parishioners and mentors. All credited their spouses and families above all for encouraging them.  

Speaking of his wife’s unwavering support, deacon candidate Brian Kinahan mentioned, “This has been her journey as well. And, although we've had long conversations about where this journey is taking us, and she has had her uncertainties about it, she has never stopped praying for me, and listening to me during my own doubts.” 
“Speaking with the deacons who have come before us, they are glad that we are having the experiences that we are having. It has also been helpful on this journey to get help from their experiences, from their journey and from what they have learned and done,” says candidate Jim Manzara.

Candidate Ricardo Rosero-Gonzallez shared that his understanding on being a deacon has evolved, stating that as a deacon, "I represent the Church whereever I am.”  This was echoed by candidate Peter Lilienthal, who added, “The ministry of presence is key to this role, and being able to let the Holy Spirit work through me.”      

Strong bonds naturally formed between the 12 deacon candidates and their families during the formative years. 

“Our diaconate class of 12 families was very close. We were not immune, over the 4 years, to the struggles and griefs within the path of life,” says candidate Bruce Alan Barnett. “We all experienced the "oneness" of the Body of Christ in our prayers, compassion and empathy shown many times through the journey.” 
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Ricardo Rosero & Gladys Alvarez
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Jim & Helen Manzara
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Peter and Cyndi Lilienthal
But are these deacon candidates prepared for the upcoming  ordination as permanent deacons? Deacon candidate Andrew Ross shares a sentiment that would resonate deeply with his fellow candidates, “God knows, those around me know, and I know that I am far from perfect – but I am ready. Ready to embrace the spirit of humble service and selflessness, to work to fulfill my ministry with readiness and dedication.”
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Commending this year’s class of graduates, Deacon Walsh (Director of Formation for the Permanent Diaconate program) said, “Each one of these men, along with their spouses, have  gone through a beautiful transformation of the heart….Not only have they grown, but they have helped those of us who have helped facilitate them through the process.” He added that the candidates actively contributed to their own and each other’s transformation into servants of Christ. 

Our Diocese is blessed to welcome them into sacred service this November! 

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Bruce (left) and Pat (right) Barnett
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Andrew & Irene Ross

Written by Alice Matisz and the staff of the Catholic Pastoral Centre for Faithfully.
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"Enlarge the Tent" - Accompaniment series

8/27/2023

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Back for a second series, Fr. Tim Boyle will speak on The Art of Accompaniment, picking up on the theme from the Synod preparation document "Enlarge the Tent."

2023/2024 Dates:
  • Monday, September 18, 2023 - "The big four issues the church will discuss in Rome.. and what does it mean to "Enlarge the Tent" 
  • Monday, October 16, 2023 - “A petrified Church..how did we get here? 
  • Monday, November 20, 2023 - “What unbelievers can teach us about mystery of God” 
  • Monday, January 22, 2024 - “Zacchaeus.. the first of Many Seekers.. and why they don’t want to join” 
  • Monday, February 19, 2024 - “Finding the Real Presence of God outside the church”
  • Monday, March 18, 2024 - “Mother Maria of Russia .. on uniting the Cross and the Sword”
  • Monday, April 15, 2024 - “Flourishing .. not just maintaining the Faith”..
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New storage lockers & garage organizations at Elizabeth House

8/27/2023

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With every family having a bedroom to store their belongings, our indoor space was becoming crowded. As each family's journey at Elizabeth House progresses, the need for additional storage grows.

Today, we are still standing in awe of our new storage lockers and garage organization system. We thank Ethan Karter Construction who donated all the labour, the cost of materials, the design, and the actual build of the lockers and storage - essentially every aspect from start to finish. We also thank Rite Way Fencing who donated their assistance for the installation.

Matt and the crew at Ethan Karter Construction, you've truly worked wonders! These purposefully built lockers and storage solutions are greatly appreciated and much needed.
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Our team and families extend their deepest gratitude. An extra special thank you goes to the Schultz Family for spearheading this project and connecting us with Matt and his team. Thank you!.

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Before
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After
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​What a transformation. We are overjoyed at the amount of secure storage we now have. It’s a game changer for everyone. Thank you from the bottom our hearts!

Elizabeth House Team 
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Happy anniversary, Sr. Pat & Sr. Ann Marie!

8/26/2023

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Bishop McGrattan marked the religious life anniversaries of Sr. Pat MacDonald, FCJ, and Sr. Ann Marie Walsh, FCJ, who have dedicated 65 and 60 years respectively to their service. The celebration took place on August 26 at the FCJ Centre with the Holy Mass, followed by a beautiful reception.
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  • Sr. Pat MacDonald, fcJ, from Calgary, joined the Sisters Faithful Companions of Jesus in 1956, taught in Toronto and Portsmouth, R.I., and was a Teacher Aide in Lethbridge. She also worked as a parish worker and assisted with RCIA. After a renewal period in Ontario in 1987, she returned to Calgary. She spent time at Sacred Heart Convent and the FCJ House in Renfrew, overseeing maintenance. She enjoys reading, crossword puzzles, and organizing. READ MORE
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  • Born in Providence, Sister Ann Marie Walsh, fcJ joined the Sisters Faithful Companions of Jesus in 1961. She served as a teacher, principal, and community leader in the U.S. and later trained in spiritual direction in Canada. Since 2012, she's been providing retreats and spiritual direction in Calgary, following a sabbatical in Ireland. READ MORE


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When someone you love has an addiction

8/21/2023

4 Comments

 
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Three weeks into my marriage, I discovered my husband’s addiction to alcohol. It was like a one-and-done knock-out punch. I was out cold and left in a daze of anxiety and confusion for weeks. It was like getting shoved onto a roller-coaster of denial, anger, shame, fear, panic and extreme grief. But what surprised me the most was the lie. 
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A lie is like a slow black sludge that fills your heart and mind. It rots you from the inside out. 

I had been so panicked about the addiction in the first few days that I never thought twice about the betrayal; about the lie. Looking back on it now, it is so obvious that it had already triggered a deep shame within me, but I couldn’t see it then. And as it slowly sunk into my heart, almost unnoticed, the ground under my feet began to crumble.

​Here’s the interesting part: most people would think that my husband’s betrayal would have broken the trust in our marriage, which it technically did, but the most harmful and unexpected consequence was that I stopped trusting myself. I didn’t know what was real and what wasn’t anymore. I didn’t know what parts of my lived experiences and memories I could trust, and that included God. 

​I had never felt so alone and so helpless in my life. I had absolutely no-one to turn to. I couldn’t turn to my friends and family because they would be biased, which would have just divided Daniel and I even more. I also couldn’t afford to go see a counselor. 

I scoured the internet for anything I could find to help me understand addiction. I looked everywhere I could for testimonies of couples that had found a way through so that I could try and imitate them and use their strategies, but I found almost nothing. Instead, I was met with devastating statistics about marriage and addiction. I had no one to turn to but God. Even though I wasn’t particularly impressed with Him at that time, I had no other choice.

So I reluctantly prayed… Since I was a young girl, everytime I had a problem in my life, my mom would tell me to go talk to Jesus about it. She never gave me any other instructions, she simply told me to go talk to Him. So that’s what I did, I talked to Him like I would anyone else and I have continued to do that in prayer time ever since. It has proven to be such an incredible blessing, and this situation was no exception.
​​I prayed for weeks and told God exactly how I was feeling and what I was thinking. I hid nothing from Him. I spoke to Him plainly, and honestly, disrespectfully many times. I was angry. I felt I had been betrayed and I didn’t trust Him anymore. I yelled at Him in my heart and asked Him why He would ever let this happen to me. And He didn’t abandon me. Quite the opposite! He showed up in big and unexpected ways. 

He met me in those dark places. He answered all of my questions, slowly letting His truth sink deeply into my heart. With each answer I was left baffled and astounded at His goodness and creativity. He gifted me a deeper understanding of the sacrament of marriage, addiction, and His grace. And once I was ready, He invited me to participate in my husband’s healing and conversion.
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It's crazy to think, but all of this happened in about six weeks. It all led up to one final period of prayer. In a moment of fear and despair, I asked God how He could have let me enter into a marriage where I would not be protected and provided for. His answer shocked me. I felt the greatness and firmness in His voice reverberate through my entire being as He said: “I am your protector and provider first. And I will give these things to you, through your husband, when and how I see fit.”    

As I pondered these words in my heart, I began to see my husband through a completely new lens. Instead of seeing Daniel as someone who had failed me, I began to see him as a gift, as a vessel of God’s protection and provision. I no longer felt as though he owed me these things because it wasn’t really his job, it was God’s job. And if I didn’t receive these things through Daniel, it didn’t mean that I was deprived of them, but simply that God would provide them in a different way. 

What a shift in perspective! I was able to stop desperately grasping at my husband. I was able to release him, to free him. I realized that I had been robbing myself of the gift that my husband was, because when you believe someone owes you something, it's no longer a gift but the repayment of a debt. Now, instead of feeling like he was giving me what I was owed, everything he gave me felt like a bonus! Instead of anger and resentment, I was filled with gratitude for even the smallest things he would do. 
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You can imagine how drastically different it would have been for him to be met with gratitude every time he did something good, and patience and forgiveness every time he failed. But loving like this is just not possible without God’s help. 

​It’s an amazing thing to look back over our story and see where we are today. We now have a thriving marriage filled with prayer, joy, honesty, and intimacy. People keep thinking we’re newlyweds, even though we’ve been married for over 7 years! 
It still feels like a dream to see him chasing God and taking his role as the Spiritual Leader of our family with joy and intentionality.
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But what I found most surprising is that we found so much  joy and intimacy in our marriage before my husband ever took his recovery seriously. All that had changed, quite honestly, was me.

​With God as my source of security and source of joy, I was free to love him unconditionally. That unconditional love created a place of safety and trust that my husband had never experienced before, and it drew him into intimacy with me. And this place of love and safety became the fertile soil for his healing and conversion. 


There is absolutely no way that our marriage would be where it currently is if I had relied solely on psychology or human logic. Don’t get me wrong, I still used the insights of psychology alot! But it was the insights that God gave me through prayer that brought about these transformations and I am forever grateful for His faithfulness to me in this. 

Written by Rita Taylor for Faithfully. Currently residing in Saskatchewan, Rita and her husband Daniel, former parishioners of St. Peter's in Calgary, have been married for just over 7 years and have dealt with multiple addictions in their marriage. In her spare time, Rita enjoys reading about the saints, spending time in silent prayer and reflection, taking long walks by the river, and playing cards with her family. 

​​Rita completed her Master of Science in Psychology with Divine Mercy University in 2020 and is currently getting ready to launch a new program for Catholic married women whose husbands are struggling with addiction: womanofstrength.org in September 2023. "There is always a way forward when you have Him at your side! But knowing exactly how to do all of these things isn’t always obvious. How do you learn to trust God in this way? How does His grace work, particularly in marriage? How is He inviting you to participate in your husband's healing and conversion?"  

She invites you to learn how to lean on God, protecting the sacramentality of your marriage, and finding joy and intimacy through the addiction. 

​​Photos courtesy of Rita Taylor.
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Pray for NWT & BC #WildFires

8/19/2023

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Let us unite in prayer for all those impacted by the devastating wildfires currently raging across parts of Canada. The situation is particularly dire in NWT and BC, where residents have been forced to evacuate their homes due to the imminent danger.
  • For those who have been affected by wildfires, may they receive the assistance that they need at this time, let us pray to the Lord…
  • For the firefighters, military personnel, and volunteers deployed to help manage the wildfires, may they receive God’s constant protection and the much-needed weather conditions to help put out the fires, let us pray to the Lord…

A message from Most Rev. Jon Hansen, Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith, NWT.

Aug. 18, 2023
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Good morning everyone,

First of all, thank you for all the wonderful thoughts and prayers that have filled my text and email apps. Yesterday I had a 12-hour drive from Yellowknife to Grande Prairie, where I am “sheltering”. I am one of the lucky evacuees who have family in Alberta so I am very comfortable staying in the home of my niece and her husband.

That’s not the case for all who were forced to leave. As I drove, I saw many tents and campers for the entire length of my journey. There will also be many families in hotels and evacuation centres across Alberta and British Columbia. I gathered the quote below from one of our information sources, Cabinradio.ca. (This is a fantastic media source for up to the minute information about the fires)

“Approximately 63 percent of the NWT population is currently under evacuation order, if we use the most recent community population numbers provided by the NWT Bureau of Statistics. That’s about 28,904 residents, though this number doesn’t account for non-residents such as tourists or people here on short work contracts whose home province is elsewhere and would also be evacuating the NWT right now.”

Presently there are various levels of crisis in the NWT. A number of communities including Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik have fire at their doorsteps and we are just waiting to see what the weather will do to move the fires forward or to aid the firefighters and help hold the fires back. Other communities have already been breached including Behchoko (three homes lost) and Enterprise which was, according to reports, about 90% wiped out. I drove through there yesterday and it was the closest image to an apocalyptic wasteland that I have ever seen. For some communities such as Hay River and Katlodeeche, this is the second time they have been evacuated this summer, this after having to do the same a year ago due to floods.

On a brighter note, there is nothing like a crisis to bring out the best in humanity. There was a traffic stop at Big River (outside of Fort Providence), this is the only place on the 700km stretch between Yellowknife and High Level where you can stop for gas. With more than five thousand vehicles passing through a gas station with four pumps you can imagine that it could have been a place of chaos, and there was some of that. However, the prevalent mood was very neighbourly. People got out of their cars to stretch their legs and walk their dogs and spent time talking and laughing with one another. I was also surprised to see the many farm yards in northern Alberta that were freshly mowed and had big, hand-painted signs, offering free camping to all those equipped with tents and RVs.

The next few days are now just a matter of waiting to see what will happen next. All our staff and clergy are safe and accounted for, although they have been scattered to the wind by plane and by road. Keep the prayers coming as we ask for the miracle of rainfall in abundance for our parched land.
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Peace
+Jon
Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith

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Healing, Hope, and Faith at the Family Life Conference

8/14/2023

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It was a long, four-year wait for us to attend Catholic Family Ministries' 25th Annual Family Life conference. It was with much excitement that we were heading back to Lac Ste. Anne for our 22nd time. 

As a family we had only missed a couple; one for a family wedding and another for Father Troy Nguyen’s ordination. Even years where we thought about not going, our kids would not allow us to miss it as it's a special time for the entire family. The conference has greatly blessed our family. It's where Sean Lynn, my husband, met Steve Wood when we attended the very first conference, which led to the origins of how God Squad began, but that’s a story for another time. 
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Family Life Conference 2023, Spruce Grove, AB. Photo credit: Catholic Family Ministries.
The largest family reunion ever
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In 1996, a group of like-minded friends from the Edmonton area who, led and inspired by Bob LeBlanc (now deceased), decided to heed the call of Pope Saint John Paul II who, in Familiaris Consortio, plead for families to “become what you are, the domestic Church and the heart of the world.” 
Responding to this call, they hosted the very first conference at Ephphatha House (now the Mount Carmel Spirituality Centre). However, due to the overwhelming response and increasing attendee numbers, the venue soon became too small. The following year, the conference was relocated to the Shrine of Ste. Anne on the shores of Lac Ste. Anne, west of Edmonton. Despite not being able to offer amenities as simple as hot showers or power hookups for campers, and the always inclement weather, families faithfully attended in rain, snow, intense heat and thunderstorms.

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Our lives, the lives of our children, and now grandchildren, have been irrevocably changed and affected by our 27-year journey of gathering for what I like to call the largest family reunion in the world. After so many years of gathering with many of the same families, we’ve had the pleasure of watching not only our own children grow, but also observing the growth in numerous other families. I am not sure if anyone is keeping track, but I know there have been marriages and new families created as fruits of this incredible gift to all of us. We feel blessed to have witnessed the faith and fidelity of hundreds of Catholics coming together to worship through the Mass and sacraments of the Church. 

The 2020 conference was meant to be their 25th anniversary celebration, planned as a five-day event with Father Larry Richards as the keynote speaker. Regrettably due to the COVID pandemic, it had to be cancelled two years in a row. It was also not possible to hold it last year as the Shrine at Lac Ste. Anne became a significant part of the Papal Visit to Alberta. Thankfully, Father Larry kept his schedule open for the conference this year and we were blessed with the opportunity to hear him speak. True to form, Father Larry always kept us on our toes. He presented us with numerous challenges. One particular challenge that resonated with me was his encouragement to pray for the salvation of the person we dislike the most. 
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Sean Lynn (Michelle's husband) at the Family Life Conference
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Fr. Paul Moret
Joy in God’s will and healing
​As part of this year’s conference, a healing service was held on Saturday night. Father Paul Moret, the spiritual director of the Family Life Ministries group and pastor of Holy Trinity parish in Spruce Grove, introduced Encounter Ministries. This Catholic organization seeks “to demonstrate the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit in their sphere of influence.” Specifically, they offered a prayer service for healing. All attendees were invited to ask for physical healing and to be prayed for by those around them. 

There were many healings that night, and I experienced it first-hand. When an invitation was extended for people with shoulder issues to stand up, I decided to participate - I had nothing to lose. 

I have not been able to raise my right arm past the height of my shoulder without rotating it due to calcification in the ligaments for the past 12 years or so. I must admit, I was sceptical. I was sitting next to my mom, so when people around those standing were invited to lay their hands on us, my mom had her hand on my right shoulder. I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary - no lightning bolts, no hot flash; nothing. Later, my Mom told me her hand felt hot as she prayed for me. 

As soon as the group prayer was done, they invited us to test our healing. I went to try to lift my arm up, outstretched, past my shoulder, fully expecting the familiar pain that usually prevented such movement. But I was able to keep going higher and higher until I held my arm straight above my head! I looked around at the people who had just prayed for me, and shrugged my shoulders in disbelief because I didn’t know what else to do. I had actually been healed! ​
A few minutes later, they invited people who had abdominal issues to stand. I have suffered from IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome) for most of my life, and as time went by, I was only able to eat a very restricted diet to the point where I literally couldn’t eat at a restaurant without causing painful symptoms to ensue. I thought if it happened once, why not give it another shot?

I stood, people prayed, then they asked us to test our healing. The only way I could verify this was to eat something I normally couldn’t and see what happened. The next morning, I did just that. Then, I waited. The usual symptoms that I would have experienced from consuming such food never occurred. I waited some more. Then I ate something else that would normally set me off. No reaction! I honestly thought that maybe it was like a placebo effect; that I wanted it to be true, so my body responded in kind. Three days later, I was still testing the healing. Now a month later, I can happily say that I was also healed of IBS! 
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Healing service with Encounter Ministries at Family Life Conference. Photo credit: Catholic Family Ministries.
The day after the healing service, a wave of excitement went through the camp as people began to share their stories. A lovely lady that we knew from our parish in Calgary always had to walk and pace at the back of the church during Mass because a back injury made it too painful for her to sit and genuflect. That morning she had the biggest grin in the world. She spoke about how she was able to sit and kneel for the first time in many years. 

My husband Sean, my family, and our friends were all amazed and overjoyed by my healing. As a person who had been living without gluten, dairy, many vegetables and spices that upset my system, it still feels surreal to enjoy salsa again, and rediscover how food can truly taste without causing pain! Sean loves to make savoury food, and I’m grateful he no longer has to prepare a bland and restricted version of his dishes for me. We can now enjoy meals that we prepare together. 

Fast forward to August 2023, I find myself continually praising the Lord for what He has done for me. I’ve lived with a few chronic issues in my life, accepting the suffering, and making it my goal to offer these tribulations to the Lord for the sake of my salvation and others. But that night, I just felt a calling to participate and ask God for the gift of His healing. 

Still I question from time to time, feeling almost guilty for this gift of healing, because, after all, God had allowed this suffering in my life and I trust in His will and felt grateful for the opportunity to offer these little things back to Him.  I felt I was given these opportunities to be able to walk with Him in His passion, much as Simon was able to do when He helped Jesus carry His cross.  At first I wasn’t sure if I should be sharing this with others - as the healings felt more like a personal divine gift and revelation. However, I am now certain that it’s necessary for me to share this with others, to praise God for what He has done, and to instil hope in others with assurance of God’s love. 

With upcoming healing services coming up in our diocese, I encourage you to participate and ask God for what you need in your life to fulfil His will. Go and trust what God has in store for you. If He wills you to heal, you will heal when you ask for it. Trust that God gives us what we need for our salvation, whether that be strength and perseverance to bear what He has given us, or healing.
Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful.” ~Hebrews 10:23

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Written by Michele Lynn for Faithfully. Michele lives in Calgary with her husband Sean. They have 8 adult children, and 14 grandchildren. They attend St. Peter’s Parish. Michele assists Sean as an administration assistant for God Squad Canada when she’s not happily spending time with her children and grandchildren. In her spare time, Michele enjoys being outdoors, gardening, and attends daily Mass and spends time in adoration of Our Lord as often as time permits. Photos courtesy of Michelle Lynn and family.

Upcoming opportunities in and around our Diocese for healing prayers: 
  • Family Healing Retreats with Fr. Joseph Edattu, VC -  in participating parishes - see schedule here  (Aug 15-19, 2023)
  • Jesus Heals - Mass and Healing Adoration with Fr. Jilito George CMI - in participating parishes - see schedule here (Aug 15-23, 2023)
  • Encounter Ministry Healing Service with Fr. Paul Moret at Holy Trinity parish in Spruce Grove (Aug 26, 2023) - More info 
Related article and video:
  • Healing ministry reports miracles and renewal of faith (Archdiocese of Edmonton, March 2023)​
  • Watch Fearless, a documentary. Filmmaker Maura Smith takes us on a compelling journey of discovery into the world of supernatural divine power. Through the lens of Encounter Ministries, we witness God's miracles performed by everyday people, transforming lives instantly through divine communication and healing.
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Sacred Hearth Parish, Strathmore: Breaking Ground, Building Faith

8/4/2023

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"I was amazed to see one of our senior parishioners who broke her hand from shoulder to elbow on Saturday came on her wheelchair holding her hand in a sling to be part of this long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for our new parish church. Nothing could stop her and all others to come and witness this great event," exclaimed Fr. Tomy Manjaly, Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Strathmore Parish in Alberta. This touching scene unfolded at their official groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.

The unwavering support and commitment of the community were palpable at the event. It is a significant milestone for the Sacred Heart Parish - the transformation of the former IGA Grocery Store located in downtown Strathmore into a place of worship. Led by Fr. Tomy Manjaly who blessed the site, the ceremony marked the transformative period for the parish. 

Parish Council Coordinator Tomas Rochford shared his delight at the community's participation in the event. "It was wonderful to see all the parishioners and local residents come out to enjoy the celebration; it was a cross-section of our community: patriarchs and matriarchs from long-established families, families with small children who recently joined our parish, members of our large Filipino community, and even some individuals who have been ‘testing the waters’ to learn more about the faith as they contemplate ‘swimming the Tiber’ to become Catholic," he said.

Fundraising Chair Nettie Hendricks also shared her emotional connection to the project. "I saw the tears on the faces of some members who were here when the previous church was built in 1953, and I felt a connection to them since I have been there myself since 1960," she said.

Indeed, the persistent  support of the community underscores the significance of this project - not just as a physical transformation of a building, but also as a spiritual journey for the entire community. As Hendricks pointed out, “Strathmore has grown exponentially over the past few years and the number of parish families has increased dramatically since Covid retired. The new church will be an anchor for these families to celebrate Sacraments and faith.”

Rochford added, “It will encourage many former or distant Catholics to return and come ‘try it out’, which would be wonderful because we have such a holy pastor who is our spiritual leader, who celebrates Holy Mass in a manner that inspires prayer and sacrifice, and our parish has been striving to offer many means to welcome and form new and experienced members in the fullness of the Catholic Faith.”
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A space for prayer & centre for the work of mercy

Sacred Heart church is not only undergoing a transformation of a former grocery store into a place of worship, it is also set to house relics from St. John Paul II, making it a significant site for prayer, contemplation, and pilgrimage. (Read “St. John Paul II’s relics in our Diocese”, by Sara Francis in Faithfully, 2021). Rochford hopes that the new church space can serve as a hub for faith formation activities, drawing inspiration from the teachings of St. John Paul II.  See walkthrough video for the anticipated Shrine Chapel of St. John Paul II.

The new church design will also  include a commercial kitchen, which anticipates the need to assist families struggling to make ends meet and the growing homeless population in Strathmore. The community hall, part of the new design, will provide another gathering place for special events such as wedding receptions and smaller conventions.

Hendrick expresses her delight at this development. "As a Christian, we are called to work for social justice so I am especially happy to see the commercial kitchen because it represents the first step to setting up an outreach program for the less fortunate," she says. 

Rochford resonates with this sentiment, visualizing the central location of the church as an important opportunity to serve the local residents through corporal and spiritual acts of mercy. "From running potential weekday soup kitchens to weekly Bible studies to 24-hour adoration, we aim to offer Christ to all who step foot in our new building," he shares.
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The Way of Beauty

Rochford, a local resident whose parents moved to Strathmore six years ago to be near his family, shares their anticipation for the completion of the new church. “They are especially excited by the fact that we have tried to build a church that is in architectural and artistic continuity with the entirety of the Catholic tradition," he says. His parents, who grew up before the Second Vatican Council, hold fond memories of beautiful Masses in beautiful churches.

Rochford also shares their deep longing after witnessing many churches lose their sense of beauty. Quoting Bishop Barron, he says that the Catholic community is finally moving out of the period of beige Catholicism, re-embracing the Way of Beauty in the universal Church. "Our small-town parish church will be a humble contribution to this renaissance of Catholic culture in Canada,” he adds. 

"Our architecture team, led by Mr. Jun Lee, was able to design a beautiful neo-Romanesque style church from the bones of a grocery store!" Rochford says. (Read more: “Transforming a Grocery Store into a Church” by Brent Wiley, 2018)  He reassures that no one will mistake the new building for any secular building because the external look and the internal forms speak the language of the Catholic faith in wood, metal, and drywall. 

Interest continues to grow in the unique transformation of this downtown building. For a glimpse of this transformation, the Parish has shared a video link on their website: https://youtu.be/ASEc_JutFgA
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Relying on your prayers & support

Fr. Tomy Manjaly conveys his deep appreciation for all those who have supported their church transformation project through their time, talent, and resources. "I can't stop thanking God for all those who have helped us in various ways to make this day possible," says Fr. Manjaly. He acknowledges that while they've made a strong start, the journey is far from over. "We continue to depend on the generosity of so many good people to complete the task which we have just begun."

The project cost is approximately $10M. To date, just over $6M has been collected through the generous support of the parish community. The parish remains optimistic about addressing the remaining capital shortfall of $3M through the collective efforts of the community.

Hendricks, committed to continuing fundraising efforts both within and outside the parish community, expresses her hope for the future. "With the tangible presence of construction, we will see some additional donations to help us cross the financial finish line," she says.

As Sacred Heart Parish commences this monumental journey, the energy and anticipation within the parish remain vibrant. They extend their heartfelt gratitude to the good people of the Diocese for their unwavering prayerful and financial support. They humbly request the continued generosity and prayers of the community to help them bring this project to completion. 
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MORE PHOTOS
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Photos courtesy of Lynn Dumont, Sacred Heart Parish, Strathmore.
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Ready, Set, Fly: Pilgrims anticipate a transformative trip to World Youth Day 2023

7/30/2023

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Daniel Tang confesses, “I have never left the continent before, nor have I ever camped outside; I have not flown across the ocean, and I am usually uncomfortable in large crowds.”  Yet in this monumental leap, Tang is prepared to step beyond his comfort zone. He is one of the 40 pilgrims from St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy (SFXC) leaving  for Lisbon, Portugal for World Youth Day (WYD) 2023, accompanied by Fr. Cristino Bouvette and Fr. Santiago Torres. 

He further shares, “This theme that Mary arose and went with haste (Luke 1:39) reminds me to trust in God's providence on every step of the way - to have no fear of the unknown, and to have peace and know that He will provide.”
The SFXC pilgrims are eagerly looking forward to representing the Diocese in the World Youth Day, together with 8 young adults from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Calgary, and representatives from numerous lay associations throughout the Diocese. Inspired by Pope Francis, the young adults are thrilled to partake in this global Catholic youth event with the support of their families fuelling their enthusiasm. 
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"It was very influential in both of my parents' lives when they were younger," shares Francis Van Uden.


​For Jessica Brummelhuis, her family's excitement about the possibility of attending a World Youth Day together was contagious. "Their faces would all light up when talking about WYD. I didn't understand then; I didn't know what it was or why it excited them so much. But their excitement sparked my interest, and now I'm the one attending out of all of us. They couldn't be happier for me," she shares.

​Fr. Cristino Bouvette is particularly thrilled about the opportunity to connect and journey alongside the Diocese of Sault Ste. Marie, led by his close friend who also serves as his counterpart. Fr. Cris'
 experience with World Youth Day is extensive, as he shares, “This will be my fourth World Youth Day, spanning back to WYD 2002 in Toronto (though for that I only attended days in the diocese) but I got to experience Pope St. John Paul II's last WYD, Pope Benedict XVI's first WYD in his homeland of Cologne, Germany, and with Pope Francis in 2016, Krakow, during the Extraordinary Jubilee Year of Mercy." 

“After closely organizing the Holy Father's visit to Canada last year, being part of a papal event this year will offer a new perspective, especially knowing the inner workings and hopefully even meeting and introducing our group to the Pope's collaborators who will be attending WYD with him in Lisbon.”

​Asked about what excites them in Portugal, the pilgrims express their eagerness to experience new culture, connecting with fellow young Catholics globally, and enjoying the excitement of being in a new location.


Kathleen Brul, Elvin Limpin, and Andrew Min look forward to pray together with young Catholics worldwide. Kathleen shares, “I am thrilled about the prospect of joining the overnight vigil and eucharistic adoration with everyone.”

Andrew, too, is eager to unite in prayer and worship with other young adults.  He says, “Being a young Catholic in today's world can be challenging. Sharing this pilgrimage with other young adults passionate about their faith is a wonderful way to rejuvenate one's own convictions."
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WYD delegation from Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Calgary. Photo courtesy of OLPH Parish, Calgary.
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The SFXC pilgrims getting ready to fly to Portugal from YYC airport.
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Follow the SFXC pilgrims on their Instagram feed and stories - instagram.com/sfxchaplaincy
A special visit to Our Lady of Fatima

While many are keen to explore Portuguese culture, encompassing its food, architecture, music, and history, a significant part of the excitement surrounds visiting the Fatima apparition site and understanding the miracles of Our Lady of Fatima during World Youth Day 2023. 

Group leader Catarina Avila, a native Portuguese, is especially excited to share her culture with fellow pilgrims. “As a Portuguese citizen who grew up in a faithful Portuguese family and vibrant Portuguese culture, I am thrilled that I am able to share my culture with my fellow pilgrims going to World Youth Day!” she exclaims. She adds, “Above all, I am honoured to be able to have the opportunity to delve more deeply into the message of Fatima with the pilgrims.” Her anticipation for visiting the Fatima site resonates with many, including Kathleen Brul who says, “I've never visited a Marian apparition site before, and Our Lady of Fatima holds such a vital place in Portuguese history.”

Kathleen also reveals that a pivotal moment occurred during a Mass at the Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton last year, when she was navigating a difficult period in her life. This experience ignited her journey of faith. ​“Pope Francis' papal visit set my heart on fire for Jesus … I finally felt free from all the things that had kept me away from true joy and fulfilment,” she says. “I decided to go to World Youth Day to celebrate the joy and peace God has blessed me with throughout this past year…”
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SFXC held a WYD dinner fundraiser in June 2023. Photos courtesy of Daniel Tang.
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Mary Arose and went with haste (Luke 1:39)

The theme for World Youth Day 2023, "Mary arose and went with haste," has sparked various interpretations among participants. Some view it as a motivational call to disseminate the Gospel promptly, while others perceive it as an encouragement to trust in God's divine plan.

This theme truly encompasses Mary's faith and obedience, inspiring participants to leave their comfort zones and welcome the unknown with joy. Cameron Bluekens reflects on this, saying, “Mary didn't delay in spreading the Gospel. It was the presence of God in her that moved her to share the Good News with zeal and generosity - I would like to be blessed with the same virtues.”

For pilgrim Jonathan Dobek, the theme for WYD 2023 speaks into a specific action. He says, “After WYD, with Mary’s help, I will get up and in haste go to seminary to discern and learn what God has in store for me.” Jonathan has been accepted by Bishop McGrattan to enter St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton as a seminarian for our Diocese, beginning the last week of August.

Our young adults have also shared a variety of hopes for their attendance at World Youth Day. Some express a desire to strengthen their faith, charity, and zeal, while others aim to better incorporate their faith into daily life. 

Elizabeth Spiess and Mark Oswald look forward to forging new friendships during the World Youth Day 2023 pilgrimage. "I also hope to deepen my connections with old friends," adds Mark. Simultaneously, Elizabeth envisions contributing to the growth of youth ministry in her parish. 

Andrew Min concluded his thoughts by sharing that he aims to inspire other young adults with his experiences from this spiritual journey. He hopes that his stories might encourage them to consider embarking on this pilgrimage themselves in the future. 

Despite their individual aspirations, there is a shared openness to the spiritual journey that this pilgrimage may offer. Daniel Tang wraps it up by saying, “I truly believe that witnessing the Living Universal Body of Christ would bear much fruit to be shared back in our respective Dioceses.”
PRAY FOR OUR PILGRIMS
WATCH WYD COVERAGE
DONATE TO COVER PILGRIMAGE COSTS

CCCB press release: More than 5,000 Canadian Youth are making their way to Lisbon, Portugal to be with Pope Francis, from 1 to 6 August 2023. The Holy Father will join more than one million young people for World Youth Day (WYD). The first international World Youth Day was held in 1986, and the event was hosted by Canada in 2002, with Pope Saint John Paul II making the pilgrimage to Toronto. Read more 


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Residential Schools | News & Updates

7/29/2023

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Updates

  • CCCB message on "The Holy Father's Apostolic Visit to Canada: Looking Back One Year Later" (July 26, 2023)
  • CCCB statement on "Doctrine of Discovery" (March 30, 2023)
  • Vatican statement on "Doctrine of Discovery" (March 30, 2023)
  • Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) Website is now online
  • CCCB on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sep. 30, 2022)
  • CCCB deepen their commitments to  healing and reconciliation (Sep. 29, 2022)
  • All about the Papal Visit 2022
  • Pope Francis asks forgiveness from Indigenous People (July 25, 2022) 
  • Why is the Pope Going to Canada? (Fr. Federico Lombardi, SJ)
  • "Doctrine of Discovery" and Terra Nullius  (CCCB, 2016)
  • The Catholic doctrine of discovery is already null and void (The Hub)
  • Pope Francis issues an apology to the Indigenous People (April 1, 2022)

Going forward

  • Walking Together: Into One Beat (July 2023) features interviews with members of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Alberta, Quebec, and Nunavut, who share their heartfelt stories as they prepare for the Holy Father's arrival. After the visit, they offer their reactions, impressions, and hopes for this country of many nations moving forward, as one, on the journey of reconciliation. Watch now
  • Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) Website is now online
  • CCCB on the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation (Sep. 30, 2022)
  • CCCB deepen their commitments to  healing and reconciliation (Sep. 29, 2022)
  • How Indigenous Catholic clergy reckon their culture with their faith (National Post)
  • Fr. Cristino Bouvette spoke about how we define reconciliation, 
  • My kokum blessed what the world said was incompatible: I became an Indigenous priest (CBC)
  • A personal testimony from Fr. Cristino Bouvette - on being both a Catholic Priest, and Indigenous heritage. Watch video

Statements & Resources

  • Joint Statement of the Dicasteries for Culture and Education and for Promoting Integral Human Development on the “Doctrine of Discovery”
  • An update on the Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement
  • Indigenous Reconciliation Fund to Support Projects Across Canada
  • $30M National Financial Pledge to support healing and reconciliation initiatives
  • Apology by the Catholic Bishops of Canada to the Indigenous Peoples 
  • Bishop McGrattan meets with Siksika Nation Chief & Council
  • Commitment and contribution of our Diocese to reconciliation and healing
  • CCCB on Saskatchewan “Catholic TRC Healing Response Appeal”
  • A pastoral message from Pope Francis | Bishop McGrattan  | CCCB ​
  • Joint video statement from Chief Littlechild and Archbishop Smith. Statement
  • 2014 Pastoral letter from Catholic Bishops of Alberta and the NWT 
  • CCCB Resources:  Past  statements | Encounter with the Popes | Initiative​
  • ​FAQ re: Kamloops Residential School from Oblates of Mary Immaculate & ​Archdiocese of Vancouver

Residential Schools within the boundaries of the Diocese of Calgary

There were 25 residential schools in the Province of Alberta. See: Residential Schools in Canada Map. Four of them operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) were within the boundaries of the Diocese. The Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary did not run any residential schools. Below are links to the four residential schools:
  • St. Joseph’s Residential School (Crowfoot) - Cluny, Alberta (1900-1968) operated by the Oblates of  Mary Immaculate (OMI) and Sisters of Providence
  • St. Mary’s Residential School (Kainai) - Cardston, Alberta (1898-1988) operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) and Grey Nuns of Montreal
  • Sacred Heart Residential School (Peigan) - Brocket, Alberta (1887-1961) operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI)  and Grey Nuns of Montreal
  • St. Joseph’s Industrial School (Dunbow) - East of Okotoks, near the junction of the Bow and Highwood Rivers  (1884-1922) operated by the Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) and Grey Nuns of Montreal​​​

Learn about Residential Schools

  • The History of Canada's Residential Schools (First Things)
  • History of Residential Schools (CBC) 
  • Perspective on death and graves in residential schools
  • The policy battle that set the stage for a century of residential school death
  • Documentary: A National Crime 
  • Clarification on unmarked graves​
  • Where are the children buried? (A report from Dr. Scott Hamilton, featured on NCTR)
  • Canada's Trudeau Fans the Flame of Blame (NCR Register)
  • Unmarked graves were documented years ago but most of us looked away (B. Liley, Toronto Sun)
  • Guilt, Responsibility, and Purgatory: How traditional Catholic teaching can help us think about truth, reconciliation, and reparations (Church Life Journal)

Truth & Reconciliation Commission

  • Reports (2015)
    • Honouring the truth, reconciling for the future
    • What we have learned
    • The Survivors Speak
    • Missing Children and Unmarked Burials
    • Canada's Residential Schools: The History, Part 1 (origins to 1939)
    • Canada's Residential Schools: The History, Part 2 (1939 to 2000)
    • Canada's Residential Schools: The Legacy
    • Canada's Residential Schools: Reconciliation
  • A Catholic response to Call to Action 48 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission

​A brief guide about Treaty & Alberta Treaty Map (Alberta Teachers Association)

​​​​Crisis line for Indian Residential School survivors and family: 1-866-925-4419
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From Argentina to Canada: Meet Deacon Carlos Lozano & wife Christina

7/23/2023

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On a beautiful Tuesday morning, I sat at a picnic table by the shore of Lake Chaparral, southeast of Calgary, engaging in conversation with our Diocese's newest deacon from Argentina. My hosts on this warm gorgeous summer day were Deacon Carlos Lozano and his lovely wife, Christina Rieter. 

The warmth emanating from the two of them carried us through a two-hour heartfelt bilingual Spanish–English conversation centred on Christ, family, and service. As Deacon Carlos awaits his new mission in Holy Spirit Parish beginning August 1st, he speaks with delightful excitement about his ministry in Argentina and his hopes and dreams for the future.


In May 1996, Deacon Carlos and his fellow deacons chose these words of Jeremiah for their ordination in Buenos Aires, Argentina: “Now the word of the Lord came to me saying, “Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, and before you were born I consecrated you a prophet to the nations.” (Jer 1:4-5). Long before that, in 1951, Deacon Carlos revealed that his mother, while he was still in her womb, had dedicated him to our Blessed Virgin Mary. With this profound offering and our Blessed Mother's intercession, Deacon Lozano serves the Lord not only in his marital and family life but also through his permanent diaconate ministry, which now extends beyond Argentina due to his his recent move to Calgary, Alberta. 
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Deacon Carlos (3rd from right) served as a permanent deacon in Quilmes, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Faith & Journey to Canada
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When asked about the source and centre of his faith, Deacon Carlos talks about his love for Christ and how that love radiates outwards into his life, his family, his Church community, his ministry and out into the world. He says, “It all begins and revolves around Christ being the centre of my life, with Mary walking right beside me.” His favourite Bible verse, “just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” (Mt 20:28), has guided his ministry through the years, and is the spiritual core of his calling.

Deacon Carlos and his wife moved to Calgary in April 2022 to be near their daughters, Celeste and Cecilia, and their families. Although it has been challenging leaving home and their parish back in Quilmes, they did not have to think twice when the opportunity to move to Canada arose. Now, Deacon Carlos and Christina find delight in spending time with their two grandchildren, Milagros and Franco, taking leisurely walks and showering them with love and affection.
It all begins and revolves around Christ being the centre of my life, with Mary walking right beside me” ~ Deacon Carlos Lozano
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Deacon Carlos & family in Calgary
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Deacon Carlos during his Ordination in 1996
Hopes for the future
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Ever since they moved to Calgary, they have been amazed by the kindness and affection they have received, and they hope to channel this goodness into dedicated service for God and His people. 

Deacon Carlos looks forward to his years in Calgary serving the Lord, beginning with his new assignment at Holy Spirit Parish in Calgary.  Both he and his wife are excited to build a strong community around them. ​They hope to reach out especially to the Spanish speaking population. To all the faithful in the Diocese of Calgary, Deacon Carlos would like to express his gratitude, saying, “Thank you for the warm welcome and pray for me.”
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Written by Cecilia DMello for Faithfully. Cecilia lives in Calgary with her husband Neil and her two-year old daughter Azaelea. She attends St. Joseph's Parish in Calgary and is passionate about bringing young families to/back to Christ. She enjoys reading, painting, crocheting and hiking. Photos courtesy of Deacon Carlos Lozano. 
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His mercy is from age to age

7/20/2023

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My 95 year old mother did not know a grandparent, a cousin, an aunt or an uncle growing up.  But it is like the Lord is making up for what she did not have, as now there are close to 90 of us with our families and children and grandchildren and great grandchildren. Truly, the blessings of abundance are bountiful!

Celebrating the third World Day for Grandparents and the elderly is especially heartwarming for me this year. First, to be a grandparent to 11 on earth, and to have my own mother still with us as a grandmother and great grandmother is truly a blessing.
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The alignment of the World Youth Day preparations with the celebration of this day serves as a reminder for young adults to appreciate the gift of their grandparents. As they participate in the festivities in Lisbon, Portugal, this year's World Day for Grandparents and Elderly theme, "His Mercy is from age to age" (Luke 1:15), echoes a message that God’s eyes are always on us. Taken from the Visitation of Mary to her cousin Elizabeth, this verse speaks volumes of the generations who celebrate in this Mercy.
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The connection between the young and the old is vitally  important. Whether it is being there as a grandparent to offer support and wisdom, or whether it is accepting the outstretched hand of the young offering help, both are so very necessary. Even if your grandparents are no longer with you, there are many elderly waiting to receive the touch of a grandchild figure, or for them to be a grandparent to a child.
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During the pandemic when care facilities, and other living accommodations were closed off to visitors, our family came up with an idea to be able to see mom everyday by using FaceTime.  This allows us to pray the daily rosary with her, to bring to prayer those who had special needs, and to remain connected.  For over 2.5 years we have continued the practice as a family, and those who are able to join in can do so on any given day.

There are countless ways to maintain strong connections with our elderly loved ones, and each small effort can make a significant difference. Looking for ideas?
  • Invite your elderly loved ones to Mass or rosary prayers in your community, especially this Sunday, July 23, the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. Be sure to share the message of our Holy Father to them for the World Day. 
  • Enjoy outdoor activities with the elderly - a leisurely stroll or a picnic can offer quality bonding time.
  • Virtual visits (via FaceTime, Zoom, etc.) have become easier to navigate due to COVID. Many elderly individuals are now zoom-savvy, and some can ask friends or neighbours for help setting up these platforms.
  • Play games! Engage in board games, card or online games (like Pogo or even Minecraft). You can help set it up on their iPad or computer, and let the fun begin! 
  • Cooking together is a wonderful activity to engage in with grandparents or elderly loved ones. Compile favourite recipes with your elderly loved ones and cook them together. It's a fun way to spend time together while preserving family traditions. 
  • Assisting the elderly with errands - such as grocery shopping, driving to appointments, household repairs, or garden pruning - is a gesture that they're sure to appreciate greatly.
  • Write letters to your elderly loved ones - The art of writing letters may seem archaic, but its charm is timeless. The experience of holding and reading from a piece of paper filled with personal thoughts and sentiments can be deeply moving. It's a unique way to share your life and express your love. 
  • Last but not least, make the time to call your grandparents or someone elderly, and engage in a sincere conversation. This seemingly small act of connection will undoubtedly be cherished.

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As grandparents  we experience the joys and sufferings of each of our children and grandchildren.  There are special needs, and there are many ways that we can be a blessing to our grown children and our grandchildren. I always recall with great gratitude the many times my own parents took our children, and the mercy shown to us when we were  young parents. It is this boundless mercy shown to us that I desire to pass on to our own children and grandchildren.  Those blessings that we received as young parents are still felt today, as I reach out to, and try to provide a place of secure welcome to our own grandchildren.
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To witness to, and to be there for our grandchildren, as our presence is required, allows our grandchildren to receive so many benefits of family living united in the hope and the promise of the gospel message.

We are called to be there, and to especially be there for our aging parents / grandparents. To be a sign of hope in a culture that wants to cancel people is so very important.  It means taking a stand and to pray through our current culture, while keeping our focus on what brings life. To be people of hope, when all hope seems diminished stands as a beacon for the world.  God’s plan is so much bigger than what we can imagine, and we can be that sign of hope for others.  It is not about a “perfect” life, it is about allowing God’s will and His plan to unfold for our lives, having the cross at the centre. It is about caring for those that God puts in our path. The love and respect given to and from grandparents can never be diminished.

When cultures are cancelling the weak and the vulnerable, it is time to stand up, and be counter cultural. Let us be the “voice of one crying out in the wilderness” (Isaiah 40:3). Do not be afraid to be the one to show His Mercy, and to respect the life we have been given from conception to natural death.

My grandfather, when asked how to raise children, simply said, “teach them their faith, and use good common sense.” Today this is still sound advice, so simple and yet so true. His words of wisdom have stood the test of time.
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As we navigate through this complex and unforgiving world, let’s revisit this advice, and may we proclaim with boldness the message of mercy to our grandchildren.

Written by Mary Ann Donaleshen for #CatholicYYC. Mary Ann is a wife, mother, and grandmother, and has been married to Roland for 43 years. Mary Ann and Roland are parishioners of St. Joseph's Parish in Calgary. They have 4 children and 11  grandchildren. Mary Ann retired after working 15 years for the Diocese of Calgary, and spends her time caring for the needs of family, and volunteers for refugees coming from Turkey. Photos courtesy of Mary Ann Donaleshen.
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Has dishonor crept into the way we relate with our elders?

Join Archbishop Richard Smith for a discussion about his grandparents, the art of storytelling across generations, the troubling societal trend of neglecting our elders, how older Bishops have mentored him, the connection between World Youth Day and strengthening the relationship between different generations of Catholics, and much more.  https://caedm.ca/upfront/
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Everlasting Joy: Serving & Listening in the Spirit

7/16/2023

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As we prepare to celebrate the World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly on Sunday, July 23, 2023, we all have a unique role to play. We're encouraged to reach out and visit those who may be alone, sharing the Holy Father's message that is addressed for them. This gesture is a concrete embodiment of the Church's mission to serve and a powerful reminder that even the most isolated among our elderly are integral to our communities.
  • Download resources in English | French (Holy Father’s message, catechesis, the official prayer for the Day and additional pastoral suggestions)

Plenary Indulgence
The Catholic Church will grant a plenary indulgence to all the faithful who will be attending the Mass on July 23 with Pope Francis, or local Grandparents' day celebration, or on this same day "devote adequate time to visiting, in person or virtually, through the communications media, their elderly brothers and sisters in need or in difficulty (such as the sick, the abandoned, the disabled...)". Read Decree

Everlasting joy: Serving & Listening in the Spirit

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Over the past year or so, I have been working as a waitstaff member at a retirement home in the northwest Calgary. It is a quaint place for independent seniors who do not require extensive care.

My most treasured part about this job are the interactions I have with the residents at the retirement home. This, I believe to be a twofold interaction as I have noticed that the residents seldom receive family visits. The residents have a wealth of insights and wisdom to share, and what I commit to bring them in return is an infectious joy to hopefully brighten their days.

I would not have chosen this job if I had not recognized the primary commitment to bringing joy. I have my own experiences with my grandparents and my faith to thank for that; because I cannot imagine how isolating it could feel to live here without much social interaction. Interestingly, I learned from a group of residents about a differing approach taken by another waitstaff member. Residents were advised to spend their free time in their suites rather than the all-day café near the dining area, which is typically designated for leisure. This baffled me. What could possibly lead one to believe that people, particularly seniors, would prefer to be cooped up away from everyone for days on end.

These experiences further bolster my efforts to provide the most genuine and respectful service I can give. This primarily comes down to the smaller things. If there’s one thing the elderly desire from a service, is to feel that they are listened to. I cultivate this through a multitude of smaller actions, such as not just remembering and calling residents by their names; but also knowing their drink choices at each mealtime, as well as any allergies or food preferences.  I make a point to acknowledge all of these preferences or requests when serving them; and I am always open to conversation.

At the end of the day, I am here at this job to serve the elderly the best I can. I am drawn to this work, feeling motivated by the Holy Spirit to bring joy wherever I go and to whomever I interact.

As we approach 2023's  World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly, I aim to continue dedicating my service both to God and to the senior residents in the retirement home. I pray for the Holy Spirit to help me continue to share God’s love and joy with the elderly.


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Written by Christopher James (CJ) Panlilio for Faithfully. He recently graduated from St. Mary's University 's Bachelor of Arts program of Social Justice and Catholic Studies. He has further plans to take the after-degree Bachelor of Education (Elementary) program at St. Mary’s. Apart from writing fiction, he enjoys good food and drink, spending time with both children and elderly, and making puns.
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