2022 Jubilarians

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Fr. Rolando Badiola

Fr. Rudy was born in Baao, Camarines Sur, in the Philippines. The Badiola house was located just on the other side of the local church, a fixture of daily life in their household. Being so close by, the priests would visit their house most often, and the seminarians who would stay in the rectory over the summer were role models to young Fr. Rudy.

​The vocation to the priesthood grew with Fr. Rudy as he grew, but when he broached the topic to his family, they were unsupportive, with his mother as the only exception. They felt there was no need for him to be a priest, and they were concerned that he would be assigned to the middle of nowhere, to “rot in the place with no chance of improvement”.  Read more

Read "Fr. Rudi Badiola: Holy Perseverance"

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Fr. Kevin Lynch, OFM

“If you don’t have a sense of mystery, you’re as good as dead. If that makes me religious, then I’m religious.” — Albert Einstein

Fr. Kevin Lynch, OFM, distinctly recalls the moment where he received his first experience of the Church, and his call to the priesthood. It was at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in McLennan, in northern Alberta, his family parish growing up.  He remembers a great, big building filled with light, and the priest coming down the aisle in procession. Young Fr. Kevin’s heart knew:  “I want to be one of those.”  This was his mystery, discovered at seven years old; where he felt called, where he felt he belonged.

The youngest of the three sons of Irish and Scottish immigrants, Fr. Kevin grew up on a farm 7 miles outside McLennan, AB, where “we had nothing, but we were happy”.​  Read more

Read "Fr. Kevin Lynch, OFM: Into the mystery"

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Fr. Henry Rosenbaum, SAC

As a young boy in Dortmund, Germany, Fr. Henry Rosenbaum had a fairly keen awareness of his vocational calling, understanding it as soon early as the age of 5. His kindergarten was run by nuns, and he was an altar server by the age of 8, all influences that would come together to encourage his vocation. He was raised close to family, with both his parents coming from large families. However, these were dark times in German history: being a practicing Catholic under the Nazi regime was difficult, especially with a last name which sounded vaguely Jewish. ​The war brought more challenges and sorrows: his parish church of St. Joseph’s was bombed five or six days after his first communion, and burned to the ground along with the Rosenbaum home.

In 1948, still feeling a call at the age of 13, Fr. Rosenbaum spoke to his parish priest about the matter, and was directed to the minor seminary of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Pallottine Fathers) at Rheinbach. His family was very supportive, and it was at this time that Fr. Rosenbaum’s musical career started. Read more

Read: Fr. Henry Rosenbaum, SAC: The love of Christ urges us to action

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Fr. Raul Ranola

Fr. Raul Ranola was born on July 7th, 1948 in Libon, Albay, Philippines, and was ordained to the priesthood in the same city on January 8th, 1972. After serving as professor, pastor and chancellor in the Philippines, Fr. Raul arrived in Calgary in 1987, serving first as assistant pastor at St. Mark’s, Marlborough, Calgary until 1989, and then as pastor at Our Lady of the Assumption in Bowness, Calgary until 1991.  Following this, he was assigned as pastor at Holy Trinity, Siksika and St. Mary’s, Cluny from 1991 to 1995, and was dean of the Drumheller Deanery from 1994 to 1995, before returning to St. Mark’s in Calgary as its pastor from 1995 to 2003.  Fr. Raul again became a dean, this time of Lethbridge Deanery, when he was assigned to St. Basil’s, Lethbridge from 2003 to 2005.  His last assignment was at Corpus Christi, Thorncliffe, Calgary, from 2005 until his retirement in 2017. Read more

Read "Fr. Raul Ranola celebrates 50th year anniversary"

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Fr. Wayne Poile

“It’s a vacation for life.”

So many times, I have used this sentence in giving a vocation talk to students in school. It is a humourous statement but in fact, how true after 40 years of priesthood. Like a vacation, living one’s vocation is a journey meeting people where they are at and how they are living their lives and coming to know them. Like Jesus who went from village to village preaching the good news, but not putting down roots, so do priests in today’s world.

He also said the labourer deserves his wages. Those wages are the treasures of seeing God, at work in people lives, and to see the delight in them, as they find their God.  Read more

Read "Fr. Wayne Poile: It's a vacation for life"

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Fr. Krzysztof Sobanski, SDS

Growing up, Fr. Krzysztof (Chris) Sobanski, SDS, had a keen attraction to the missionary life, especially in far-flung fields from his native Poland. What started out as a dream to work in Africa later led to a missionary life in Canada, where he is now the associate pastor at St. Albert the Great Parish in Calgary.

Fr. Chris was raised in a religiously observant family in Poland. His father had aspirations to become a priest, but was unable to enter seminary due to his financial circumstances. Fr. Cris and his sister are only a year apart, and she now lives in the UK, married with four children. Discernment began in high school, when a friend was invited to a retreat with the Salvatorian Fathers. Read more

Read "Fr. Krzysztof Sobanski, SDS: A Missionary's Journey"

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Fr. Ian Gagne

Fr. Ian Gagne graduated from Lethbridge College in renewable resources management, and he was working in the forest of Clearwater County near Nordegg, when he heard a background voice in his head saying “I have something better for you. I had to learn to listen to God, to grown in relationship with God, to discern his will — but all of this takes place in relationship with God. 

When asked what was the best advice you've ever been given, Fr. Ian Gagne replied, “Be yourself and say what you mean in your homilies. Don’t just beat around the bush, get out there!” This was Fr. Bryan Frank — while I was a seminarian on pastoral summer placement at St. Mark’s in Calgary.  ​Read more

Read "Fr. Ian Gagne: Keeping Christ at the centre"

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Fr. Vincent Ha Tuan

"In life, milestones can be similar. I’ve been reflecting a good amount on this milestone of mine. It is 25 years since my ordination to the priesthood in Calgary in 1997 by Bishop O’Byrne. Some may think mostly about their body of work, their accomplishments. For me most of my reflection has been about others in my life over this time. First and foremost, God has been so central in my life.

Since I was a young boy, he has guided my spirit, my energy, my life path. Our Lord has showered me with abundant blessings and gifts. Some of those gifts took time for me to understand their value, or to appreciate them. But unequivocally there was no doubt that they were from God. His gift to me of becoming a priest is part of what we’re celebrating today." Read more

Read "Fr. Vincent Ha: I am among you as one who serves"

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Fr. Tewelde Paulos

Father Paulos was born in Monoxieto Eritrea. The village of Monoxieto has enjoyed a long history of having many young men and women from the village responding to a call from God to serve the Church as priests and nuns. Among his relatives many have also have become priests and nuns and even some who were ordained as Bishops. Raised primarily by his uncle, who was a true living example of a faith- filled man, Fr. Paulos recalls how one day, while in grade eight, his uncle had a visiting Bishop and Priest come to the house. He was so inspired to meet them and said to his uncle, “one day I want to become like them”.

This desire grew in his soul and after completing high school he entered the major Seminary where through the years he discerned his calling to give his life to the Lord, as a Catholic Priest. Read more

Read "Fr. Tewelde Paulos: A good shepherd"

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A note from Solomon Ip, writer and compiler of the 2022 Jubilarians stories:

Once again, it seems that there is a very large class of priests this year celebrating their jubilees, and it is a joy to be able to get to know them a little better, and to learn from them all. It is an absolute privilege to be asked to write these articles again, and to sit at the feet of the masters. 

As this is being published, I will be in my first full day at St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton, studying to follow in the footsteps of these nine fathers I may one day call brothers. I am grateful to each of them that they have let me spend a little time learning how they live out the priesthood of Jesus Christ in their lives, and I hope to carry these lessons forward with me. My deepest gratitude to Lia O'Hara and Deacon Michael Soentgerath for their support in this endeavour.

​~ Solomon

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Solomon is a born and raised Calgarian, who got letters after his name in Lethbridge, and is now studying as a seminarian in his propadeutic year at St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton. He usually worships with the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy community in Calgary on Sundays, and at either Canadian Martyrs or Corpus Christi parishes in the middle of the week (although he can be found just about anywhere...).  He is an oboist by training, a chorister by grace, hobby wordsmith, amateur calligrapher, and museum enthusiast.