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‘I Think I Want to Be a Priest’: Deacon Peter An shares his journey

1/12/2025

We’re excited to share Deacon Peter’s inspiring journey as he opens up about his vocation and the experiences that shaped his calling! From childhood moments in Seoul to serving as a deacon today, Deacon Peter’s stories are filled with faith, family, and incredible moments of grace.

Can you tell us a little about yourself—where you grew up and about your family?

I was born in Seoul, South Korea as a cradle catholic. I remember when I was little, I would sing (shout) the parts of the Mass in the cry room of the church, holding the hymnal upside-down. We’re a family of four: my parents, myself, and my younger sister. We moved to Calgary in 2007, and we attended St. Anne’s Parish. We all volunteered at church, and our life was very much centered around the parish life. I graduated high school and entered St. Joseph Seminary in Edmonton, and my sister became a travelling nurse. My parents happened to be in Seattle for my father’s work, so my sister joined them. My sister is still in Seattle, but my parents and I are now back in Calgary.

Deacon Peter’s family and friends

What inspired you to pursue priesthood? Was there a moment or experience that sparked your calling?

Back in Seoul, I began volunteering as an altar server after receiving my first Holy Communion. One morning Mass I was the only altar server, and I knelt for the Consecration. When the priest began to recite the Words of Institution, it felt like he and I were separated from this world − or as if we were the only ones in this world − in this profound union with what was happening on the altar. I never got to ask my pastor if he also shared this experience, but I thought that this was his experience with the Lord, and that I was the one that got to partake in it. It was in that moment I thought for the first time, “I think I want to become a priest.”

Deacon Peter in his first year of Seminary

Deacon Peter in his second year of Seminary, volunteering at a summer camp

Many young people wonder how to recognize God’s call in their lives. How do we know God is calling us?

Being able to actively-listen, or listening with intention is a very important part of having a real conversation. When I began to actively listen to those around me, I was also able to actively listen to God. Grace builds on nature. When we begin to form good habits or virtues, not for our own merits but to conform ourselves to God, He will give us the grace.

Now that you’re a deacon, what’s been the most awesome part of serving so far?

The most awesome thing about being a deacon has been this sort of elevated level of freedom I now have in dedicating myself to God and His people. I was always free to serve, but now as an ordained minister of the Church, my role is to serve; I am a servant. Serving the Lord and His people is what I am supposed to do, and what I am called to do.

Litany of the Saint - during the Ordination

Photo of the goalies after Philosophers vs Theologians hockey night

When life gets tough, how do you stay grounded in your faith?

When there’s turbulence in our lives, our anchors begin to surface. For some of us, our family is our anchor. So, when things get rough, we turn to them. Some of us have our faith as our anchor, so we turn to God. Some of us have ourselves as an anchor, which if you think about it, just means that you can’t anchor yourself to anything. I don’t think it’s me that’s staying grounded, rather I rely on the Lord and He gives me the grace to remain in Him. My shortest prayer is exclaiming in my mind, “HELP!”

Deacon Peter’s story is a beautiful reminder of how God calls us in unique and personal ways. May God, who began His good work in him, bring it to completion and fulfillment.

MORE PHOTOS FROM DEACON PETER'S ORDINATION ON DEC 28, 2024

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The Cross of Christ—Our anchor of hope in the Jubilee year

1/6/2025

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In the Diocese of Calgary, we inaugurated the opening of the Jubilee Year of Hope on the feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph at St. Mary’s Cathedral on Sunday, December 29, 2024.

This special year of grace invites us to be Pilgrims of Hope and to experience signs of Christian hope in our daily lives of faith that do not deceive or disappoint because they are founded upon the certainty that nothing can ever separate us from God’s love. We hear this echoed in the words of St. Paul, “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril or the sword?” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Rom 8:35, 37–39). St. Paul knows that life is filled with its ups and downs, that we experience both joy and sorrow, that our faith and love are tested amid trials, and through all of these we come to know that “Hope does not disappoint” (Romans 5:5).

In the last Ordinary Jubilee Year in 2000, we marked two millennia since the birth of Jesus Christ. In 2015, Pope Francis proclaimed an Extraordinary Jubilee year that focused on the “merciful face of God.” This upcoming year coincides with the 1,700th anniversary of the Ecumenical Council of Nicaea (325 AD) which was convoked to preserve the unity of the Church when it was threatened by a heretical teaching that denied the full divinity of Jesus Christ. The Council Fathers who met formulated the Creed that we say today as a profession of faith when we gather for the celebration of the Eucharist. They introduced the expression “We believe” as a statement of communion, and that Christians profess a unity of belief that Jesus Christ, who is “consubstantial with the Father,” is truly human and divine.

This Jubilee Year also provides us with the opportunity to promote a visible path of unity through our pastoral renewal. As we enter this next stage of pastoral planning, we will develop goals and actions that promote the three diocesan priorities that can be signs of hope. This Renewal of our parishes is a response to the urgent need for evangelization, to form missionary disciples in Christ, to be a Church of encounter and witness, and to strengthen family life. As Pope Francis stated, “all the baptized, with their respective charisms and ministries, are co-responsible for ensuring that the manifold signs of hope bear witness to God’s presence in the world.” [Spes non Confundit #17]

The signs of hope which God’s grace calls us to discover in our Pastoral Renewal are the signs of the times that the Lord reveals to the Church in every generation. The first sign of hope is the desire to work for peace and justice in the world. The second is the social covenant to support and foster the hope for the transmission of life and to encourage young people to give birth to new sons and daughters. The third is to promote amnesty and pardon for prisoners deprived of their freedom. Fourth, is to support the sick, those who experience their own weakness and limitations, and the healthcare workers who care for them. Fifth, is to accompany migrants, those who are exiled, displaced persons and refugees who search for a better life for themselves and their families. The sixth is to esteem the treasure and life experience of the elderly and grandparents who are a bridge to the younger generation. To care for young people who face an uncertain future in education, employment opportunities, financial security, and the confidence that they will inherit just and democratic structures of society. Finally, to support the poor who lack the essentials of life and who are always found among our next-door neighbours.

The ultimate sign of our hope is the Cross of Christ. This symbol figured prominently in our opening Mass for the Jubilee Year of Hope, and it continues to be of significance in our diocesan Church. The Cross was carried in pilgrimage to the Cathedral as we chanted the Litany of the Saints. Upon entering the front doors of the Cathedral, I invited the faithful to venerate the Cross with the invocation “Hail, cross of Christ, our only hope,” to which they responded “You are our hope, we will never be confounded.”

It is important to note that this Diocesan Jubilee Year Cross is the same one that will be processed on Good Friday through the downtown streets of Calgary. This is the sign in which the people of the Diocese began our pilgrimage of faith in this Jubilee Year of Hope.

In a world in which progress and regression are intertwined, the Cross of Christ remains an anchor of salvation: a sign of hope that does not disappoint because it is founded on the love of God, merciful and faithful.” (Pope Francis, General Audience, Piazza San Pietro – 21 September 2022).

May the grace of this Jubilee Year of Hope allow us to experience the mercy of God and thus renew each of us in our faithful witness to Christ.

How do I participate in the Jubilee Year of Hope?
The 2025 Jubilee invites everyone on a pilgrimage of hope—locally in our diocese or cathedral, at Canada’s shrines, or in Rome. It’s a time to renew faith, seek grace, and grow in unity with God and one another. Visit catholicyyc.ca/jubilee for resources and ways to take part.

For more information about the Jubilee Year in the Diocese of Calgary, contact [email protected]

Photos: Bandi Szakony for the Diocese of Calgary.

PHOTOS FROM THE OPENING MASS FOR THE JUBILEE YEAR

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Written by Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
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Jan 5, 2025

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Saints Among Us: Relics visit St. Albert the Great & Tsuut’ina Nation

1/5/2025

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For the first time in history, the major relics of the Canadian Martyrs—including the skull of St. Jean de Brébeuf and bones of St. Charles Garnier and St. Gabriel Lalemant—are traveling across Canada. These relics, which have been housed at the National Shrine to the Canadian Martyrs in Midland, Ontario, are embarking on a nationwide tour to offer Canadians a chance to venerate them and seek spiritual graces.

Joining the relics of the Canadian Martyrs is the relic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Indigenous North American saint, canonized in 2012. St. Kateri holds a special place in the hearts of First Nations communities, and her presence emphasizes the tour’s focus on healing and reconciliation.

The tour began in late December 2024, starting in Western Canada. It will continue through Eastern Canada in the fall of 2025. The purpose of the tour is to bring these sacred relics closer to Canadians who may not have the opportunity to visit the Martyrs' Shrine, offering moments of grace, prayer, and healing for individuals, families, and communities.

A Moment of Grace in Calgary

The relics visited Calgary as part of the National Visitation. On Saturday, Jan 4, the relics were hosted at St. Albert the Great Parish for veneration, reconciliation, and prayer ministry throughout the day. Bishop McGrattan celebrated Mass at 5:00 pm, followed by a short talk by Fr. John O'Brien, Director and Jesuit Superior of the Martyrs' Shrine in Midland, Ontario.

Mathieu Couture, a parishioner of St. Joseph in Calgary who visited the relics at St. Albert the Great, reflected on the experience: “What stood out to me was that St. Jean de Brébeuf and St. Kateri Tekakwitha came from two very different worlds. Despite their differences, they were united in their love for Christ. Both endured great suffering for their faith, and through this shared suffering, they found unity.” He added, “I believe this is a message our world needs to hear again. In a time when society faces increasing division, we should remember Christ’s vision of unity: that we are one people in Him.”

The relics tour offers opportunities for personal prayer and reflection. Attendees are encouraged to bring written prayer intentions, which will be taken back to the Martyrs' Shrine. Holy cards, rosaries, and medals can also be pressed to the reliquaries to create spiritual keepsakes.

A Moment of Grace in Tsuut’ina Nation

A highlight of the tour was their stop at the Tsuut’ina Nation on Jan 5, where events unfolded at the Seven Chiefs Sportsplex & Jim Starlight Centre. The day opened with a Traditional Ceremonial Welcome of the relics, followed by Holy Mass celebrated by Bishop William T. McGrattan.

Fr. Cristino Bouvette, who coordinated the visit, shared his reflections: “Hearing the sound of the drum and traditional singing accompanying the relics as they entered the auditorium on the traditional lands of the Tsuut’ina Nation deeply moved me. To imagine that nearly 400 years ago, similar sounds, smells, and sentiments would have accompanied those same people as they walked in their flesh was a profound experience.”

The schedule included a Jesuit-led program highlighting the historical and spiritual significance of the relics. Educational exhibits explored early relationships between Indigenous peoples and Catholic missionaries, as well as stories of Indigenous Catholics with open Causes for Canonization. A special exhibit also featured memorabilia from the 2022 Papal Visit to Canada.

The visit to Tsuut’ina Nation offered a tangible step toward Truth and Reconciliation. Fr. Cristino noted, “An important part of the work of Truth and Reconciliation is not to focus exclusively on the worst part of our shared history, as important as it is to confront, but to look far enough back to the countless instances of harmonious relationships shared between Indigenous Peoples and the Church in Canada.”

The presence of the relics from both the Canadian Martyrs and St. Kateri Tekakwitha served as a reminder of this shared history, inspiring hope for ongoing reconciliation efforts.

One particularly moving story shared by Fr. Cristino involved a local Indigenous elder who had missed the opportunity to greet Pope Francis during the Papal Mass in Edmonton due to illness. “To see her today leading the procession of the relics on to her traditional territories and helping to represent the Chief and Council on behalf of her whole Nation felt like she got to make up for that earlier disappointment,” he said.

As the relics continue their journey across Canada, they invite all people—Catholic and non-Catholic alike—to experience moments of grace and reconciliation. Whether through prayer, reflection, or learning about the history of the saints, this tour offers a unique chance to connect with Canada’s spiritual heritage.

The relics made a brief stop to Our Lady of Peace Church at Tsuut'ina Nation

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‘I Think I Want to Be a Priest’: Deacon Peter An shares his journey

The Cross of Christ—Our anchor of hope in the Jubilee year

Saints Among Us: Relics visit St. Albert the Great & Tsuut’ina Nation

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