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Important Community Resources for Albertans

3/30/2020

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The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be stressful for people. The fear and anxiety about the impacts of the virus on one’s health, finances and relationshiops can be overwhelming. Below are some resources to help cope with the stress and build resilence, and list of resources for parents with children learning at home:
Community Support
  • COVID-19 Info for Albertans - Current Situation
  • Updates from the Chief Medical Officer
  • Call 211 for community and social services help line (for basic needs, financial support, food, housing information, etc.)
  • Call 811 for Health Link
  • Centres for Disease Control and Prevention
  • Calgary Counselling Centre: 833-827-4229 - online counselling available
  • Catholic Family Service: 403-205-5295 - telephone services are available. For Rapid Access Counselling: 403-233-2360 or email [email protected]
  • Distress Centre: 403-266-4357 Support is available 24/7. The call centre is closed, with staff working remotely. 
  • Eastside Family Centre: 403-299-9696 - telephone and e-therapy services available 
  • Kid’s Help Phone: 1-800-668-6868
  • Mental Health Help Line: 1-877-303-2642  
  • Access Mental Health, call 403-943-1500​
  • Healthy Parenting in time of COVID-19 | WHO 
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Parent Resources

​​The following provincial resources are available to parents:
  • LearnAlberta.ca: 4,000 & more digital resources aligned with Alberta’s K-12 curriculum.
  • My Child’s Learning: A Parent Resource: provides parents with information specific to each grade level.
Many Alberta school authorities have a variety of resources available to support parents and students in learning at home. The following list provides a sample of what is available:
  • Calgary Catholic School District: Religious Education Resources & Activities - for K to Gr. 9.
  • Aspen View Public Schools: Resources for literacy and numeracy.
  • Calgary Board of Education: Resources for K to Gr. 12.
  • Clearview Public Schools: For study skills and learning sites.
  • Edmonton Catholic Schools: Informational resources.
  • Edmonton Public Schools: Activities for K to Gr. 12.
  • Foothills School Division: A parent resource 
  • Greater St. Albert Catholic Schools: A parent resource 
  • Northwest Francophone Education Region: A parent resource 
  • Southern Francophone Education Region: A parent resource 
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Spiritually Nourished

3/22/2020

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Domestic Church
Families are to live out their vocation as the domestic Church. The Lord’s presence dwells in real and concrete families, with all their daily troubles and struggles, joys and hopes (Amoris Laetitia, #315)  

Nourish your family spiritually during the pandemic. Let us take advantage of this somewhat strange time to welcome and live the Spirit in our homes and rediscover the wealth and the gift of our domestic Churches together with Jesus, who lives with us. (Card. Farrell, March 19, 2020). 
  • A concrete proposal to be a "Domestic Church" 

This global pandemic has disrupted our usual Sunday observances from gathering for the celebration of the eucharist and visiting loved ones, to sharing meals and playing games together. Creating a domestic horarium can help you and your family mark the Lord's day and stay grounded in your Christian identity in this time of flux. (S. Brosig, March 2020).
  • Creating a Domestic Sunday Horarium
  • How to worship at home with your family
  • Keeping the faith incarnational
  • 10 Family ways for quarantine days​

Prayer Life

Are parishes open for private prayers, Adoration or confession during the COVID-19 global pandemic? 
  • Yes, check out list of Parish Open Hours here

Find resources for prayers, devotions and liturgies that you can use at home:  ​
  • Livestream or recorded Masses:
    • Weekday Masses will be live-streamed from St. Peter’s, Calgary. Watch at calgarydiocese.ca 
    • Sunday Mass will be live-streamed from St. Mary’s Cathedral with the Bishop as celebrant. Watch at catholicyyc.ca | FB Live
    • Livestream Mass with Parishes in the Diocese of Calgary
    • Watch Masses on Television
      • Salt + Light TV (Daily at 4:30 & 9:00 am, 1 & 8:30 pm, with Shaw, Bell, Telus, Rogers etc.) 
      • EWTN (Daily at 6 & 10 am, 5 & 10 pm, with Shaw or Telus)
      • Vision TV (Daily at 6 & 10 am, with Shaw, Bell, Telus,  Broadcast) 
    • Livestream Mass with sign language
  • Daily or Sunday Scriptures, practise Lectio Divina or read a spiritual reading
    • Living with Christ | Mass Readings & Prayers 
    • Give Us This Day | Mass readings, Morning & Evening Prayers
    • Daily Mass readings - CCCB Lectionary 
    • Sunday Connection | Loyola Press
  • Pray the Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Prayer of the Church.
    • EBreviary | Keep the Lord's Day | Universalis 
  • Video and other streaming resources
    • Online Christian programs/videos for children
    • Youth / Young Adults: NFCYM webinars in time of difficulty
    • Word on Fire | Videos 
    • Ascension Press | Podcasts, videos and articles
    • FORMED | Streaming Catholic videos 
    • The Coaster | Podcast with Lance, Alisha & Dan in Lethbridge 
    • Finding Faith | Podcast with Dr. Lance Dixon, St. Mary's University
  • In addition to prayer, we can keep holy the Lord’s Day by doing works of mercy. Here are some things you can do even when you cannot gather with others: write a note or call a friend or family member who might feel lonely; donate money to organizations assisting those in need; make mealtimes this day more special; read or create something beautiful (D. Macalintal, Liturgy.Life) 
 

Prayers

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Spiritual Communion  Prayer
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Prayer for a Pandemic
For all who have contracted coronavirus,
We pray for care and healing.
For those who are particularly vulnerable,
We pray for safety and protection.
For all who experience fear or anxiety,
We pray for peace of mind and spirit.
For affected families who are facing difficult decisions
between food on the table or public safety,
We pray for policies that recognize their plight.
For those who do not have adequate health insurance,
We pray that no family will face financial burdens alone.
For those who are afraid to access care due to immigration status,
We pray for recognition of the God-given dignity of all.
For our brothers and sisters around the world,
We pray for shared solidarity.
For public officials and decision-makers,
We pray for wisdom and guidance.
Father, during this time may your Church be a sign of hope, comfort and love to all.
Grant peace. Grant comfort.
Grant healing. Be with us, Lord.
Amen.
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For the Sick
Dear Jesus, Divine Physician and Healer of the sick, we turn to you in this time of illness. O dearest comforter of the troubled, alleviate our worry and sorrow with your gentle love, and grant us the grace and strength to accept this burden.  
​Dear God, we place our worries in your hands.We place our sick under your care and humbly ask that you restore your servant to health again. Above all, grant us the grace to acknowledge your will and know that whatever you do, you do for the love of us. Amen.

For those who care for the sick
Father of mercies,
we thank you for all who care for the sick. 
When they diagnose, give them patience. 
When they protect the vulnerable,
give them your protection.
When they work to heal, give them strength.
When they comfort, give them consolation.
When they are tired, give them rest.
When they are discouraged, bring them your hope.
May we welcome and respect them
as we support one another in this time of trial.

For those seeking a cure for the virus
Come, Holy Spirit, enlighten the minds of women and men of medical science who are working to find a cure for this viral infection. Guide their research and help them discover what you provide in creation, sure ways of control, protection, inoculation and healing. Strengthen them in their tireless work and enrich in them the virtue of hope.

For those who govern and represent us
Eternal Wisdom, guide our leaders called to serve us in our nation, its provinces and territories. May they respond to the challenges of this affliction with prudence and sound judgement. With prudence, may their planning alleviate the economic burdens, compensate for losses, protect employment, and ensure ample food and shelter for the poor, the isolated and the marginalized.

For those suffering from anxiety
I pray for all those who suffer from anxiety in the midst of this exceptional situation we are going through. May they get comfort, Lord, both in your unlimited Love and in the community.

Holy Spirit, be our light so that we keep faith in the heart of our daily lives and in that way, we may transform fear into hope. Amen.

Consecration to Mary, Mother of the Church
during Pandemic. Download Prayer.

Pray the Loreto Litanies
  • Does God hear my prayers? Watch video from Ken Yasinski
  • Where is God in Time of suffering?​ Watch video from Catholic Minute
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Our Lady of Good Health
Mother of Mercy, Our Lady of Good Health, in visiting St. Elizabeth and in watching at the foot of the Cross of your suffering Son, you showed your solidarity with suffering humanity. Hear the prayer of all your infirm children who come to you with the certainty of finding a Mother who welcomes, heals and comforts them.

Mother of our Saviour and our Mother, hear the intentions that we entrust to your intercession: heal our illnesses; transform our tears into prayer and our sufferings into moments of growth; change our loneliness into contemplation and our waiting into hope; assist us in our final hours and transform our death into resurrection. Amen.

An Act of Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the Most Holy Sacrament. I love you above all things, and I desire to receive you into my soul. Since I cannot at this moment receive you sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace you as if you were already there and I unite myself wholly to you. Amen.

For the faithful departed
Be merciful, Lord Jesus, to all who have entered eternity because of this virus. Comfort and strengthen their families and friends with the hope of your glorious Resurrection.

Eternal rest grant to them, O Lord, and may light perpetual shine upon them. + May their souls and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace. Amen.

A Litany of Saints of Mercy
In the Communion of Saints, we are always surrounded by many unseen friends whose lives embodied care for the sick. Let us confidently invoke the Saints and Angels for the healing and health of those who are infected and for protection from the virus.

Mary, Health of the Sick, pray for us.
Mary, Comforter of the Afflicted, pray for us.
Mary Immaculate of Lourdes, pray for us.
Saint Michael the Archangel, pray for us.
Saint Raphael the Archangel, pray for us.
Saint Joseph, pray for us.
Saint Dymphna, Virgin and Martyr, pray for us.
Saint Blaise, Bishop, pray for us.
Saint Peregrine Laziosi, pray for us.
Saint Juliana Falconieri, pray for us.
Saint Francis of Assisi, pray for us.
Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, pray for us.
Saint John of God, pray for us.
Saint Aloysius Gonzaga, pray for us.
Saint Charles Borromeo, pray for us.
Saint Martin de Porres, pray for us.
Saint Camillus de Lellis, pray for us.
Saint Louise de Marillac, pray for us.
Saint Damien of Molokai, pray for us.
Saint Frances Xavier Cabrini, pray for us.
Saint Teresa of Calcutta, pray for us.
Saint Marguerite d’Youville, pray for us.
Saint André Bessette, pray for us.
Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, pray for us.

Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary
This short prayer to Our Lady has been prayed by Christians in troubled times since the third century.

We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God; despise not our petitions in our hour of need, but deliver us always from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin. Amen. 

For peace of soul (St. Teresa of Avila)
Let nothing disturb you,
Let nothing frighten you.
All things are passing:
God alone is changeless.
Patience gains all things,
Who has God wants nothing.
God alone suffices.
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Prayer to Our Lady, Health of the Sick (Pope Francis)
  • Letter Size Prayer 
  • 2 in 1 Letter size Prayer
  • PNG (square image files) - Image 1 & Image 2
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Online Meeting & Conference Tools

3/16/2020

2 Comments

 
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There are many tools available to help you hold online or virtual meetings. Below are several options available. Note that this list is not exhaustive. Click the link to learn more.
Zoom Conference
Zoom is the most popular platform for online meetings and video conferencing. The free version will allow up to 100 people and less than 45 minutes meeting. The paid version will allow no restrictions for US$15/month.  Zoom features HD video and high quality sound, screen sharing, recording and private/group chats. 
  • How to setup 
  • Best Practices
  • How to prevent zoombombing 

Google Hangouts 
Google Hangouts are free, and allow up to 10 people on group video calls. It's an easy to use instant messaging and video chat platform developed by Google. 
  • How to setup 

Skype
Skype is another web conferencing solutions if you need a simple feature and a free service. It allows up to 25 people on group audio or video calls, and up to 10 people on web conferencing. You can share computer screen with others and share files during a call. 
  • How to setup 

Meet Now
Meet Now is a Skype tool from Microsoft.  Users can easily set up a collaboration space and invite both Skype contacts and friends or family who are not on Skype. Participants can then easily join meetings whether they have an account or not. Meet Now features screen sharing, blurred background and recording.
  • ​How to setup

WebEx
WebEx is a professional online conferencing tool with polished user interface, and still provides a free version. The free version allows up to 50 people to join and less than 40 minutes meeting time. It features screen sharing, text messaging, file sharing and recording. 
  • How to setup​

And now, the new Messenger Rooms
Messenger Rooms is built upon the current Facebook Messenger. It's a tool for starting virtual meeting with up to 50 people. You can create a room right from Messenger or Facebook, and invite anyone to join the video call, even if they don’t have a Facebook account. Rooms will soon hold up to 50 people with no time limit.
​Other handy resources & articles:
  • Ultimate Guide to Free Video Conferencing & Collatoration
  • What it takes to run a great virtual meeting
  • Tech Tips for working remotely
  • Rethinking Zoom? How WebEx, Teams, and Google Meet and Duo Compare on Privacy and Security 
  • Priests get creative as they find new ways to reach faithful
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​How to Livestream well?

3/16/2020

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Equipment
  • You can either use your smartphone, tablet, laptop or your desktop computer. 
  • If you use a smartphone, you will need a tripod (i.e., selfie stick tripod) to make sure the image is steady, and a microphone (i.e., wired/wireless lapel or directional microphone) for a clear sound. 
  • If you are using your desktop, you may need to link it to a webcam and a lapel or directional microphone microphone. The webcam plugs into your computer, where you can either download streaming software or log into your video streaming platform and begin your video. 

Checklist before streaming
  • Promote and remind your audience to subscribe to Live notifications or reminders in the platform, so they are alerted each time you go live. 
  • Establish a reliable internet connection for streaming. 
  • Lighting & Angles
    • Good lighting is important. Pick a well-lit spot (i.e., near a window) or add extra lighting behind the camera.
    • Experiment with angles too, look for the best ones. 
  • Equipment
    • Set up a tripod if you're using a smartphone. Position your phone horizontally.
    • Set up the lapel or directional microphone. 
  • Prepare a title to your video and/or description, so viewers know what to expect. 
  • Give people 2-5 minutes or so to join your Live video before getting started. You can choose to play some music or add a count down.
    ​
Livestream Platform

Streaming to Facebook
  • You can livestream Mass from your Facebook Page or Facebook Group.
    • Watch: Video tutorial on how to Livestream Mass from your phone (from Spirit Juice Studio)
    • Read: Step by step guide  on how to Broadcast a Facebook Live Event

Streaming to YouTube 
  • Here is a  Youtube guide to show you how to create digital-first events, including a walkthrough of Youtube best practices. 
    • YouTube requires that you have at least 1000 subscribers to stream via a smartphone. 
      • Watch: How to create a mobile Youtube Livestream
    • If you don't have 1000 subscribers in your youtube channel, create a livestream via webcam. 
      • Read: How to create a live stream via webcam

Streaming to Instagram (IG Live) 
  • You can share a live video to connect with your Instagram followers in real time for up to one hour. Once a live video has ended, it's no longer visible in the app, unless you share a replay of it to your story. 

Your live-streamed videos are instantly archived after they’re finished. This means you can always call attention back to them if you want to share additional value or comments or share the link on other social media.
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Triduum Sacred Music Playlist

3/16/2020

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Holy Thursday

​Play YouTube Playlist
Play Spotify Playlist
  • Ubi Caritas (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Tantum Ergo (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • O Sacrum Convivium (Roberto Remondi) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Ave Verum Corpus (William Byrd) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Godhead Here in Hiding (G. Manley Hopkins/Thomas Aquinas) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Panis Angelicus (Lambilotte) | Video | Sheet Music
  • My Song is Love Unknown (John Ireland) | Video 1 | Video 2 | Sheet Music
  • Adoro te Devote (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • A New Commandment (Tallis) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Ubi Caritas (Garau) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Stay with me (Taize) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Ubi Caritas (Gjielo) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Ubi Caritas (Duruffle) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Ave Verum Corpus (Mozart) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Verbum Caro (Hassler) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Una Hora - Responsory (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Go to dark Gethsemane (Montgomery/Bach) | Video | Sheet Music
  • And Now, O Father!  (William Bright/UNDE ET MEMORES) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Now, My Tongue, The Mystery Telling​ (GRAFTON) | Video 1 | Sheet Music 
  • Bread of the World in Mercy Broken (Ralph Vaughan) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Mandatum (Composer) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Litany of Humility (Composer) | Video | Prayer
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Triduum & Easter - People's Favourite Playlist
  • Submit your most cherished Triduum or Easter piece of sacred music, and we will add it to the playlist above! Enter here (comments section).
  • Play People's Favourite Playlist
 

Good Friday

​​​Play YouTube Playlist for Good Friday
  • O Vos Omnes (Victoria) | Video 1 | Video 2 | Sheet Music
  • Crux Fidelis (Chant) | Video 1 | Video 2 |  Sheet Music
  • Stabat Mater (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Stabat Mater - Sequentia (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Stabat Mater (Pergolesi) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Stabat Mater (Poulenc) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Popule Meus (Palestrina) | Audio | Sheet Music 
  • Popule Meus (Victoria) | Audio | Sheet Music
  • There is a Green Hill Far Away (Cecil F. Alexander / HORSLEY) | Video | Sheet Music
  • When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Isaac Watts / ROCKINGHAM) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Fairest Lord Jesus (CRUSADER'S HYMN) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Reproaches and Trisagion Mysteria (Chant)  | Video 
  • Crux Fidelis (Composer) | Video | Sheet Music
  • There is a Green Hill Faraway (Composer) | Video | Sheet Music
  • When I Survey the Wondrous Cross (Composer) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Seven Last Words from the Cross (James MacMillan) | Video 
  • The Passion According to St. John (Bach) | Video 
 

Holy Saturday

Play YouTube Playlist for Holy Saturday
  • Exultet (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music (English | Latin)
  • Sicut Cervus (Palestrina) | Video| Sheet Music​
  • Hearts to Heaven (Sullivan) | Video | Sheet Music  
  • This Joyful Eastertide (Woodward) | Video | Sheet Music 
  • Let all the World (George Herbert) | Video | Sheet music
  • I know that my redeemer liveth (Handel) | Video
  • Jesus Christ is Risen Today (Williams) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Most Holy Night (Schutte) | Video | Sheet Music Preview
  • Ode to Joy (Beethoven) | Video | Sheet Music 
  • Christ Rising Again (William Byrd) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Festival Canticle: Worthy is Christ (Richard Hillert)  | Video  | Sheet Music
  • O Filii et Filiae (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music​​
 

Easter Sunday

​Play YouTube Playlist for Easter Sunday
  • Now the Green Blade Rises (French Carol) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Jesus Christ is Ris'n Today (Williams) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Vidi Aquam (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Regina Caeli (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Be Joyful Mary (Traditional) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Victimae Paschali Laudes (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Haec Dies (Gradual) | Video | Sheet Music
  • The Strife is O'er! (Vulpius) | Video | Sheet Music 
  • Thine be the Glory, Risen Conquering Son! (JUDAS MACCABEUS) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Surrexit pastor bonus (Jean Lhéritier) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Lord enrolled on High (George H. Bourne) | Video  
  • Resurrexi Introit (Composer) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Exultate Deo (Palestrina) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Hail Thee, Festival Day (SALVE, FESTA DIES) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Surrexit Pastor Bonus  (Orlandus Lassus) | Video | Sheet Music
  • Regina Caeli Jubila (Michael Praetorius) | Video | Sheet Music ​
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Fr. Stanley Henke

3/15/2020

1 Comment

 
Father Stanley Henke of Calgary passed away on Sunday, March 15 at the age of 92 years.

Rev. Stan was born in Calgary, AB, on February 2, 1928. He graduated from St. Joseph’s Seminary and was ordained by Archbishop of Edmonton, John Hugh MacDonald in Rockyford, AB, in 1952. Rev. Stan served in various parishes within the Calgary Diocese. These included Sacred Heart, St. Cyril in Bellevue, Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Brooks, St. Mary’s Cathedral, St. Anthony’s, St. Peter’s, and Holy Name until he retired in 1997.

Rev. Stan is survived by his sister Marie Geeraert, of Cochrane, AB; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends. He was predeceased by his two brothers, Sixtus (Buster) and Zeno; and two sisters, Anita (Hosey) and Sr. Leona Henke.

Relatives and close friends are invited to Prayers and Tributes at McINNIS & HOLLOWAY (Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive SW, Calgary, AB) on Thursday, March 19, 2020. Funeral Mass was concelebrated at St. Mary’s Cathedral (219 – 18th Avenue S.W., Calgary, AB) on Friday, March 20, 2020. Graveside Service to follow at St. Mary’s Cemetery. Condolences, memories and photos may be shared and viewed on Rev. Stan’s obituary at www.McInnisandHolloway.com.

With the current restrictions on the size of gatherings allowed due to COVID-19, we invite you to view the Funeral Mass recording that will be posted below the online obituary on mhfh.com following the Funeral Mass.

In living memory of Rev. Stanley Henke, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis and Holloway Funeral Homes, Park Memorial, 5008 Elbow Drive S.W., Calgary, AB T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.

​Watch Funeral Mass here:
https://mhfh.com/tribute/details/30438/Rev-Stanley-HENKE/obituary.html#tribute-start
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Fr. Stan Henke
1 Comment

Our Lady in the Rockies

3/10/2020

3 Comments

 
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Stained glass image of Our Lady of the Rockies!
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Written by Joy Gregory, March 12

​========
The new church won’t open until a few weeks after Easter Sunday, but parish priest Fr. Nathan Siray is already thinking about how one particular piece of sacred art will inspire everyone who enters Our Lady of the Rockies Catholic Church in Canmore.

The art is a stained-glass depiction of Mary and the Christ Child. Composed of 24 separate pieces, the window will be painstakingly assembled and then installed in early spring. The window shows Mary seated on a throne. While her gaze falls on those who observe the window, her hands support a young Jesus, who leans against his mother’s legs while also looking outward at the world. 

Designated as the Calgary Catholic Diocese’s first “shrine church,” Our Lady of the Rockies will be consecrated in early May. As a shrine church, it offers local and visiting Catholics a holy place of pilgrimage. Catholics from near and far are expected to visit Our Lady of the Rockies to draw closer to God and to develop a stronger spiritual connection to Our Lady. 

As such, the window is destined to be a defining feature of the new church, says Fr. Siray. While he appreciates the window’s beauty, the parish priest also likes how the art “depicts Mary as both queen and mother. That’s important as Mary looks other-worldly and regal, but the window also shows her with Jesus. The picture is symbolic of her roots in heaven and on earth. We so often speak of her as the Mother of God, but she was also a follower of Christ, a disciple.”

Visitors familiar with the Canmore location in the first range of the Rocky Mountains are also likely to recognize the Three Sisters Mountain range in the background of the new stained-glass window. Long-time parishioners told Fr. Siray that Catholics in the region have historically associated the Three Sisters with the three greatest theological virtues of faith, hope and charity. This artistic connection between Mary and a symbolic manifestation of the theological virtues “is ideal, since Our Lady, the greatest of all disciples, lived the virtues so well—and so can each of us,” says Fr. Siray. 
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When complete, Our Lady of the Rockies will hold about 430 people, with room for another 100 in the narthex. Fr. Siray expects that the stained-glass window, which was built in Atlanta, Georgia, will be installed by April.  

To receive regular updates from Fr. Nathan on the building of the Shrine Church, please follow Our Lady of the Rockies Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/ourladyrocks/ 

After learning that all publicly celebrated Masses in the Diocese of Calgary, including the Holy Week liturgies and...

Posted by Our Lady of the Rockies Parish on Saturday, March 28, 2020

Writen by Joy Gregory for Faithfully
Photos courtesy of Fr. Nathan Siray
3 Comments

10 Works of Penance

3/10/2020

6 Comments

 
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As Christians, it is our lifelong responsibility to strive to conform ourselves to Christ. The Church gives us the period of Lent as a time to concentrate more seriously on the practices that lead us to grow in discipleship and advance in the spiritual life. Below are ten forms of penance from the Christian tradition and what these might look like for you today. 

1. Give up sin
This is straightforward; if it’s wrong, don’t do it! Discipline in the small things makes us strong for when we face bigger challenges. This is a time to clear up the seemingly inconsequential but sinful habits that have crept into your life – the white lies, taking things nobody will notice, overindulging, and spreading gossip.  

2. Pray
Prayer is a conversation that requires both speaking and listening. If you tend to talk more than you listen, try silent meditation or adoration. If you get distracted on your own join the community for daily Mass or join a prayer or bible study group. Do you find yourself at a loss for words when it comes to prayer? Try memorization - a Psalm or one of the Gospel canticles from the Liturgy of the Hours makes a Scriptural prayer available to you at any time. 

3. Fast
Intermittent fasting is all the rage. Put a spiritual focus on this latest diet trend. Instead of fasting to lose weight consider that fasting is an ancient tradition meant to strengthen the mind, the body, and one’s relationship with God. By limiting not only what but also when you eat, you put your trust in God rather than eating whenever you want or whenever food is around. 

4. Do good works
Have your chronic sleep debt and busyness led you to let the little things slide? For the sake of others, clean up after yourself, unload the dishwasher at the office, and shovel the walk for your elderly neighbour. For the sake of the environment bring your own travel cup rather than use a disposable, skip the produce bags at the grocery, and iron and repair rather than dispose of and purchase fast fashion. 

5. Give alms
How many times have you forgotten your offering envelope? Do you attend different parishes for Sunday Mass from week to week depending on your schedule? If you parish offers the service, consider signing up for direct debit so your gift is consistent. Many charities make it possible for you to make your gift automatic through a regular subscription. This kind of commitment increases your sense of belonging and makes it possible for organizations to plan their programming and services. 

6. Abstain
Did you know that throughout the year, all Catholics who are 14 years or older are obliged to abstain from meat on Fridays? It is permitted to substitute other good actions for abstinence from meat but that seems to have led many to forget the prescription altogether! In addition to abstaining from a desirable food for one or more days during the season, Lent is an excellent time to reclaim Fridays as the memorial of Christ’s saving death on the cross. 

7. Carry out our duties of life
Do you sometimes turn down invitations to socialize or join a team, skip the gym, or can’t find time to make an ongoing volunteer commitment? It could be that you are already carrying out your duties of life! By contrast, if your primary responsibilities and relationships are suffering because you’re too busy with things on the periphery, it might be time to slow down and recalibrate. 

8. Read deeply
Neuroscientist Maryanne Wolf has been researching how the brain develops different skills when reading in print than reading online. Online readers cover more content but they skim rather than read deeply. What does it matter? The online reader doesn’t “have time to grasp complexity, to understand another’s feelings, to perceive beauty, and to create thoughts of the reader’s own.” Reading a printed book over Lent can improve your concentration, remind you to think critically, and develop your empathy for others, all of which can help you become a better disciple. 

9. Control desire for possessions
Marketing is all about psychology and the power of persuasion. In our social media age, sellers are called “influencers”. If you use social media, mute your favourite influencers and submit yourself to the influence of prayer instead. 

10. Control Desire for entertainment
Entertainment often provides a welcome rest but today’s streaming services make distraction available any time all the time. Suspend, limit, or schedule your streaming so that entertainment does not drown out uncomfortable feelings that you could bring to God in prayer.    

Written by Dr. Simone Brosig. (Adapted from https://nlo.cccb.ca/images/stories/Living_Lent.pdf). ​
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Be still and know that I am God

3/10/2020

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As the Season of Lent begins, it is a good time for us to seek an interior renewal and to face the distracting attachments and preoccupations that have become part of our often very busy lives. These forty days serve to remind us of Christ’s journey into the desert.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) tells us that “Jesus' temptation reveals the way in which the Son of God is Messiah, contrary to the way Satan proposes to him and the way men wish to attribute to him. This is why Christ vanquished the Tempter for us: “For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sinning.

By the solemn forty days of Lent, the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert. (CCC, 540)
It is this Lenten discipline of penance, renunciation, and detachment which reawakens within us the awareness of our dependence on God and His great love for each of us.  While retreating to the desert might be impossible on a practical level, our Lenten observance of penance, abstinence, prayer, and almsgiving helps us to grow in Christ daily and to avoid temptation. 

In particular, the psalmist’s refrain, “Be still and know that I am God” invites us to be attentive to our times of personal and communal prayer. One of the Desert Fathers, Amma Syncletica said, “There are many who live in the mountains and behave as if they were in the town, and they are wasting their time. It is possible to be a solitary in one’s mind while living in a crowd, and it is possible for one who is a solitary to live in the crowd of his own thoughts.” (Benedicta Ward, The Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Cistercian Publications: 1975, p. 19)

Listening to God in prayer is an important part of a life of faith. God desires to speak to us and we have the privilege of listening to the promptings of His Spirit through the consolations and desolations with which He graces us during our prayer.  William Barclay’s reflection on prayer and silence is often quoted as follows, “… Prayer is a way of offering ourselves to God in order that He should be able to make use of us. It may be that one of our great faults in prayer is that we talk too much and listen too little. When prayer is at its highest, we wait in silence for God's voice to us; we linger in His presence for His peace and His power to flow over us and around us; we lean back in His everlasting arms and feel the serenity of perfect security in Him.”

The psalmist writes in Psalm 46, “Be still, and know that I am God!  I am exalted among the nations, I am exalted in the earth. The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.”  Walter Brueggemann, a well-known scholar of the psalms, says that some psalms were written for the good times while others were written for the times when the future seemed uncertain and perhaps filled with impending troubles.  These psalms were written for people living in times of change and uncertainty who were experiencing feelings of anxiety and even dismay. (The Spirituality of the Psalms, Brueggemann, pp. 19-25.)  Psalm 46 provides the reassurance that God is stable when all else seems unstable.  At a deeply personal and spiritual level, this is important for each of us. 

This is the deeper experience of prayer and listening which the time of silence and stillness offers to us.

“In the silence of the heart, God speaks. If you face God in prayer and silence, God will speak to you. Then you will know that you are nothing. It is only when you realize your nothingness, your emptiness, that God can fill you with Himself. Souls of prayer are souls of great silence.” (Saint Teresa of Calcutta, In the Heart of the World: Thoughts, Stories and Prayers)
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Let us embrace this season of Lent as a time to “be solitary in one’s mind.” (Benedicta Ward, Ibid.) If we allow God’s grace to renew our hearts during this Lenten season through prayer, then in the solitary stillness of such experiences we will know His great love, wisdom, and charity and be moved more generously to witness and share this with others.

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Written by Most Reverend William T. McGrattan, D.D.
​Bishop of the Diocese of Calgary
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Encountering God's Mercy through Reconciliation

3/10/2020

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Steeped in the ancient traditions of the Catholic Church and confused by contemporary secular culture, the Sacrament of Reconciliation intimidates a lot of people. Fr. John Nemanic gets that. He also understands why so many Catholics regularly participate in this grace-filled ritual—and he’s hopeful more will avail themselves of its sacramental blessings this Lenten season.

“The Sacrament of Reconciliation is the most difficult of the seven sacraments because we have to really look at ourselves honestly,” says Fr. Nemanic, the parish priest at St. Michael Catholic Community in the West Springs community of southwest Calgary. 

While it can be difficult to talk about the mistakes you’ve made and the people you’ve hurt, “reconciliation is also a sacrament of growth. It helps us see where we are now—and who we aspire to be,” says Fr. Nemanic. 
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Biblical roots, contemporary blessings

The sacrament itself is rooted in biblical teachings, adds Fr. Fernando Genogaling of St. Luke’s in northwest Calgary. Instituted by Christ, Reconciliation invites us to seek forgiveness, express sorrow “and to take instruction on what to do in order to avoid making the sin,” explains Fr. Genogaling. “This sacrament is one of the ways we learn and experience the grace of humility. In return for confessing our sins, we receive an assurance of God’s love and grace. That is very powerful.”

“The Lord comforts us with the sacrament,” says Fr. Nemanic. The words, “I absolve you from your sins,’ are almost incomprehensible to penitents who enter the confessional with heavy but contrite hearts, says the priest. “This sacrament is so far-reaching. When people hear those words, they experience the reality that Emmanuel is with us. The closer we are to Him, the more the penitent opens up his or her heart and the more the Lord can come into that space and heal.”

For many penitents, the experience of forgiveness can be transformative. Fr. Nemanic recalls a story shared by renowned Catholic theologian Bishop Fulton Sheen. Bishop Sheen said a psychiatrist friend once told him that he marveled at the impact of Reconciliation. Whereas his clients paid him for counsel, Catholic priests gave counsel and peace—for free. 

Seek forgiveness

Parishes in the Diocese of Calgary hold regular confessional hours during the week on a year-round basis. While penitents can trust the confessional as a sacred and confidential space, people who don’t want to confess their sins to a priest they know can go to another parish, or attend a penitential service and talk to a priest they don’t know, says Fr. Genogaling.

He and Fr. Nemanic also recognize that people aren’t necessarily comfortable making a Reconciliation while facing a priest—and that’s okay, too. “I would say that 75 per cent of the people who come to reconciliation at St. Michael’s stay behind the screen even though they could just walk around the partition,” says Fr. Nemanic.

Those tempted to shy away from Reconciliation after a bad experience should consider what’s at stake, notes Fr. Nemanic. As he sees it, most people have also had bad experiences in at least one restaurant, but that doesn’t keep them from ever enjoying another restaurant meal. The same logic should apply to not denying themselves the blessings of Reconciliation. 

And what would he say to a Catholic who is worried about not having received the Sacrament of Reconciliation for a while? “I would say,  ‘just come,’” says Fr. Nemanic. Those who go regularly do so because they understand the grace it bestows. “If people would give five minutes a month, their lives would change immeasurably for the better because they’ve made themselves available to encounter the Lord’s mercy.”

Since honesty and contrition are essential to a good confession, Fr. Genogaling encourages people to spend some time examining their conscience before entering the confessional. 

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  • List of Lenten Reconciliation Services in the Diocese of Calgary. 
  • Find regular Confession times at parishes (click "Confession" and desired day). 

Written by Joy Gregory for Faithfully
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My spiritual encounter

3/10/2020

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PictureMina
I first experienced Catholicism at a Catholic hospital in South Korea. My mom and I accompanied my younger sister, who had to pay frequent visits to the hospital because of her lung ailments. Our family lived in a poor neighbourhood, where I had two direct-hit car accidents. During all this chaos, the hospital was a sanctuary, and the nuns were the kindest people I’d ever met. I felt such lightness and peace there as if the very air in the hospital garden was purer than the one outside it. The difference was so surreal even to my young mind that I remember it still to this day. 

The second brief encounter was the beautiful scene of ladies praying in the church with their veils on. As a little girl, I thought it was the most beautiful happening I’d ever witnessed. Putting aside my initial exposure to Catholicism, our family generally believed in the idea of God but did not belong to any religion. After our family immigrated to Canada I suffered immensely difficult trials and setbacks in my school, health and relationships. So, I sought out God or some benign and powerful being that could rescue me.

My search for God began in high school when I was see-sawing between self-destruction and reading the Gospels for the first time. I prayed so fervently to the point of sweating. I asked God to let me experience Him in any way so that I, a mere human with so many limitations, could come to believe in His existence. One night, after one of my intense prayers, I went to bed. Sometime after falling asleep, I felt that my body lifted to somewhere very high, perhaps not even our planet or universe. 

I had the most vivid and unusual dream where I was praying to God with many other people on our knees on top of a great mountain. Although the mountain was very high, the top was a very large flat area filled with green pastures. Sun or light beamed down on this pasture. All of a sudden, the person praying next to me tapped on my shoulder and pointed to a horrendous female spirit figure standing on the edge of this mountain. This figure is a typical Korean spirit that wears a white night gown with long unkempt black hair flying all around her face. She looked blank with no distinguishable features.

I knew that she was waiting for me to be alone. I also knew that I had to fight her, even to the death if such was to be my fate. I walked toward the figure and the battle began. I was defending myself with a small cross necklace that came into my possession not too long before my search for God began. As one might expect, defending oneself with a small necklace around one’s neck against a demonic spirit was next to hopelessness. Soon I began to tire and feel so afraid for my life. Then I remembered Christ’s holy sacrifice for all humans and how He let himself be tortured because He firmly believed in God the Father’s love and mercy. 

That’s when I, in the midst of this fight, put both of my arms up and put my legs together in the same way our Jesus died on His Cross. All of a sudden, the images of His pierced hands and feet flashed before my eyes as if they were powerful blows of light and also as if my own hands and feet were being pierced too. I thought that I was going to die, but everything became white. The spirit existed no more. I was in this whiteness for a brief moment. I felt so strong and happy in this whiteness like I had never experienced in my entire life. Perhaps that’s how we feel in Heaven. 

This dream experience was the exact point of conversion of heart for me. If believing can be compared to gardening, this was the seed in the soil. The actual process of this seed sprouting to a baby plant took much longer and many more sinful and painful acts of evil resistance. This sprouting phase took about a decade. Even though I rebelled, broke promises and couldn’t feel any goodness, God never abandoned me. All this while, God watered my mustard seed even though nothing surfaced. I was discouraged for a long time. But when the time arrived, the amazing baby plant sprouted out of the earth and I became a full-fledged Catholic. Going to RCIA was the only thing I could do for those two years due to a health condition. My RCIA sponsor named Cathy was very helpful and gave me the perfect card. When the baby plant came out was when I could finally consciously follow God and proudly present myself as such to others.

Written by Mina from St. Patrick's Parish in Calgary.
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A coming alive experience

3/10/2020

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PicturePeter Poos
My journey to Catholicism formally began in the fall of 2002 when I entered into the Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults (RCIA) and culminated with my baptism and confirmation at the 2004 Easter Vigil, Saturday evening, April 10.
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Practically speaking, though, my journey started many years earlier when I married my wife, Dina – an Italian ‘Cradle-Catholic’ at St. James Catholic Church, here in Calgary in 1991.

Taking our Marriage Preparation classes was really the beginning of a long period of enlightenment, where I began to experience and see more clearly what the spiritual aspects of the joining of our souls would really mean.

We both promised in our wedding vows to raise our kids in the Church, too, and so we regularly attended Mass and the Holy Days of Obligation. It was through this exposure I – then unwittingly – continued my Faith Journey.
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When our family was young, we attended St. James and St. Michael’s in Calgary, and Sts. Simon & Jude Catholic Church in The Woodlands, TX. In December 1994 we purchased our first home in Somerset and began attending St. Patrick’s Parish and this became our home church.

As I progressed on my journey I started to be overcome with a desire — a strong, spiritual need — to go to Confession and receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation. I went to see “Merv” at St. Michael’s (I believe he was a Deacon there at the time) and inquired about receiving the sacrament. He explained to me I would need to become Catholic first before I could receive the Sacrament of Reconciliation.

Several years went by and then a close family friend asked Dina if she would sponsor her in her journey through RCIA to become Catholic. I took this as a strong sign to stop procrastinating and I made my own appointment with Sister Pauline at the church to begin my journey to Catholicism and becoming Catholic.

Meeting with Sister Pauline, I shared with her the impetus for wanting to become Catholic and explained that I came from a family who didn’t really practice — or have — a sense of faith. My now-late father was raised Catholic in Holland and we would say grace before meals when we visited with my grandparents on my mother’s side in BC, but we really didn’t have any other faith upbringing — other than the ‘Golden Rule’.

Sister Pauline accepted me into the 2002 fall intake of St. Patrick’s RCIA and you could say the rest is history — but it isn’t! The journey NEVER ends; we’re always expanding our understanding and our relationship with God.
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My time in RCIA was so very special! Those I travelled with on the journey and all those who invested their time in — and shared their faith with us — took us all to previously unfathomable levels of faith and spirituality. We shared, we laughed, we cried, we broke open the Word, we prayed! It was an education and a coming alive all at the same time. It was a beautiful experience!  


Written by Peter Poos from St. Patrick's Church, Calgary
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Shining the Light on Catholic Education

3/10/2020

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While I have spent most of my teaching career in Catholic Education systems in Saskatchewan and Alberta, I did not grow up attending Catholic schools.  I was one of those people who didn’t discover that sense of “it just feels different” in a Catholic school until I began my teaching career at Father Gorman School in Lloydminster.  Now don’t get me wrong – I had a wonderful upbringing in rural Saskatchewan.  My little school was not a Catholic school but I loved it with all my heart.  And the truth is, I always felt I was “very Catholic” based on my connection with our little church, St. Mary’s.  Many of my memories of growing up are tied to that church.  We attended Sunday Mass and gathered for fall suppers, wedding receptions, and potlucks after the celebration of First Communion and Confirmation.  While I always proudly identified myself as a Catholic, I can see now that I basically grew up as a “Sunday Catholic.”  Going to Mass was non-negotiable and my mom and dad saw to it that all of my siblings and I received all of our Sacraments.  I said my nighttime prayers and we had books about Jesus in our home, along with a crucifix and religious statues.  Beyond that though, I don’t remember thinking a lot about my faith on a daily basis. 
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Father Kevin Tumback works with young students from Holy Spirit Catholic School Division to train them as altar servers for school and parish Masses.
PictureSt. Francis Junior High has a prayer wall where staff, students, and parents can offer a prayer of petition, blessing, intercession, or thanksgiving. Many also take the time to read the prayers and reflections that others have offered.
My first taste of Catholic Education came in 1986 when I started my teaching career and I quickly “got it.” For children who are blessed to go to Catholic schools, they are immersed in their faith every day.  I learned how blessed my students were to be able to pray together every day.  They got to know God more deeply because we could read the Word of God together.  My students learned to serve their brothers and sisters through acts of social service and social justice.  Perhaps most importantly, they had the opportunity to celebrate the Eucharist at our school Masses.  These experiences, and so many more, happen in every Catholic school in Alberta. 
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In our Catholic schools today, our students are not living a “Sunday Catholic” kind of life.  They are learning to know our faith deeply and they live their faith every single day.  I can think of no better description of what is happening in our Catholic schools than with the words from the Gospel of Matthew.  “You are the light of the world.  A city built on a hill cannot be hidden.  No one after lighting a lamp puts it under the bushel basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house.  In the same way, let your light shine before human beings, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.”  Our students are the light – they are shining brightly every day, not just on Sundays, because of the good and holy work that is happening in our Catholic schools.  I am proud to be part of the story.


Written by Joann Bartley, Director of Religious Education
Holy Spirit Catholic School Division
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CFL legend John Chick thanks God for his body, mind and soul

3/10/2020

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At only 37, John Chick has accomplished tremendous achievements. He played professional football for 12 years in the CFL and NFL, winning two Grey Cups and being named the League's Most Outstanding Defensive Player before retiring in 2018. He and his wife Catherine have nine children, and more souls in heaven due to miscarriage. 

He gives thanks to God for the gift of his body, mind and soul, which have allowed him to strive for excellence. Chick believes the body is a temple of the Holy Spirit and the pathway to glorify God.   

“I see the physical world as God created it – all good and meant to point us back to Him. We were all created in His image and likeness,” said the former Saskatchewan Roughriders, Hamilton Tiger Cats and Edmonton Eskimos player.  

“I’ve always loved the physical world,” said Chick. “I’ve always loved the pursuit of: how can I get this better. Every offseason for 12 years, I would not rest on how good the last season was, but how I can do better at what I wasn’t doing well.” 

Chick has counted setbacks as blessings in his life, which have further motivated him and reminded him that where he is weak, God is strong.  

“How many look at the glass half empty and woe is me. Regardless of what we have been ‘blessed’ with, we are all called to glorify God with our bodies,” he said. 

“For me, you don’t have to look too far to see a lot of us are victims of something broken. In us or around us and we are victims of maybe our vices.”

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Chick’s body has experienced several setbacks in his pursuit of his dreams. At 14, he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. At the time, this news devastated his family. In college he experienced Bells Palsy and later in his professional career he had the onset of alopecia, a hair loss condition, and vitiligo, a skin discoloration condition, not to mention countless sports injuries throughout his life.

“Miscarriages, moves, trades, cuts, injuries, God always found a way (into my life). I attribute it to my family and experiences of the Holy Spirit,” said Chick.  

Growing up in Wyoming as the eldest of three, faith was central in Chick’s life. His father modelled a devout faith life working as a Catholic youth minister.

So when a healing priest came to town after Chick’s diabetes diagnosis the family went to see him, and everyone had a powerful conversion experience through prayer to the Holy Spirit. 

“It doesn’t mean we lived a perfect faith life, but we were always dependent on the sacraments,” said Chick. 

Today, he lives in Florida where he is devoted to raising his own family in the Catholic faith. He incorporates faith and fitness into the running of his own life-coaching business called Ironwill Fitness.   

Self-care has been central to his success, and he is trying to share his wisdom with his clients. 

“We are supposed to love our neighbour as ourselves. But how can I love my neighbour if I’m not loving myself?” said Chick. 

“How can I improve my capacity to be that servant leader? It’s taking care of myself first.”

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​God Squad Conference recordings, including the session with guest speaker John Chick, are now available online: https://godsquad.ca/2020-conference-recordings

Written by Sara Francis for Faithfully
​Photos courtesy of  John Chick
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God never left me

3/10/2020

1 Comment

 
PictureJeannette Nixon
God is always waiting for our conversion to his mercy and love. For a large portion of my life I was haunted with the darkness of childhood abuse. This is my journey into God’s call and falling into His overflowing grace. As a five-year-old child I was playing in our local playground with children from the local church. When they left, I went home and asked my mother if I could go to church. My mother said I could go with the neighbours, but I wasn’t brave enough to go. 
Later, I attended a Catholic high school because my mother believed in academics. In Grade 12, I completed a water pollution project for a Religion class and received a mark of 98%. From that moment, I believed that my vocation would be in the Sciences. That same year (1972), at the age of 17, I became pregnant and consented to an abortion supported by both sets of parents (Catholic and non-Catholic). The day I had the abortion I shut the door on God! I believed I was not worthy of His love; I had killed my own child. By this time, the darkness of my childhood abuse and the weight of an abortion had left my soul in complete darkness. The mask I continued to wear could not hide the pain, and I struggled. I knew one day that the darkness would envelope me and I would end my life: the pain of my soul too unbearable. 

With a husband and my daughter my world was unravelling; filled with anger, guilt and darkness. I was asked to become a Catholic so my daughter could continue to attend a Catholic school. To me, it was nothing more than a course, I was never going to be a Catholic. But God had other plans. What I could not or would not do for myself, I would do for my daughter. It was the 3rd scrutiny during the Purification and Enlightenment process that things began to change. Prior to this Scrutiny, I had gone to Reconciliation and confessed my sins. God has an eraser of grace; He forgave me; the door of grace flooded opened. During the 3rd Scrutiny, in his fatherly love, the late Fr. Keith Sorge let me touch his vestments and I fell into the wellspring of God’s love. The search out of the darkness of my soul began, but it was only after a severe leg injury (run over by an ATV) that I could face the overwhelming pain and terror of childhood sexual abuse. The cry of the poor—that is what God hears in our prayers. 

In gratitude for God’s grace, I became involved with the RCIA, Project Rachel, CWL, Hike for Life, Eucharistic Ministries and Lector ministries. I obtained a Master’s from Newman Theological College (Edmonton) focusing on Pope Francis’ Laudato Si’. Today, I am currently raising the awareness of Care for Our Common Home and Food Loss and Waste (FLW) through a CWL resolution and presentation to politicians and Catholic organizations. God had never left my side nor stopped calling me into His grace as I am a testimony to His love.  


Written by Jeannette Nixon, St. Patrick’s Parish Calgary.
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Guidelines during Influenza season - March 5

3/4/2020

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The Diocese of Calgary continues to monitor the current situation in regards to the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the province through updates from the Alberta Health Services. As of March 9, the current overall risk to Albertans is still considered low by medical experts. Get updates from Alberta Health Services and learn about the actions being taken to protect the health of Albertans here: https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx  

Here are general guidelines that were distributed to parishes on March 3. Please note that this is a proportionate response according to AHS risk assessment of the situation as at that date in the province.

General guidelines during Influenza Season in the Diocese of Calgary

  • Those who are ill or suspect illness should refrain from receiving from the chalice; Christ is fully present in each species.
  • At this time, we share the Sign of Peace using the second option, a bow, instead of shaking hands.  ​In the dioceses of Canada, the sign of peace is given by a handshake or a bow. However, it is appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner. (The General Instruction of the Roman Missal no. 82)
  • Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion should practice good hand hygiene through frequent handwashing with soap and water and/or the use of alcohol-based rub (ABHR) and find a replacement for themselves if they are not feeling well.
  • All the faithful are encouraged to practise good hand hygiene for the sake of others.
  • The obligation to attend Sunday Mass does not apply to those who are ill, especially those who suffer from a contagious illness; those with flu-like symptoms may choose to remain at home in order not to spread the virus to others. While televised Masses do not fulfill the Sunday obligation, those who are ill are dispensed from the Sunday obligation.​
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