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Solidarity Sunday 2023

3/20/2023

March 20, 2023
Saint Joseph, Spouse of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Solemnity

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

Lent is the season of conversion. Through fasting, prayer, and almsgiving we seek an inner transformation to deepen our relationship with God, our fellow human beings, and with all creation.

We are reminded in Isaiah (58: 6-7): “Is not this the fast I choose: to loosen the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house, when you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin?”

For 55 years Development and Peace-Caritas Canada has engaged deeply in this work of seeking justice, building relationships, and advocating for the poor and the oppressed. Although, uncomfortable at times, the prophetic nature of the work of Development and Peace challenges us to consider our own role in social, economic, and environmental inequities that harm or impact those beyond our national borders.

A new campaign cycle, Create Hope, will be the guiding theme for the next five years. This was inspired by Pope Francis’ 2021 address to the World Meeting of Popular Movements, in which he stated, “you have the ability and the courage to create hope where there appears to be only waste and exclusion.”

In this first year, the campaign’s focus will be, Create Hope: Stand for the Land. We stand in solidarity with our sisters and brothers in the Global South who defend their homelands by protecting the land, waters, and environment that sustain not only themselves, but the planet as a whole.

Since 1967, the CCCB has set aside the Fifth Sunday of Lent as Solidarity Sunday, which this year, falls on March 26, 2023. I urge you to make a life-changing impact by giving generously. Contributions can be made online at www.devp.org/donate, by mailing a cheque, by phone at 1- 888-234-8533 or by using the donation envelopes available in your parish. I also encourage you to consider becoming a monthly donor through Share Year-Round at www.devp.org/shareyearround.

Let us open our hearts this Lent and heed the call of the Holy Spirit to renewal in the midst of a struggling world.

Sincerely yours in Christ,

+William T. McGrattan
Bishop of Calgary

Click here to download the PDF version of this letter.

Most Rev. William T. McGrattan
Bishop of Calgary

March 20, 2023

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Food Loss & Waste

3/18/2023

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This young lady was in my daughter's class. She often stood outside our family home looking abandoned and anxious after being dropped off by her mother without any kind of call or discussion. It was becoming increasingly clear that she did not have enough to eat. Our family became a safe harbour for her – we would welcome her in and offer her sustenance.

Every day, she collected a breakfast bar from the school’s reception area - sometimes her only source of nourishment for that day. But she was not alone. It’s hard to believe there are children in Canada who go hungry. But in Calgary alone, one out of three children go hungry every day in schools.

Social justice is one of the pillars of the Catholic Women’s League (CWL) as well as being an essential aspect of our faith. All people are made in the image of God and so possess an equal and inalienable worth. Because of this essential dignity, each person has a right to all that is needed to allow him or her to live their full potential as intended by God.

Food is an essential human right, yet too many people around the world are still going hungry. Hunger should not be an issue in a world of plenty – it's something that can be addressed and prevented with the dedication of resources and commitment to addressing the underlying causes.

It is our shared responsibility as global citizens and Christians to ensure that everyone has access to adequate food so that no one goes hungry. The Catholic Women’s League has been looking into ways to reduce food loss and waste as a possible solution.

But what is the difference between food loss and waste, you may ask?

Food loss takes place at production, postharvest and during the processing and distribution stages, as well as waste from hotels, restaurants, and institutions. 82% of food loss and waste is created in these sectors. Food waste happens at the retail and consumer food level. They represent 18% of food loss and waste.

In Canada, 11.8 million metric tonnes or 32% of food loss and waste is totally avoidable, and this has been costing Canadians $49.5 billion dollars annually, equating to 3% of Canada’s Gross Domestic Product.

If this food loss and waste was redirected, it would feed every Canadian for almost 5 months!

We know that fighting hunger requires much more than just providing food. The root causes of food loss and waste that occurs in Canada is a culture of accepting food loss and waste.

Four million Canadians have insufficient access to food. We need to support children and families not just with food but with societal change that develops sustainable solutions for reducing and redirecting food loss and waste in Calgary and Canada to feed those who are hungry.

In 2022, the National Catholic Women’s League passed a Resolution at their National Convention urging the Federal Government to enact federal legislation to reduce food loss and waste in the agri-food industry, including the industrial, commercial, and institutional sectors.

Reducing food loss and waste at each step along the food supply chain can save Canadians money, approximately $110 billion annually. This number includes the water, land and energy resources used to produce food.
Secondly, closing the gaps in food loss and waste is critical in addressing Canada’s food security and sustainability.
Thirdly, law would provide a guiding framework that would guide and coordinate change across the Canadian food Agri supply chain. Presently, no ministry or level of government has ultimate responsibility or accountability for food loss and waste.

Please consider uniting with the CWL membership in addressing the issue of FLW in Canada. The following link provides templated letters to the Prime Minister of Canada as well as federal Ministers who hold portfolios that could create and change legislation to apply a coordinated and integrated approach that adds value and a life cycle solution to food loss and waste.

A letter is also templated to the Premier of Alberta. No postage is necessary to send any of the letters. (Click here to access the letter templates)

Let's work together to make a difference this Lenten season! Signing a joint letter to both the federal and provincial governments urging them to reduce food loss and waste, will help secure our Canadian food supply and feed the hungry. By taking this action, we can create a positive impact toward eliminating food insecurity in Canada. Together we can make an invaluable contribution to society and make a lasting change that will benefit those in need for years to come.

Written by Jeannette Nixon for Faithfully. Jeannette Nixon is a wife to Bill Hannah of 41 years, mother to her amazing daughter Catherine, and grandmother to adorable grandson Casey. She is a member of St. Patrick's Parish in Calgary. She has completed Masters of Theological Studies from Newman Theological College in Edmonton, and Masters of Sacred Art from Pontifex University in Atlanta, Georgia. Jeannette spearheaded the food loss and waste resolution with a team of CWL Members from St. Patrick's Parish in Calgary. In her spare time, Jeannette likes to create sacred art, advocate for food loss and waste, sew and participate in aqua lane walking. She loves being a Catholic and tries to emulate the CWL motto - Catholic and living it!

If you would like a presentation on FLW with your CWL Council or your Parish, please contact Jeannette at jknenvjro@outlook.com.

Written by Jeanette Nixon
March 20, 2023

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Order of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World

3/8/2023

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Since the time of Jesus, women have been drawn to follow a life of chastity in imitation of His celibate life and the life of His Virgin Mother, totally dedicated to the plan of the Father. In this vocation to consecrated virginity within the Catholic Church, women dedicate themselves as virgins to follow Christ more closely. These women, called “brides of Christ”, have given themselves totally and exclusively to God. While living in their own homes and maintaining responsibility for their own livelihood, they enhance their devoted lives with the Liturgy of the Hours, and pray for the Bishop’s intentions and the needs of the Diocese. It is a beautiful, life-enriching commitment that has been carried out since ancient times. Some of the early virgin Saints, such as St. Agnes, St. Anastasia, St. Lucy, and St. Agatha, are mentioned in the Roman Canon of the Mass (Eucharistic Prayer 1).

Having listened to the requests of women seeking to fulfil this vocation as Consecrated Virgins, Bishop McGrattan has now established in our Diocese the Order of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World. Consecrated Virgins can be found around the world and both Popes St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI gave beautiful exhortations to assist them in living out their holy resolution.

As Pope St. John Paul said: “The state of consecrated virginity makes the praise of Christ more spontaneous, listening to His word quicker, service to Him more joyful, and the occasion of offering Him the homage of your love more frequent. Yet consecrated virginity is not a privilege, but rather a gift of God, which implies a strong commitment in following Him and being His disciple” (International Conference of Consecrated Virgins, Rome in audience with Pope John Paul II, 2 June 1995).

Pope Benedict XVI added: "That your whole life may be a faithful witness of God’s love and a convincing sign of the Kingdom of Heaven. Take care always to radiate the dignity of being a bride of Christ, expressing the newness of Christian existence and the serene expectation of future life. Thus, with your own upright life you will be stars to guide the world on its journey" (Pope Benedict XVI’s address to the participants in the International Congress-Pilgrimage of the Ordo Virginum 2008).

Some may ask how this way of Consecrated Life differs from that of women Religious (Nuns and Religious Sisters). A characteristic of this form of life is the insertion of consecrated virgins in the particular Church (the Diocese), and thus in a specific cultural and social context. Consecration reserves them to God without distancing them from the environment in which they live and in which they are called to give personal witness (Ecclesiae Sponsae Imago 37).

When a woman enters a Religious community, she is then bound by obedience to the mission of that community and may be placed wherever the community has a mission or may be cloistered in a monastery and thereby apart from the world although still very much concerned with its needs through her prayer. The Consecrated Virgin living in the world is immersed in the culture of her society and lives out her vocation among its people. She does not wear distinctive clothing and her work can be of any sort that is appropriate for a disciple of Christ. She may choose to live with other virgins, or alone, or with her family, but she does not have the same commitment to community that a Religious Sister or Nun does through her vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience.

Advice from Fr. Cristino for those who feel called to the vocation of Consecrated Virginity: “Those discerning should ask themselves why they feel drawn to total consecration to Christ outside of a Religious community of women living the same lifestyle, and what draws them to making a public declaration of their interior vow versus keeping it private.”

Written by Sr. Dianne Turner

March 13, 2023

Learn more about this unique vocation here.

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Parish Visits: Recognizing the Work of God in the Parishes

3/6/2023

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At the beginning of the year, I resumed the canonical and pastoral practice of making an official pastoral visit of the parishes in the Diocese of Calgary. This past weekend I was at St. Luke’s parish where I also celebrated the Rite of Candidacy for our seminarian Peter An who is presently in his pastoral internship year at the parish.

According to the Code of Canon Law, the Bishop is expected to make routine visits to the parishes of his diocese in order to familiarize himself with the pastoral needs of his people: “The Bishop is bound to visit his diocese in whole or in part each year, so that at least every five years he will have visited the whole diocese.” (Code of Canon Law, c. 396.1). The pastoral visit enables me to maintain personal contact with the People of God. It is an occasion to reinvigorate those engaged in pastoral ministry, outreach, and evangelization and to evaluate the effectiveness of those structures within the parish designed to serve these various pastoral areas.

For the parishes, the Pastoral Visit can be an event of grace, reflecting in some way the visit of Christ who visits and redeems His people. The visit is normally organized and directed by the parish priest and staff so that they can coordinate the meetings and ensure that parishioners who are involved in liturgical, catechetical, spiritual, and pastoral outreach might come together to showcase and witness to their specific involvement through the parish. The visit helps the parishioners to gain a greater awareness and appreciation of the ministries and services within the parish and the gift which the parish is in being a community of families united in Christ.

Typically, the Pastoral Visit takes place over three days. Friday morning and part of the afternoon is spent visiting Catholic institutions within the parishes. The Catholic schools are a significant part of the parish community and one that supports the parents who are the primary educators of their children. I meet with administrative staff, student councils, chaplains, teachers, and the students. This helps me to see how to strengthen the triad relationship of parish, school, and family in the education and formation of our youth. The other important institutions that are visited are the hospitals, retirement, and nursing homes. This also enables me to meet with the parish pastoral care ministers who reach out to the sick and the elderly.

On the Saturday I address those involved in parish ministries, to recognize the dedication and sacrifice of parishioners, their best practices, and the unique contribution of their parish to the life of the Diocese, where I can also offer encouragement for future work. The importance of co-responsibility in the leadership of the parish by the priests and laity in offering pastoral programs of formation, outreach, and service is essential if the parish is to fulfill its mission. Sunday is dedicated to the celebration and preaching at the Masses.

As the bishop I am privileged to see first-hand through the Pastoral Visit of a parish the lived experience of the parishioners, to hear their concerns, encourage them and to offer any insights on the spiritual and liturgical life or the potential apostolic activities that might strengthen the parish. No parish exists for itself and must always be reminded of being open to the Spirit and to the “wealth of best practices” that might be found in the other parishes within the Diocese. The recent experience of the Synod has awakened this reality in the Diocese by stressing the importance of listening and understanding how to be parish communities of encounter and witness. The importance of collaboration among parishes will be essential so that we do not become isolated but rather open to sharing in both the resources and challenges that we face as a Diocese.

The Pastoral Visit of a parish can also promote a lived experience of the new evangelization. To highlight the need to form parishioners as missionary disciples in fulfilling the essential identity of the Church by promoting the knowledge and witness of the Faith and to embrace its mission through the various forms of pastoral outreach.

Pope Francis has always encouraged the shepherds of the Church to have “the smell of the sheep”. Through the Pastoral Visit of a parish, it has been my experience that this has in fact been a reality for me as a bishop. In the coming years I hope to be present to many more of our parishes in and through a Pastoral Visit.

Written by
Most Rev. William T. McGrattan
Bishop of Calgary

March 6, 2023

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Solidarity Sunday 2023

Food Loss & Waste

Order of Consecrated Virgins Living in the World

Parish Visits: Recognizing the Work of God in the Parishes

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