 Someone very close to me has been away from the Church since we were teenagers, and for many years I have prayed for a return to the healing love the Lord holds in His heart. The two of us never did agree on much, and it has been that way for as long as I can remember. Over the years, we have learned to avoid certain topics to keep the peace, and that has worked because we care about each other very much. We all have people in our lives that we would so dearly love to come home to Jesus and His Church. For the most part, we are called to pray and fast for them. Because of how close we are to them (and often the baggage that goes with that) it is likely that we are not the ones the Lord will send to share the Good News with them. He will send another. We are called to pray and fast. However, it is also likely that the Lord wishes us to reach someone else’s loved one, someone with whom we are called to share the Gospel. And how are they to hear without a preacher? And how can men preach unless they are sent? As it is written ‘How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!’” ~ Romans 10:14-15
Written by Ryan Schmidt, Director of Renewal, Diocese of Calgary.
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Roughly 25.6 million people in Sudan, more than half of the country’s population, are facing acute hunger, making this one of the world’s most severe humanitarian emergencies today. Years of conflict, displacement, and economic collapse have left millions of families struggling to find even their daily bread. Children, pregnant women, and the elderly are among the most vulnerable, with many facing severe malnutrition and limited access to basic health care. During this Lenten season, when we are called to prayer, fasting, and almsgiving, we are reminded that our sacrifices can become a source of life for others. Lent invites us to open our hearts to those who suffer and to respond with generosity and compassion. Please consider making a donation to support emergency assistance for families facing hunger in Sudan through Development and Peace — Caritas Canada. Your gift helps provide critical nutrition supplies, support local partners, and bring hope to communities enduring this crisis.   A message that appears to come from someone you trust can sometimes be the very thing designed to deceive. Recent scam attempts reported within our diocesan community remind us to pause and verify unexpected requests. Please remain alert and cautious. Don't fall for urgency, presence of mind is necessary for your safety. A few reminders:
If you receive a suspicious message that appears to come from someone in your parish or the Diocese, please do not respond. Delete the message and report it to your parish or diocesan office if necessary. Image: Created with Gemini, Mar 9, 2026
 From Jan 10, 2026 to Jan 10, 2027, the Church marks a special Jubilee Year of Saint Francis of Assisi on the 800th anniversary of his death. During this year, the faithful may obtain a plenary indulgence by fulfilling the usual conditions (confession, Communion, prayer for the Holy Father, detachment from sin) and engaging in acts inspired by the Franciscan spirit, such as pilgrimage, prayer, works of charity, and humble service. This Jubilee invites not only celebration, but a deeper imitation of St. Francis through a Gospel life lived simply, faithfully, and daily. Visit Mount St. Francis this Jubilee Year
 Pope Leo greets pilgrims in the Vatican (@Vatican Media)
 “May the Lord give you peace.” Pope Leo highlights this famous greeting of St. Francis of Assisi and places the notion of “Peace” at the heart of this Jubilee year of grace. In his prayer to St. Francis asking for his special intercession, the Pope recalled that St. Francis was a person who sought and lived peace: “Saint Francis, our brother, you who eight hundred years ago went to meet Sister Death as a man of peace, intercede for us before the Lord. You recognized true peace in the Crucified of San Damiano, teach us to seek in Him the source of all Reconciliation that breaks down every wall. You who, unarmed, crossed the lines of war and misunderstanding, give us the courage to build bridges where the world raises up boundaries. In this time afflicted by conflict and division, intercede for us so that we may become peacemakers: unarmed and disarming witnesses of the peace that comes from Christ. Amen” This Jubilee year of grace invites us to find inspiration in the life and witness of St. Francis for our own journey of faith, so that we, too, become models of holiness and constant witnesses of peace. Francis was a particular witness of peace in his time: born into a life of privilege, he renounced all to follow the way of the Crucified Saviour, allowing Christ to be his source of peace. In humility and simplicity, he became detached from all desire for power, possessions or social status. Not needing to defend or protect anything, he went to the margins of society and served those in whom he recognized the face of the suffering Christ. Desiring to proclaim the message of reconciliation and peace to all people, he crossed boundaries and, through his respectful witness, engaged with Sultan Malik Al-Kamil, earning the Sultan's high regard and favour. It is fitting in this Jubilee year that the Pilgrim Church of Christ be reminded that we, too, follow in the footsteps of Jesus and are called to conform our lives to his, just as St. Francis did. As Francis told his followers as he was close to death, “I have done what is mine to do. May Christ teach you what is yours.” And what does Christ teach us? How do we live from a heart filled with the peace that only Christ can bring? The first requirement is receive the Good News proclaimed by Christ and to do as Francis did: be receptive to the grace that changes our lives – metanoia. “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent, and believe in the good news!” (Mark 1:15) We, like Francis, are called to cling no longer to that which does not lead to peace in Christ: greed, inordinate ambition, arrogance, self-righteous judgments against others, pursuing our own selfish interest and desires without due regard for the needs and dignity of others. At his lowest point, Francis recognized his poverty before God and opened himself to becoming a vessel that God could use to advance the kingdom of peace. We are invited to recognize our own poverty, placing all in the hands of Christ to do with us as God the Father wills for us – discovering our unique mission of peacebuilding and peacemaking. St. Francis did not see himself as a saint. He, in fact, understood himself to be a sinner, forgiven and in constant need of God’s grace and mercy. The life of penance he embraced was motivated by his love of God and desire to be a willing instrument in God’s hands. God’s mercy is a constant focus within Church teaching. Recalling God’s indulgent mercy, Bishop Krzysztof Nykiel, Regent of the Apostolic Penitentiary, which published a decree on God’s indulgence available this Jubilee year, reminds us that God’s grace can transform even our greatest weaknesses. God’s indulgence makes it possible to free the heart from the burden of sin and to purify and heal the harm sin causes. The Church developed its teaching on indulgences from this notion of God’s mercy, which is more than we can fully take in or comprehend. In its essence, an indulgence reaffirms the forgiveness of sins and the healing and purification of the heart from the consequences of sin that comes as one allows God’s grace to transform one’s life. God’s indulgence is always available to us. “It is essential to understand that indulgence is first and foremost an encounter with God, and that its power lies not in our human efforts, but in the grace of God that transforms hearts… All penitential practices – such as confession, Communion, pilgrimage, prayer – are instruments of preparation that facilitate the encounter with God, but they do not replace the experience of grace itself. The authentic fruits of indulgence appear when a person consciously opens themselves to God’s transforming power, allows God to act in their heart, heals relationships, forgives, and is converted.” (Bishop Krzysztof Nykiel, quoted from “Indulgence is an Encounter with God, not a Spiritual Shortcut,” by Fr. Marek Weresa, Vatican News, January 16, 2026) While the Church has established common practices which give expression to one’s interior desire to detach from sin, surrender to God’s mercy and be receptive to God’s grace – including sacramental confession and participation in the Eucharist and reception of Holy Communion – “at the heart of the practice of indulgences is God’s love, always calling us to grow in holiness. Living out indulgences is not just about fulfilling a list of requirements; it is an opportunity to open our hearts to divine grace and to the intercession of the saints.” (Bishop Lucia, “Indulgences Explained,” from The Catholic Sun, April 10, 2025) God moves in our hearts at all times and everywhere. During this Jubilee year of St. Francis, we are invited to find meaningful ways to grow in our relationship with God and in the love of our brothers and sisters, which reflects the path of St. Francis. Some of the particular ways may include making a pilgrimage to a place of worship dedicated to St. Francis, praying with the same words he used before the crucifix at San Damiano – “O most high, glorious god, enlighten the darkness of my heart and give me a right faith, a certain hope and a perfect love, understanding and knowledge, O Lord, that I may carry out your holy and true command”; praying the Way of the Cross which became associated St. Francis after he promoted this devotion on his return from the Holy Land; praying before the Blessed Sacrament, mirroring the same desire of St. Clare of Assisi of giving yourself totally to the One who gave himself totally to you; meditating prayerfully (Lectio Divina) on a passage that reflects the spirit of St. Francis; finding concrete ways to serve the poor Christ in the suffering and marginalized; becoming an unarmed and disarming peacemaker in your home, community and workplace; spending time contemplating creation and the many ways it reflects God’s goodness and beauty; praying the Seven Joys of Mary, a particular Franciscan rosary which honours the joyful mysteries of the Virgin Mary’s life. During Lent, the Seven Sorrows of Mary are prayed; uniting your personal suffering, difficulties, illness, and diminishment in the same spirit of St. Francis, who wrote the Canticle to the Creatures, which exhort God’s praise, all while blind and close to death. As you take advantage of this Jubilee Year of St. Francis, may you hear St. Francis’ blessing addressed to you: “May the Lord bless you and keep you; May He show His face to you and have mercy on you; May He turn his countenance to you and give you peace.” (Numbers 6: 24-26) Written by Susan Campbell, Mount St. Francis.
It started with a handshake. Not a debate. Not an argument. Just an invitation. On a recent episode of Heroic Hotline, I sat down with longtime friend and ministry leader Richard Beaulieu to follow up on a conversation about what we call “handshake outreach,” the simple, human act of inviting a man into something meaningful. What followed was a story neither of us planned to tell, but one that captured exactly what that outreach can look like when it is patient, relational, and rooted in trust. A tap on the shoulder Richard spoke about a friend he had known for years, a self-described atheist. “He would say he was an atheist,” Richard said, “but he would also tell these childhood stories.” The stories always returned to one memory in particular, his grandfather, a Russian Orthodox priest, with long vestments and a long gray beard. “He would talk about it like it was nonsense,” Richard said. “But there was something endearing about the way he told it.” The friend also spoke of a fleeting moment with Jesus as a young man, an experience that came and went, and later joining a church baseball team. Once the season ended, so did church. Richard did not push his friend. He did not argue theology. He simply listened. And then came the tap. “I just thought, maybe if he walked into a Catholic church again,” Richard said, “he might feel that love he sensed when he was a kid.” So he bought him a ticket. An invitation to come and see The invitation was to the God Squad Men’s Conference. “Come,” Richard told him. “What’s the worst that can happen? You get a free lunch.” The conference that year carried a weighty theme, Memento Mori, remember your death. Speakers included Father Raymond de Souza and Deacon Harold Burke-Sivers, whose invitation to “come home to the Church” left a deep impression. “For him,” Richard said, “it was a mountaintop experience.” “All of a sudden, the fog breaks, and there they are.” Walking with him after the high Richard knew the experience could not stand alone. “You don’t leave a man floundering after that,” he said. “You journey with him.” So the next invitation came, an Alpha program at their parish. Dinner included. No pressure. Still, something had shifted. The man was not ready to be prayed over. He was not ready for RCIA. But he was hungry. “I want more,” he told Richard. He began attending RCIA just to explore. Then Mass. Then blessings during Communion. “A year earlier, he said, ‘No, it wouldn’t feel right,’” Richard said. “Now he was going up.” Eventually, he said the words Richard had been waiting for, “I want to receive.” At 70 years old, after a long RCIA process that included canonical complications, the man was baptized at the Easter Vigil on April 19, 2025. “He used to call himself ‘one of the others,’” Richard said, referencing the labourers in the vineyard who arrive late but receive the same wage. “He felt guilty about that,” Richard said. “Until he began to understand God’s unfathomable mercy.” Memento Mori That joy was soon tested. In August, the man was diagnosed with aggressive cancer. By October 18, he had passed away. “He was part of the Church militant for six months,” Richard said. His wife later told Richard that without faith, he would have been an angry patient, frustrated with doctors, with her, and with the world. “Instead,” Richard said, “he had peace. All the time.” A supernatural peace. “The only kind that can be inspired by faith.” Richard connected the story to an account from the French Revolution, of religious sisters who went to their deaths with peace and forgiveness. “Only a faith inspired by courage could allow them to die that way,” he said. The same courage, he believed, marked his friend’s final months. “Memento mori,” Richard added. “Remember your death.” One more soul The message Richard left with listeners was simple. “I always pray for one more soul,” he said. “Just one more than yesterday.” “Who’s the man in your life you need to tap on the shoulder? Buy him a coffee. Invite him. Walk with him.” Submitted by Sean Lynn, God Squad / Heroic Men Canada.
 At its heart, the recent newsletter from the Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration carries one clear message: Eucharistic Adoration changes parishes. March, devoted to St. Joseph, the Passion of Our Lord, and the institution of the Eucharist, is a fitting time to return to the heart of our faith: Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. The Church has long taught that worship of the Eucharist outside of Mass is not secondary or optional. As St. John Paul II wrote in Ecclesia de Eucharistia: The worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable value for the life of the Church. … It is the responsibility of pastors [parish priests] to encourage, also by their personal witness, the practice of Eucharistic adoration, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in particular, as well as prayer of adoration before Christ present under the Eucharistic species” (St. Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, No. 25). Likewise, Redemptionis Sacramentum urges that Eucharistic adoration be diligently fostered “with the participation of the people.” The message is simple and direct: if we desire renewal in our parishes, we return to the Lord in the Eucharist.
What we are seeing in our Diocese Last year, parishes across the Diocese of Calgary took up that invitation in a concrete way through the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations. At St. Mary’s Cathedral and in parishes throughout the diocese, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for extended hours. Parishioners signed up for time slots, many of whom returned more than once. Some came late at night. Others brought their children. Students in Catholic schools also participated, adding dozens of hours of adoration across chapels and classrooms. At Holy Spirit Parish in Calgary, 378 adorers were formally registered, with participation likely exceeding 500. Many described the experience as calm, peaceful, and holy. One recurring question that surfaced afterward was: When can we do this again? The numbers matter less than what they represent: a hunger to remain with the Lord.
The Heart of Adoration St. Teresa of Calcutta expressed it plainly: The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time that you will spend on earth.” ~1996 address at the Eucharistic Congress in Calcutta. Her words echo what many in our own diocese have experienced: silence before the Lord brings clarity, strength, and peace. It deepens love for Jesus and, from there, love for one another. Pope Benedict XVI, in Sacramentum Caritatis (§66), highlights its intrinsic link to the Mass: "In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church's supreme act of adoration... The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself." Why Adoration Matters The newsletter cites a striking statistic: 70 percent of seminarians come from parishes with Eucharistic Adoration. While statistics never tell the whole story, they suggest something profound: where Christ is adored, vocations flourish. Adoration draws us into sustained contact with the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. It strengthens faith in the Eucharist. It deepens reverence for Holy Communion. It fosters repentance, intercession, and reparation.
40 Hours Devotion for Vocation
In our own Diocese, the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations revealed a real hunger for time before the Lord. Parishes reported strong participation, including overnight hours. Students, families, and seniors alike came to pray. Adoration is not an extra devotion. It is a wellspring of renewal for the Church. And it begins with one hour. Where to find Adoration hours?
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