ROMAN CATHOLIC DIOCESE OF CALGARY
  • Renewal
  • Blog
  • About
  • Give
  • News & Events
  • Ministries
  • Contact Us
  • MASS TIMES
  • Jubilee 2025

Development & Peace Organizational Review

7/29/2020

0 Comments

 
Following an organizational review of the Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace – Caritas Canada to improve its collaboration with the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, implementation of the resulting recommendations will begin this fall.

The organizational review was conducted by the firm Deloitte and involved the participation of staff and members of Development and Peace, as well as staff of the CCCB and Bishops across Canada. The results of the analysis suggested 14 recommendations, which were then integrated into the four following work streams to facilitate the implementation process:
  • Criteria for international partnerships
  • Governance structure and reporting
  • Communications and crisis management
  • Organizational culture within Development and Peace

The recommendations of the report were accepted by Development and Peace’s National Council in November 2019, and several meetings between the Executive Committees of the CCCB and Development and Peace took place to discuss the expectations of both parties in the implementation of the recommendations and agree to a process.

“Throughout these discussions, we never lost sight of Development and Peace’s mission to serve the poorest and most vulnerable of our world and to build God’s kingdom of peace and justice,” says Evelyne Beaudoin, President of Development and Peace. “We all agree on the vital importance of preserving the identity of our organization as rooted in the Church’s social teachings and embodied in and through acts of solidarity; and we agreed to move forward in the vision of Pope Francis of a synodal Church”

It was also agreed that Development and Peace’s National Council will be reduced from 21 to 15 members, with 11 elected representatives from Development and Peace and four Bishops from the CCCB. The following four Bishops, representing also the four regions, will join the National Council at its next meeting in November 2020:
  • Most Rev. William McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary and Co-treasurer of the CCCB’s Executive Committee (West)
  • Rev. Pierre Goudreault, Bishop of Ste-Anne-de-la-Pocatière and Co-Treasurer of the CCCB’s Executive Committee (Quebec)
  • Most Rev. Peter Hundt, Archbishop of St. John’s, Member of the CCCB Permanent Council (Atlantic)
  • Most Rev. Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R., Bishop of Pembroke (Ontario)

Each Bishop will also serve on one of the four working committees put in place to implement the recommendations for each of the above-mentioned work streams. Each committee will be chaired by a member of the management team of Development and Peace. In addition to the participation of a Bishop, each committee will be composed of members of the National Council and staff of the CCCB. The four working committees will report to an oversight committee composed of two Bishops and two members of the Executive Committee of the National Council.

Preparatory meetings will take place over the summer with the formal work of the working committees to begin in September. The working committees will be assisted by the firm Deloitte, and the implementation process is expected to be completed by the end of December 2020. Regular progress reports will be communicated throughout the process.

“We are pleased with the progress of the collaborative conversations and joint meetings.” says the Most Reverend Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg and CCCB President. “We are hopeful that, as we begin this new chapter of greater and more far reaching collaboration and alignment between the Bishops of Canada and CCODP – Caritas Canada, much good fruit will ensue in our outreach to the poor and those most in need. The necessary changes to be made, as well as the good will and hard work they entail, will help the Church radiate its mission to the world.”

Picture
0 Comments

Not everyone is outdoorsy

7/22/2020

1 Comment

 
​I definitely replied far too eagerly when I was asked if I would like to contribute to this month’s edition of Faithfully.  The offer came by Facebook message, and I replied I would be happy to write.  

“The theme for July's Faithfully is being outside!”
Oh. No. Anything but the outdoors. A number of people in this diocese are probably already snickering because they know how useless I am at all things outdoorsy. I am not a good runner by any stretch of the imagination. Tennis and basketball and volleyball and soccer are not my strong suit. My parents both had horrible first experiences downhill skiing, and so we never learned; I haven’t skated since kindergarten. I’ll be going on my first hike since Grade 6 next week. I went on a sailing trip in Grade 9, but most of my time was spent in the galley with kitchen work, and not hoisting the mainstay. My grandfather was the outdoorsman in the family; when he passed, my grandma gave his guns away, but his fishing rods are sitting in the garage, waiting for my younger cousins to grow enough to use them. It’s safe to say that despite the many gifts I’ve been given, the gift of having skill in the outdoors is not one that God has given me.

Still, there is good to being outside, and God comes to find me there.

One of the first songs that I learned as a volunteer at Heritage Park in Calgary was the 1912 gospel song “In the Garden”.  Its popularity is easily understandable — the melody rolls along gently in the tradition of the best Victorian parlour songs, and in the text gently depicts the life of prayer as a garden, where the narrator comes alone to meet Christ and have deep conversation. Through the walk, Christ is present to the narrator, reminding them that they are His beloved and sharing in the deep joy of prayerful relationship, before giving His benediction and sending them on their way.

As a historic interpreter there, it was easy to see how true this metaphor is. In the cool morning breeze as I swept the boardwalk, and in the sweet wood smoke on the crisp autumn air, I could feel the presence of God gently beckoning me. My favourite exhibit to work in was the replica of Our Lady of Peace Mission. On rainy June days, I would sit on the bench by the fireplace wrapped in my wool capote, and peacefully pray the Rosary in the place of those first missionaries who founded this diocese. It gave me a lot of time simply to sit and meditate:  on the mysteries of the Rosary, on the faith and fortitude of those early missionaries, and on my own relationship with God. It was very much true — I was in the midst of a garden every day, and God was looking for me within it, calling me into a deeper relationship with Him.

​Still, the song took on greater meaning for me as I was working through my bachelor’s degree. It is somewhat of a difficult endeavour to tackle a degree while being an anxious person, and so there would be many nights where the stress of the workload and social environment would become overwhelming very quickly. In the winter of one of my earlier years, I was in the usual quandary of having everything due very quickly, and almost nothing finished. I was feeling very alone, and unready to conquer all that I had to face academically and personally. I was ready to throw in the towel (as I’m sure every student does at least 5 times a semester).  So, as any overwhelmed person would do, I pulled on my shoes and bolted out the door.
Picture
Solomon Ip
Picture
Replica of Our Lady of Peace Mission (1877), Heritage Park
I remember going past the dorm buildings, down the hill, through the cafeteria, and out into the coulees in the Oldman River. It was dark out — the University of Lethbridge hadn’t installed the floodlights yet — and so the only light I could see by was the moon reflecting off of the clouds, sailing eastward on a full chinook wind. I came to the crest of the coulees and just stood there, unsure of exactly what was going on or what exactly I was hoping to accomplish by getting fresh air.  

And that’s when He came to me.

The song’s chorus goes:

“And He walks with me, and He talks with me,
 
​
And He tells me I am His own,
And the joy that we share as we tarry there
None other has ever known.”

It sounds cliché, and it probably is, but I can’t deny that I felt the presence of the Holy Ghost there that night, riding in on the wind, wrapping me tightly in His embrace, teaching me that I am beloved regardless of my academic abilities. To accept that God loves me as a cerebral exercise is one matter, but to experience it in the heart is another matter entirely. I think I began to understand this all more clearly that night. I felt peace in the midst of the academic storm, and joy in the midst of personal trial. Most importantly, I knew that I was His own.

I stood on the coulees for quite some time, the wind washing over me and carrying all of my anxieties out to Saskatchewan (or wherever the chinook winds go). When I finally left to return to another few hours of pounding my keyboard, I knew that regardless of how my academic work turned out, of more importance was that I would turn out, because I have a loving God who will light a lamp and sweep the house to find His lost coin.
​
I would go on walks outside again throughout my degree whenever I was overwhelmed and anxious; even now, it has been a very present help in the midst of the pandemic. And still, every so often, God finds me on these walks and speaks with me in my heart, and we share that joy together that “none other has ever known”.

Written by Solomon Ip, a parishioner of St. John the Evangelist, Calgary.
1 Comment

God's beauty in the Canadian Rockies

7/22/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Watching the sunrise at the summit of Ha Ling Peak (Kananaskis Country, AB)
PicturePeter and Hannah Baltutis
When our family first moved to Calgary in 2014, we immediately fell in love with the unparalleled beauty of the Canadian Rockies.  Over these past six years, our family has made regular hiking trips in the Albertan wilderness.  For us, hiking is a profoundly spiritual encounter with the Divine. Below are several of the spiritual benefits we experience when spending quality time in God’s creation:

Reinvigorated prayer life
The Judeo-Christian tradition has long promoted immersing oneself in the beauty of creation to help us better appreciate the power and wisdom of God.  Sacred Scripture is full of beautiful verses and images praising God the Creator.  “The heavens are telling the glory of God; and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” (Psalm 19:1).  Daniel 3:56-88 is a powerful canticle of all creation blessing, praising, and exalting the Lord.  More recently, Saint John Paul II wrote: “Every time that I have the opportunity to rest in the mountains and contemplate these landscapes, I thank God for the majestic beauty of creation. I thank him for his own Beauty, of which the universe is a reflection, capable of fascinating attentive souls, urging them to praise its greatness” (July 11, 1999). To emphasize this spiritual aspect of time spent in nature, our family begins our hikes asking God to bless our time by making us more mindful of creation.  When we reach our destination (the summit of a mountain or a physical landmark) we spend time offering prayers of thanksgiving for God’s abundant generosity in creation. Inevitably when we find ourselves in particularly difficult parts of the trail, we often invoke the intercession of the Blessed Mother to bring us to our destination safely!  At the conclusion of our hike, we always thank God for such a privileged experience. 

Pushing our physical limits
In addition to affirming the beauty of creation, the Catholic tradition also affirms the beauty of the human person.  Saint Paul writes “your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you… therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20). It is important that we keep our bodies healthy. Blessed Pier Giorgio Frassati – a Lay Dominican who had a deep love of the mountains and the outdoors – adopted for himself the personal motto of verso l’alto (in English, “toward the top”). This phrase synthesized his way of life: to always seek what enhances, that which carries us beyond ourselves, to strive for the highest goals, to avoid mediocrity, to become the best version of ourselves that we can be. For Frassati, this meant pushing our own physical and spiritual limits. While hiking provides a variety of physical benefits - such as improved muscular fitness, lower risk of heart disease, stroke, and high blood pressure, and improved cardio-respiratory fitness – it also pushes us to overcome our (perceived) physical limits.  In my situation, climbing to mountain summits is slowly helping me to overcome my fear of heights. Achieving small goals empowers us to attempt bigger goals next time. Pushing ourselves to our physical and spiritual limits forms us into the best versions of ourselves - healthier and stronger temples of the Holy Spirit. Verso l’alto! 

Deep, meaningful conversations
Daily life for our family has many moving parts: two parents that both work full time; three young children in three different schools; extracurricular activities; etc. Amid all this busyness, it is important to actively cultivate meaningful connections with each other. Going on hikes forces us to unplug from social media/entertainment and to spend quality time with one another. Hiking together for several hours allows us to engage in deep and intentional conversations. It allows us to share our “joys and hopes, griefs and anxieties” with one another – and with God. These hikes are sacred moments of connection between spouses, parents and children, and siblings. 

--------
Written by Dr. Peter Baltutis, associate professor of history and religious studies and the Catholic Women’s League Chair for Catholic Studies at St. Mary’s University in Calgary.  He is also a Lay Dominican.  Peter and his family are parishioners of St. Patrick's Parish in Calgary.

Picture
Banff National Park, AB
Picture
Pickle Jar Lakes (Kananaskis Country, AB)
Hannah's love of nature

At a very young age I was encouraged to go outside if it was for a bike ride, a hike, or even a simple walk to the park. I always seemed to be outdoors. My parents felt that being outside was not only important for our health but was also a good family bonding experience. As I get older, I found that I love hiking! I enjoy the feeling of accomplishment when I reach the summit or destination point.  It feels good when all your hard work pays off. It is also incredible to think that God made all of this for us! It is equally important to enjoy the journey.

I like seeing new things in nature (as opposed to houses and stores). You never know what kind of wildlife or plants or beautiful views that you will find on the trail. As a birdwatcher, it is important to see the diversity of God’s creation. Even the smallest organisms have such a big impact on our ecosystems.  It is all a gift from God.   

--------
Written by Hannah Baltutis (age 13), the eldest daughter of the Baltutis Family. She is an artist, photographer, birdwatcher, and lover of nature.
1 Comment

Pandemic resources for the faithful

7/22/2020

 
At this time of continued vigilance during the Pandemic, it is more important than ever to keep nourishing our prayer life, especially for those who are not able to attend any liturgies at our church. Join in prayer with the universal church through the Liturgy of the Hours, Livestream Mass and Lectio Divina. Pray for those suffering with the Coronavirus, those who care for them, and those who are suffering from anxiety during this stressful time. 
Picture
Check the current schedule of Livestream Mass (Sunday & Weekly) in the Diocese of Calgary.
Picture
Grow spiritually through a daily Lectio Divina with Seeds of the Word Sisters every morning at 7:30 am.
Picture
Do you want to start praying the Divine Office? Here is a step-by-step guide for you from Aleteia.
For the mental health
From the pandemic to the financial market, working from home and experiencing job loss, many find themselves under immense stress.​ How can this transform us for the better?  Find the help you need through experienced counsellors, or take the time to examine ourselves, our priorities and our spiritual life. 
Picture
Rapid Access Counselling in helps you with concerns on relationship, grief, family, mental health or stress. Pay what you can afford or no fee.
Picture
For immediate crisis counselling or after hours emergency, contact the Calgary Distress Centre 24 hour Crisis Line at (403) 266-HELP (4357).
Picture
Take these quizzes and get insights about your marriage, sexuality, parenting, family, work & life as well as spirituality and prayer life. 
Resources at your fingertips
Picture
Find self-help videos to help you live your life to the fullest, or forward these to others who need them.
Picture
What's happening with our church life at this time of pandemic? Find the information you need here.
Picture
Check out the News & Events page on our Diocesan website. Find out what's going on & get connected.

This garden grows with a little help from some real-life Knights!

7/22/2020

5 Comments

 
Picture
Fr. Jonathan Gibson (St. Peter, Calgary), Peter Dugandzic & Lu Scarpino (Knights of Columbus)
One of Calgary’s newest vegetable gardens is located in the backyard of Elizabeth House (EH), a maternal care home that’s now growing ready-to-eat plants alongside healthy babies. In a world hungry for good news, this project fits the bill, says Michelle Haywood, program manager at Elizabeth House.

Opened by the Catholic Diocese of Calgary more than 20 years ago, Elizabeth House provides supportive housing to at-risk pregnant and parenting women who need a safe place to live. Seeded into two new raised beds, this year’s inaugural garden is busy growing everything from lettuce to tomatoes, carrots and squash. It’s also nurturing at least one young resident’s interest in vegetable production—and it all began with a group of Catholic men who dared ask the folks at EH a simple question: How can we help?

The raised beds, like every other landscape revitalization project undertaken at Elizabeth House since 2017, were built by the St. Peter’s Council of the Knights of Columbus. That’s the year the council’s Grand Knight Peter Dugandzic reached out to Haywood. That conversation laid the foundation of a relationship that’s flourished over four years, thousands of dollars and hundreds of volunteer hours.
​
“What the Knights have done here is amazing, but it’s about more than landscaping,” notes Haywood. “There’s also a sense of being cared for by this group of gentlemen offering their hands and hearts to help us. It’s hard to put that kind of support into words.”
Love in action
​

By 2018, Dugandzic was leading a group of Knights of Columbus in some serious hands-on work. Together, the men transformed the home’s weed-filled backyard into a summer oasis, complete with new sod and a new patio, outdoor furniture, a barbecue, perimeter shrub beds and an underground sprinkler. That same year, another council based in Airdrie provided the labour to re-side EH’s home and detached garage.

Last year, the Knights tackled the home’s front yard, again adding fresh sod, shrubs and irrigation.

“Everybody was pretty excited when Peter brought the idea to the council,” remembers Lu Scarpino. Sworn in as the Grand Knight at St. Peter’s this July, Scarpino was the council treasurer when the project began. “Elizabeth House is doing great work and it’s nice to be able to support that. I think we’ve built a relationship that will continue for many years,” adds Scarpino.

Fr. Jonathan Gibson agrees. The pastor at St. Peter’s parish, Fr. Gibson says the relationship between the knights and Elizabeth House reinforces the governing principles of the Knights of Columbus. Charity, unity, fraternity and patriotism have all been strengthened by the project, says the priest. He views the relationship between the Knights of Columbus and Elizabeth House as a real-world example of how these knights live the heart of the gospel by doing work that cares for the women and children who live at Elizabeth House.

With the vegetable garden beds built and seeded, Dugandzic and Haywood are now focused on relocating a grotto built on the grounds of the original EH site in the Mission district. The stone work will be done by the same skilled tradesmen who built the grotto and one at the new Our Lady of the Rockies church in Canmore. The statue of Mary is being repainted by Dugandzic’s wife, Dorothy Voytechek. The new grotto will include a glass panel to protect the statue from the elements. 

The grotto will be added to the backyard; already a place of refuge for residents, their children and EH staff, says Haywood. Given the complications of COVID-19, she knows the Knights at St. Peter’s didn’t have their usual opportunities to fundraise in 2020. That means some of the costs incurred were covered by individual knights and their families.

Dugandzic, who’s already working with Elizabeth House on projects for 2021, says he launched the EH project as a way to invigorate the Knights he led. Looking back, he admits the project’s success goes way beyond the physical spaces they created. “Elizabeth House is dear to our hearts. We like the work that they do. That house is nearly always full and it feels good to know our knights have helped make it an even more special place.” 

Written by Joy Gregory for Faithfully 
5 Comments

Christina's garden

7/22/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture

Why starting a vegetable garden?

I've loved gardening since I can remember. Every time I saw empty space in my grandparents' or my parents' yard I would plant any seeds I could find from the kitchen. Seeing anything growing always fascinates me and I developed a lot of interest in plants and animals. 

Since I moved into my own place, I started gardening right away. I have been experimenting with growing vegetables from kitchen scraps and commercial seeds; planting fruity bushes, and trees from fruit seeds. It's amazing to see what can live and grow in different types of soil and shade conditions, and how the plants attract various animals and the symbiosis among them. I should add that other than vegetables, I only grow perennials as planting annuals can be really costly. I also believe perennials create a more stable ecosystem in my neighbourhood. 

Another benefit of vegetables gardening is of course, the produce! It supplements my grocery. Gardening has also been helpful for my mental and physical health, especially during the pandemic stay-at-home period. Gardening, composting and landscaping are definitely alternatives for brain and physical exercises. I also joined a couple of gardening communities, a way for me to engage and exchange ideas with others. Landscaping also allows us to express our artistic side. We enjoy hunting for different kind of plants and landscaping materials, and playing around with textures, colours, and functionality.
Picture
Picture
Any lessons learned? 

The most challenging things about vegetable gardening are Calgary's unpredictable and extreme/fluctuating weather (lots of rain, dryness, hail, short warm growing season) and pests (mice, rabbits, bugs, magpies and other birds).  If there is anything I would do differently next year, I will spend more research to select plants that can grow in specific parts around the house, based on sun coverage and soil types. 

Any encouragement for those contemplating a vegetable garden? 

Just give it a try! We will find out if we enjoy it (or have passion for it) during the process. Seeing living things grow, multiply, survive the varied circumstances, mutate, and eventually die, all shows me "how great Thou art"! ​

Picture
Christina Candra
Written by Christina Candra, a parishioner of St. Joseph's Parish in Calgary. 
1 Comment

Family hiking - why & where?

7/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Milk River, Alberta. Photo: Tom Hardjowirogo
​When we first moved to Calgary in 1981 from Toronto with two young children in tow, we hardly knew about outdoors activities – much less hiking at the time. Having lived in big urban centres previously, outdoors activities were not foremost in our minds. We were quite curious therefore when we heard our friends and colleagues talking about outdoors activities they had done with their families over the weekends. This was how Terry and I got to know the places around Calgary - like Bragg Creek, Kananaskis, Canmore or Banff.

Having gone through our research from looking at maps to reading weekend columns at the Calgary Herald, Terry and I decided to try these day trips ourselves. We ended up quite awed and impressed with what we saw, and thus began our love with the natural places we have around Calgary – for us to enjoy and hike in the cool temperature, and the clean fresh mountain air that we breathe. 

Although we hike in all seasons, we have always considered ourselves purely as recreational hikers and therefore tried from the start to engage our children as we were learning more about hiking together as a family. For example, we initially took them on ‘mini hikes’ for a few weekends, and gradually get them to come along with us to try longer hikes as we gained more confidence – always mindful in making sure that they enjoy the experience of hiking with us as a family. 

When our children were fairly young, we simply dressed them and brought them along on our hikes, and in hindsight we were glad that they were always excited to come along with us. As they grew older, and started to have activities of their own however, we had to prepare our hiking trip differently and plan them ahead of time, including having to ask them if they’d want to come along. This became pretty much the approach we had to take if we wanted them to come along, at the end doing them for special occasions such as for someone’s birthday etc.
Picture
Big Hill Springs Provincial Park (now closed for renovation until next year)
Benefits of family hiking
​We start and end our hikes by praying together – for the safety of everyone, but also to express our gratitude for joy of our experience. We have been very grateful for the wonderful blessings and gifts that God has given us – from the awesome natural environment that we are privileged to enjoy, the peace that we experience, as well as the emotional support and bonding through walking together and communicating with each other during the hikes.

While hiking in nature, negotiating our paths and enjoying the sceneries around us, our minds tend to be freed from much of the burdens of our daily lives and allowing us to absorb the beauties that we see along the way. A good friend of ours remarked that whenever they visited us here in Calgary, he felt as if his lung has been cleansed by the air that he breathed here. Having lived here for so many years, most of us probably take for granted the cleaner and purer air that we breathe daily in Alberta, especially when we hike in the mountain and hills around the province. ​
Picture
Tom & Terry Hardjowirogo
Picture
Beautiful Canadian Rockies. Photo: Tom Hardjowirogo

Our favourite places
We are blessed here in Calgary, to have so many places available for us to enjoy hiking, both in as well as out of town. Living in the Northwest part of the City – literally 10 minutes of walking distance from our home, Nosehill Park  has become our favourite hiking place, and we take advantage to hike it every chance we get, especially for one or two hours after supper during the summer or winter months. The climb to the top from where we live is fairly steep but gradual, and is always worth it – as we’d be rewarded with views of the City, the Airport, as well as the Rocky Mountains all in one swoop once we get there.
​
In addition to Nosehill Park, the following are our favourite places  for hiking with my wife or the whole family, pretty much to suit how much time we have: 
  • In Calgary: Confederation Park (NW); Bow River Pathway; Bowness Park (NW), Glenmore Park (SW) & Fish Creek Provincial Park (SW)
  • An hour away from Calgary: Big Hill Spring Provincial Park; Bragg Creek, Elbow River Valley 
  • Provincial and National Park: Both Kananaskis Country and Banff National Park also have excellent family hiking trails with various levels of difficulties. 
Picture
Glenmore Reservoir, Calgary. Photo: Tom Hardjowirogo

Written by Tom Hardjowirogo. Tom and his wife Terry are parishioners of St. Luke's Parish, Calgary. 
0 Comments

Joy's garden

7/22/2020

0 Comments

 
I grew up in rural Alberta where every house had at least one vegetable garden. My four siblings and I still grow at least some of our own food. Today, my own garden is a testament to how much time I think about food. I grow it. I cook it. I preserve it. I eat it and I share it. As a master gardener, I also study it. Most of my volunteer work involves improving access to food for those who don’t have enough.

​My own yard includes large vegetable beds, fruit trees, a green-house, a row of 5-gallon pails with tomatoes and a deck where I grow lettuce and basil in DIY passive hydroponic tubs. My garden is a labour of love. I read Laudato Si' as a call to make the world a better place from the soil up. That’s what I try to do in my yard; to nurture the sacred gift of creation. All of those warm feeling aside, I am annoyed when I hear people say that vulnerable, food-insecure Calgarians should be growing their own food. In June, I picked more than 350 slugs off seven grown-from-seed Savoy cabbages. The task was every bit as disgusting as one might imagine. Three weeks later, some root-eating worm destroyed one head. Gardening is a tough business!

Written by Joy Gregory, a parishioner of St. Peter's Parish, Calgary
Picture
Joy's hydroponic tub lettuce.
0 Comments

In the slowing down...

7/22/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
If the last several months have reinforced anything, it is the extraordinary grace of an ordinary moment lived well. Faced with an abrupt “stripping away” of the extras that made life very full, our little family has had to work hard to claim, in simplicity and joy, the identity of domestic church. It has been challenging and edifying to see the ordinary, mundane moments through the lens of faith.

​In the slowing down, we are becoming more aware of the opportunity these moments present to us. We have come to understand more deeply the invitation to elevate them and give glory to God through them. We hunger and thirst for Christ in the Eucharist, for the community life of our parish, for song, and the opportunity to embrace our friends. Yet this hunger has also made all the more clear to me that my little family is the microcosm of that greater Church reality!  We are the image of Trinitarian love to the world, through our faithful and fruitful love for each other. As St. John Paul the Great reminds us in Familiaris Consortio, “...the family has the mission to guard, reveal and communicate love, and this is a living reflection of and a real sharing in God's love for humanity and the love of Christ the Lord for the Church His bride.” And so we seek ways to tangibly image His love to our children, and through them to those around us. It is incredible how ordinary realities can become imbued with incredible spiritual symbolism. Take, for instance, a picnic!

With four small children there is nothing perfect about the planning, preparing, and living out of a picnic adventure! There is mess, there are spills, there are little hands fumbling at sandwich making and mommy working very hard to keep her patience, while daddy sweats to load enough supplies in the car for what seems like a month’s trip. There is immense effort in the instruction, between the extra time everything takes and the imperfection of the end result. Truly, my humanity rebels a little against the effort when it could be done so quickly and neatly by only me! However, I know that this is a perfect moment of learning in the schools of service and forgiveness. Inevitably I will slip in my patience once or twice as we prepare our food or load it all up. I apologize and ask for forgiveness, and they willingly grant it. I have come to realize that family life is made all the more vibrant by the ready asking for and granting of forgiveness. Certainly, the outcome of our preparations will be rustic. Yet, I am convinced that we have no idea how these moments of family unity, service to each other, and joyful celebration imprint themselves as bookmarks of joy on our children’s little souls. ​
Picture
Every good picnic begins with the preparation. As we plan what we will bring and how we will prepare it, we look to both simplicity and beauty. We pause to admire the vibrant red of a strawberry, the perfection of the inside of our watermelon, or even the gorgeous seedy crust on a loaf of bread. I say out loud, “thank you Lord for the gift of this beautiful food!”. In that moment our children are formed in the habit of gratefully walking through the day communicating with their Creator. We remind them often that grateful people are joyful people. Is there a more beautiful reflection of God’s love to the world than our joy? Possibly not! Even more profoundly, we can recall that the word Eucharist comes from the greek, eucharisteo, or thanksgiving! In this way our simple, thankful, picnic preparations remind us of the Bread of Life. 

The time comes to enjoy the fruit of our labour.  With our feet in the earth and our lungs filled with healing air, again we give thanks for beauty so tangible as to point our hearts directly to the Giver of all these good gifts. While we enjoy our simple picnic meal together, my husband and I meet each other’s gaze. We do not need to use words to communicate to each other that we are rejoicing in this sacred moment. Our sweet children, noticing that gaze, feel safe and sound in our family’s love. Their little hearts know, despite the chaos that may be in the world around us, that life is very good and we are held by Love. This is the extraordinary grace of an ordinary moment lived well.

Written by Emily Packard for Faithfully. Emily and her family are parishioners of St. Patrick's Parish in Calgary. 
​Photos courtesy of Emily Packard
1 Comment

Sr. Pat's garden

7/22/2020

1 Comment

 
Picture
Sr. Pat's garden plot in Midnapore Community Garden.
My “roots” are from a gardening family and from growing up in open spaces I always felt at home in the outdoors. My father was a gardener in his home town of Matlock, UK. Once he was settled well in Calgary and was able to have a small “acreage” home at the edge of the city he resumed his gardening habits…  and it was a large garden. As a family we helped in this garden. 

I grew up with home grown vegetables and helped a little with the harvesting… mostly eating the peas, carrots, radishes and rhubarb as I picked them. I also loved the outdoors as our house was surrounded by wild prairie land, flowers, close to the River, wide open spaces and hills for winter tobogganing and frozen waterways for skating. In the various communities where I lived as a Sister of Charity of St. Louis, if there was some garden space I usually planted a few veggies and flowers as well.

Picture
The most successful garden I worked on was in Penticton, BC  where there was much sunshine and heat, and an early spring helped to produce an abundant crop in a small space. The most difficult place to grow a garden is on a balcony with limited sunshine. Last year’s crop of just radishes, lettuce and tomatoes was a failure - a few lettuce leaves, 5 or 6 radishes and tomatoes that were still very small and green by early September. As well as pesky squirrels that love “digging” in pots and planting their own peanuts!  A shady balcony in my experience will not grow vegetables very well, as it lacks sunshine. So I only plant flowers on my balcony this year.

This spring I rented a plot at the Mid-Sun Garden at the Midnapore community centre. Marvelous!! Small, but with abundant growth which is flourishing and already supplying radishes, onions, lettuce, swiss chard and a few peas (which I eat ). At this location there are also other gardeners to share experiences with, and to get advice and gardening tips. It is a community effort as we share various upkeep tasks in the larger garden space by keeping the weeds at bay,  maintaining the compost piles,  and various other tasks.

I have always experienced gardening as a time to be refreshed by the sights, sounds and smells of nature. It is a contemplative time to just experience the beauty and abundance of God’s Creation, including the small creatures and birds’ songs which are always present. It is a time and place to find rest, relief from stress or worry  and to be refreshed in God’s creative Spirit.

From a scientific view, plants in the garden take in CO2 and release oxygen, improving air quality where I am spending this outdoor time. Then there are the vegetables that are free from toxins and are free from the various plastic packaging,  have not travelled  hundreds of miles before arriving at my door, and are tasty and fresh. Gardening is also a benefit to our stressed environment at this time of increasing climate change on our common home.  

Even if you only have a small space to plant some veggies give it a try and enjoy the benefits of sunshine (and rain storms ), fresh air, bird songs, tasty veggies and some time to relax and to praise God  in the wonders of Creation. As well as the squirrels -  also God’s Creation.

Written by Sr. Pat Derbyshire, SCSL
Picture
Sr. Pat Derbyshire, SCSL
1 Comment

Our community garden

7/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
Why grow a vegetable garden?

It started as an excuse to play in the dirt again like I did as a kid. So my mom and I rented a plot in Hawkwood Community Garden for our vegetable garden. 

Just the fact that anything in our garden is still alive is a success in our eyes! We have discovered there is so much satisfaction in eating the food that you planted, tended to, and harvested with your own hands, even if it’s the tiniest tomatoes you’ve ever seen. 
Picture
Any advice for first-time gardeners?

Make sure you protect your seeds from squirrels. We carefully planted neat little rows of lettuce, carrots, chives, and parsley in our garden plot this spring. A few days later, I went out to check the garden box and it looked like a bomb had dropped! There were little craters everywhere in the dirt. The squirrel had found my seeds and dug most of them up. Thankfully they left a few seeds for me so I could still grow some food, but I already know for next year the first thing I’ll be putting in the ground is a little fence to keep the culprits out!  ​​
Picture

Submitted by Carol Van Besow and her daughter, Caroline. The Van Besow family are parishioners of St. Peter's Parish in Calgary. ​
Picture
Carol Van Besow and her daughter, Caroline.
0 Comments

The Rochford Garden

7/22/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture
The Rochford's garden in Strathmore.
Why growing your own vegetable garden?
 
I can’t remember a time when I wasn’t involved in gardening of some sort. From my earliest years my parents and grandparents passed on their knowledge and love for toiling in the soil, always including my siblings and I in gardening. I try to keep that spirit alive with my own children, as they help me to plant, tend, water, weed and harvest. There’s such satisfaction in seeing tiny seeds grow to huge plants that bear much fruit. What’s more, one feels such delight and gratitude when eating one's own preserved produce throughout the cold winter months, while dreaming of next year’s gardens.
 
Any lessons learned?
 
My most memorable fails: For the life of me I can’t seem to grow a cucumber here in Alberta, no matter what I try; and one year gophers ate my garlic bulbs underground! I went to harvest my garlic and found that there were only greenish stalks with nibble marks at the ends where the bulbs should have been. Since then I’ve found that companion planting has really helped my gardens by attracting beneficial insects and repelling pests, all while adding interest and colour to the garden plot. 
Picture
Any encouragement for those contemplating a vegetable garden?
 
My advice for first time gardeners is that they should not let the perfect stop them from doing the good.  I think this is something that applies to many areas of life, even the spiritual life. It is easy to feel intimidated by beautifully manicured gardens when setting out a small backyard or patio garden that seems inadequate, but there is so much reward and joy in being close to nature through vegetable gardening. It is easy to start small - perhaps with a little lettuce planted in containers - and gain confidence through small successes. I also find that gardening - especially my front yard vegetable garden - can be community-building. It’s an excuse for conversations with neighbours and passers-by that may not have otherwise taken place, while also allowing for a joyful sharing of God-given gifts - be it lettuce, zucchini, a warm smile, or a friendly disposition.
 
Saint Augustine said, “Question the beauty of the earth… the order of the stars… the living creatures that move in the waters… They will answer you: ‘Behold and see, we are beautiful.'  Their beauty is their confession to God."  I find that all of creation really sings God’s praises. Small seeds can grow to be huge plants, bearing much fruit, just as the Word of God plants seeds of faith in our hearts and then by His grace they blossom, giving glory and praise to God.  I love to putter about in the garden, meditating on the psalms, or offering up a string of Hail Marys, asking Our Lady to keep my heart free from spiritual weeds and rocks. Vegetable gardening also offers us a perspective on farming and food production, helping us to have a genuine sense of thanksgiving for all the work that goes into putting food on the table and stocking grocery stores. Weeding in the hot sun or worrying about my garden through a hail storm reminds me to pray often for our ranchers and farmers to whom we owe so much. Finally, growing my own herbs and vegetables prompts me to strive to live a life full of gratitude for all the gifts that God has given.  ​
Picture
Emily Rochford
Picture

Written by Emily Rochford. The Rochford family are parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish in Strathmore, AB. 
0 Comments

Meritorious Service Medal: Reverend Fred Monk

7/2/2020

2 Comments

 
The Diocese of Calgary congratulates Fr. Fred Monk for the great honour of being bestowed the Meritorious Service Medal for his work of founding Mission Mexico. We thank Fr. Fred for his passion and love towards our sisters and brothers in need especially through the ministry of Mission Mexico.

Through his work in Mission Mexico, many in our Diocese and abroad have been inspired and engaged in providing assistance to the projects that empower the people of the mountainous regions in the state of Guerrero. May Fr. Fred’s living legacy continue to live not only through our ongoing support of Mission Mexico but especially through the individuals and communities who have benefitted from the projects and who are now advocates for the good, growth, and development of their communities.

Father Fred Monk, M.S.M.
Medicine Hat, Alberta
Meritorious Service Medal

Created by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II, the Meritorious Service Decorations recognize Canadians for exceptional deeds that bring honour to our country. The cross was originally created in 1984, for members of the military. In 1991, a medal was added to the military division, and both the cross and medal were introduced for civilians.
Picture
Fr. Fred Monk
Picture
Meritorious Service Cross (M.S.C.)
The Meritorious Service Cross is a silver Greek cross, ends splayed and convexed, bearing the Royal Crown: on one side appears a maple leaf within a circle and a laurel wreath between the arms, and on the other appears the Royal Cypher, and within a double circle the inscription MERITORIOUS SERVICE MÉRITOIRE.

The ribbon for the Meritorious Service Cross (Civil Division) is blue and measures 32 mm wide. It has a central white stripe that is 2 mm wide, with two additional white stripes that are each 6 mm wide and centred on the outer third of each side of the ribbon.
Picture
Meritorious Service Medal (M.S.M.)
The Meritorious Service Medal is a circular silver medal bearing the Royal Crown: on one side of which appears the design of the Cross, and on the other appears the Royal Cypher, and within a double circle the inscription MERITORIOUS SERVICE MÉRITOIRE.
​
The ribbon for the Meritorious Service Medal (Civil Division) is blue and measures 32 mm wide.  It has a central white stripe that is 2 mm wide, with two additional white stripes that are each 6 mm wide and centred on the outer third of each side of the ribbon. These two white stripes are each further divided by a single blue stripe that is 1 mm wide.
History of Mission Mexico
“The first book gives an overview of the issues faced by the people.  Book 2 is our response.  The photographer, is a young man, from one of the villages, who has worked closely with us over the years.  Actually, I guess he is no longer young!  I bought him his first digital camera 18 years ago and he is now a full-time photojournalist. 

The following links will take you to a PDF of the books that I keep on my personal website.  Just scroll through and you will have a good understanding of the many wonderful groups we have partnered with and the smiles of so many whom we have been blessed to be associated with over the past 20 years.”
​
  • Faces:  Book 1  The Need    https://fredmonk.zenfolio.com/d272848624.pdf
  • Faces:  Book 2  Our Response   https://fredmonk.zenfolio.com/faces-book-2.pdf
 
Media
  • The Governor General of Canada: https://www.gg.ca/en/media/news/2020/governor-general-unveils-list-123-remarkable-canadians
  • Medicine Hat Newspaper: https://medicinehatnews.com/news/local-news/2020/07/02/loonie-priest-honoured-for-mission-mexico/
 
2 Comments

    Author

    Catholic Pastoral Centre Staff and Guest Writers

    Archives

    May 2025
    April 2025
    March 2025
    February 2025
    January 2025
    December 2024
    November 2024
    October 2024
    September 2024
    August 2024
    July 2024
    June 2024
    May 2024
    April 2024
    March 2024
    February 2024
    January 2024
    December 2023
    November 2023
    October 2023
    September 2023
    August 2023
    July 2023
    June 2023
    May 2023
    April 2023
    March 2023
    February 2023
    January 2023
    December 2022
    November 2022
    October 2022
    September 2022
    August 2022
    July 2022
    June 2022
    May 2022
    April 2022
    March 2022
    February 2022
    January 2022
    December 2021
    November 2021
    October 2021
    September 2021
    August 2021
    July 2021
    June 2021
    May 2021
    April 2021
    March 2021
    February 2021
    January 2021
    December 2020
    November 2020
    October 2020
    September 2020
    August 2020
    July 2020
    June 2020
    May 2020
    April 2020
    March 2020
    February 2020
    January 2020
    December 2019
    November 2019
    October 2019
    September 2019
    August 2019
    July 2019
    June 2019
    May 2019
    April 2019
    March 2019
    February 2019
    January 2019
    December 2018
    November 2018
    October 2018
    September 2018
    August 2018
    July 2018
    June 2018
    May 2018
    April 2018

    Categories

    All
    Advent & Christmas
    Art
    Bereavement
    Bishop Emeritus Henry
    Bishop McGrattan
    Book Review
    Care For Creation
    Catechetics
    Catholic Charities & Development
    Catholic Education
    Catholic Pastoral Centre
    Catholic Schools
    CCCB
    Children
    Christian Unity
    Climate Change
    Communications
    Consecrated Life
    Consecrated Virgin
    Conversion
    Covid 19
    Culture
    CWL
    Development & Peace
    Devotions
    Diocesan Event
    Disci
    Discipleship
    Ecumenical
    Elizabeth House
    Environment
    Euthanasia
    Evangelization
    Faithful Living
    Faithfully
    Family
    Feed The Hungry
    From The Bishop's Office
    Fundraising
    Funeral
    Grieving
    Health
    Health Care
    Homelessness
    Hospitality
    Indigenous
    In Memoriam
    Interfaith
    Jubilarians
    Jubilee
    Jubilee 2025
    Lay Associations
    Lent
    Lent & Easter
    Liturgy
    Marian
    Marriage
    Mary
    Mass
    Men's Ministry
    Mental Health
    Migrants
    Miscarriage
    Mission Mexico
    Movie Review
    Music
    One Rock
    Online Formation
    Ordination
    Palliative Care
    Parenting
    Parish Life
    Pastoral Care
    Pastoral Renewal
    Pastoral Visit
    Permanent Diaconate
    Pope
    Pope Francis
    Prayer
    Pray For Peace
    Priesthood
    Prolife
    RCIA
    Reconciliation
    Refugee
    Religious Education
    Religious Freedom
    Religious Life
    Resources And Guidelines
    Sacred Art
    Safe Environment
    Saints
    Scripture & Reflection
    Seminarians
    Seniors
    SFXC
    Social Justice
    Stewardship
    St. Joseph
    St. Mary's University
    Synod
    Vatican
    Vocation
    You Are Called
    You Belong
    You Matter
    Youth And Young Adults
    Youth Ministry

    RSS Feed

GET TO KNOW US
Our Bishop
Offices & Ministries
​Our Staff
Read our Blog
Catholic Community
​Lay Associations
CONNECT WITH US
If You Choose To Talk About it
​
Contact us
​Careers
​Parish Boundaries
​Mass Times

Volunteer Screening
NEED INFO ON
Becoming Catholic
Marriage Preparation
​Vocations
Annulment 
Sacraments Prep
Catholic Funeral
GIVE TO
Diocesan Ministries
Together in Action
Feed the Hungry
Elizabeth House
Your Parish Church​ 
​Other Ministry
REPORT ABUSE

Catholic Pastoral Centre  | 120 - 17th Ave SW, Calgary, AB  T2S 2T2 | ​Phone: 403-218-5500 | [email protected]
Charitable Number: 
10790-9939-RR0076​. Donate Now.
Photo from aronbaker2
  • Renewal
  • Blog
  • About
  • Give
  • News & Events
  • Ministries
  • Contact Us
  • MASS TIMES
  • Jubilee 2025