The establishment of the diaconate took place with the ordination of the seven deacons described in the Acts of the Apostles. Renewing the practice of the early Church, the Second Vatican Council restored the order of deacons as a proper and permanent rank of the hierarchy. This restoration began in Canada in 1969 and in the Diocese of Calgary since 1998.

When candidate John Arbeau was asked by a priest years ago,  “My initial reaction was why are you asking me, as I didn’t think I was the person!” But with formation, training, and prayer, he adds that “I have matured and grown in my spirituality to understand the service of a deacon.”

Meanwhile, candidate Randy Gritter, formerly a staunch Protestant, underwent a significant conversion to Catholicism before he felt the call to the permanent diaconate. “I initially learned about the diaconate as a Protestant. We had deacons who were specifically tasked with aiding the poor in our community," he shares. His then-parish priest, Fr. Julian Studden, was highly supportive of his vocation. 

When Gritter applied for the second time, he discovered that Fr. Studden had been appointed Vicar of the Diaconate. He interpreted this as a sign that God was guiding him through this door.

Stay tuned to future issues of Faithfully for more detailed vocational stories of each candidate.

“Speaking with the deacons who have come before us, they are glad that we are having the experiences that we are having. It has also been helpful on this journey to get help from their experiences, from their journey and from what they have learned and done,” says candidate Jim Manzara.

Candidate Ricardo Rosero-Gonzallez shared that his understanding on being a deacon has evolved, stating that as a deacon, "I represent the Church whereever I am.”  This was echoed by candidate Peter Lilienthal, who added, “The ministry of presence is key to this role, and being able to let the Holy Spirit work through me.”      

Strong bonds naturally formed between the 12 deacon candidates and their families during the formative years. 

“Our diaconate class of 12 families was very close. We were not immune, over the 4 years, to the struggles and griefs within the path of life,” says candidate Bruce Alan Barnett. “We all experienced the "oneness" of the Body of Christ in our prayers, compassion and empathy shown many times through the journey.” 

With every family having a bedroom to store their belongings, our indoor space was becoming crowded. As each family's journey at Elizabeth House progresses, the need for additional storage grows.

Today, we are still standing in awe of our new storage lockers and garage organization system. We thank Ethan Karter Construction who donated all the labour, the cost of materials, the design, and the actual build of the lockers and storage - essentially every aspect from start to finish. We also thank Rite Way Fencing who donated their assistance for the installation.

Matt and the crew at Ethan Karter Construction, you've truly worked wonders! These purposefully built lockers and storage solutions are greatly appreciated and much needed.
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Our team and families extend their deepest gratitude. An extra special thank you goes to the Schultz Family for spearheading this project and connecting us with Matt and his team. Thank you!.

A message from Most Rev. Jon Hansen, Bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith, NWT.

Aug. 18, 2023
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Good morning everyone,

First of all, thank you for all the wonderful thoughts and prayers that have filled my text and email apps. Yesterday I had a 12-hour drive from Yellowknife to Grande Prairie, where I am “sheltering”. I am one of the lucky evacuees who have family in Alberta so I am very comfortable staying in the home of my niece and her husband.

That’s not the case for all who were forced to leave. As I drove, I saw many tents and campers for the entire length of my journey. There will also be many families in hotels and evacuation centres across Alberta and British Columbia. I gathered the quote below from one of our information sources, Cabinradio.ca. (This is a fantastic media source for up to the minute information about the fires)

“Approximately 63 percent of the NWT population is currently under evacuation order, if we use the most recent community population numbers provided by the NWT Bureau of Statistics. That’s about 28,904 residents, though this number doesn’t account for non-residents such as tourists or people here on short work contracts whose home province is elsewhere and would also be evacuating the NWT right now.”

Presently there are various levels of crisis in the NWT. A number of communities including Yellowknife, Hay River, Fort Smith and Inuvik have fire at their doorsteps and we are just waiting to see what the weather will do to move the fires forward or to aid the firefighters and help hold the fires back. Other communities have already been breached including Behchoko (three homes lost) and Enterprise which was, according to reports, about 90% wiped out. I drove through there yesterday and it was the closest image to an apocalyptic wasteland that I have ever seen. For some communities such as Hay River and Katlodeeche, this is the second time they have been evacuated this summer, this after having to do the same a year ago due to floods.

On a brighter note, there is nothing like a crisis to bring out the best in humanity. There was a traffic stop at Big River (outside of Fort Providence), this is the only place on the 700km stretch between Yellowknife and High Level where you can stop for gas. With more than five thousand vehicles passing through a gas station with four pumps you can imagine that it could have been a place of chaos, and there was some of that. However, the prevalent mood was very neighbourly. People got out of their cars to stretch their legs and walk their dogs and spent time talking and laughing with one another. I was also surprised to see the many farm yards in northern Alberta that were freshly mowed and had big, hand-painted signs, offering free camping to all those equipped with tents and RVs.

The next few days are now just a matter of waiting to see what will happen next. All our staff and clergy are safe and accounted for, although they have been scattered to the wind by plane and by road. Keep the prayers coming as we ask for the miracle of rainfall in abundance for our parched land.
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Peace
+Jon
Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith

It was a long, four-year wait for us to attend Catholic Family Ministries' 25th Annual Family Life conference. It was with much excitement that we were heading back to Lac Ste. Anne for our 22nd time. 

As a family we had only missed a couple; one for a family wedding and another for Father Troy Nguyen’s ordination. Even years where we thought about not going, our kids would not allow us to miss it as it's a special time for the entire family. The conference has greatly blessed our family. It's where Sean Lynn, my husband, met Steve Wood when we attended the very first conference, which led to the origins of how God Squad began, but that’s a story for another time. 

Joy in God’s will and healing
​As part of this year’s conference, a healing service was held on Saturday night. Father Paul Moret, the spiritual director of the Family Life Ministries group and pastor of Holy Trinity parish in Spruce Grove, introduced Encounter Ministries. This Catholic organization seeks “to demonstrate the love of God through the power of the Holy Spirit in their sphere of influence.” Specifically, they offered a prayer service for healing. All attendees were invited to ask for physical healing and to be prayed for by those around them. 

There were many healings that night, and I experienced it first-hand. When an invitation was extended for people with shoulder issues to stand up, I decided to participate - I had nothing to lose. 

I have not been able to raise my right arm past the height of my shoulder without rotating it due to calcification in the ligaments for the past 12 years or so. I must admit, I was sceptical. I was sitting next to my mom, so when people around those standing were invited to lay their hands on us, my mom had her hand on my right shoulder. I didn’t notice anything out of the ordinary - no lightning bolts, no hot flash; nothing. Later, my Mom told me her hand felt hot as she prayed for me. 

As soon as the group prayer was done, they invited us to test our healing. I went to try to lift my arm up, outstretched, past my shoulder, fully expecting the familiar pain that usually prevented such movement. But I was able to keep going higher and higher until I held my arm straight above my head! I looked around at the people who had just prayed for me, and shrugged my shoulders in disbelief because I didn’t know what else to do. I had actually been healed! ​

"I was amazed to see one of our senior parishioners who broke her hand from shoulder to elbow on Saturday came on her wheelchair holding her hand in a sling to be part of this long-awaited groundbreaking ceremony for our new parish church. Nothing could stop her and all others to come and witness this great event," exclaimed Fr. Tomy Manjaly, Pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Strathmore Parish in Alberta. This touching scene unfolded at their official groundbreaking ceremony on Tuesday, August 1, 2023.

The unwavering support and commitment of the community were palpable at the event. It is a significant milestone for the Sacred Heart Parish - the transformation of the former IGA Grocery Store located in downtown Strathmore into a place of worship. Led by Fr. Tomy Manjaly who blessed the site, the ceremony marked the transformative period for the parish. 

Parish Council Coordinator Tomas Rochford shared his delight at the community's participation in the event. "It was wonderful to see all the parishioners and local residents come out to enjoy the celebration; it was a cross-section of our community: patriarchs and matriarchs from long-established families, families with small children who recently joined our parish, members of our large Filipino community, and even some individuals who have been ‘testing the waters’ to learn more about the faith as they contemplate ‘swimming the Tiber’ to become Catholic," he said.

Fundraising Chair Nettie Hendricks also shared her emotional connection to the project. "I saw the tears on the faces of some members who were here when the previous church was built in 1953, and I felt a connection to them since I have been there myself since 1960," she said.

Indeed, the persistent  support of the community underscores the significance of this project - not just as a physical transformation of a building, but also as a spiritual journey for the entire community. As Hendricks pointed out, “Strathmore has grown exponentially over the past few years and the number of parish families has increased dramatically since Covid retired. The new church will be an anchor for these families to celebrate Sacraments and faith.”

Rochford added, “It will encourage many former or distant Catholics to return and come ‘try it out’, which would be wonderful because we have such a holy pastor who is our spiritual leader, who celebrates Holy Mass in a manner that inspires prayer and sacrifice, and our parish has been striving to offer many means to welcome and form new and experienced members in the fullness of the Catholic Faith.”

A space for prayer & centre for the work of mercy

Sacred Heart church is not only undergoing a transformation of a former grocery store into a place of worship, it is also set to house relics from St. John Paul II, making it a significant site for prayer, contemplation, and pilgrimage. (Read “St. John Paul II’s relics in our Diocese”, by Sara Francis in Faithfully, 2021). Rochford hopes that the new church space can serve as a hub for faith formation activities, drawing inspiration from the teachings of St. John Paul II.  See walkthrough video for the anticipated Shrine Chapel of St. John Paul II.

The new church design will also  include a commercial kitchen, which anticipates the need to assist families struggling to make ends meet and the growing homeless population in Strathmore. The community hall, part of the new design, will provide another gathering place for special events such as wedding receptions and smaller conventions.

Hendrick expresses her delight at this development. "As a Christian, we are called to work for social justice so I am especially happy to see the commercial kitchen because it represents the first step to setting up an outreach program for the less fortunate," she says. 

Rochford resonates with this sentiment, visualizing the central location of the church as an important opportunity to serve the local residents through corporal and spiritual acts of mercy. "From running potential weekday soup kitchens to weekly Bible studies to 24-hour adoration, we aim to offer Christ to all who step foot in our new building," he shares.

The Way of Beauty

Rochford, a local resident whose parents moved to Strathmore six years ago to be near his family, shares their anticipation for the completion of the new church. “They are especially excited by the fact that we have tried to build a church that is in architectural and artistic continuity with the entirety of the Catholic tradition," he says. His parents, who grew up before the Second Vatican Council, hold fond memories of beautiful Masses in beautiful churches.

Rochford also shares their deep longing after witnessing many churches lose their sense of beauty. Quoting Bishop Barron, he says that the Catholic community is finally moving out of the period of beige Catholicism, re-embracing the Way of Beauty in the universal Church. "Our small-town parish church will be a humble contribution to this renaissance of Catholic culture in Canada,” he adds. 

"Our architecture team, led by Mr. Jun Lee, was able to design a beautiful neo-Romanesque style church from the bones of a grocery store!" Rochford says. (Read more: “Transforming a Grocery Store into a Church” by Brent Wiley, 2018)  He reassures that no one will mistake the new building for any secular building because the external look and the internal forms speak the language of the Catholic faith in wood, metal, and drywall. 

Interest continues to grow in the unique transformation of this downtown building. For a glimpse of this transformation, the Parish has shared a video link on their website: https://youtu.be/ASEc_JutFgA

Relying on your prayers & support

Fr. Tomy Manjaly conveys his deep appreciation for all those who have supported their church transformation project through their time, talent, and resources. "I can't stop thanking God for all those who have helped us in various ways to make this day possible," says Fr. Manjaly. He acknowledges that while they've made a strong start, the journey is far from over. "We continue to depend on the generosity of so many good people to complete the task which we have just begun."

The project cost is approximately $10M. To date, just over $6M has been collected through the generous support of the parish community. The parish remains optimistic about addressing the remaining capital shortfall of $3M through the collective efforts of the community.

Hendricks, committed to continuing fundraising efforts both within and outside the parish community, expresses her hope for the future. "With the tangible presence of construction, we will see some additional donations to help us cross the financial finish line," she says.

As Sacred Heart Parish commences this monumental journey, the energy and anticipation within the parish remain vibrant. They extend their heartfelt gratitude to the good people of the Diocese for their unwavering prayerful and financial support. They humbly request the continued generosity and prayers of the community to help them bring this project to completion. 

Photos courtesy of Lynn Dumont, Sacred Heart Parish, Strathmore.