Bishop McGrattan: With Mary, we journey

In this month of August, we celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (August 15) and then, within the octave, the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary (August 22). Within the Diocese of Calgary, these two Marian celebrations have become the bookends of our Marian Week of pilgrimage and devotion in the Rockies.

The Assumption of Mary was a widely held belief and devotion among the faithful for centuries when, on the Solemnity of All Saints, November 1, 1950, Pope Pius XII announced this dogma as divinely revealed: “that the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever Virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory” (Munificentissimus Deus, no. 44). He solemnly defined the dogma of the Assumption, long celebrated by the Church on August 15. It must be acknowledged that it is not based explicitly on Scripture, but rather on the living Tradition of the Church under the guidance of the Holy Spirit. This belief and devotion have been witnessed through the celebration of the liturgy, the writings of the Fathers, and iconography, which shows Mary entering Heaven with her body. In the Eastern Churches, it is referred to as the “Dormition of Mary,” or the “Falling Asleep” of Mary.

​It would be four years later, in 1954, that Pope Pius XII would establish the Memorial of the Queenship of Mary on May 31 (Ad Caeli Reginam), with the date later shifted to August 22, seven days after the Solemnity of the Assumption. When he proclaimed this feast, he referred to the fact that Mary deserves the title “Queen,” first as the Mother of God and then for her close association with the redemptive work of Jesus Christ, her perfection in the life of holiness, and her intercessory role on behalf of the Church.

In the Diocese of Calgary, we are blessed to have the church in Banff, St. Mary's, and the shrine church in Canmore, Our Lady of the Rockies, dedicated to celebrating these two Marian feasts.

​This upcoming week of celebrations can help us to rediscover that Mary, with the Holy Spirit, is always present in the midst of the people. “She joined the disciples in praying for the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 1:14) and thus made possible the missionary outburst which took place at Pentecost. She is the Mother of the Church which evangelizes, and without her we could never truly understand the spirit of the new evangelization” (Pope Francis, Evangelii Gaudium, no. 284).

On our pilgrimage of faith, “the Lord did not want to leave the Church without this icon of womanhood. Mary, who brought him into the world with great faith, also accompanies ‘the rest of her offspring, those who keep the commandments of God and bear testimony to Jesus’" (Rev 12:17). ​"The close connection between Mary, the Church, and each member of the faithful" [is] "based on the fact that each, in his or her own way, brings forth Christ...” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 285). ​

True devotion to our Blessed Mother must always be experienced through our deepening relationship with Christ if it is to be both authentic and ecclesial.

She is the missionary who draws near to us and accompanies us throughout life, opening our hearts to faith by her maternal love. As a true mother, she walks at our side, she shares our struggles, and she constantly surrounds us with God’s love. Through her many titles, often linked to her shrines, Mary shares the history of each people which has received the Gospel, and she becomes a part of their historic identity.” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 286)

In the years to come, these Marian Week celebrations in the Rockies will help us to shape our historic identity as people of the Gospel, shaped by the heart of the First Disciple who believed in the Good News. We will be joined together as pilgrims who know that “her exceptional pilgrimage of faith represents a constant point of reference for the Church...” ​(John Paul II, Redemptoris Mater, no. 6).

As we continue with our Diocesan Renewal, we must be conscious of the Marian “style” of the Church’s work of evangelization. ​

“She constantly contemplates the mystery of God in our world, in human history, and in our daily lives. She is the woman of prayer and work in Nazareth, and she is also Our Lady of Help, who sets out from her town ‘with haste’ (Lk 1:39) to be of service to others. This interplay of justice and tenderness, of contemplation and concern for others, is what makes the ecclesial community look to Mary as a model of evangelization” (Evangelii Gaudium, no. 288).

With Mary, we can advance confidently in opening our hearts to the task of Renewal and evangelization in our Diocese.

The following is the Prayer to the Blessed Virgin Mary, which concludes Pope Francis’s 2013 Apostolic Exhortation, Evangelii Gaudium (The Joy of the Gospel), found in paragraph 288.

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Mary, Virgin and Mother,
you who, moved by the Holy Spirit,
welcomed the word of life
in the depths of your humble faith:
as you gave yourself completely to the Eternal One,
help us to say our own “yes”
to the urgent call, as pressing as ever,
to proclaim the good news of Jesus.
 
Filled with Christ’s presence,
you brought joy to John the Baptist,
making him exult in the womb of his mother.
Brimming over with joy,
you sang of the great things done by God.
Standing at the foot of the cross
with unyielding faith,
you received the joyful comfort of the resurrection,
and joined the disciples in awaiting the Spirit
so that the evangelizing Church might be born.
 
Obtain for us now a new ardour born of the resurrection,
that we may bring to all the Gospel of life
which triumphs over death.
Give us a holy courage to seek new paths,
that the gift of unfading beauty
may reach every man and woman.
 
Virgin of listening and contemplation,
Mother of love, Bride of the eternal wedding feast,
pray for the Church, whose pure icon you are,
that she may never be closed in on herself
or lose her passion for establishing God’s kingdom.
 
Star of the new evangelisation,
help us to bear radiant witness to communion,
service, ardent and generous faith,
justice and love of the poor,
that the joy of the Gospel
may reach to the ends of the earth,
illuminating even the fringes of our world.
 
Mother of the living Gospel,
wellspring of happiness for God’s little ones,
pray for us. 
​
Amen.  Alleluia!
​

Written by 
Most Reverend William T. McGrattan,
​Bishop of Calgary

August 3, 2026

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​Marian Week in the Rockies

Marian Week in the RockiesJoin pilgrims from across the Diocese of Calgary for the annual Marian Week in the Rockies in this blessed Jubilee Year of St. Francis pilgrimage. Come for a day, a weekend, or the whole week, and build your own pilgrimage at your own pace.

• Sat, Aug 15 at  5 pm – Solemnity of the Assumption Mass (St. Mary’s, Banff) with Bishop McGrattan
• Sun, Aug 16 
  9:30 am - Sunday Mass  (Shrine Church, Canmore)
  10 am – Solemnity of the Assumption Mass (St. Mary’s, Banff) with Bishop McGrattan
  11:30 am - Sunday Mass (Shrine Church, Canmore)
  2 pm -  Concert “The Sun, The Stars, and the Queen of Heaven. A Concert with conductor Carlos Foggin - featuring chamber choir, brass quintet, timpani, organ, chant, Scripture and Marian hymns.
• Mon–Fri, Aug 17–21
  •  11 am – Mass (Shrine Church, Canmore)
  • 12 pm – Daily Talk & Devotion (bring your lunch)
  • 3 pm – Divine Mercy Chaplet
  • 6:30 pm –  Mass (St. Mary’s, Banff)
• Sat, Aug 22 at 11 am - Queenship of Mary Mass (Shrine Church, Canmore) with Bishop McGrattan.

MORE ABOUT THE MARIAN WEEK