Bishop Scott McCaig: A lumberjack, a storyteller, and a preacher on fire for the Lord

We are in for a treat with our upcoming Advent Mission that features a talk from Bishop Scott McCaig. I can tell you that firsthand. 

Way back in the fall of 2002, I joined the Companions of the Cross, a Society of Apostolic Life (similar to a religious order) based out of Ottawa, Ontario. To commence my formation, I travelled the long road from the prairies, down to Ottawa, and then another a two-and-a-half-hour drive to a farm on the outskirts of Combermere, a small village tucked away in the forest along the Madawaska river. This area was beautiful like a storybook. I and twenty other young men had signed up that year, planning to become priests, and we were to spend the fall, winter and summer at this farm where the Companions hold their novitiate. We were going to learn how to live together, develop a disciplined life of prayer and learn more about our faith, all while deepening our relationship with Jesus Christ. We had two priests guiding us in our formation – Fr. Jim MacGillivray and Fr. Scott McCaig.

When I think about spending that winter with Bishop Scott out on the farm, three things really stand out in my memory. He was a lumberjack, he was hilarious, and he was on fire for the Lord – and it came out in his preaching! While both he and I have a few more years on us now, I suspect none of those things have changed.

Prior to his conversion to the Catholic faith and becoming a priest, Bishop Scott was a lumberjack. We learned that the hard way, because he was determined to teach all us seminarians to cut trees too! Every Saturday we would form a work crew under his guidance and head out into the forest. To this very day, I know all I could ever wish about chain saw safety, the exact way to bring down a tree, chop it up and stack it to dry. The farmhouse was also heated by this wood, so we had a schedule, and everyone had to take turns getting up in the middle of the night to keep the fire roaring and the house warm – Bishop Scott included – he led by example.

Bishop Scott is also hilarious, and he can spin a tale – a tremendous combination. Seared in my memory is one night at the dinner table when he got telling me a story about playing with those little green toy army men when he was a kid. I can’t recall exactly what was so funny, but I can tell you I have never laughed so hard in my life. We were both laughing so hard we were crying and couldn’t stop - neither of us could talk for several minutes as we recovered.

But here is the real reason that all of us in the Calgary Diocese are in for a treat – not only can Bishop Scott spin a tale, but he is a passionate preacher utterly in love with the Lord. Although I never did become a priest, in my two years with the Companions, going to mass each day, I heard him give countless homilies.  You would think that you would tire of hearing the same person preach over and over – but this was never the case with Bishop Scott.

He would hold you riveted, his passion for the Kingdom of God reverberating through you as he spoke. Every time he finished preaching you were left inspired, itching to get out on mission for Christ. He is all about renewal, and always has been.  As we continue the renewal in each of our parishes, I would really encourage you to sign up for the upcoming Advent Mission – and whatever happens, don’t miss Bishop Scott’s talk!  A lumberjack Bishop with great stories and passionate preaching leading us deeper on our journey – what more could we ask for?

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Written by Ryan Schmidt for Faithfully. Ryan lives on a small farm near Strathmore with his wife, Heather and four young children. He attends Sacred Heart Parish in Strathmore and loves agriculture and rodeo. Ryan runs the parish Evangelization Team and Men’s Nights.