​Written by Most Rev. William McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
February 2020

In 2016, Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle was founded to develop and further relations with Indigenous peoples.  The Circle takes its name from Our Lady of Guadalupe who Saint John Paul II named the Patroness of the Americas. This devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe demonstrates how the Catholic faith is to be celebrated and lived in Indigenous cultures. 

The Circle brings together representatives from the Catholic Church in Canada - Indigenous peoples, bishops, priests, lay associations and members of institutes of consecrated life. The Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle includes membership from seven national Catholic organizations and four Catholic religious orders. Member-at-large positions were created to allow for additional Catholic Indigenous representation. The Circle is committed to making a conscientious effort to ensure a balance of Indigenous and non-Indigenous voices who are united by their common baptism and faith as Catholics.    

The members of the Circle are engaged in renewing and fostering relationships between the Catholic Church and Indigenous Peoples in Canada.  The vision of the Circle is “Catholics Engaging in Reconciliation with Indigenous Peoples.” The Circle describes its mission and purpose to be in four key areas:  
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• To provide a forum for dialogue to encourage a deeper understanding of the relationships between the Church nd Indigenous Peoples and Indigenous spiritualties in Canada,
• To serve as a united Catholic public voice on relations and dialogue between the Church and Indigenous Peoples,
• To assist Catholics in engagement with the Truth and Reconciliation process and its Calls to Action, and
• To carry out agreed upon initiatives and concrete actions. (OLGC)

These four dimensions of the Circle speak to the importance of listening, of entering into prayer, dialogue, the understanding of indigenous spiritualties, an openness to reconciliation, and the commitment to concrete action. The coming together to form a Circle also serves to communicate the symbolic image of God’s presence in their midst and the desire for its members to be united in one voice. 

On the First Sunday of Advent, Pope Francis spoke of Advent as a season of awakening to the needs of our brothers and sisters, “The sleep from which we must awake is created by indifference, by vanity, and by the inability to establish genuinely human relationships and to take care of our brothers and sisters ...” (Pope Francis, December 1, 2019)  The Our Lady of Guadalupe Circle seeks to bring about this awakening of the need to be in solidarity with our Indigenous brothers and sisters and to speak with one voice in their initiatives to bring this about. 

As we celebrate this Day of Prayer in Solidarity with Indigenous Peoples during the Advent Season, let us embrace a new spirit of accompaniment with our Indigenous brothers and sisters so that we might seek a deeper understanding of one another and thus respond with charity and generosity which is a sure sign of our mutual faith in Christ. As we seek to journey together in Christ, is this not what the Advent Season invites us to do as we prepare for the celebration of Christmas?  

A message from
Bishop William T. McGrattan,
Bishop of Calgary

There are several certainties in our life as human beings. One such certainty is the reality of our eventual death. This experience of dying embraces family members, friends, and eventually ourselves.  In the cycle of life, both birth and death are part of the natural order.  As the Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) states, “Death is the end of earthly life. Our lives are measured by time, in the course of which we change, grow old and, as with all living beings on earth, death seems like the normal end of life. That aspect of death lends urgency to our lives: remembering our mortality helps us realize that we have only a limited time in which to bring our lives to fulfillment.” (CCC, 1007.) 

The “urgency” that this “limited time” for living presents, can make us aware each day of the importance of family relationships and friendships, the pursuit of meaningful work, the necessity of outreach to others and the primacy of our spiritual life of faith. As Christians, our future mortality should inspire us to live in the anticipation of being eternally with God.  

In his book, The Spirituality of the Psalms, Walter Brueggemann says, “the Book of Psalms provides the most reliable theological, pastoral, and liturgical resource given us in the biblical tradition. In season and out of season, generation after generation, faithful women and men turn to the Psalms as a most helpful resource for conversations with God about things that matter most.” (p. 15.)  Psalm 16 is a song of trust in God which speaks about the fullness of living in God and seeking His path of love in our lives as we approach each day and ultimately our own death. Saint John Paul II describes Psalm 16 as follows: “these words fit perfectly into an interpretation that broadens the prospect to the hope of communion with God beyond death, in eternal life.” (General Audience, July 28, 2004.)

I bless the Lord who gives me counsel;
    in the night also my heart instructs me.
  I keep the Lord always before me;
    because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved.

Therefore my heart is glad, and my soul rejoices;
    my body also rests secure.
For you do not give me up to Sheol,
    or let your faithful one see the Pit.

You show me the path of life.
    In your presence there is fullness of joy;
    in your right hand are pleasures forevermore.

(Psalm 16: 7-11)

This faith and trust in God has the power to transform our understanding of death and places it within the context of the redemptive, salvific mercy of God as revealed in Jesus Christ who is as Pope Francis states “the face of the Father’s mercy”.  (Misericordiae Vultus, Bull of Indiction of The Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy, 2015.)  The Catechism expresses this truth in the following way: 

CCC, 1009 “Death is transformed by Christ. Jesus, the Son of God, also himself suffered the death that is part of the human condition. Yet, despite his anguish as he faced death, he accepted it in an act of complete and free submission to his Father's will. The obedience of Jesus has transformed the curse of death into a blessing.”

CCC, 1010 “Because of Christ, Christian death has a positive meaning: "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain."  The saying is sure: if we have died with him, we will also live with him.  What is essentially new about Christian death is this: through Baptism, the Christian has already "died with Christ" sacramentally, in order to live a new life; and if we die in Christ's grace, physical death completes this "dying with Christ" and so completes our incorporation into him in his redeeming act.”

Jesus did not choose to take his life nor hasten his death in order to avoid suffering. His obedient surrender to the Father would become the path that would ultimately conquer death itself. At a funeral, the priest offers this final Prayer of Commendation to all who are present, “Before we go our separate ways, let us take leave of our sister/brother.  May our farewell express our affection for her/him; may it ease our sadness and strengthen our hope.  One day we shall joyfully greet her/him again when the love of Christ, which conquers all things, destroys even death itself.” (Order of Christian Funerals, 2016, p. 245.)

On November 2, the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed, (or more commonly known as the Feast of All Souls), we do not go our separate ways but rather come together to celebrate and remember in prayer those who have died. This universal day of prayer within the life of the Church allows those who mourn the death of a loved to be comforted (ref. Matthew 5:4) and to be strengthened in faith and hope in the promise of everlasting life that comes to us through Christ. Our human death may be a certainty but through, with and in Christ, it receives new meaning. 

Written by Bishop William McGrattan for Faithfully, November 2019

The attention to our “common home” is highlighted each year during the ecumenical Season of Creation which is from September 1, the World Day of Prayer for Creation, to October 4, the Memorial of Saint Francis of Assisi. The celebration of this Season is to awaken in all Christians and peoples of faith throughout the world to pray in thanksgiving for the gift of creation, to promote action to protect the environment, and to commit to a more sustainable lifestyle. 

Pope Francis reminds us in his Apostolic Exhortation, Gaudete et Exsultate, that Christian life is not one of passive observance from the margins, but rather one that calls us to journey with those who are marginalized, attending to the many wounds which increasing secularization is inflicting on our society. In what cannot be described as anything other than a hostile culture, Pope Francis sees in the daily perseverance of the faithful “the holiness of the Church militant.” This holiness is not that of the clergy alone, but of “our next door neighbours, those who, living in our midst, reflect God’s presence.” (paragraph 7)

Consumerism and materialism are sins that blind us from the effects of our throw-away lifestyle and culture not only on our environment but especially on the underprivileged people who manufacture our latest obsessions. It falls to each of us to do what we can to become good stewards of God’s gifts and people, and the opportunities to make sustainable lifestyle changes are right before us in our daily living. 

The landscape of family roles is challenged by contemporary shifts in our culture and society. Fatherhood is not exempt from the impact of these changes. However, there are promising trends in the lives of faithful men who are called to the vocation of marriage and family.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) affirms the vital role of the father in the family, “The divine fatherhood is the source of human fatherhood; this is the foundation of the honor owed to parents.” (CCC, 2214)  I want to encourage fathers who in striving to be authentic examples for their children live this important calling in our present culture.
 
Statistics Canada reports that there are about 8.5 million fathers in Canada and that in contrast to previous generations, they are beginning to assume a more engaged role in the family. I have witnessed a growing number of fathers becoming more active in their faith life through gatherings such as our annual God Squad Men’s Conference and programs that support men's spiritual growth and fraternity like That Man is You, Exodus 90, and others. Additionally, they are assuming a greater share of the household tasks which reflects the loving, caring face of fatherhood that we see in Scripture.  
 
Inspired by these changes, some fathers are also beginning to reshape the relationship between family and work.  Data from Statistics Canada reveals that in 1976, 1 out of every 70 families with a stay-at-home parent was the father.  By 2015, that number grew to about 1 in 10 fathers representing a significant increase over those years.  For the majority of fathers employed outside of the home, they are striving to balance home and work commitments as a priority. This change in focus is reflected in being more present to their family, supporting the relationships that are essential to its growth and maturity while forging a true masculine identity in their midst.
 
With a deeper focus on prayer, living and witnessing to the Faith, building the strength of the marriage covenant and taking on more day-to-day responsibilities, our fathers are walking in the shadow of St. Joseph.  In 1989, Saint John Paul II issued the Apostolic Exhortation, Guardian of the Redeemer: On the Person and Mission of St. Joseph in the Life of Christ and the Church.  This apostolic exhortation articulates the Catholic understanding of fatherhood and reflects these current promising trends. 

Written by Bishop William McGrattan, June 2019

Mothers are often portrayed in both fictional and nonfictional literature in ways that reflect the complex demands they face in life. This literature often captures our imagination by portraying women of strength who face hardships and challenges with determination, strength, and a selfless love for the well-being of their children. This is indeed a significant part of being a mother – facing the adversities of life and preparing children to withstand them. For Catholics, the Blessed Virgin Mary is an inspiring model of both determination and joy who is not protected from the sorrow and anguish of being a mother.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 1172 emphasizes the maternal importance of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Church which stems from her care of Jesus, her Son, by stating that the “Holy Church honors the Blessed Mary, Mother of God, with a special love. She is inseparably linked with the saving work of her Son. In her, the Church admires and exalts the most excellent fruit of redemption and joyfully contemplates, as in a faultless image that which she desires and hopes wholly to be." The Gospel of John provides the account of the moment she becomes a mother to Jesus’ disciples and thus the Church, “When Jesus saw his mother and the disciple whom he loved standing beside her, he said to his mother, “Woman, here is your son. “ Then he said to the disciple, “Here is your mother.” (John 19: 26-27)  [CCC 964]

In his 1965 encyclical, Mense Maio, Pope Paul VI recognized May as the month for the Marian devotions, “May is a month which the piety of the faithful has long dedicated to Mary, the Mother of God.  …  For this is the month during which Christians, in their churches and their homes, offer the Virgin Mother more fervent and loving acts of homage and veneration; and it is the month in which a greater abundance of God's merciful gifts comes down to us from our Mother's throne.” 

Many of our parishes are named after Mary, others offer the Rosary daily during the month of May and they could erect an altar with a statute or a picture of Mary as a reminder of this Marian month.  It is a long-standing tradition to crown the statue of Mary during May to honour her faithfulness.  Additionally, the Feast of Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of the Church, was instituted by Pope Francis in 2018 and is celebrated on the Monday after Pentecost.  Mary’s example of trust, faith, and strength inspire us in the living of our faith.  

These devotions encourage us to imitate the Blessed Virgin Mary’s virtues in our own lives and to think of the women of faith and courage who nurture and inspire us – firstly, our mothers and grandmothers.  They have a vital, even irreplaceable, role in our lives.  Their love, faith, courage, strength, and humility guide us through the experiences of life so that we can follow God’s call and live our lives in service to others.  And then we think of the women who are maternal figures in our lives, the women who devote themselves to living an authentic and courageous witness of faith through acts of sacrificial love.

In his Apostolic Exhortation Gaudete Et Exsultate, On the Call to Holiness in Today’s World, Pope Francis writes about women of faith saying, “Within these various forms, I would stress too that the “genius of woman” is seen in feminine styles of holiness, which are an essential means of reflecting God’s holiness in this world. Indeed, in times when women tended to be most ignored or overlooked, the Holy Spirit raised up saints whose attractiveness produced new spiritual vigour and important reforms in the Church. We can mention Saint Hildegard of Bingen, Saint Bridget, Saint Catherine of Siena, Saint Teresa of Avila and Saint Thérèse of Lisieux. But I think too of all those unknown or forgotten women who, each in her own way, sustained and transformed families and communities by the power of their witness.”  (GE, 12)
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In this month of Marian devotion, let us pray for and honour the women in our lives and in our Faith Tradition who have “sustained and transformed families and communities by the power of their witness.” (GE, 12)