On Good Friday, we direct our gaze towards Christ crucified. The silence of the opening procession, the solemn reading of the Passion and the veneration of the Cross invite us into this mystery of Christ’s crucifixion and death. The shadow of Christ crucified has fallen upon human history, a shadow of suffering but one that comes through the shining light of God’s sacrificial love.

This contemplation upon the cross of Christ, His passion and death have been depicted throughout the centuries by means of art and music. Probably the most well-known image is Michelangelo’s Pieta that is found in St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. It is statue of our Blessed Mother seated and holding the dead body of Jesus in her lap. Such art evokes in us the ability to express our faith and to convey the meaning of such scriptural depictions of Christ.   

A number of years ago when I was visiting a Catholic High School in our Diocese, there were some students who were encouraging a fellow classmate to show me a picture of Jesus as a child in the carpenter shop at Nazareth with Joseph. He was somewhat reluctant to do so, however, when I saw the picture, I could see why it had such a profound impact on his fellow students. The sketched picture depicted Jesus as a little child who was bent over and picking up nails from the floor as Joseph looked on. The sun was coming through the window and on the back of the child you could see distinctly the shadow of cross falling on the back of the child Jesus. The picture was a reminder that even as a small child, it was to be the will of the Father that He would give His life on the cross. He was marked by this truth from the beginning of His hidden life in Nazareth and throughout his whole ministry.

In Christ crucified, we see suffering as the ultimate sign of God’s love which is the mystery of the cross. The following dictum is true “those who love will suffer, and those who love as Christ loved will suffer the cross.” Every year when we come to this mid-point in the Tridium of Holy Week, we sometimes face the temptation to rush ahead to the end, to the empty tomb so that we can proclaim Christ’s resurrection. The early Church was able to hold these together in tension. As Christians we cannot proclaim Christ risen without first coming to the Cross. This is the focus of our Good Friday liturgy.
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The cross was soon to be celebrated as the source of their life as a Christian community. It marked and shaped their identity as individuals and as a community. They saw the cross as part of Christ’s mission from the beginning. The cross was present throughout the entirety of his earthly life. He bore the cross of rejection by eating with tax collectors and prostitutes. The cross of misunderstanding in his identity as the Son of God. He associated with sinners and through his ministry to the sick he wanted to chose to heal them and to take away the burden of the cross that they were carrying. Thus, the early Church learned to see their life and witness to Christ through the reality of the cross.

Through Christ’s cross and suffering, God offers to all humanity love and healing. In the Letter to the Hebrews, we are told that “He became the source of eternal salvation for all who believe in him and obey Him.”

In John’s gospel we are told that upon His death a soldier pierced His side and immediately blood and water flowed out. Although what seemed like physical signs of death the early Church saw these as “new signs of birth.” It was from the side of Christ crucified that the Church was born to continue to proclaim this message of salvation and healing. The water symbolized the sacrament of baptism and the blood pointed to the sacrament of the Eucharist, both essential for the life and mission of the Church then and now.

In the public veneration of the Cross today which is integral to the Good Friday liturgy, we are invited to see the salvation that God offers through Christ which points to a new birth of our humanity. A birth that comes from the suffering of Christ which in fact is the mystery of love. A love that embraces our humanity in all its fragility.

It is the choice in our lives that reflects the obedience of Christ in accepting the cross. From a human perspective, there can be many emotions when faced with the cross. Sometimes it is met with anger and outrage by seeing ourselves first as victims, or we respond with denial in not wanting to accept this reality in one’s life, or of fear that I am helpless, vulnerable and not in control.

The cross opens us to those “spaces of suffering” that are part of everyone’s life. It can cast the shadow of suffering over us but it can also reveal the light of God’s love through mercy and forgiveness. Let us contemplate the Cross of Christ that casts not just the shadow of suffering over the world but the light of God’s salvific love which is the true mystery of the cross we venerate.      

From the very first meeting with his brother cardinals, Pope Francis spoke of Mary’s essential role as Jesus’ mother. He said: “I entrust my ministry and your ministry to the powerful intercession of Mary, our Mother, Mother of the Church. Under Her maternal gaze may each one of you walk happy and docile on your path, listening to the voice of Her divine Son, strengthening your unity, persevering in your common prayer and bearing witness to the true faith in the constant presence of the Lord.”

It has become his custom to visit the Basilica of St. Mary Major on the eve of his pastoral trips abroad and to pray for her intercession. This devotional gesture teaches us that it is from Mary that the Church learns true discipleship, and that when it goes out on mission, it is always in the footsteps of Mary. In recent weeks he has expressed his desire that upon his death that he would be laid to rest in this Basilica and not at St. Peter’s which has been the tradition and practice of recent popes.
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In his homily at the First Vespers on the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God (Dec. 31, 2023), Pope Francis reflected on gratitude and hope, and how faith enables us to live the beginning of each new year in contrast to a worldly mentality. This is because "faith in Jesus Christ, God incarnate, born of the Virgin Mary, gives us a new way of experiencing time and life". This faith allows us to express gratitude to God and to envision the future with hope rather than simply expressing feelings of satisfaction and optimism as we enter a new year. ​

Written by Bishop William T. McGrattan

​December 31, 2023

During the Ordinary Time, the Church celebrates the fullness of the mystery of the Lord Jesus. The people of God offer praise by celebrating the Paschal Mystery of the Death and Resurrection of Jesus. Sunday is the original Christian Feast Day, following the tradition handed down from Apostolic times, for this way the day of the Lord’s Resurrection.

Today’s Christian communities continue this tradition by celebrating every Sunday as the day of the risen Lord. 

​Below are some resources to help break down everything you need to know for this liturgical season, as well as practical advices to help you get the most out of the Ordinary Time.

• Read: Ultimate Guide to Ordinary Time (Catholic Telegraph) 
• Read: Why Ordinary Time can also be called the "season of saints" (Aleteia)
• Read: 5 ways to make Ordinary Time less ordinary (Catholic Link)
• Read: What about an Ordinary Time resolution this year? (Aleteia)
• Read: How do we keep Sunday holy (Aleteia) 

Why do we celebrate Christmas, the day of the Lord’s birth, on December 25th? 

>> Watch this video and find out that this date was not inspired by the pagan feast of the sun god as commonly held by those who are cynical of the Church’s celebration of Christmas. In fact, it’s the other way around as Christmas pre-existed the pagan feast of the sun. As well, Christmas Day was not chosen randomly by the Church as this date is connected to the birth of John the Baptist.
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So, don’t hold back, celebrate Christmas, the birthday of our Lord and Saviour, Jesus Christ. And one more thing… Christmas is not just a day-long celebration, it’s a season.

Submitted by Bishop William T. McGrattan for Faithfully.
Photos courtesy of Yuan Wang | ​See all photos

Written by Sara Francis for Faithfully. Sara is a writer living in Calgary with her husband Ben and their six children. They attend St. Bernard's / Our Lady of the Assumption Parish. 

​All photos are used with permission. 

A Few Memories and Reflections on the 20th Anniversary 2022 of the Permanent Diaconate in the Diocese of Calgary 

The primary movement for the restoration of the order of deacons in this century occurred in the death camp at Dachau. The identity of the deacon is conceived in the midst of indescribable human suffering. A “new” diaconate is envisioned as a permanent hope to those who are without hope.
 
During World War II, a group of Catholic priests, interned at Dachau prison camp, provided support and encouragement to many of the nameless and voiceless victims of injustice around them. Somehow they kept faith alive, sustained hope and witnessed to God’s unconditional love even in an atmosphere that viciously opposed and denied these gifts. One of these priests, Fr. Otto Pies SJ, who was seriously ill when released from the concentration camp, published an article titled “Cellblock 26 - Experiences of the Priestly Life in Dachau” - dealing with the sufferings of priests imprisoned here. He also reports about those topics that were the subject of the discussions among priests who were ready to discharge their responsibilities in the face of death. In conjunction with the increasingly more serious shortage of priests, Fr. Pies poses the question as ‘to whether or not it was time to act upon the nudges that were - apparently - being initiated by the Holy Spirit’ and to permit the diaconate to rise again.
 
Knowing that their aspiration required decisive action, these priests after their liberation, continued to meet and work to awaken in every Catholic a commitment to justice through personal service and advocacy. Many people came to join these survivors, who named their group the Deacon Circle. In time, additional groups convened throughout Germany, France and Eastern Europe.
 
In 1962 Pope John XXIII convened the Second Vatican Council and within this growing awareness of the church’s obligation to be actively engaged in the world, the original members of the Deacon’s Circle, the Dachau survivors and those who had joined them in Munich wrote a letter in 1962 addressed directly to the council fathers in which they state:
 
“Would it not be a living testimony to the church’s concern for the temporal and supernatural needs of all peoples to have ordained deacons engaged in actual necessities of temporal life to the poor and the suffering, bringing  Christ both sacramentally and also in their committed care for the lowly and oppressed into places of neglect and destitution, of hunger and sickness?”

The rest of the story is our history
​
Vatican II reconstituted the diaconate in the western Catholic Churches, and taught that deacons are helpers to the bishop at the altar and in the ministry of the word, while caring always for those who might otherwise be overlooked by the successors of the apostles.
 
Three reasons behind the Council’s decision:

1. a desire to enrich the Church with the functions of the diaconate, which otherwise, in many regions, could only be exercised with great difficulty;
2. the intention of strengthening with the grace of diaconal ordination those who already exercised many of the functions of the Diaconate; and
3. a concern to provide regions, where there was a shortage of clergy, with sacred ministers.

 
Deacons are ordained to make visible Christ, the servant of his people. The bishop is responsible for the selection, personal formation, ministerial training and assignment of deacons. 

Prior to my arrival in Calgary, I recall a discernment weekend experience in the Diocese of London. Our topic was to try and attuned ourselves as a selected and balanced group of leaders in the diocese - bishops, ordained priests, religious women, catechists, male and female lay leaders -  to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit through prayer and discussion led by a Jesuit priest whose expertise was discernment in the Ignatius Tradition.  Our question was straight forward: “Should We Introduce the Permanent Diaconate in the our Diocese.” At the end of our session, marked more by turbulence than peace, we held a vote - 60% yes, 40% no. Bishop Sherlock decided that the margin was not large enough to proceed and it would only divide the diocese. I was one of the 60%. My main argument was that our local church would be stronger with the fullness of the Sacrament of Orders - bishop, priests, and deacons.
 
Before the subject was revisited several years later, I was transferred to the Diocese of Thunder Bay in Northern Ontario in March of 1995. Fortunately, they already had introduced the permanent diaconate. We were a very large missionary diocese (geographically), many indigenous peoples, few clergy and  heavily reliant on the religious communities and the international community to staff our parishes and missions.  Both groups tended to be serving on a contract basis. Our married deacons were local - many were born and raised in the north, involved in business industry, recreation, etc. They and their wives who were part of the formation sessions were a terrific addition to our pastoral care delivery system. I was now more committed than ever.
 
Arriving in Calgary as the local Bishop, I was surprised that one of the most frequently asked questions, in addition to “when are you going to build us a church?”, was “What do you think of the permanent diaconate?” “I’m all in favour. It’s simply when and how?”
 
There was no permanent diaconate program west of St. Boniface. I recall an exchange at the one of the Western Conference of Catholic Bishops Meetings. I announced  that we were establishing a permanent diaconate program in Calgary and one of the senior bishops interjected “That here in the west we have opted for lay formation.” I replied: “I didn’t think that it was an either/or proposition, we can do both. Beside, I’m simply telling you, not asking for permission.”
 
First west of St. Boniface Diocese but happily, not the last!
 
There was also local opposition from many individuals and groups in the Diocese but not strong enough to stop the forward movement of the Holy Spirit. The biggest decision was to pick Developers and Coordinators who were of “good standing, full of the Spirit and of wisdom whom we may appoint to this task” (Acts.6:3). Fr. Bill Trienekens and Sr. Maria Nakagawa’  graciously accepted the appointment and set about building our program, selecting and forming our candidates, individually and communally. They have rendered enormous service to our local church! As my mom would say “And the proof is in the pudding.”
 
We were assisted in many way by the Archdiocese of Toronto who readily shared their experience and helped us walk in the direction of our hope.
 
In God’s providence, we were also assisted by the timely publication in 1998 of the two Vatican Documents:

1. Basic Norms for the Formation of Permanent Deacons - Congregation for Catholic Education
2. Directory for the Ministry and Life of Permanent Deacons - Congregation for the Clergy

 
I suspect that these two documents will influence the development of the Order of Deacon for years to come and therefore will directly influence how the faithful are shepherded by bishops and priests with the help of deacons. Practically, the deacon’s responsibilities are explained, the professional demands of his ministry are regulated, his juridical status and spiritual life are described. Most fundamentally, however, his identity is clarified.

Identity

In the first years after the restoration of the permanent diaconate, pragmatic considerations often seemed to shape its purpose and identity.
 
In some places, it seemed that the diaconate was intended, in particular, for catechists and delegates of the Word, so that familiar ministers and leaders of small communities would, through becoming deacons, make ordained ministry visible in their communities and throughout their diocese.
 
The new directory makes clear that local church cannot simply put the new label of deacon on the familiar reality of catechist without changing the life of the Church. The diaconate is a gift from God which changes not just the deacon but all of God’s people.
 
The diaconate was restored just when the Church’s relationship to the modern world was changing. The line between openness to the world and becoming “worldly’ was often not clear, and this lack of clarity influenced pastoral policy and, at times, teaching. Consequently, the permanent deacon, ordained but with a secular job, was sometimes hailed as the Church’s agent in the workplace and marketplace, as if this were not the vocation of every baptized Christian. Behind this seeming openness to the world lay a clericalism that assumed that only the ordained make the Church present in the world. The selection of candidates was often limited to those whose secular profession was proof of their position in the world and therefore of their value as deacons.
 
A second moment in the development of the restored diaconate brought forward candidates who were already visible in their parish communities as lay ministers and helpers in numerous church activities. Generous men who were obviously of good character and servants of the Lord and his Church sometimes were invited to become deacons as a kind of acknowledgment by their pastor that they were exemplary Catholics and helpful members of their parish. The diaconate became almost unique tied to parochial service.
 
The Directory comes providentially at a new moment in the developing understanding of the diaconate and the consequent criteria for the selection of deacon candidates. Full time work in the world certainly does not disqualify a man from the diaconate nor does prior ministry or service in a parish. But the Directory explains clearly that a deacon makes Christ the servant visible through ordination for a particular Church, a diocese, and not only for a parish. The relationship to the local bishop is central to the deacon’s ministry as servant to those who might otherwise be overlooked or neglected, especially the poor, as the local Church assembles around her bishop. The deacons’ sensitivity to the sick, the handicapped, the religiously illiterate, the victim so prejudice of every sort, the despised and those estranged from the community of believers will lead him to bring them to the altar of Christ. The greatest service a deacon offers is to invite others to the table where they can learn who Christ is by becoming members of his body. Having gathered the poor around the altar of Christ, the deacon proclaims the Gospel, which is always good news for the poor.

MINISTRY
(para 23-42) the Directory’s description of his service of the word, of the altar and of charity cannot be separated. Even though one or the other may be more emphasized in the course of a deacon’s ministerial life, he is always called to all three.
 
SPIRITUALITY
(para.43-62) Ordination as a deacon is a call to convert, to conform one’s heart and mind ever more closely to Jesus Christ, servant of his people; service as a deacon is a call to constant conversion so that a deacon’s ministry is not just a function. His spiritual life begins in relationships that are his by reason of ordination.
 
FORMATION
(para 63-82) the Directory gives special attention to the ongoing or continuing vocational and professional formation of deacons.

Deacons ordained in 2002:
Dcn. Paul Coderre – Sacred Heart, Strathmore
Dcn. John Hagan – Retired, Calgary
Dcn. Paul Heffernan – Holy Spirit, Calgary
†Dcn. Albert Henri – Deceased
Dcn. Allan Hinger – now in the Diocese of Prince Albert, SK.
†Dcn. Louis Lapointe -- Deceased
Dcn. Alex Martinez-Lievano – Holy Spirit, Calgary
Dcn. Clarence Otteson – now in the Archdiocese of Edmonton
Dcn. Robert Risling –Holy Family, Medicine Hat
Dcn. Albert Riendeau—Retired, Calgary
Dcn. Robert Wilson – Retired, Brooks
Dcn. John Wu – Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Calgary

Written by
Bishop Emeritus
Frederick Henry
​for Faithfully

June 2022

During this time of transition in the Province’s easing of health and safety restrictions, we are all asked to exercise respect, charity, and kindness with one another and to be conscious of the varying comfort levels of people especially in the following areas.

• The wearing of masks is no longer required by the Province but people are free to continue the use of facemasks if they choose to. This applies to everyone including the clergy and to anyone serving in a liturgical capacity.
  • Note: It is possible that some municipalities may have a municipal face covering bylaw or any other health and safety measure that is not in alignment with the approach of the province. Please check with your municipality when in doubt.
• There has been no mention of physical distancing in Step 2, in order to respect people’s personal space and comfort level, however, it would be a prudent practise to allow for some distance between people of different households.
  • At this time, for the sign of peace, we are asked to exchange peace with those outside of our household with a bow or a nod and not by a handshake.
  • In social settings, it would be charitable not to presume that others are comfortable to shake hands or to hug.
• People who have symptoms not related to a pre-existing condition should avoid going to the church or being in public as a courtesy to others.
• We are all encouraged to observe proper hand hygiene by sanitizing our hands at any of the sanitizer stations in the church or by washing our hands regularly with soap and water.
• We are encouraged to observe respiratory etiquette, such as coughing or sneezing into a bent elbow and the prompt disposal of any used tissues in trash cans.
• Access the complete details on the Step 2 implementation of the Government of Alberta. 

In Step 2, we are grateful that congregational singing may now resume in the Diocese.
 
We take this opportunity to thank all of you for your cooperation in observing the health and safety restrictions for almost two years now. At this time, we pace our walk together toward the easing of these restrictions with a lot of care and concern for the good of everyone.

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Step 2 - Liturgical Guidelines

Liturgical Music Ministry

• Congregational singing is allowed.
  • The use of hymnbooks may resume.
• Choirs may resume their ministry
  • The use of a cantor/cantors without a choir remains a valid option.
  • Parishes are able to decide the size of the choir for their church.

Sunday Collection

• Parishes have the ability to decide whether to continue with the current practice of having the collection baskets/boxes near the entrance of the nave or to resume the passing of the collection baskets.
• Parishes that have collection baskets with the long handles are also permitted to have ushers use them in the collection.
• Any of the approved second collection will be collected in the same manner as the Sunday collection.
  
  

Presentation of the Gifts

• Parishes have the ability to decide whether to continue with the current practise of having the hosts and wine placed on a credence table in the sanctuary prior to Mass or to resume the offertory procession for the presentation of the gifts of the hosts, wine, and the Sunday collection.
  
  

Sign of Peace

• At this time, the congregation is asked to exchange peace with people outside of their household with a bow and not by a handshake.
  
  

Holy Communion

• Hand sanitizer should be made available at the credence table and near communion lines.
• Priests who are celebrating and concelebrating must receive both the Body and Blood at every Mass.
• Deacons, servers, lay ministers, and the faithful receive only under one species – the consecrated host.
• Children celebrating First Communion will also only receive under one species – the consecrated host.

Concelebration

• Concelebrants are allowed to receive Holy Communion by self-intinction from the celebrant’s chalice. At this time, only the celebrant partakes of the Precious Blood from the chalice.

Funeral Receptions, Parish Social Gatherings, and Private Functions

• Funeral receptions, parish social gatherings, and private functions may now resume in parish halls.
  • It is recommended for Step 2 that food and beverages be served at food/beverage stations at funeral receptions and parish social gatherings to avoid commonly touched items and surfaces. 
  • It is also recommended for Step 2 that servers serving at funeral receptions and parish social gatherings wear face masks when serving food

The message of Easter – the Resurrection of Jesus – takes us beyond the Cross to the joy and hope that comes from seeing the Risen Lord. It was Christ risen who allowed his disciples to fully know that God exists, that there is a future for every human being and that our cry for unending life is indeed answered in Him. This is the true message of Easter!
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In this past year with the ongoing restrictions of the pandemic we have been intensely united with Jesus, in His passion, the carrying of the Cross, and the obedient acceptance of the Father’s will in sacrificial love for others. God has truly inspired many of us in faith to act with this same love, patient suffering, endurance and courage in the face of despair and in offering a hope which has been inspired by the Holy Spirit. It is such acts of love that restores human dignity for those who have been burdened by this pandemic, by the death of loved ones, the loss of employment and the limitations that were placed on normal human interactions of education, leisure, physical exercise and community gatherings. Christians and indeed everyone have been called to respond with compassion, solidarity and in caring for those who are suffering and most vulnerable. This is a true sign of hope, of Easter faith which caused the disciples not to proclaim the tragedy of Jesus death but rather the sharing of his resurrection, the promise of eternal life, of joy and confidence in the Holy Spirit. 

Jesus revealed himself to the disciples in tangible ways especially in the anticipation of His suffering and death. In the enduring gift of His Presence “in the breaking of the bread” – the Eucharist, we come to know in faith that our suffering and death can be united with Christ and have deeper meaning when offered to God.

He also commissioned Mary Magdalene after his resurrection as the “apostle (the one sent) to the apostles”, to bring this good news of hope, the promise of new life to the world. He invites us like Mary to enter the tomb, to enter into the mystery of how God transforms our experience of despair through a vigil of love into a promise of hope. To enter into mystery means the ability to wonder, to contemplate; the ability to listen to the silence and to hear the tiny whisper amid great silence by which God speaks to us (cf. 1Kings 19:12). Like Mary we need humility to enter into this mystery especially during this “silence” created by the pandemic. To know with confidence that our search for truth, beauty and love in these challenging times will be fully revealed in the risen Christ. May our witness of this sacred mystery revealed in the dignity of each human person, silence the deafening call for expanding euthanasia and assisted suicide in our country of Canada and to acknowledge that this pandemic continues to burden the most vulnerable in our society.   

Easter calls us to promote with renewed vigor the sanctity of human life with grateful and joyful hearts. Easter calls us to move beyond the tomb with the conviction to share the good news of the Resurrection with one another. Easter calls us to courageously follow Jesus Christ, the risen one, and to boldly proclaim that out of darkness and suffering comes new life. This Easter let us rise up to meet the world our society and with the witness of our faith. It is my hope that in this coming year we discover new ways to share this Easter faith, the Good News of Jesus’ resurrection. 
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A blessed Easter Season to you and your family.

​Sincerely yours in Christ,

+ Most Reverend William T. McGrattan 
Bishop of Calgary

​Play YouTube Playlist
Play Spotify Playlist

• Ubi Caritas (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
• Tantum Ergo (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
• O Sacrum Convivium (Roberto Remondi) | Video | Sheet Music
• Ave Verum Corpus (William Byrd) | Video | Sheet Music
• Godhead Here in Hiding (G. Manley Hopkins/Thomas Aquinas) | Video | Sheet Music
• Panis Angelicus (Lambilotte) | Video | Sheet Music
• My Song is Love Unknown (John Ireland) | Video 1 | Video 2 | Sheet Music
• Adoro te Devote (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
• A New Commandment (Tallis) | Video | Sheet Music
• Ubi Caritas (Garau) | Video | Sheet Music
• Stay with me (Taize) | Video | Sheet Music
• Ubi Caritas (Gjielo) | Video | Sheet Music
• Ubi Caritas (Duruffle) | Video | Sheet Music
• Ave Verum Corpus (Mozart) | Video | Sheet Music
• Verbum Caro (Hassler) | Video | Sheet Music
• Una Hora - Responsory (Chant) | Video | Sheet Music
• Go to dark Gethsemane (Montgomery/Bach) | Video | Sheet Music
• And Now, O Father!  (William Bright/UNDE ET MEMORES) | Video | Sheet Music
• Now, My Tongue, The Mystery Telling​ (GRAFTON) | Video 1 | Sheet Music 
• Bread of the World in Mercy Broken (Ralph Vaughan) | Video | Sheet Music
• Mandatum (Composer) | Video | Sheet Music
• Litany of Humility (Composer) | Video | Prayer

Triduum & Easter - People's Favourite Playlist

• Submit your most cherished Triduum or Easter piece of sacred music, and we will add it to the playlist above! Enter here (comments section).
• Play People's Favourite Playlist

The Diocese of Calgary continues to monitor the current situation in regards to the coronavirus (COVID-19) in the province through updates from the Alberta Health Services. As of March 9, the current overall risk to Albertans is still considered low by medical experts. Get updates from Alberta Health Services and learn about the actions being taken to protect the health of Albertans here: https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx  

Here are general guidelines that were distributed to parishes on March 3. Please note that this is a proportionate response according to AHS risk assessment of the situation as at that date in the province.

General guidelines during Influenza Season in the Diocese of Calgary

• Those who are ill or suspect illness should refrain from receiving from the chalice; Christ is fully present in each species.
• At this time, we share the Sign of Peace using the second option, a bow, instead of shaking hands.  ​In the dioceses of Canada, the sign of peace is given by a handshake or a bow. However, it is appropriate that each person offer the sign of peace only to those who are nearest and in a sober manner. (The General Instruction of the Roman Missal no. 82)
• Extraordinary Ministers of Holy Communion should practice good hand hygiene through frequent handwashing with soap and water and/or the use of alcohol-based rub (ABHR) and find a replacement for themselves if they are not feeling well.
• All the faithful are encouraged to practise good hand hygiene for the sake of others.
• The obligation to attend Sunday Mass does not apply to those who are ill, especially those who suffer from a contagious illness; those with flu-like symptoms may choose to remain at home in order not to spread the virus to others. While televised Masses do not fulfill the Sunday obligation, those who are ill are dispensed from the Sunday obligation.​