Category: Parish Life

What you need to know before your first pilgrimage

1/16/2019

Starting off a new year with at least one resolution is a common practice. We promise our self to change something, to put something behind, or to embark on a newly formed habit. This new year 2019 consider a pilgrimage as part of a new year’s resolution. Pilgrimage can be as varied as the people considering them; not only as a metaphorical image of life itself, for we are all on a journey heavenward. What we hope to gain or to satisfy is part of an inner journey that we make, often to a physical place of religious significance. It can be an act of curiosity, a devotion to atone for sins or to implore a grace for ourselves or others.

If you are one of those who are contemplating a pilgrimage this year or perhaps leading a group yourself there are some tips that you should consider when planning or organizing a pilgrimage.

Start your preparations 4-6 months in advance so that you have the necessary information ready for all aspects of your journey. A well-planned pilgrimage will alleviate many unnecessary stresses. Choose the country and location you would like to visit. Our Catholic faith is steeped in history and potential pilgrimage sites in many parts of the world. Preparations might include securing airfares, accommodation, transportation, checking that your passport is valid 6 months past your travel date and familiarizing yourself with food, culture, and climate.
Make sure if you or members of your group will require a visa for the country you wish to visit. Getting a visa is relatively simple and doesn’t usually add a great cost to your pilgrimage, but it is a necessity before embarking on travel. Visa applications can be obtained using online resources or phoning the consulate of the country you intend to visit.

When looking at places for accommodation consider researching places like convents, or monasteries. Prices for these types of accommodations are often a fraction of the cost of a hotel, and usually include breakfast, and sometimes other optional meals, a chapel, and they keep with the simplicity of a pilgrimage. These options often allow you to stay close to the places you would like to visit, and can accommodate many guests.
If you are planning on travelling to Rome you could check out this website for convent stays. Books such as Bed & Blessings by June & Anne Walsh, or Lodging in Italy’s Monasteries have proven to be great resources. Another great website for monastery stays is https://www.monasterystays.com

You can organize a pilgrimage on your own or use a trusted travel agent.
Local buses and transportation systems are usually very good at getting you places, but you can also consider hiring a local bus company if you are planning for a group. Walking as part of a pilgrimage can also be very good if you are able.
Always check if you plan to take someone with limited mobility because not all pilgrimage sites are easily accessible.

If you are travelling as a group, plan to take an identifying feature for your group. Something like a hat or scarf that would be worn daily, and identify the pilgrims you are travelling with, especially in a large crowd.
If you are going as a group, plan to take a guide with you, for some or all of your travels. Guides can speak about the local area, know the language and customs, and can give you information that comes from their personal experience and knowledge of the area. It can add to the entire pilgrimage experience.

Your travels should not be so hectic with movement and activity that you are unable to reflect, to ponder, to pray, and to experience where you are visiting. Don’t pack too many countries into one pilgrimage.
Use scripture and other forms of prayer to enhance the experience.
Plan for daily Mass. If you have a priest along with you, that makes it quite easy; otherwise you need to plan in advance for daily Mass.
You can make arrangements with churches to have your Mass each day.
Familiarizing yourself with the difference between a pilgrimage and a holiday helps to set the stage.
Before going on pilgrimage, it is good to have a few social gatherings/meetings to meet fellow pilgrims and have a chance to ask questions.
Study up on the area you want to visit, check out maps, and what events can be expected.
Prepare a packing list
Experience says that the more you can allow the situation of your pilgrimage to unfold, and to accept the joys and sorrows of each day, that this surrender will be life-giving. Take time to listen to what God is speaking to you. Give room for silence on your pilgrimage.

Pilgrimage without a doubt can be very difficult, very enlightening, and life-changing. Go expecting absolutely everything that God wants to give and do for you. Entrust your pilgrimage to our Blessed Mother, asking for the graces you need, and then let her be your guide.

On this, the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, take notice of Jesus living inside. Perhaps your pilgrimage will be a starting point and then finding the Light of Christ, generously sharing Him with others.

For further information on planning a pilgrimage, feel free to contact Mary Ann Donaleshen at 403-466-2432.
Sunday January 6, 2019

Written by: Mary Ann Donaleshen

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Ascension Parish has grown and changed...

1/14/2019

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Amazed. Inspired. Humbled. These are the words used to describe the feeling that is pulsing through Ascension Parish in the northwest community of Beddington. After years of renovations, making what was once two community spaces into one unified worship space, the transformation is almost complete. It was with joy –and for some, exhaustion that the parishioners of Ascension welcomed Bishop McGrattan to celebrate the Dedication Mass with them December 22.
“There was a miracle that took place here,” said Fr. Avinash Colaco, referring to the days preceding the dedication.

Fr. Avinash Colaco, Pastor of Ascension Parish

In order to celebrate the Dedication Mass as well as Masses for Christmas and New Years, the parish sought a temporary occupancy permit from the city. A permit could only be granted after the building passed a safety inspection. On Wednesday the 20th, just two days before the dedication, the building did not pass. Several things needed to be done in order for the building to be considered safe for the public to access the Church. The city is responsible to ensure the safety of anyone who enters a building under construction explained Fr. Avi.

“The pews needed to be anchored down, exit signs needed installing, the roof needed to be clear of all debris, the construction materials like dumpsters had to be fenced and the parking lot cleared of ice,” said Fr. Avi.

On being asked by an inspector if he had a back-up plan, Fr. Avi motioned to the heavens saying, “He is my back-up plan.” Then he, along with the renovation committee and many gracious volunteers set to work.

Finally, on December 21st with just a half-hour before the rehearsal for the dedication would begin, the inspection was complete and the permit was granted.

“There were people crying when I announced it,” said Fr. Avi, “We had all worked so hard. The inspector was surprised that we were able to get so much done in such a short time.”

When the dedication Mass took place, emotions ran high for the people who knew what had occurred in the days before, “I was numb and I was praising the Lord for the miracle that he’d performed,” said Fr. Avi.

Though the walls of the church are still unpainted and there is still work to do, the Dedication Mass was a moving event, especially for those who hadn’t yet seen the new worship space.

Christopher Rappel, renovation committee member who is active in many roles at the parish cited Bishop McGrattan’s homily saying that actually, perhaps it was fitting that the Dedication took place amidst the renovations because the church is a work in progress, and so are all of us.

Sandra Will-Krile who serves as part of the renovation committee among other jobs within the church noticed the awe with which the parishioners entered on the day of the dedication. With newly anchored pews, a high sloping ceiling and lines that point to the altar, the new space certainly made an impact.

She said the renovation committee were constantly updated on the progress, so in preparation for the temporary opening, they saw what needed to be done more than what had already been done. “But when the people walked into the space and I saw their faces,” Sandra said, “it was then that I saw it through their eyes.”

The church was full for the Dedication Mass, which “went so smoothly,” according to committee members, despite the seeming chaos that had ensued in the days prior. It was a beautiful moment for all of the parish to see their work and care come to fruition.

To a few parishioners, the anointing of the altar stood out as one of the most beautiful moments during the dedication Mass. The time and care with which Bishop McGrattan took to anoint the altar and walls was noteworthy, as this is the first time that many in the parish had witnessed a rite of this kind.

Dr. Simone Brosig, Liturgy Consultant and Director for the Diocese explains the significance of this rite:

“The celebration of the Eucharist is the most important and in fact, the only rite necessary for the dedication of a church.

“However, in accordance with tradition, a special Prayer of Dedication signifies the intention to dedicate the church to the Lord for all time and implores the Lord’s blessing.

“This prayer is followed by a number of visible signs that express the work of the Lord accomplished in the celebration of the divine mysteries: the anointing, incensing, covering, and lighting of the altar.

“The most striking is the anointing of the altar and walls of the church with Chrism (fragrant oil). Christ is called “The Anointed One” so by the anointing with Chrism the altar is made a symbol of Christ. The anointing of the walls signifies that the church building is an image of the holy city of Jerusalem and is given over entirely and perpetually to Christian worship.”

As she recounted her feelings at the dedication, Lucy Reyes, a parishioner from the very beginning of Ascension’s history said, “I was in tears.”

When Lucy and her husband began attending Ascension in the ‘80s, “there were only six visible minorities – six families in the church.”

Ascension Parish has grown and changed in many ways since its inception in 1981. The church officially broke ground in partnership with Mount Calvary Lutheran Church in 1986, forming the Sandstone Valley Ecumenical Centre. In 2010, the Lutheran church sold their share in the building to Ascension and moved. In 2013, St. John the Evangelist Parish, which had been created from Ascension because of continued population growth in the north, was amalgamated once again with Ascension. Since then, the red brick building has become home to even more people.

To Lucy, the growth of multiculturalism in the parish is paramount. One only need attend Mass at Ascension on any given Sunday to see evidence that the vibrant parish welcomes hundreds of families from many backgrounds. Reyes describes the parish as “welcoming, regardless of who you are” and expressed amazement at how far the parish has come with growth in size and in community spirit.

Committee chair John Arbeau who had previously served at St. John the Evangelist Parish prior it its merge with Ascension, agreed, “It is a welcoming parish,” he said, adding also that the renovated space will “give us one beautiful place to worship and build community. “

The feeling of welcoming within the walls of Ascension doesn’t happen by chance; with nearly seven thousand parishioners, Ascension boasts over 900 volunteers active in the parish who might be called the lifeblood of the community. On top of those volunteers there is an active chapter of Knights of Columbus and of the Catholic Women’s League.

Fr. Avi, along with the renovation committee members are ever grateful to these families for their support both financially and physically as the process of taking the building from two semi-separate spaces to one unified sanctuary.
The community currently celebrates Mass in the hall and downstairs rooms. The Mass is projected on screens for the people not present in the main hall. During this time, the outside perception is that this is a rather painful burden for parishioners, but volunteer coordinator Sharron Robinson, along with renovation committee members are telling a different story.

“I think the sense of community is probably even greater with the renovations,” Sharron said,

“The volunteers step up that much more.”

When asked if the current Mass arrangement feels like fragmentation of the community, both Christopher Rapell and Sandra Will-Krile disagreed saying “No, in fact, I think people have adapted to the space that we have quite well.”

They both spoke of the parishioners as a resilient community pulling together to make the space at the church work rather than attending Mass at a school, which was their alternative.

To that end Fr. Avi who had been through parish renovations before said that it is challenging to maintain the sense of community in a different building, “so I asked the construction company and consultants if we could do this in stages.” Evidently, that approach has worked for the congregation, who have worked together to make not only two parishes one, but two sanctuaries into one unified space.

The big hearts of the community has never been more evident, said Sandra, than after New Year’s Day Mass when the new sanctuary had to be cleared of everything but the newly installed pews so that the work could restart.

“We expected maybe fifteen or sixteen people to help move things back into the hall, but we got fifty or sixty!”

As their pastor and renovation committee members would tell it, the people of Ascension are unafraid of hard work and lending a hand to anyone who needs help. With that spirit pulsing through its veins, they have every reason to look forward with hope to the future.

Written by: Jessica Cyr

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Christ, Bless This House

12/11/2018

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In the cold and dark days of our January and February, there are three feasts accompanied by sacramentals that especially help us to bring the light of Christ into our lives and to know that God is with us in a very personal way throughout the year.

Adoration of the King, by Vrancke van der Stockt (1424-1495)

Epiphany (Solemnity)
January 6
Epiphany means “manifestation”, that moment when we suddenly understand something that previously was hidden from us. On this feast we especially remember the three Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, who followed the star to a manger in Bethlehem where the Messiah was made manifest for them in the person of a newborn child. In imitation of the journey of the Magi, carolling is appropriate around the time of this feast as a way of announcing the manifestation of the Christ Child in song. It is also traditional to bless doorways on this feast. The Magi showed great hospitality when they came to honour the Messiah. The blessing of the doorway reminds us to welcome strangers and travellers into our midst as though each were Jesus himself. In this blessing the doorway is marked with chalk using the first two digits of the year, the initials of each of the Magi (or the first letter of each word in the phrase Christus Mansionem Benedicat, Christ bless this house) followed by the last digits of the year, e.g. 20 + C + M + B + 19. The rooms of the home can be blessed with holy water.

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Candlemas (Feast)
February 2
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple is known by many different names. One of the most descriptive is Candlemas, named after the tradition of blessing candles for use in the church and the home throughout the coming year. It is an ancient feast based on the passage described in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 2:22-40) where Mary and Joseph bring Jesus to the Temple forty days after his birth according to the Law of Moses. When they arrived at the temple they encountered the prophet Simeon. The Holy Spirit had revealed to Simeon that he would not die before he had seen the Messiah. Upon meeting the child Jesus Simeon prayed the prayer that is known as the Nunc Dimittis, or Canticle of Simeon. This prayer is used daily at Night Prayer (Compline) in the Liturgy of the Hours and is a good prayer to commit to memory:

Lord, now you let your servant go in peace;
your word has been fulfilled:
my own eyes have seen the salvation
which you have prepared in the sight of every people:
a light to reveal you to the nations
and the glory of your people Israel.

In this prayer Simeon calls Jesus a “light” for all the nations. Candles are a powerful symbol of the light of Christ that reminds us that we have been given this Light. On this feast of light, there is a solemn blessing of candles for use in the church and the faithful can bring for blessing the candles they will use at home. The liturgy can include a procession with lighted candles around the church before the beginning of the Mass.

The Presentation in the Temple, by Meister des Marienlebens (1463-1490)

St. Blaise (Memorial)
February 3
The Memorial of St. Blaise is not observed liturgically in 2019 as the Sunday takes precedence. However, throats may be blessed at any time during the year.

The very next day the Church puts these candles to work with the blessing of throats on the Commemoration of St. Blaise. St. Blaise was a Bishop in Armenia in the fourth century. He was also a doctor, who was said to have saved a boy from choking on a fish bone. As such, St. Blaise is a patron of the sick, especially of those suffering from illnesses of the throat. On this day we pray for good health through a special blessing of throats using candles that were blessed the day before. In the blessing the minister touches the throat with the candles and says this prayer:

Through the intercession of Saint Blaise, bishop and martyr,
may God deliver you from every disease of the throat
and from every other illness:
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

R. Amen.

If the numbers are too great for the priest or deacon to offer the blessing to all in the assembly, lay people can assist but without making the sign of the cross during the prayer. It is especially lovely when the candles are made of genuine beeswax so that not only the senses of touch, sight, and hearing are engaged but also our sense of smell. The blessing of throats reminds us in a very bodily way that in our most human of struggles, God is with us.

Tableau du maître-autel "Saint-Blaise" (vers 1740)

Resources:

• Blessings and Prayers Through the Year: A Resource for School, Parish, and Home, Elizabeth McMahon Jeep
• Blessings and Prayers for Home and Family, Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops

By: Dr. Simone Brosig

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