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An appeal from the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops in Canada - 2023

2/23/2023

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Read the appeal from the Ukrainian Catholic Bishops in Canada, on the occasion of the one-year commemoration of the Russian invasion of Ukraine (24 February). 
  • Read Letter
  • Give to Emergency Reflief Funds for Ukraine
  • How to support Ukrainian refugees in our Diocese 

24 February 2023
 
AN APPEAL BY THE UKRAINIAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS IN CANADA MARKING THE ONE YEAR COMMEMORATION OF THE RUSSIAN INVASION OF UKRAINE  
 
To the Reverend Fathers, Religious Sisters, Venerable Monastics, People of Ukrainian Descent, and all People of Good Will:
You shall not fear the terror of the night, nor the arrow that flies by day…” [Ps. 91:5]
Glory be to Jesus Christ!                                                                                
 
Dearly Beloved in Christ!
 
Today, on our calendars we mark a year since a new stage of the Russian-Ukrainian war began with brutal cruelty and destruction, cynicism and falsehood. Every day of the past year has been a repetition of February 24, adding to the bitter statistics of losses and multiplying the grief experienced by many. Thousands of innocent men, women and children have lost their lives; many have been  tortured, held in prisons and camps, and forcibly deported. Millions are forced to wander around the world, having lost everything, seeking refuge far from their homes. Many cities and villages have been erased from the face of the earth, leaving only traces in the history and memory of those who lived there. Countless are the deep emotional wounds from the losses, tragic memories, and longing for relatives, inflicted by the war on those who survive and are suffering - especially the children!
 
This war is not limited to the context of armed battles, but also occurs in the struggle for consciences, spiritual values and ideals with all the evils that war entails. Most importantly, it requires from everyone a clear  choice for good or evil. The war challenges us to demonstrate our love for Ukraine, for its God-given freedom, political and human rights. War challenges the very sincerity of our love for our neighbor and the Lord God. Every Ukrainian in and outside of
 
Ukraine  is called to discover a deeper awareness of his or her national, political  and ethnic identity. The enemy are those who want to stop this process and plant other values which contradict the truths of the Christian faith, the foundations of our spirituality and our Ukrainian identity. And they are looking for all kinds of insidious ways to achieve their goals.
 
We, the Ukrainian Catholics in Canada, call upon all people of good will to steadfastly resist the spread of  the evils of war, the killing of innocent people,  and the destruction of the nation of Ukraine. Let us draw our strength from the Lord at all times in our struggle (cf. Ps. 26:1). As the Apostle Paul says , let us gird ourselves with the belt of faith and take the armor of justice, the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation and the spiritual sword to "resist the wiles of the devil" and "against the principalities, against the authorities, against the rulers of this world of darkness, against the spirits of malice in the heavenly spaces" (Eph. 6:11-12). Fervent and constant prayer to the Lord is our weapon against which enemy forces are powerless, and with it we draw the grace of God. We pray not to succumb to feelings of hopelessness and oppression, excessive worries and cares (cf. Ps. 137:7).
 
Let us take the psalmist's words, "Your word is a lamp to my feet, and a light to my path" (Ps. 118:105) closer to heart and listen to God's voice in our lives. The word of God teaches us goodness, truth, love, understanding and ability to make right decisions that are sometimes very difficult, especially during times of deep tragedy and loss. In His word, we will find God who is near to us in solidarity, offering us comfort and healing.
 
Let us continue our works of mercy for the needy in Ukraine and those who seek refuge here in Canada, as a humble manifestation of our sincere faith and for the greater glory of God. In doing so, we share the time and talents with which the Lord has blessed us, knowing that everything will return a hundredfold. By giving temporal goods now, we will receive eternal goods in the future.
 
In solidarity and compassion with our brothers and sisters in Ukraine, who continue to suffer from the lack of food, water and other basic necessities of life due to the ongoing war, let us renew our practice of fasting and abstinence to remind ourselves of the many blessings we enjoy in our peaceful, daily lives here in Canada.
 
More than ever, we need to support each other through prayer, kind words and good deeds. A person who receives something through you will thank the Lord and praise Him always. "Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Heavenly Father" (Mt. 5:16).
 
The outcome of this war is crucial and will have global significance and consequences. We pray for victory, which will be realized only when we put all our efforts together.  Let us unite, pray, and work for the common good! Let this Lenten season be an opportunity to reach new spiritual heights and to better ourselves so that we can carry out our part in bringing to an end the tragedy of war.
 
May God bless the Ukrainian people both in their homeland and throughout the world. May He grant them the strength of a strong Christian faith, of enduring  good health and the support of a multitude of people of good will. May He grant victory over evil and peace to Ukraine!
 
 
Sincerely Yours in Christ,
​
+ Lawrence Huculak, OSBM
Metropolitan Archbishop of Winnipeg
Apostolic Administrator of Saskatoon
 
+ David Motiuk
Eparchial Bishop of Edmonton
Apostolic Administrator of New Westminster
 
+ Bryan Bayda, CSsR
Eparchial Bishop of Toronto
 
+ Andriy Rabiy
Auxiliary Bishop of Winnipeg
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Supporting Ukrainians in our Diocese

5/9/2022

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How do we help our Ukrainian ​brothers and sisters beyond prayers?
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Donate online to help with these emergency funds:
  • Development & Peace - Caritas Canada (for Caritas Ukraine)
  • Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA Canada)
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​Calgary Catholic Immigration Service (CCIS) is working to provide temporary housing and financial support. They welcome your help with donation. 
  • Donate to CCIS to help with resettlement
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Similar to the Syrian refugee program in 2015, parishes are now able to support a Ukrainian family. The screening will be done directly through CCIS, with sponsorship ranging from 3 months to 1 year. The Diocese of Calgary will subsidize participating parishes up to $5,000 from the Pastoral Fund. Sponsorship Initial Form available here.  To apply for the subsidy, please contact Alejandro at finance@calgarydiocese.ca
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Individuals interested to host a family can contact CCIS directly for details. 
  • The initial form is available here.
  • Or contact CCIS representative Jouhayna El Chamy at 403-290-5750 or jelchamy@ccisab.ca
The tragic consequences of this war have created grave needs for our brothers and sisters in Ukraine. Now more than ever we are called to recognize the responsibilities we have for each other as St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians reminds us, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are citizens with the saints and also members of the household of God.” (Ephesians 2:19).
  • ​Read a message from Bishop McGrattan
  • Download poster

If you have any questions concerning any of these options please contact CCIS representative Jouhayna El Chamy at 403-290-5750 or jelchamy@ccisab.ca 
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The Consecration of Russia & Ukraine

3/24/2022

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DOWNLOAD BOOKLET
The Consecration will be livestreamed on Friday, March 25 at 9:45 am. ​Watch live on Youtube | Facebook

If you plan to come in person, please arrive by 9:45 am. 
Bishop McGrattan joins the Holy Father in the Act of Consecration of Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary at St. Mary's Cathedral on Friday, March 25. 
  • Prayer starts at 9:50 am. Act of Consecration at 10 am (5 pm Rome time). 
  • Mass in the Cathedral: 7:30 am & 5:00 pm
  • Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament: 8:00 am to 4:30 pm
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A penitential season of transformation

3/21/2022

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The Season of Lent began three weeks ago at Ash Wednesday when we received the ashes visibly marking us with the sign of repentance and of eternal life.

Lent is a season that invites us to reflect on the transformational change needed in our lives in anticipation of celebrating the new life in Christ at Easter. This Season often coincides with Spring – a season filled with the natural signs of rebirth, new beginnings, and new growth.  And in the Third week of Lent this year, we do in fact mark the first day of Spring. 

Lent provides the opportunity to grow deeper spiritually by engaging in the practices of fasting, almsgiving, and more frequent prayer from Ash Wednesday through Easter Sunday. These penitential days of Lent can truly help us to experience a spiritual transformation and thus to celebrate more fully the Easter Season.

This year the season of Lent is also offering us many moments and world events that invite a pause in the usual routines of living. The pandemic has taken a toll on people. Some have lost family members and friends during the pandemic and often those deaths were compounded painfully by isolation from one another. Some have lost employment or experienced a reduction in work hours. Others have suffered mental health issues as the health precautions imposed an isolation that impacted the provision of supportive mental health care services. Children were unable to attend school at times or they studied at home away from their friends. The list of impacts goes on. 

And then, as things slowly began to return to normal pre-pandemic practices, Russia attacked Ukraine and the world watched in horror the images of innocent people caught in the middle of this violent conflict. It has been shocking and tragic to see the suffering of the people in Ukraine as their homes are bombed and more recently the hospitals and shelters that are being targeted and destroyed.

The world is seeing a tragic injustice unfold that is causing deep suffering, a suffering that we can carry in our prayers asking for God’s strength and comfort.  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC)) denounces the destruction which is inflicted by war:
Every act of war directed to the indiscriminate destruction of whole cities or vast areas with their inhabitants is a crime against God and man, which merits firm and unequivocal condemnation. A danger of modern warfare is that it provides the opportunity to those who possess modern scientific weapons especially atomic, biological, or chemical weapons - to commit such crimes.” CCC 2314
The condemnation of Russia’s aggressive indiscriminate choice of warfare has been resolutely opposed by the countries of the world and is only matched by the bravery of the Ukrainian men and women fighting to defend their freedom and homeland. What outstanding examples of personal fortitude and perseverance!  

In the midst of this destruction and human suffering, there are witnesses to the faith who are reaching out to alleviate one another’s anguish. Mothers in Poland left strollers at a train station for those mothers arriving with children from Ukraine, a volunteer at the Polish border gave children candy and toys, Romanian volunteers gave flowers to women arriving from Ukraine on International Women’s Day, a person played the piano at the border crossing, people in Berlin greeted a train arriving from Ukraine with signs indicating how many people they could welcome with accommodation, etc.  A father and eldest son saying farewell to the mother and three other children in the family were asked by a reporter if they thought that the family would be reunited soon.  The eldest son replied quickly and without hesitation, “Everything will be alright.”

While the troubles of the world are many and they are very serious, these examples of human kindness and strength give inspiring witness to the faith and goodness of people. We join in this witness through donations to Ukraine, in supporting relief efforts, welcoming those displaced by the war to resettle in Canada and with our prayers.
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On the Solemnity of the Annunciation of the Lord (Friday, March 25), Pope Francis will consecrate Russia and Ukraine to the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  His Holiness has invited Bishops around the world to join in this Act of Consecration. In solidarity with our Holy Father and in union with my brother bishops I will offer this Act of Consecration on behalf of the Diocese at St. Mary's Cathedral. A Novena Prayer is also being prayed in the nine days preceding the Solemnity and I invite you to join in the Novena Prayer and the Act of Consecration. This spiritual engagement is as important and needed as the relief efforts. The act of humbly seeking God’s mercy and grace in prayer this Lent can further the dialogue of peace. Such acts of penance can be transformational for us and the world.   
Because of the evils and injustices that all war brings with it, we must do everything reasonably possible to avoid it. The Church prays: "From famine, pestilence, and war, O Lord, deliver us." CCC 2327
​Let us continue to pray for peace. From famine, pestilence, and war, O Lord, deliver us.

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The Ukrainian Catholic leaders have prepared a Novena and invited all Catholic faithful from around the world to join them in prayer. We invite the faithful of the Diocese and all people of goodwill to participate in the Novena prayer above.
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Written by Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary
​
​March 21, 2022
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Faithful Living: Peace in the world

3/15/2022

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Little things we can offer for peace in the world...

1. Pray
  • Offer constant prayers throughout the day for peace not only in the world but also for our own surroundings. Take a moment and pray for peace using this video.
  • Go to Mass daily.
  • Offer the Holy Rosary daily for peace and conversion.

2. Offer penances
  • Love is expressed by gestures and not just words. Offering penance for others is offering concrete prayers to God for others. It begins with our conscious acceptance of ordinary incoveniences and discomforts,,, accepting the daily crosses. When we are aware of these daily challenges, pause, recognize the sacrifice, and offer them to God for peace in our world. Instead of kicking and screaming and perhaps whining and complaining, endure the incoveniences and turn these moments of sacrifice into prayer.
  • Another way of offering penance is by actively doing something good for others that we do not normally do for them and secretly offer this loving gesture as a sacrifice to God for peace in our world.

3. Watch or read the news and pray for the people you see & hear about
  • Doing this reminds us that they are all human beings like you and me, and in need of prayer. 
  • While it may be tempting to not pray for those who do evil and only pray for the victims, they need our prayers too. We must pray for the grace of conversion that their hearts may be softened. After all, we are all human beings in need of God's grace.

Consider this... 
St. Paul says, "I am now rejoicing in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh I am completing what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church." ~ Colossians 1:24

We all share in the sufferings of Christ and have a part in His crucifixion. As we consciously unite ourselves to His suffering and the suffering of others, we also unite ourselves to the gift of the resurrection and new life.

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Pray for Ukraine

3/14/2022

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#PrayforUkraine
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​We encourage you and all people of good will to pray for the imminent restoration of peace, dialogue, and human fraternity in Ukraine, in solidarity with the Head of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, in unison with Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, with the people of Ukraine as well as with Canadians of Ukrainian origin and descent. 

  • CCCB Statement on the Russian Invasion of Ukraine (Feb 24) EN | FR
  • Major Archbishop Shevchuk (Major Archbishop of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church) is calling for international solidarity with Ukraine  (Feb 22)
 
Prayer for Ukraine

​God of реасе and justice,
we pray for the реорІе of Ukraine today.
We pray for реасе and the laying down of weapons.
We pray for аІІ those who fear for tomorrow,
that your Spirit of comfort would draw near to them.
We pray for those with power over war or реасе,
for wisdom, discernment and compassion to guide their decisions.
Above аІІ, we pray for аІІ your precious children, at-risk and in fear,
that you would hold and protect them.
We pray in the name of Jesus, the Prince of Реасе.
Amen.

  • A Litany for Ukraine
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Mikhail Vrubel. The Virgin and Child. 1884-85. Zinc panel. Church of St. Cyril, Kiev, Ukraine.

To support Ukraine beyond prayers 

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  • Donate through CNEWA
  • Donate through Development and Peace, Caritas Ukraine

Day of Prayer and Fasting for Ukraine

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Pope Francis announced that Ash Wednesday (March 2) will be a Day of Prayer and Fasting for Ukraine. "I encourage believers in a special way to dedicate themselves intensely to prayer and fasting on that day. May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war,” he said. Read more 
  • Prayer is the real revolution that changes the world because it changes hearts. We have few resources against war, without bearing direct responsibility for them, the devil foments them with hatred, cunning, wickedness. This kind of demon, Jesus says, “never comes out except by prayer and fasting.” (S. Centofanti, Vatican News). 
  • “As believers, we do not lose hope for a glimmer of conscience on the part of those who hold in their hands the fortunes of the world. And we continue to pray and fast — as we shall do this coming Ash Wednesday (March 2) — for peace in Ukraine and in the entire world. (Cardinal Pietro Parolin for Vatican News)” – Full message here
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Faithfully remembered

11/7/2019

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Fr. Michael Storey knows he might not be able to attend a formal Remembrance Day service this November 11. As a hospital chaplain in the Diocese of Calgary, the Catholic priest could find himself beside a hospital bed when other Calgarians pause in reverent silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. But make no mistake. While Fr. Storey may not be able to hear the dying notes of the Last Post, he will feel the lament in his heart. And he will remember. November 11, for this priest, is a matter of country, family and faith.

Fr. Storey’s dad and brother served the Canadian navy in the Second World War. During the same conflict, where 42,000 Canadians died and another 55,000 were wounded, his uncles were soldiers in the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF). 

Having grown up in a family that sacrificed so much for so many, Fr. Storey admits it wasn’t difficult to step up when a friend and Calgary-based reservist mentioned the need for a military chaplain in Calgary. “I realized that military personnel needed spiritual support. I was also working at St. James parish, so it was easy for me to go back and forth between the parish and Currie Barracks.” Fr. Storey served that role in Calgary from 1987 to 1999.
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Fr. Sajo Jacob, parish priest at Mother Teresa Syro Malabar Church in Calgary, assumed the military chaplaincy about two years ago. He was introduced to the ministry by students he met while serving as the campus chaplain at SAIT and Mount Royal University, a role he held from 2009 to 2019. Some of the students he met there joined the military and invited Fr. Jacob to bring his ministry there. Two years into the role, he’s grateful for the chance to serve military personnel, many of them young people, as they encounter the challenges of military service in defense of the country. “They are often away from their homes, they face personal crisis, they sacrifice for the country and people, and I felt a calling that I will be able to help them.”

A ministry of presence
Unlike more typical priestly ministries which focus on bringing sacraments to the faithful, military chaplaincy is a “ministry of presence.” As a chaplain, Fr. Storey met military personnel at formal events. He also dropped by places like a military rifle range if he knew soldiers and reservists were there to practise. “You do what you can to remind them that you are there if they need you,” he explains.
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His formal role also included being one of two uniformed military officers who made next-of-kin calls to the families of military personnel who died in service to their country. “I was on three of those calls during my 12 years in the service. It was humbling,” he recalls.

The chaplain’s role is akin to “being a guide and mentor,” adds Fr. Jacob. “Sometimes you become a point of contact at a time of crisis and challenges. It is a vocation where you journey with people and you become God’s instrument to share peace and love.”

Whereas parish priests serve Catholic congregations, campus and military chaplains work in secular and interfaith spaces. “Chaplains are there for everyone and we guide and support whoever seeks help, regardless of religion, or orientation,” explains Fr. Jacob. His faithful presence in personal crises has included talking to people contemplating suicide. 

There is no question that military chaplains witness Christ for others, adds Fr. Storey. He remembers being touched by the words of a former altar boy who attended an event to commemorate the priest’s 40th anniversary in the priesthood. “He told me, ‘I was so proud of my parish priest when I saw him in his uniform,’ That meant a lot to me.”

He and Fr. Jacob both view military chaplaincy as service to their nation. “It is my role in the nation-building process,” explains Fr. Jacob, himself an immigrant from India. In addition to serving military personnel as a spiritual guide and mentor, Fr. Jacob helps organize religious services and advises commanding officers in matters of religious accommodations and spiritual and ethical issues. 

This Remembrance Day, Fr. Jacob will officiate at a November 11 ceremony. He says the events do more than remember fallen soldiers and veterans, they also inspire young Canadians in their message of service. 

Written by Joy Gregory for Faithfully
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Lasting lessons from the war

11/7/2019

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Students at Bishop Carroll High School in Calgary, Alberta know that their Remembrance Day ceremony is not something to miss.

"I remember it being very moving. I felt really connected with some of the past soldiers, and like we really honoured them with our liturgy," says Paxton Cote, a 17-year-old football player at the school. " It is just such a sad thing, and so, we need to remember what happened."

Students at the high school play an active role in composing the Remembrance Day ceremony, due to a connection they have with previous graduates serving in the Canadian Armed Forces. The ceremony is opened by the cadet lead Flag Party, a prayer, and followed by respectful music by the school's band, choir and string ensemble.

Graduate and former Bishop Carroll football player Corporal Nathan Hornburg lost his life serving in Afghanistan at the age of 24 in September 2007. Every year following 2007, football players from the school have played a part in the Remembrance Day ceremony, acting as Masters of Ceremonies for the event. 

"We lost one of our own," says Barb Waddell, the school chaplain and organizer of the ceremony."Both our Remembrance Day celebration and the participation of our football players have come from that." 

Every year, students hear personal stories that connect them with what Canadians remember on Remembrance Day. Previous speakers included several members of Canada's Armed Forces, as well as Corporal Hornburg's mother and Veteran Mark Fuchko. Fuchko, also a graduate and former football player of the high school, was serving in Afghanistan mere months after Corporal Hornburg when he lost both his legs in an explosion. 
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Photos courtesy of Bishop Carroll High School, Calgary
Riley Isaacs, a 17-year-old football player at the school said, "Hearing from somebody who has served in the Canadian Military, really opens your eyes to how much of a sacrifice they made for the rest of us."

Students from the school continue to share a connection with the veterans beyond Remembrance Day. Corporal Hornburg's number has been retired from the team, and every year a student is awarded the Corporal Nathan Hornburg Award. Fuchko has also inspired the football team to wear "Remember Our Troops" stickers on all their helmets.  

"It makes you feel inspired to love and support those who have fought for our country, in order to represent the ideals we support--that every human deserves," said student Ben Beaudry, 17, "It's just inspiring." 

In preparation for this Remembrance Day, students at Bishop Carroll have come together to collect non-perishable food items for the Veteran's Association Food Bank. 

Written by Katherine Szojka, a recent graduate of St Gabriel High School, and is currently living in Calgary, Alberta. ​
Vertical Divider
  • Read Veteran Mark Fuchko’s story here
  • Find Corporal Nathan Hornburg’s memorial here​
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Caring for our neighbours

10/2/2019

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Christians living in the Holy Land and the Middle East are a minority group who often face persecution. “They are small in number and they are being forced out of their homes due to war and violence,” said Melodie Gabriel, development officer for the Catholic Near East Welfare Association Canadian bureau. 

Pope Pius XI founded CNEWA in 1926 to aid Christians in the Middle East, Northeast Africa, India and Eastern Europe and it continues today under the leadership of Pope Francis. 

Since 2003 more than 2.5 million Christians have been displaced. According to CNEWA Christians represent 2 percent of the population in the Holy Land, numbering 175,000 in Israel and 50,000 in Palestine. In Syria, before the Arab Spring, Christians numbered 2 million or 10 percent of the population, that number has been cut in half. There are only 250,000 Christians left in Iraq, making up 1 percent of the population.  
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Photo: CNEWA
Many are internally displaced or flee to neighbouring countries such as Lebanon and Jordan. Some, Syrians in particular, have settled in parts of Canada, including Calgary, but for those who stay or have gone back, their homes are often destroyed and require a lot of rebuilding.  “Sometimes people don’t feel safe moving back to their town,” said Gabriel. “There have been cases of kidnapping, harrassment, discrimination. There have been times that they’ve been killed because of their faith.”
 
Due to difficulties crossing check points, Palestinian Christians aren’t always granted a pass to attend Easter Mass in Jerusalem.  “The locals can’t experience Easter there, but the tourists have no problem,” said Gabriel. 

She organizes pilgrimages with CNEWA to the Holy Land for those wanting both a spiritual experience and a snapshot into the life of local Christians. The next one is being planned for 2020. “The Christians are always very grateful when we come and visit them. They feel supported,” said Gabriel. 

In August, Gabriel spoke at the national Catholic Women’s League (CWL) Convention held in Calgary because CNEWA is one of the charities CWL supports at the national level. Two of the projects CWL funds are a centre in Jerusalem that provides tutoring for at-risk youth and a centre near Bethlehem providing healthcare for women and their babies. 

National CWL President Anne-Marie Gorman went on a pilgrimage to the Holy Land and met some of the local Christians, including entrepreneurs who left to seek education in the United States, but returned to open a brewery.  “Things seem to be so unstable, so I’m thinking if they have enough faith to go home and settle back in the Palestinian occupied territory, it behooves us to support them as best we can,” said Gorman. 

“Our past spiritual adviser Bishop Martin Currie said the Holy Land is in danger of becoming like Disneyland, just a tourist site that people go see what it used to be like. But when I was there, it was all about these people being living stones. These are the people that haven’t left.” 

St. Bonaventure parishioner Kathleen Kufeldt is one of many Calgarian donors who financially support CNEWA. For several years she has organized a raffle at her parish for CNEWA during the annual CWL fundraiser.  “I think we are so blessed here to practice our faith. My heart goes out to the Christians in the Middle East,” said Kufeldt.

​“I feel it must be one of Jesus’s wounds that the area where He was born and grew up is so difficult for His followers.” 

Written by Sara Francis for Faithfully
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Canadian Catholic women pass resolutions that show care for everyone

8/23/2019

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Nearly 900 Catholic Women’s League (CWL) members from across Canada gathered at the Hyatt Hotel in Calgary Aug. 18-21 for the 99th Annual National Convention. 

Each year members debate and vote on resolutions, forming League policy and guiding their advocacy work. The CWL members passed two resolutions concerning the rights of the unborn and a nuclear arms ban. 

The first resolution to pass was — Canada to Honour its Commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child. Canada ratified this United Nations agreement to protect the unborn 20 years ago, yet there is still no Canadian legislation protecting the unborn at any stage of development. 

“When you sign something and ratify it, you’d expect some legislation to appear,” said CWL President Anne-Marie Gorman. “What we are looking for is legislation. You said you were going to do it, so why hasn’t someone done it. We’ll be asking that question.”  

The second resolution to pass asks the Canadian Government to honour the United Nations Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons. CWL wants the federal government to support, sign and ratify this treaty which the UN adopted in July 2017; so far 25 countries have ratified it.  

Once members adopt a resolution an executive committee prepares to bring the concerns to federal politicians in Ottawa on behalf of all 78,000 members in the coming months. 

Each convention also has a spiritual, educational and cultural component. Four Calgarians spoke on this year’s theme “Care For Our Common Home.” Dr. Peter Baltutis, Dr. Timothy Harvie, Sr. Madeleine Gregg and Marilou LeGeyt unpacked the topic from both theological and practical perspectives.  
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Sr. Dorothy Ederer, Keynote Speaker
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Dr. Peter Baltutis, CWL Chair for Catholic Studies
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99th National WCL Convention Attendees
Dressed in a white sweater jacket and matching pearl earrings Sr. Dorothy Ederer, a Grand Rapids Dominican Sister from Michigan, delivered a high-energy, entertaining and emotional keynote address titled “What is our common home? We care for our homeland, our homes, our hearts.” 

“Everyone take out your phones,” said Ederer. “What would God be calling to tell you if He were on the other line?”

Ederer proceeded to tell her captivated audience for the next two hours how each person is called to be Christ-like and loving toward their neighbour using a series of personal stories from her time in ministry and mission, interspersed with inspirational songs and tidbits of wisdom. She highlighted topics such as daily prayer, finding your passion and reconciliation.  

“What kinds of values do we want to leave to our children or those coming after us?” asked Ederer. 

She used the phrase “more is caught than taught” to highlight how her mother would keep a holy hour each morning before getting on with her day. “Kids imitate us,” she said. 

“Find your passion, live it, but don’t compromise your morals and values,” she said. 

She urged the Church to be a place where people are loved and forgiven. 

“To forgive yourself is one of the hardest things we have to do as Christians,” she said. “If you hold anger in your heart it’s destroying you. It’s like taking a glass of poison and pouring it down your throat.”   

Her last message was one of hope and love. “I want to tell you how loved you are.” 

Conventions are an opportunity for renewal and Gorman said she hopes all CWL members will take what they’ve learned and share it with their communities. 

​“I hope they leave appreciating who they are and that God loves them,” said Gorman. 

Written by Sara Francis for the Diocese of Calgary
Photos courtesy of Annie Chirka, St. Peter's Calgary 
See more photos here: https://st-peters.ca/cwl/ ​
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Pray for Sri Lanka

4/23/2019

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We are praying for the victims of the explosions in three churches and three hotels over the Easter weekend in Colombo, Sri Lanka. Pope Francis issued an appeal for peace in Sri Lanka in his Easter message: "I wish to manifest my affectionate closeness to the Christian community there, hit while they were gathered in prayer, and to the victims of such cruel violence. I entrust to the Lord all those who have tragically died, and I pray for the injured who are suffering because of this dramatic event.” 

As an expression of our solidarity with the victims of the Sri Lanka bombing, to those who are injured and those who died, their families, and the community of Sri Lankans, let us pray:
  • We pray for the victims of the violent attacks in Colombo, Sri Lanka. For those who lost their lives, may they find eternal peace in the arms of our heavenly Father. For those injured, those who lost their loved ones, or lost their sense of security, may they draw strength and peace from their faith in the risen Lord as they work to rebuild their lives. Help them to remain faithful, knowing that nothing can separate them from Your love. 
  • For our world, that people and nations may work toward achieving lasting peace and harmony, and healing divisions caused by religious or ideological beliefs, and political differences. 
Letters
  • Joint Statement by CCCB and the Canadian Council of Imams Condemning the Terrorist Attacks in Sri Lanka. Read here
  • Letter to Bishop of Badulla from CCCB. Read here
  • Statement from Canadian Council of Imams regarding the Sri Lanka Attack. Read here

Message from CIC
The Calgary Interfaith Council strongly condemns the cowardly and inhumane terrorist attack against Christians, foreign tourists, and the people of Sri Lanka that took the lives of 300 innocent men, women, and children.  The attack was particular heinous in that it took place in sacred spaces on a religious holiday.  Such contempt for religious freedom undermines any semblance of humanity on the part of the terrorists who cannot hide behind the veil of any religious tradition for their legitimacy.  We offer prayers of condolence and our resources to enable the victims of this terrorism to mourn their losses and restore themselves in dignity and compassion.

Picture
Fr. Adrian Martens said a prayer for victims of the Sri Lanka bombings (CIC Memorial Vigil, April 23, 2019 at the City Hall, Calgary)
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