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“I am with you always.” (Matthew 28:20) Christ’s words at the time of his Ascension serve as this year’s theme for National Family and Life Week 2026, which begins on Sunday, May 10, and concludes on Sunday, May 17. Families, parishes and parish groups, ecclesial movements and associations, as well as Catholic schools, are encouraged to take time this week to celebrate their own families, express gratitude, offer forgiveness, or share meaningful moments with loved ones across generations. This week is an opportunity to uphold the value of life and to live out our calling to love one another within our homes, communities, and the world. May Christ’s enduring presence bring us consolation, hope and renewal, as we journey with him in prayer and through the Sacraments, in the knowledge that we are never truly alone. God is with us always “to the end of the age.”
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 At its heart, the recent newsletter from the Apostolate of Eucharistic Adoration carries one clear message: Eucharistic Adoration changes parishes. March, devoted to St. Joseph, the Passion of Our Lord, and the institution of the Eucharist, is a fitting time to return to the heart of our faith: Jesus truly present in the Blessed Sacrament. The Church has long taught that worship of the Eucharist outside of Mass is not secondary or optional. As St. John Paul II wrote in Ecclesia de Eucharistia: The worship of the Eucharist outside of the Mass is of inestimable value for the life of the Church. … It is the responsibility of pastors [parish priests] to encourage, also by their personal witness, the practice of Eucharistic adoration, and exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in particular, as well as prayer of adoration before Christ present under the Eucharistic species” (St. Pope John Paul II, Ecclesia de Eucharistia, No. 25). Likewise, Redemptionis Sacramentum urges that Eucharistic adoration be diligently fostered “with the participation of the people.” The message is simple and direct: if we desire renewal in our parishes, we return to the Lord in the Eucharist.
What we are seeing in our Diocese Last year, parishes across the Diocese of Calgary took up that invitation in a concrete way through the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations. At St. Mary’s Cathedral and in parishes throughout the diocese, the Blessed Sacrament was exposed for extended hours. Parishioners signed up for time slots, many of whom returned more than once. Some came late at night. Others brought their children. Students in Catholic schools also participated, adding dozens of hours of adoration across chapels and classrooms. At Holy Spirit Parish in Calgary, 378 adorers were formally registered, with participation likely exceeding 500. Many described the experience as calm, peaceful, and holy. One recurring question that surfaced afterward was: When can we do this again? The numbers matter less than what they represent: a hunger to remain with the Lord.
The Heart of Adoration St. Teresa of Calcutta expressed it plainly: The time you spend with Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament is the best time that you will spend on earth.” ~1996 address at the Eucharistic Congress in Calcutta. Her words echo what many in our own diocese have experienced: silence before the Lord brings clarity, strength, and peace. It deepens love for Jesus and, from there, love for one another. Pope Benedict XVI, in Sacramentum Caritatis (§66), highlights its intrinsic link to the Mass: "In the Eucharist, the Son of God comes to meet us and desires to become one with us; eucharistic adoration is simply the natural consequence of the eucharistic celebration, which is itself the Church's supreme act of adoration... The act of adoration outside Mass prolongs and intensifies all that takes place during the liturgical celebration itself." Why Adoration Matters The newsletter cites a striking statistic: 70 percent of seminarians come from parishes with Eucharistic Adoration. While statistics never tell the whole story, they suggest something profound: where Christ is adored, vocations flourish. Adoration draws us into sustained contact with the Real Presence of Jesus Christ, Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity. It strengthens faith in the Eucharist. It deepens reverence for Holy Communion. It fosters repentance, intercession, and reparation.
40 Hours Devotion for Vocation
In our own Diocese, the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations revealed a real hunger for time before the Lord. Parishes reported strong participation, including overnight hours. Students, families, and seniors alike came to pray. Adoration is not an extra devotion. It is a wellspring of renewal for the Church. And it begins with one hour. Where to find Adoration hours?
First Friday adoration of the Blessed Sacrament is a treasured devotion in many parishes. As it is a particularly good opportunity to pray for vocations to the Consecrated Life, the Assembly of Women Religious joined with Our Lady Queen of Peace parish on Friday, February 6, to pray all day together for this blessing for our Diocese. This helped sustain our prayer for vocations during the week for Consecrated Life, which began with the celebration of the Mass at the Cathedral on February 2. Adoration for vocations is one of the ways that we participate in the renewal of our Diocese. By practicing the faith through this devotion and begging the Lord of the harvest for labourers for His harvest, we are witnessing to Christ by our prayers and inviting others to know Christ and engage in our Catholic sacramental life through the intimacy of silent adoration of the Lord. In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to pray for vocations: “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into His harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38). Pope St. John Paul II said: “The entire People of God is responsible for promoting vocations and does so chiefly by persistent and humble prayer for vocations” (Ecclesia in America, n. 40). Thank you to the priests, Dominican Sisters, and many parishioners of Our Lady Queen of Peace parish who came to pray. Thank you to the dedicated Religious Sisters not of the parish who spent time before the Blessed Sacrament for this intention of vocations. They represented the Faithful Companions of Jesus, the Providence Sisters, the Gilbertines, and the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth. The Precious Blood Sisters told us that they would join us in prayer from their own monastery chapel. A special thank you to Lee Boyle who helped with welcoming everyone and stayed to pray almost the entire day. May the Lord hear our prayer and send us many young men and women to join the Consecrated Life in our Diocese.
 Written by Sister Dianne Turner, OSE. Photos courtesy of Sister Dianne.
 In December 2024, my husband Don was diagnosed with terminal cancer. His prognosis was “a few months to a few years”. I was determined that he should remain at home as long as possible, but it was a grim Christmas marked by draconian changes to our routines. Somewhere in my fog of anxiety and exhaustion, I registered the start of the Jubilee Year of Hope. I decided then and there that I could either sink into despair or cling to hope. I actually did both, embracing both sorrow and consolation, like the pilgrims on the Jubilee logo who clutch a cross while dragging an anchor. 2025 became a year of unexpected spiritual growth. I discovered there are dozens of people in similar circumstances to ours - adrift following some drastic event, trying to adapt whilst grieving. This is my story, but it is also our story, all of us pilgrims of hope, still journeying beyond the end of the Jubilee Year. Weary time for God Before Don’s illness, I never seemed to have time to rest quietly with God. My prayers would be hasty thanks and distracted petitions. Now, having dropped all extraneous commitments, there was time to sit down, whilst Don was sleeping. Unfortunately, my brain felt too numb to pray, so I just listened to the quiet house or the sounds of wind filtering in from outside. I allowed the Holy Spirit to communicate for me “with sighs too deep for words”. Into this silence peace would creep. I became aware of God’s nearness. Those moments of connection, however fleeting, refreshed me. I realized I was being sustained by my Creator. Jesus suffered too For every peaceful interlude, there seemed to be ten when I felt guilty or resentful. But God was there too. Once when seething about perceived ingratitude, I recalled the story of nine lepers racing away from Jesus without a word of thanks. I understood there was nothing I might feel which Jesus hadn’t also felt. Jesus being fully human finally resonated with me. Unexpected blessings In normal life, there are blessings like health and wealth. Blessings don’t disappear in troubled times but they do hide in hard-to-find places. For example, intimate caregiving can be unglamorous and embarrassing. But it can also be like cracking open a geode to find gemstones within. Something about vulnerability stirs the human heart to compassion, it bonds the carer and the cared-for together more tightly. Love continues to grow in sickness as in health. A different future A calamity can crystallize our life goals. When Don became too unsteady to leave the house, all my plans for the future dissolved. The pain of lost dreams was acute, the suffocation of self-pity even worse. But once I was done wallowing, I realized the smallness of my dreams. I had not thought beyond the grave to the eternity we are all offered. On days when I couldn’t quite see Heaven, I could least believe in things unseen. A year later, Don is still around (thank you, God), but new challenges arise every week. I am tired but grateful for small mercies and for the support networks we have. I have learned that extreme circumstances are paradoxical - I am angry but also accepting, worried but optimistic. I fear, but I continue to hope. Written by Alice Matisz (All Saints, Lethbridge) for Faithfully.
On Wednesday, Nov 19, 2025, Catholics around the world will mark Red Wednesday, a day to remember Christians who suffer for their faith and to stand publicly for religious freedom, a basic human right often taken for granted.
 Seeking the quietness in the day, in the midst of your usual routines, The Seven Sisters Apostolate is a Eucharistic Association of women who feel called to strengthen the church by ensuring that a Holy Hour is prayed each day of the week throughout the year for the sole intentions of a specific priest in their Parish. The Anchoress of our Apostolate is charged with assigning each sister one Holy Hour to pray alone before the Blessed Sacrament for a pastor chosen for us. Although we pray alone, we gather once a year, close to the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, to celebrate with our pastors and sisters and to renew our commitment to the Apostolate. On June 28 this year, the Apostolate at St. Luke’s Parish held our third annual Potluck Lunch at the church. Our Pastors, Fr. Fernando Genogaling, Fr. Derek Remus, and Fr. Barnabas Esegine, joined us and offered thanks for our prayers for their intentions. We were grateful for the opportunity to “break bread” together, and judging by the volume of chatter in the room, it was clear that our pastors and all of the sisters of the Apostolate enjoyed each other’s company. To date, the Seven Sisters Apostolate at St. Luke’s Parish has 42 sisters who pray every week for the priests who shepherd us and for Bishop Rev. William McGrattan. Although our commitment to pray for our pastors is for one year, the members of the apostolate may choose to recommit for a further year, as many of our sisters have done.
History of the Seven Sisters Apostolate This Apostolate was started in St. Paul, Minnesota, in 2011 by Jeanette Howe and Fr. Joseph Johnson. Through their prayers and advocacy, the Apostolate has grown from a group of seven women to over 2600 groups on six continents, in 50 States in the USA, and in almost all of the Provinces of Canada. If your Parish is interested in this ministry and would like more information about the Seven Sisters Apostolate, please visit sevensistersapostolate.org We thank our anchoress, who belongs to the Seat of Wisdom presidium of the Legion of Mary, and as part of her Spiritual Works of Mercy, is committed to starting this Apostolate at our Parish. We are grateful for her leadership and the opportunity to be part of a powerful prayer group whose commitment to prayer for the pastors of our Parish has enriched our own lives. Written by D. Gibson, member of St. Luke’s Parish in Calgary.
Photos courtesy of Victor Panlilio, and The Sisters of the Apostolate who pray for the Parish priests and our Bishop.  On September 15, the Church reflects on Mary’s faith and perseverance as she shared in her Son's suffering at the Cross. Devotion to Our Lady of Sorrows began in the Middle Ages, centred on her Seven Sorrows. The feast was extended to the whole Church and fixed on Sep 15 by Pope Pius X. The Memorial of Our Lady of Sorrow invites us to draw strength from her example and to trust in God even in times of sorrow. Prayer to Our Lady of SorrowsO most holy Virgin, Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the overwhelming grief you experienced when you witnessed the martyrdom, the crucifixion, and death of your divine Son, look upon me with eyes of compassion, and awaken in my heart a tender commiseration for those sufferings, as well as a sincere detestation of my sins, in order that being disengaged from all undue affection for the passing joys of this earth, I may sigh after the eternal Jerusalem, and that henceforward all my thoughts and all my actions may be directed towards this one most desirable object. Honour, glory, and love to our divine Lord Jesus, and to the holy and immaculate Mother of God. Amen. (Prayer commonly attributed to St. Bonaventure). Meditations on the Seven Sorrows of Mary Opening: O God, come to my assistance. O Lord, make haste to help me. Glory be to the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen. Pray one Hail Mary while reflecting on each of the seven sorrows of Mary.
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 Human beings have been called homo prospectus, which loosely translates as the One Who Anticipates the Future. Beyond complex language and sophisticated technologies, what makes humans unique is our ability to anticipate what is to come, and we spend a lot of our lives thinking about and planning for the future. My thoughts often drift towards driving back to Michigan next summer, or retirement, or watching my son land his first solo flight. But our ability to anticipate the future is limited because our lives are not as stable as they seem. Aldous Huxley once said, “the only thing we can say for certain about the future is that we are totally incapable of foreseeing it accurately,” and this limited ability to predict the future is visible in the Parable of the Rich Fool who stores up grain so that he can “take life easy; eat, drink, and be merry” (cf. Luke 12:19). “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you.” ~Luke 12:20 The Rich Fool is spending his energy on a future he won’t have. I don’t know the state of the souls of some of my favourite artists – such as Otis Redding (dead at 26 in a plane crash), Albert Camus (dead at 52 in a car crash), and John Candy (dead at 43 of a heart attack) – but I wonder if they were all thinking more or less the same thing as the Rich Fool. They had achieved worldly success and were likely planning to enjoy the fruits of their labour. But nothing is more certain than death, and nothing more uncertain than the hour. The same goes for me. I might not live long enough to enjoy retirement, meaning that I also spend a lot of time working toward a future I might not have. This realization could easily lead to a You-Only-Live-Once-focused hedonism, which would compound the foolishness of waiting to be happy until we’ve achieved a material milestone. God asks the Rich Fool, “Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ Gaudium et Spes provides the answer that “everyone must consider his every neighbour without exception as another self.” Whoever is not giving their riches to God (through their neighbour) is missing the point and failing to anticipate what comes after.
A Jewish philosopher, an Austrian farmer, and a Japanese doctor provide three examples of people who were not storing things up for themselves. They were people who rejected the prospect of taking things easy and were instead rich toward God. Some argue that the Christian belief in an afterlife discounts this world, but the examples above show that nothing could be further from the truth. These saints committed to this world precisely because they anticipated the eternal future of their souls.
Written by Jason Openo for Faithfully.
 Have you ever wondered what it would be like to talk to someone about your personal relationship with God, without judgment, advice, or pressure? This fall, the FCJ Christian Life Centre is inviting individuals to receive eight months of free spiritual direction as part of their Spiritual Direction Training Program (SDTP).
The offer is simple but meaningful: from October 2025 to May 2026, participants in the SDTP practicum are looking to accompany individuals in monthly one-on-one sessions. These student directors have completed their first year of formation and are now entering their practicum under the close supervision of experienced team leaders. Spiritual direction is a quiet, prayerful space to reflect on how God is moving in your life. It’s not about being “more holy” or doing more; it’s about becoming more aware of how God is already present and active in your everyday journey. There is no cost for the sessions, which will be offered in person at the FCJ Centre. If you’re interested, please visit www.fcjcentre.ca or reach out to Sr. Ann Marie Walsh, FCJ by July 31, 2025: 403-228-4215 or email [email protected].  A hundred people, young and old, snaked their way along the sidewalk of a busy Lethbridge street on June 22, 2025. Some were singing, some praying, some simply walking in silence. They drew curious stares and the occasional honk of support. When the group reached an intersection, marshals in reflective vests scurried around the perimeter to hasten the crossing. The traffic signal changed and a young man in a pickup truck leaned on his horn. A marshal waved to him. “God bless you,” she called. Nonplused, the driver waited more patiently, craning his neck to look at the golden, sunburst vessel being carried on a pedestal. In previous years, similar encounters led to people pulling over or walking up to ask what was happening. They were told it’s a centuries-old Catholic tradition - a Corpus Christi procession. During a Corpus Christi procession the Eucharist is carried in a monstrance along an outdoor route, accompanied by parishioners. Often the route winds around a church but at All Saints Parish in Lethbridge, two simultaneous processions embark from St. Basil’s Church in the north and Our Lady of Assumption Church in the south. They meet in the middle at Catholic Central High School where Benediction takes place, followed by a communal meal. The reasons for the procession are equally wide-ranging.
 Fr. Kevin Tumback, Pastor of All Saints says, “The Corpus Christi procession reminds all of us of our calling to, not just take Jesus to the world, but to be ‘another Christ’ in the world. As we walk along we bear witness to that which we profess to believe in, that Jesus is truly present in the Eucharist.” Procession coordinator, Julie Rose says, “It’s important to express our faith in public, as Catholics we don’t do it enough.” Volunteer Shelley Thom echoes that, “It’s a time now when people need faith. We can help show that faith and not be afraid to announce it.” All Saints began this tradition in 2010 instigated by Fr. Tim Boyle. According to founding facilitator, Ann Morgan, it was an initiative to unite three parishes which had recently been amalgamated into one. Back then, the two processions met downtown outside St. Patrick’s Church. Morgan (and her successor, Rose) gave some insight into the many components of the undertaking. Permission is required from the City and Holy Spirit School Division. A phlanx of altar servers, music leaders and liturgy coordinators are recruited. The latter assist with mid-procession prayer stops. In addition, Martin Brothers and Cornerstone Funeral Homes provide limousines to act as buffers between people and traffic, as well as ferrying participants back to their vehicles afterwards. St. Paul’s Elementary youth choir sings at Benediction, Catholic Central football players act as marshals and sometimes Knights of Columbus and Catholic Women’s League members attend in their regalia. Many other volunteers pray from their homes or assisted living facilities so that it becomes a truly inclusive event. Even seemingly unrelated businesses contribute, e.g. Hostess and Rays No Frills who provided food to supplement that made by volunteers.  Morgan said, “The involvement of so many parishioners, both as participants and volunteers, was a huge contribution to my personal spiritual growth.” She articulated what many others feel. Since the procession is essentially Adoration-in-Motion, it has the potential to deeply affect believers and their attitudes reflect this. Volunteer Helen Manzara mused, “There’s a reverence, though it’s different closer and further from the monstrance.” This sense of communion, with Jesus and with each other, has become the legacy of All Saints’ Corpus Christi processions. Written by Alice Matisz, All Saints Parish, Lethbridge. Photos courtesy of All Saints Parish.
 On Saturday, June 14, 2025, pastoral staff and lay ministers from across the Diocese gathered at the Martha Retreat Centre in Lethbridge for a day of reflection, renewal, and rest. Guided by Fr. Tim Boyle and supported by the Pastoral Ministry Office, the retreat offered sacred time to encounter God’s love more deeply, through prayer, beauty, silence, and sacramental insight. Below are reflections from participants who share how the day stirred their hearts and strengthened their calling to serve. Letting God Work Through Me: A Sacrament Coordinator’s Insight I attended the retreat at Martha Retreat Center in Lethbridge on June 14, 2025 organized by the Pastoral Ministry Office of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, and I find myself still inspired by what I experienced and learned. Guided by Fr. Tim Boyle, I was reminded of the profound depth of God’s love especially as it manifests in the Holy Trinity and the figure of Sophia, wisdom itself. As he reflected on these truths, I was struck by how central God's love is to everything we do in ministry. It made me realize that without this divine love, the sacraments, creation, and even our efforts in faith formation would lack their true purpose. Throughout the retreat, I became more aware that my role as a Sacrament Coordinator is not about hierarchy or titles, but about reflecting God's boundless love to those I serve. This shift in perspective was powerful for me. It challenged me to approach my ministry with humility and a renewed sense of selfless service rooted in divine benevolence. I felt a deep calling to see my work as an extension of God's love, as an act of sharing His goodness, patience, and compassion. The icon of the Transfiguration especially resonated with me. It reminds me that transformation is possible, not just for the figures in the Bible, but for myself as well. Seeing Jesus at the center of the icon inspires me to emulate His example, to become more Christ-like in my attitude, words, and actions. It encourages me to assess my strengths and weaknesses honestly; trusting that through God's grace, I can grow and improve in serving others. Most profoundly, I was reminded that true service is humble. It’s about echoing God's humility, serving others not for recognition, but out of love. This retreat has rekindled my passion to serve with renewed enthusiasm, knowing that my work is part of a larger divine story. I am encouraged to lead with love, to emulate Christ’s humility, and to allow God's transformative power to shape both my ministry and my life. This experience has deepened my understanding that Sacramental ministry is not just about tasks, but it's about creating space for God's love to work through me, bringing hope, healing, and transformation to those I am privileged to serve. Carlo Peregrina, Sacrament Coordinator Sacred Heart Parish, Calgary
For others on the retreat, the day brought a similar sense of grounding and grace. Cristiana from All Saints Parish in Lethbridge shared how the retreat met her in a moment of spiritual weariness. “I’m sincerely grateful for the day spent at Martha Retreat Centre, it was grace that quenched my thirst for Truth,” she wrote. Surrounded by a culture that pushes self-achievement and image, she said it was easy to slip into promoting a version of Catholicism that’s more about appearances than the cross. Yet the retreat pulled her back to the heart of the Gospel: “Instead of being a herald of a triumphant faith, I was reminded to be a witness to a Saviour who enters into our suffering to bring real life.” Mimi, from St. Mark’s Parish in Calgary, described the retreat as a much-needed chance to breathe and be still. “It was a blessing to be welcomed into a holy time and space,” she shared. She appreciated the rhythm of the day, especially Fr. Boyle’s gentle and creative approach. “His use of imagery and the contemplation of photographs coaxed the mind to expand its understanding, while the celebration of Holy Eucharist, followed by a period of meditation with the aid of an icon, encouraged the heart to open to the promptings of the Lord." Both Cristiana and Mimi expressed deep gratitude for the space to pause, pray, and be reminded of what really matters. “Thank you for setting the meeting time and space for this unforgettable encounter with the Lord,” Mimi added. As Cristiana put it, “What a magnificent God we have: only He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the humble!”   Our new Holy Father’s words in his first homily to the College of Cardinals contains much food for thought and prayer as we prepare for the great feast of Pentecost and develop our pastoral renewal plans. “We are called to bear witness to our joyful faith in Jesus, the Saviour. It is essential to do this first of all, in our personal relationship with the Lord, in our commitment to a daily journey of conversion, then to do so as a church experiencing together our fidelity to the Lord and bringing the good news to all. … Reflection:
Let us pray the Novena to the Holy Spirit with these actions in mind.
Join us during the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, an annual global ecumenical celebration from January 18 to 25, where Christians worldwide unite in prayer and reflection for the unity of all Christians. This year's theme, "Do you believe this?" (John 11:26), commemorates the 1,700th anniversary of the first Christian Ecumenical Council held in Nicaea, inviting us to deepen our shared faith. To download prayer resources, visit weekofprayer.ca
We invite you to participate in the following prayer services:
 Our small rural parish communities of St. Augustine’s in Taber and St. Joseph’s in Vauxhall recognized the great need to increase vocations. Often, our smaller communities are deeply affected by the shortage of priests, limiting opportunities for worship in the sacred liturgy, as our existing priests are stretched thin, often covering two or three parishes that may be as much as an hour apart. In response, we decided to take up the call to come together for 40 hours of adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, with special intentions for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. What initially seemed like a tall order for us to cover turned into a blessing as the call went out. We were overwhelmed by the response of our parishioners, some of whom took this opportunity for Adoration for the first time in a long while—or, for some, for the very first time. We began our adoration on November 25, 2024, at 3 am and concluded on November 26 with Benediction at 6:45 pm. This was followed by a Memorial Mass offered for the special intentions of all deceased members of the Knights of Columbus. A time of fellowship was shared by all following the Mass.
 Ascension Catholic Parish, Calgary Hope is only truly hope when the situation is hope-less, and the situation must have appeared hopeless to Joseph and Mary at times. We romanticize Christmas Eve in our beautiful nativity scenes, but Jesus was born amidst feces and fleas in the piercing cold. The manger had no warmth or security. Herod wanted them dead, and the Holy Family fled as homeless refugees to Egypt to escape the Massacre of the Innocents. For those families who watched their children murdered, the situation must have been hopeless indeed. The Diocesan Advent mission was thus aptly titled Renewed in Hope because we need courageous hope, not toxic positivity. The mission began with Brett Powell encouraging attendees to confront the brutal facts facing the Catholic Church in a post-Christian era. The harsh reality is this: despite wonderful programs and a golden era of freely available, high-quality Catholic content, Mass participation continues to decline. Even though we have well-run, publicly funded Catholic schools, nearly 80% of Catholic children leave the church by age 23. Only 1% of teens raised by lukewarm Catholics are highly religious in their mid-to-late 20s. Perhaps most shocking, Powell highlighted that only 30% of practicing Catholics in the United States believe in the real presence of Jesus in the Eucharist (see Turnley, 2024). All these statistics suggest that a lot of sincere work in evangelization and catechesis is not effectively passing along the torch of faith.
 Ascension Catholic Parish, Calgary Powell asked the Diocese to consider making a radical shift from self-preservation because (in the West at least), there is less and less to preserve. Instead, we must let the Holy Spirit lead a new Pentecost. This is easier said than done because we stubbornly believe that we are both smart enough and good enough to know what needs doing. The Church may not be able to save all its buildings, but that is not the mission; cooperating with God to bring souls to Christ is. And so Powell advocated for a seeking Church, one that prophetically listens and goes out to find the lost sheep (who are close by). We must go. You and I. The scandal of particularity is that the Incarnation occurred in a specific time and location to real people. God needed Mary to say, “Let it be done to me according to your will.” God needed Joseph to heed the angel’s message to protect Jesus from a hostile world. (The word "need" is tricky here because God needs nothing, and this is precisely why it is scandalous). Mary and Joseph could have said no. Bishop McCaig pointed out that God invites a free response, and that our “Yes” gives God permission to act in our lives. Our cooperation also enables us to bring Jesus to other people so that He can work powerfully in their lives.
Institutionally and individually, we are in a storm, and Mary Rose Bacani Valenti meditated on the storm of sin and suffering in which we find ourselves. When I was a child, I was scared of being buried alive. As an adult, I am far more terrified of pancreatic cancer, MS, Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, addiction, and watching my friends and family members die slow painful deaths echoing the crucifixion. Add to this sea of suffering a blizzard of technological distraction, and it becomes easy to lose our nerve and take our eyes off Christ. Prayer is not efficient, Valenti said, but it is the only effective means for building the disciplined self-control and joy that Maximilian Kolbe demonstrated in Auschwitz. He shone the divine light in the hopelessness of a concentration camp by walking the talk: “Without sacrifice, there is no love.” Hope is only really hope when the situation is hopeless, but it is never truly hopeless because God is with us. In Advent especially, we must slow down to “live life at the pace of the soul,” as Powell put it. St. Ambrose counseled the same: “If faith and hope are to bear fruit, patience is necessary.” Hurry to bring Him gifts, but don’t panic. He is coming, just as He promised.
 St. Joseph's, Calgary
 Photo courtesy of Lindsay Milner The domestic custom of the Advent wreath draws attention to the light that Christ brings as Christmas approaches and emboldens us to bear witness to that light in the world. With an Advent wreath at home, we can keep our focus on Christ by reading a passage of Scripture or saying an Advent prayer each evening as they light the candle(s). Learn about the history and symbolism of the Advent Wreath. Blessing the Advent Wreath at Home All make the sign of the cross as the leader says: Our help is in the name of the Lord. (R/.) Who made heaven and earth. Then the Scripture, Isaiah 9: (lines 1-2 and 5-6) or Isaiah 63 (lines 16-17 & 19) or Isaiah 64 (lines 2-7) is read: Reader: The Word of the Lord. R/. Thanks be to God. With hands joined, the leader says: Lord our God, we praise you for your Son, Jesus Christ: he is Emmanuel, the hope of the peoples, he is the wisdom that teaches and guides us, he is the Savior of every nation. Lord God, let your blessing come upon us as we light the candles of this wreath. May the wreath and its light be a sign of Christ’s promise to bring us salvation. May he come quickly and not delay. We ask this through Christ our Lord. R/. Amen. The blessing may conclude with a verse from “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel” O come, desire of nations, bind in one the hearts of humankind; bid ev’ry sad division cease and be thyself our Prince of peace. Rejoice! Rejoice! Emmanuel shall come to thee, O Israel. Prayer taken from the Catholic Household Blessings & Prayers Prayers for Advent Candle Lighting First Week All-powerful God, increase our strength of will for doing good that Christ may find an eager welcome at his coming and call us to his side in the kingdom of heaven, where he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit one God, forever and ever. ~AMEN. Second Week God of power and mercy open our hearts in welcome. Remove the things that hinder us from receiving Christ with joy so that we may share his wisdom and become one with him when he comes in glory, for he lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. ~AMEN. Third Week Lord God, may we, your people, who look forward to the birthday of Christ experience the joy of salvation and celebrate that feast with love and thanksgiving. We ask this through Christ our Lord. ~AMEN. Fourth Week Father, all-powerful God, your eternal Word took flesh on our earth when the Virgin Mary placed her life at the service of your plan. Lift our minds in watchful hope to hear the voice which announces his glory and open our minds to receive the Spirit who prepares us for his coming. We ask this through Christ our Lord. ~AMEN. Prayers taken from A Prayer Book of Catholic Devotions Other resources   "Our Lady of the Rockies hosted the '40 Hours Devotion for Vocations' from July 26-28," shares Fr. Pilmaiken Lezano, pastor of the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies in Canmore. "The Shrine received an outpouring of support for this event from parishioners and pilgrims." Thanking seminarian Solomon Ip who was based in Banff during the summer, Father Pilmaiken expressed his gratitude, "Solomon joined us to cover some of the spots available – the challenging times close to and after midnight." Reflecting on the devotion's impact, Fr. Lezano notes, "Many graces came out of this experience, and I hope that after these 40 Hours of Devotion for Vocations, the hearts of the youth of the Bow Valley may be set afire to serve the Lord by being consecrated to Him."
Photos courtesy of Our Lady of the Rockies, Canmore & Solomon Ip.
 We began our 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations last week with so many blessings that we should be grateful for. Within that weekend, the responsorial psalm proclaims to us the greatness of God’s love for each one of us for our families and communities. Our parish is so blessed that on Saturday, June 22, 2024, the daughter of Andrew and Karen Serafini, Sr. Eve Mary (formerly Mary Serafini), had her first vows as a Sister of Life at Sacred Heart Church in Suffern, New York, dedicated to protecting and enhancing the sacredness of human life. Both parents are actively involved in our ministries and organizations. It was also the same weekend that Vicky Oliphant's daughter, Sister Aimee Marie (formerly Lindsay Oliphant), went home to join her mother, Vicky, to visit her grandmother in Nova Scotia, who has health issues. These two consecrated Sisters are powerful testaments of God blessing our families and communities as seedbeds of vocations for priesthood and consecrated life. From the comments, sharing and experiences of our Adorers, they were telling me that spending an hour or two before the Lord in the Blessed Sacrament in continuous prayer was truly renewing and nurturing one’s spiritual life. It was not only moments of personal connection with the Lord, but of deepening one’s intimacy with Him in Adoration. Many, including Bishop McGrattan, had recommended holding it at least once a year in every parish.
I have experienced this improved hearing when hiking three of Waterton’s Front Range Six because each peak taught a spiritual lesson.  Lesson One: Preparation Matters When I accepted the invitation to hike Bertha Peak, I was not fit enough to ascend twelve hundred meters on a 15 km out-and-back trail. I hate being embarrassed more than I hate working out, so I started getting up early and doing a high intensity workout in my basement consisting of thousands of squats and lunges to get my legs, heart, and lungs ready for stairclimbing at high altitude. I then followed my workout with a 40-minute walk with my wife before biking to work. The spiritual parallel is that I also needed to build a routine of prayer and spiritual reading and do it every day (even when I didn’t feel like it). When I started the permanent diaconate program, I did not have prayer routine, but St. Paul tells us to pray unceasingly and give thanks in all circumstances. This takes discipline and practice, and prayer became part of my morning workout. The liturgical calendar exemplifies the need for preparation beautifully. Advent and Lent provide sacred times to make way for the Lord’s presence at Christmas and Easter. The mountaintop experience (like Christmas morning) is short-lived, but the weeks of preparation are essential to experiencing the fullness of incarnational joy throughout the year. Daily prayer, even when it’s dry and boring (perhaps especially when it’s dry and boring) tunes us in to God’s frequency. Lesson Two: It’s Easy to Get into Trouble Mt. Galwey was a relentless, 7-hour battle against gravity that mirrored the truism, “There is no plateau in the spiritual life.” You are either climbing or losing momentum. The Front Range Six are not technically climbs, but scrambles. Erosion creates scree, a collection of broken rocks that can become slippery and dangerous. On the way up, a dislodged piece of shale can quickly turn into a deadly projectile (helmets are recommended). On the way down, I slipped on a slab of dust covered shale and gashed my hip. It was an ordinary step, like the countless other steps I had taken that day. As I scramble towards God, the most dangerous hazards I face are the simple ones, the spiritual equivalent of a sprained ankle. My pride makes it easy to step into sin, and the step that puts my soul in danger will look and feel like every other step I have taken successfully because the devil uses my overconfidence against me. 
This could have been my peak of disappointment, but God revealed to me what he wanted me to see: the reward is not up to me. My job is to put in the work, ascend towards him, and accept what he offers. At the foggy peak, I remembered a question from Rabbi Harold Kushner’s The Lord is My Shepherd: Do you love me because I am God and give you everything you want, or do you love me because I am God? My routine of daily prayer enabled me to receive this message about humility and recognize how often I superimpose my desire on God’s plan. Much of what I see depends upon what I am looking for. If I want to find reasons to doubt God or be angry with the Church, I don’t have to look very hard. But if I trust that God’s love means that he always has something to teach me, I will find that too, not because I am naïve, but because he promised, “Seek and you shall find.” I sought Him in the mountains, and He was there (but He was with me in the basement, too).
 In preparation for the great feast of Pentecost, let us ask for an outpouring of grace into our hearts, and implore the Holy Spirit to send the grace of renewal to all the parishes in the Diocese of Calgary. Novena to the Holy Spirit starts this Friday, May 10, 2024.
Despite the bad weather and slippery roads, numerous parishioners of all ages came to St. Mary’s Cathedral for the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations in the Diocese of Calgary, which commenced on Friday, March 1, at St. Mary's Cathedral. From 7 a.m. that Friday until 11 p.m. on Saturday, Jesus Christ was solemnly exposed on the Altar in the monstrance. The faithful gathered to adore Him and pray for the needs of the Church and the world, particularly for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. The 40 Hours Devotion is a centuries-old tradition of continuous prayer before the Blessed Sacrament in solemn exposition, held successively in different Churches for special intentions. On Ash Wednesday of this year, Bishop McGrattan wrote a pastoral letter promoting the 40 Hours Devotion in the Diocese of Calgary for the special intention of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. In the spirit of Diocesan Renewal, the Bishop invited all parishes in the Diocese to take turns holding the Devotion. “Through this initiative of the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations,” he wrote, “we will in time see the fruits of our prayer as the Lord sends out labourers into his harvest, including into the local Church of the Diocese of Calgary.” To launch the Devotion, Bishop McGrattan celebrated the Cathedral’s regular Friday 7:30 am Mass. In addition to silent adoration, the agenda for the 40 Hours at the Cathedral comprised three additional Parish Masses, recitation of the Rosary before Masses, the Divine Mercy Chaplet at 3 pm on both days, sacred music, and brief talks delivered by three Priests. During Mass, the Blessed Sacrament was reposed in the Tabernacle. Priests were also accessible for Confessions throughout the entire forty hours, except during the Masses. 
To ensure that someone was always present when the Blessed Sacrament was exposed, St. Mary's Cathedral reached out to different groups in the Parish to come for particular hours of Adoration. This included the altar servers ministry, which is primarily comprised of young people. The Cathedral also gave parishioners the opportunity to sign up for hours of Adoration, and made it clear that an inability to commit to a specific hour was no barrier to participation. Those who found themselves free were warmly encouraged to attend whenever they could, without the pressure of signing up. The response was amazing! A total of 307 signed up from the website. Yet, the number of people who actually came was significantly higher. For two hours on Friday morning, students and staff from St. Mary’s High School took turns coming to adore Jesus Christ in the Eucharist. On Saturday morning, Fr. Avinash Colaco, Rector of the Cathedral, delivered a catechesis to students preparing for first Holy Communion and Confirmation and their parents. Although only 25 students and parents had signed up for the talk, over 45 showed up. Many people also rose to adore Jesus Christ in the middle of the night to the early morning hours. Throughout these quiet hours, an average of twelve adorers was present every hour. A security guard was assigned in the Church throughout the night to ensure the safety of the adorers and priests. The final day of the Cathedral's 33-day preparation for Consecration to the Eucharist fell on Saturday, March 2nd. As the clock struck 10:30 pm, parishioners collectively recited the Act of Consecration. This was followed by the Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament at 11 pm, with over 85 people bearing witness to this profound ceremony. The preparation and organization of the 40 Hours was conducted under the leadership of Fr. Avinash, assisted by Deacon Greg Barcelon and the Cathedral’s Parish Renewal Team. Both the 40 Hours Devotion and the Consecration to the Eucharist were announced to the Parish community for weeks in advance. “Thoughtful planning and preparation,” says Fr. Avinash, “were key to its success.”
Contributors: Fr. Derek Remus & Fr. Avinash Colaco for Faithfully. Photos courtesy of St. Mary's Cathedral.
For more information about 40 Hours of Devotion for Vocations, and to host the Devotion in your parish, contact Fr. Derek at [email protected] | Pray for our Seminarians
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