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A Joyful Invitation: Ordination Mass of Rev. Mr. Peter An to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ

5/3/2025

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Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is with great joy that I announce to the Diocese that I have called Rev. Mr. Peter An to ordination to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ. The ordination will take place on the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, Friday, June 27, 2025, at 7:00 p.m. in St. Mary's Cathedral.

All of you are warmly invited to attend this joyful celebration of our faith and vocations especially in this Jubilee year. A reception will follow in the Cathedral Hall. I also especially encourage all priests of the Diocese to concelebrate in the ordination as it takes place on the World Day of Prayer for the Sanctification of Priests. Our presence is a visible sign of our unity in the Priesthood of Jesus Christ and a powerful witness to the newly ordained as they begin their sacred ministry.

Let us continue to pray for Deacon Peter as he prepares to offer his life in priestly service to Christ and His Church.
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Sincerely yours in Christ,
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✠William T. McGrattan
Bishop of Calgary
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In the Silence of Prayer: Asking the Lord for more vocations

11/30/2024

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Answering the call to participate in the Year of Prayer leading up to the Jubilee of Hope, over 100 people came to pray before the Lord in His Blessed Sacrament and asking Him to provide more vocations for our Diocese for the Religious and Consecrated life. This 24-Hour Adoration for Vocations held at Our Lady Queen of Peace Polish Church from November 12th to 13th was a blessed time of silent personal and communal prayer. It was sponsored by the Assembly of Women Religious, the Religious Renewal Team involved in the Diocesan renewal process, and the Office of Vocations. Thank you so much to those who took part in this wonderful time of prayer.

The Society of Christ priests graciously opened their parish church and offered morning Mass in English to begin and to end the 24-hour devotion as well as the regular Polish evening Mass. The church and Blessed Sacrament were so beautifully set up, making the environment most conducive for prayer. Representatives from most of the men’s and women’s Religious and Consecrated Life communities were alongside faithful members of the parish, deacons, seminarians, and other faithful adults who came to pray throughout the day and night. Religious from the Franciscans, Carmelites, Salvatorians, Legionaries, Pallottines, Providence, Daughters of Mary, and Faithful Companions of Jesus communities came from far away to participate
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Notably, a candidate for Consecrated Virginity with the Diocese, a Franciscan Sister, and the Dominican Sisters of the Immaculate Conception were present for much of the time. The Dominican Sisters and Polish priests beautifully sang the Liturgy of the Hours in the early morning. The Seeds of the Word community along with some dedicated others covered the night hours from midnight on. The Precious Blood Sisters, being a cloistered community, joined instead from their monastery chapel. It was truly an opportunity to rest spiritually in the Lord and to join with others in asking Him for more vocations.

Prayer for vocations involves all of the faithful. As Pope Francis said,

“I invite you to listen to and follow Jesus, and to allow yourselves to be transformed interiorly by His words, which ‘are spirit and life’ (Jn 6:62). Mary, the Mother of Jesus and ours, also says to us: ‘Do whatever He tells you’ (Jn 2:5). It will help you to participate in a communal journey that is able to release the best energies in you and around you. A vocation is a fruit that ripens in a well cultivated field of mutual love that becomes mutual service, in the context of an authentic ecclesial life. No vocation is born of itself or lives for itself. A vocation flows from the heart of God and blossoms in the good soil of faithful people, in the experience of fraternal love.

Did not Jesus say: ‘By this all men will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another’ (Jn 13:35)? Let us dispose our hearts therefore to being ‘good soil’, by listening, receiving and living out the word, and thus bearing fruit. The more we unite ourselves to Jesus through prayer, Sacred Scripture, the Eucharist, the Sacraments celebrated and lived in the Church and in fraternity, the more there will grow in us the joy of cooperating with God in the service of the Kingdom of mercy and truth, of justice and peace. And the harvest will be plentiful, proportionate to the grace we have meekly welcomed into our lives.” (Source: news.va, From the Vatican, 15 January 2014)
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​Written by Sr. Dianne Turner, OSE, Assistant Vocations Director, Diocese of Calgary. Photos courtesy of Sr. Dianne.
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Happy 90th birthday, Fr. Ray Lowing!

11/10/2024

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Last month, we gathered to celebrate the 90th birthday of Fr. Ray Lowing, a beloved priest whose life has been one of profound service and dedication to God and the people of our diocese. Since his ordination in 1959, he’s worn many hats in our diocese – from directing the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine to serving as Chancellor, Judicial Vicar, and pastor of several parishes. His heart for ministry and commitment to the Church have touched so many lives over the years.

The birthday celebration on Tuesday, October 29 at the Pastoral Centre was filled with joy and gratitude. Bishop McGrattan and the staff at the Catholic Pastoral Centre joined in honouring Fr. Ray, who has given, and keeps giving, so much of himself to the Church. The appreciation from his friends and colleagues was a beautiful reflection of the impact he’s made.
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Even though he’s officially retired, Fr. Ray continues to live out his vocation daily. He celebrates Mass at the Pastoral Centre, where his quiet strength and deep faith are a blessing to everyone. In addition to this, he contributes his expertise to the Clergy Pension Plan, helping to ensure the well-being of his fellow priests in retirement. He also continues to serve the Ecclesiastical Tribunal as an advocate and judge.
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Fr. Ray has been a gift from God to our diocese, embodying the virtues of humility, wisdom, and compassion in his ministry. For all of us, he is a constant source of inspiration, demonstrating that faith in action can touch countless lives. His example calls us to deepen our own commitment to God and to serve others with the same joy and dedication.
Personally, I feel immensely blessed to count Fr. Ray as a mentor. With his sharp mind, unremitting wit, and expertise that has stood the test of time, he has guided me, both in my work with the tribunal and in my canon law career. He is a role model not only as a priest but as a person who, through decades of faithful service, has shown us the true meaning of discipleship. His life reminds me daily of the beauty found in a life devoted to serving Christ and His people.

As we celebrate Fr. Ray's 90th year, we give thanks for his lifelong dedication and pray that God will continue to bless him abundantly. His life of faith and service will inspire our diocese for years to come, reminding us all of the profound impact one dedicated servant can have on the world around them.
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Written by Louis Meléndez​ for Faithfully. Louis is a Case Instructor for the Ecclesiastical Tribunal of the Diocese of Calgary. He and his wife Cathleen are members of the Spanish Community at Holy Spirit Parish in Calgary, where he serves in the music ministry as a choir director. He is currently studying Canon Law at St. Paul University in Ottawa. His hobbies include translating works from the early Church Fathers into Spanish, playing the piano, and learning languages | Photos: Office of Communications
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Celebrating Fr. Tim's 50th Anniversary

10/26/2024

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St. Augustine’s Parish in Taber was honoured to share with parishioners and guests a special evening recognising the many accomplishments, lasting friendships, and cherished memories that Father Tim Boyle has created over the past 50 years.

A bit of history explains why this celebration was held at, and is so special to, St. Augustine’s Parish.

In 1973, a young Tim Boyle arrived in Taber as a transitional deacon, serving the parish until his ordination to the priesthood a year later. On October 12, 1974, Bishop Paul O’Byrne came to St. Augustine’s and celebrated a Mass of ordination to the priesthood for Fr. Tim.​ 

​Fr. Tim continued to serve in Taber for a further 3 1/2 years as an associate pastor under the guidance of the Pastor, Fr. Donald O’Dwyer.  

Fr. Tim, originally a young man from Camrose, AB via Calgary, began a blessed priestly ministry in the Church that has spanned 50 years.

Throughout these years, he has continued to serve the Diocese of Calgary in various parishes. Now, having retired from active parish ministry, he serves as the Bishop’s Vicar for Clergy.​

​​The Celebration

Our evening on Saturday, Sep. 28, 2024 began with Fr. Tim celebrating Mass, accompanied by Fr. Philip Le and Deacon Brian Kinahan. The music was a collaboration from our three music ministry groups, featuring songs from both past and present. During Mass, Fr. Tim shared stories of the parishes where the sacred vessels, presented to him by his family at his ordination, had travelled over the past 50 years.
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After Mass, a potluck supper was held in his honour, with an abundance of food to share. A spectacular cake was made by one of our parishioners, Brenda. The program began with Fr. Tim sharing a bit about his time in Taber—from helping farmers in the fields to driving beet trucks, and most importantly, building lasting friendships. His favourite story was about entering a float in the Taber parade with friends, celebrating their “accomplishment” of placing second in the T.L.D.M.A. Branch 451 competition. It was a hilarious spoof, with people cheering from the sidelines and wondering about the mysterious competition. The joke, of course, was on them, as T.L.D.M.A. simply stood for “These Letters Don’t Mean Anything.”

He shared a few stories about the Camp Columbus trips and the special van in which he drove the youth group around. Then, Mrs. Jolane Sekura, a parishioner from his time in Taber, spoke about her memories of Fr. Tim’s time there and presented him with a framed Papal blessing commemorating his 50 years of ordained ministry. To conclude the evening, there was an open mic, where parishioners shared more stories from his time in Taber, leaving all blessed with joyful memories.
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All present were truly blessed.

Once you are ordained, you are a priest forever! We were so pleased to be able to celebrate this lifelong priestly ministry right here in Taber where it all began.
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May God continue to guide Father Tim and fill him with His grace as he continues the work of harvesting souls for Him. 

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Written by Linda Kinahan. Linda has been a lifelong parishioner in the Taber area, first at Assumption Parish, Grassy Lake which was a missionary parish of St. Augustine’s, Taber. She currently sits on the Liturgy Committee at St. Augustine’s and is responsible for Sacred Art. She is married to Deacon Brian Kinahan. 

​Photos courtesy of St. Augustine's Parish, Taber. 
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2024 Jubilarians

10/26/2024

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A note from writer and compiler, Solomon Ip:

​Once again, we arrive at the yearly celebration of our jubilarian priests. What this jubilee class lacks in terms of quantity, it most definitely makes up for in quality. This year, we have four well-respected pastors, among whom we find two Vicars General of our diocese, the current Bishop's Delegate for Sexual Misconduct, a former refugee, the founding pastors of parishes, and priests who pastored their congregations as they built new churches.
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This year, I am also extremely excited to be able to collaborate with one of my seminarian brothers on these jubilarian interviews. Jeffrell Painaga is a perfect candidate to write about Fr. Jack Pereira, and I am so grateful finally to share this experience with one of my brothers. It is through the witness of many great pastors that young men are inspired to follow in their footsteps.  Fathers, please think of these articles that the two of us wrote as our gratitude and our admiration; we can only hope to follow Christ so boldly, should we one day share in Christ’s priesthood.

Brothers and sisters, please join us in prayer for an increase in vocations. ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest.’ ~Matthew 9:37

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​Fr. Jack Pereira: A shepherd's heart
God’s call to the priesthood is unique to each man, yet priests play a profound role in inspiring others along this journey. In this special guest article, seminarian Jeffrell Painaga reflects upon how Fr. Jack Pereira has led by example, guiding his growth in Christian life and service during his pastorship at St. Anthony’s, Calgary
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​Fr. Timothy Boyle: God walks with me 
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The life of a priest is in many ways one of being “alter Christus” — of being another Christ. Fr. Tim Boyle reflects on 50 years of sharing in the Incarnation of Christ, the Word made Flesh, and in incarnating Christ here in prairies of Southern Alberta.
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​Fr. Joseph Canh Vu: Steadfastness 
A vocation to priesthood or to religious life is not an easy undertaking, and Fr. Joseph Canh Vu’s has faced many serious obstacles on his way to both as a refugee from Vietnam settling in a foreign land where he has now spent his entire ministry of 40 years. However, it is his steadfastness to the Dominican vocation that has kept him going, despite all of the challenges.
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​Fr. Kevin Tumback: Here I am, Lord
In his own unique style, Fr. Kevin Tumback shares his vocational journey, from small-town Saskatchewan to the hotels of Banff, to the floor of the cathedral and beyond. He tells us of the trials and the consolations, and the anecdotal touchstones along the way.
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Fr. Jack Pereira: "Are you ready to serve?"

10/26/2024

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I was about 11 years old when Fr. Jack Pereira arrived at St. Anthony’s Parish, Calgary, in August 2012. He asked me this question during my confirmation retreat, "Are you ready to serve?" as part of an interview to gauge my readiness to receive the sacrament. More than a decade has passed since then, but these words have remained with me as I reflect upon the gift that his 50 years of priesthood have been for the Church and for our diocese. Indeed, it was a question he himself answered by his own willingness to serve the flock entrusted to him by the Lord. 

As an altar server, I had the privilege of assisting Fr. Jack at the altar all throughout his seven years at St. Anthony’s. His love for the Holy Mass was contagious, something I experienced particularly through his attention to detail. He never hesitated to mercifully correct any mistakes we made at the altar, and ensured that our comportment in the sanctuary was reverent and disciplined. In practices for solemn liturgical celebrations, such as Christmas and the Sacred Triduum, Fr. Jack would train us by reading directly from the Roman Missal’s rubrics. In addition to teaching us the actions of the liturgy, he also explained their theological significance – something which excited in me a deep love for the ceremonial of the Mass. 

Fr. Jack’s keen pastoral sense also allowed him to tend to the spiritual needs of his flock. At St. Anthony’s, he oversaw the painting of our stained glass windows, allowing us to pray with the images of the apostles and saints which now illuminate them. Further, the Marian Prayer Garden and the St. Anthony grotto on the parish grounds, both constructed under his direction, are reminders of his desire to invigorate the devotional life of the parish. Our patronal feast day was always celebrated with great joy and solemnity, culminating in a procession to St. Anthony’s grotto. There, Fr. Jack would collect prayer intentions to St. Anthony and offer them to God with burning incense.

Despite being very busy with parish work in addition to his responsibilities as Vicar General of the Diocese, Fr. Jack remained available to his people. He provided opportunities for bringing our parish community together apart from Sunday worship. In particular, I remember the annual “Taste of Cultures” Pentecost festival, an idea realized by Fr. Jack, which showcased the diverse cultures of our parish through food, dance, and song. After every weekend Mass, Fr. Jack was present to greet parishioners and join them in the parish hall for coffee and muffins. His lightheartedness and love of humour was also given a special place in the weekly bulletin: “Fr. Jack’s Chuckle.” 

I recall with great fondness one afternoon I spent with Fr. Jack, participating in a 40 Days for Life prayer vigil. We were praying the rosary and were met with much opposition from people driving by. One car stopped in front of us and the driver rolled down their window, hurled an insult, and drove away. Fr. Jack simply smiled at me and said, “Let’s keep praying.” His example of patience and composure in that moment continues to inspire me. 
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These reflections are but a small glimpse into Father Jack’s fifty years of priesthood, and can hardly do justice to the impact he has had on our diocese and the parishes he served in. I am certain that I am not the only one who can attest to the love he has for the Church and the people of God. While I’m not sure I was quite “ready to serve” when he originally posed his question to me, my time with Fr. Jack has shown me his own unwavering readiness for ministry. Now, as a seminarian, I can confidently say that I would not be where I am without such an inspiring example.

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Fr. Joaquim Pereira
  • Ordained: April 27th, 1974, Goa, India
  • Associate Pastor:  St. Peter’s, Calgary (1988-1989)
  • Associate Pastor:  St. Gerard’s, Calgary (1990)
  • Pastor:  St. George’s, Hanna (1990-1994)
  • Pastor:  Holy Trinity, Crowsnest Pass (1994-2003)
  • Pastor:  Holy Spirit, Calgary (2003-2012)
  • Pastor:  St. Anthony’s, Calgary (2012-2019)
  • Retired: 2019
Written by Jeffrell Painaga for Faithfully. 
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Fr. Timothy Boyle: God walks with me

10/26/2024

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I was ordained in 1974 and served in parishes mostly in Southern Alberta. A notion of service nurtured my calling to the priesthood. I had an uncle who served as a missionary priest for many years. As well, my father and my five siblings pulled together to care for our mother.

​Volunteering at the old Calgary Children’s Hospital gave me additional frontline experience with service. Those were pretty formative experiences. And then I discovered that words have power, and I learned I had some ability to take ideas and give them expression in a way that helped people. The experiences that followed taught me that creation and notably human beings have the divine inscribed in them. God has taken flesh and continues to take flesh in our world.

I have discovered that truth again and again first in my family, in their love and laughter and care for each other. Then, in the good friends I have been blessed to discover along the way. I have slowly come to see that God has always been walking with me on the Emmaus Road, only it wasn’t to Emmaus, but to little places like Cranford, Wrentham, Cowley, Champion, and more recently Gameti, NWT.  

My uncle cautioned me: ‘Tim, never break another persons rice bowl.” Jesus had to tell Peter three times:  feed MY sheep. They are his sheep, not mine, and just like me they have their own weaknesses and often find their own way to divine nourishment. I have often forgotten that truth. I am grateful for all those with whom I have travelled the Emmaus Road. Your friendship and support have made the journey not just memorable but delightful…and always a joy. 

​Gerard Manley Hopkins put this discovery well in his poem: “As Kingfishers Catch Fire”:  “Christ plays in ten thousand places, Lovely in limbs, and lovely in eyes not his. To the Father through the features of [their] faces.”

Written by Fr. Tim Boyle for Faithfully. 
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Read more:
  • Celebrating Fr. Tim's 50th Anniversary
  • Fr. Tim's Holy Week in Gameti, NWT
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Fr. Timothy Boyle
  • Ordained:  October 12th, 1974, St. Augustine’s, Taber
  • Assistant:  St. Augustine’s, Taber (1974-1978)
  • On Staff:  Sacred Heart, Calgary (1979-1981)
  • Co-Chaplain:  Bishop Carroll High School, Calgary (1979-1981)
  • Pastor:  St. Catherine’s, Picture Butte (1981-1986)
  • Pastor:  St. Michael’s, Pincher Creek; Our Lady of Mount Carmel, Waterton Lakes (1986-1993)
  • Pastor:  Holy Spirit, Calgary (1993-2000)
  • Pastor:  St. Patrick’s & Our Lady of the Assumption, Lethbridge (2001-2006)
  • Pastor:  St. Basil’s, Lethbridge (2005-2006)
  • Pastor:  All Saints, Lethbridge (2006-2012)
  • Pastor:  Christ the King, Claresholm; St. Cecilia’s, Nanton; St. Mary’s, Champion (2012-2018)
  • Appointment:  Vicar of Clergy & Bishop’s Delegate for Sexual Misconduct
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Fr. Kevin Tumback: Here I am, Lord

10/26/2024

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I was born on May 22, 1957, the Feast of St. Rita, the patron of impossible cases. I grew up on the farm outside a small town: Eston, Saskatchewan; the second of 7 children in a very close Catholic family.

As a young child, my grandmother prayed that my brother and I might become priests but gramma passed away when I was about 10 years of age, and so the encouragement stopped. As a teenager, I thought about being a priest again, but the life of a priest did not seem that appealing — people can be very nasty to the priest. So, I chose a different route.

In 1975, I entered the University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Campus and studied Engineering for one year, long enough to discover that it was not my profession in life. Still, the experience was profound in many ways and offered new ways of thinking and appreciation for architecture and design.

After taking a year off, I returned to studies at Medicine Hat College. College was much cheaper than university and so I studied there for two years before transferring to the University of Calgary to finish a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing and Personnel in 1981.

After graduation I worked for Hudson Bay, a marketing firm, as a buyer, Altitude Publishing as their Manager of Sales, then into the accounting field where I landed a position with the Banff International Hotel as their Controller and shortly there after as the General Manager. 
              
In 1990, I travelled through Europe for 6 weeks. During a stop in Rome, I attended the Wednesday gathering with Pope John Paul II in the Paul VI Audience Hall. At the close of the Pope’s address, Pope John Paul II walked down and greeted a number of people, I was one of the lucky ones to meet Pope John Paul II and talk with him. He asked where I was from and I told him:  “Calgary, Alberta, Canada.” He looked at me and then said, “The little one, he is the bishop there.” Bishop Paul O’Byrne was the bishop at the time, and when he traveled to Rome he traveled with the bishops from Edmonton and St. Paul who were both very tall men. After Pope John Paul II asked a few more questions, he placed his hands on my head and prayed over me, I was told later the prayer was for me to discern my vocation in life, which was strange to me as I was the general manager of a large hotel; I thought I had my vocation figured out.

Returning to Banff, I found myself reflecting more and more on what had happened, especially as Pope John Paul II only talked to one more person after me and left early as he was tired from his latest trip. My involvement in the church had always been there and I shared my experience with the pastor, Fr. Tom Garvey. Fr. Tom, who had arrived in Banff in 1984, had placed me on the Finance Committee, asked me to train the altar servers, and put me in charge of wedding rehearsals. Fr. Garvey became a sounding board for many questions and concerns. One concern was some people can be very mean to the priest, but I had discovered in the business world, people are not nice to the manager, to sales staff, to volunteers. Some people are just not nice, or as Fr. Tom put it, “We are all sinners in need of God’s mercy.”  Years later, Bishop Henry offered me similar advice: “Grow a thicker skin.”

In the early 1990s, Bishop Paul called for a synod in the Diocese of Calgary and I was placed on the Finance Committee for the synod.  This resulted in many trips to Calgary — no “Zoom” or “Teams” then.  One evening, while staying with my brother in Calgary, he looked at me and said, “Kevin, you’re doing so much for the church, why don’t you just sign up?”  So, in Lent of 1991, I applied to the diocese to go to the seminary to discover if God was calling me to be a priest, and for some reason Bishop Paul, “the little guy,” accepted me.

Seminary in many ways was a joyful time, the studies were amazing and challenging but mostly fascinating — why had I never heard this information before? Still, the greatest challenge of all was that I did not fit in. I was older than most of those with whom I was studying, and business and theology don’t mix in many minds. I had a minor in economics but when we studied the Economics of Christ, I was out in left field. Pastoral Care classes did not match what I had experienced in parish life, and nobody talked about Parish Finances or staff dynamics. 

Still in the midst of all of this a good friend, probably the best friend I have ever had, said something profound that has stayed with me, “What is the deepest desire of your heart?  Follow it.” I found myself writing poetry, waking up in the middle of the night with words running through my head, and if I fought, it just got louder, so I would get up write down what was running through my head and then go back to sleep, a very peaceful sleep. The poems are about journey and Mary and the words, “Here I am Lord, I come to do your will”.  Reading the poems over and sharing some of them helped to discern and accept God’s calling, but what really kicked it off was the last words on many of them, “Kevin, will you serve my people as a priest?”. My last year in the seminary was a constant message: “You don’t fit the image of a priest”. Having met many priests and even more since ordination, I am still perplexed as what the image of a priest might be. Still, it was recommended that I not be ordained to the priesthood. Bishop Paul sort of agreed with them but at the same time encouraged me to sign up for the Clinical Pastoral Education at Foothills Hospital. I completed a year of residency at Foothills and then Bishop Paul got me a position with the Calgary Catholic School Board as a chaplain. 
              
While I was with the Calgary School Board, Bishop Henry arrived in Calgary and after meeting with Bishop Henry, he agreed to place me at St. Mary’s Cathedral for evaluation and I was ordained to the diaconate on March 17, 1999, by Bishop Henry and ordained to the priesthood June 29, 1999, again by Bishop Henry. 

My first assignment was at St. Mary’s Cathedral as the associate pastor, but the day after being ordained to the priesthood, I was the acting rector of St. Mary’s Cathedral: Fr. Larry had left on holidays for a month.

​In June of 2000, I was notified that I would become the pastor of St. Albert the Great Parish in southeast Calgary and be responsible for building a church community and hopefully eventually a church building, and I should pray to my patron, St. Rita.

On August 15, 2000, at World Youth Day, I once again met Pope John Paul II and spoke with him. He, of course, had no recollection of me. This chance meeting in many ways was an affirmation of the call to serve God’s people as a priest.

I have attended WYD in 2000, 2002, 2005 and 2008 and a couple of in-between Youth Gatherings in Rome. I also have been privileged to lead numerous pilgrimages with groups from 12 to 50 people to Italy, France, Spain, Germany and, of course, the Holy Land. My great desire or “bucket list” item is to spend from Palm Sunday through Easter in the Holy Land. I have always found that a pilgrimage is far more restful and beneficial to my life and spirituality than a holiday. Holidays are fine, a pilgrimage is better. 

After 12 years at St. Albert the Great, Bishop Henry sent me to All Saints Parish in Lethbridge. Of interest: when I was working in the business world, my desire was to retire at 55. On May 22, 2012, the Feast of St. Rita, at the age of 55, Bishop Henry sent me to the retirement centre of southern Alberta. As he said, it was just for a few years to determine if a future direction for the parish could be found, and the golfing is good. Twelve years later, I am still here.

In October of 2023, I lead a pilgrimage group to Italy to visit the sight of Eucharistic miracles. This was a profound highlight in my life. I had been to many of them before but this trip for me was an immersion in the Eucharist. For me it was an affirmation of my faith and belief in the Eucharist, something I had never doubted. “Behold the Lamb of God, behold Jesus who takes away the sins of the world, blessed are those called to the Supper of the Lamb.” And to top things off, a visit to St. Rita and the Eucharistic miracle of Cassia.

In January 2023, Bishop McGrattan proposed a project for Lethbridge to find a solution to our parish issues. After much research, study, surveys, and meetings, a proposal was offered to Bishop McGrattan on April 7, 2024, which was accepted with a few caveats. And so, my future is a bit clearer now. 
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Fr. Kevin Tumback
  • Ordained:  June 29th, 1999 — St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary
  • Assistant:  St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary (1999-2000)
  • Pastor:  St. Albert the Great, Calgary (2000-2012)
  • Pastor:  All Saints, Lethbridge (2012-present)
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Fr. Joseph Canh Vu, OP: Steadfastness

10/26/2024

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A vocation requires faithfulness — a certain amount of determination and trust in God to see it through to its fruition. Fr. Joseph Canh Vu has certainly had his vocation tested, and it is his faithfulness to that vocation that has carried him through many trial.

Fr. Joseph was born in Vietnam in 1953, shortly before the country was partitioned into North and South, and baptized at St. Dominic’s Parish a week after his birth — it seems as though his vocation has been Dominican through and through. He is the youngest of four children from a Catholic family, and he credits his mother with developing his nascent faith life by inviting him to attend Mass every evening. He entered the minor seminary at age 12, where he was formed by the Dominicans, and gradually grew in the Dominican vocation, with time and with age. After a year of novitiate, which he describes as “real formation in the Dominican vocation”, he entered into further studies, professing his vows on the feast of St. Dominic, August 8th, 1973.

However, the political situation in Vietnam did not allow for Fr. Joseph to complete his studies. A year after the fall of Saigon, the Dominican house of studies in Thu Duc was seized by the Communist government, and Fr. Joseph was forced to return home. He then made the decision to flee Vietnam as one of the thousands of boat people — fleeing as a refugee on a boat from Vietnam before being rescued by a Norwegian vessel and brought to Japan. He remained in Japan for six months, before meeting the provincial prior of the Canadian province of Dominicans, who have had a mission in Japan since 1927. He was accepted to come to Canada to finish his studies, and arrived in Montreal on May 21st, 1980. Assigned to Ottawa in September of 1980, he undertook his studies at the Dominican University College of Ottawa, being ordained to the priesthood on May 20th, 1984, one day shy of his fourth anniversary in Canada.

Upon ordination, Fr. Joseph served in a number of chaplaincies in Ottawa, including the Vietnamese Catholic community, and St. Vincent Hospital. His time at the hospital was spent “growing in Canadian culture”, being present to the patients at the hospital, giving consolation to people who are sick and helping them to believe in God’s love. At the same time, a significant part of the ministry was also being present to the doctors and nurses of the hospital, helping them overcome work stress. After retiring from hospital ministry, he was assigned to St. Vincent Liem Parish in Calgary, where he was tasked in building the new church in Forest Lawn — a lesson in patience as he asked for help and contributions.

When asked about how to grow in our relationship with God, Fr. Joseph stresses the primacy of turning our regard to Him. Whenever we feel empty in our hearts, we must turn to God. This emptiness can come because we are very busy; without time for the Eucharist, our hearts are empty. In his experience as a hospital chaplain, he has seen that when hardships come, particularly health issues, we realize we need spiritual help — when people become injured, they have time to reflect on their futures and their life with God. 

In the development of vocations, Fr. Joseph believes that parents hold the key as the first teachers of the faith. Basic formation always starts with parents, and so a call to a life of service in the Church starts in the home.  He also stresses the importance of spiritual reading and prayer in order to build religious knowledge as part of the spiritual life. As well, he considers our relationship with others to be the measure of our spiritual life. These are the three pillars of the spiritual life for Fr. Joseph — reading, prayer and service. Through all of this, a constant source of strength for Fr. Joseph has been steadfast faithfulness to the Dominican life. The Liturgy of the Hours and Mass with his confreres at the priory have been his spiritual bedrock, which have helped him overcome all kinds of difficulty. 

​Fr. Joseph’s journey has been something of a saga, from Vietnam, through Japan, to hospitals in Ottawa, and now ministering in the midst of downtown Calgary. Yet through it all, his faithfulness to his vocation is what allows us to celebrate his forty years as a priest.
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Fr. Joseph Canh Vu, OP
  • Ordained:  May 20th, 1984, Saint-Jean-Baptiste Church, Ottawa
  • Chaplain:  Lycée Claudel, Ottawa (1984-1986)
  • Chaplain:  Vietnamese Catholic Community, Ottawa (1984-1991)
  • Chaplain:  St. Vincent Hospital, Ottawa (1986-1991)
  • Further Studies:  1991-1993
  • Chaplain:  Vietnamese Catholic Community, Ottawa (1993-2001)
  • Chaplain:  St. Vincent Hospital, Ottawa (1993-2009)
  • Pastor:  St. Vincent Liem, Calgary (2009-2016)
  • Pastor:  St. Francis of Assisi, Calgary (2018-present)

Read more:
  • St. Francis of Assisi: Spiritual Refuge in the City
  • A Shrine to Our Lady Lavang

Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully.
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Vocation directors take on challenge of drawing priests

10/13/2024

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Canadian archdiocesan and diocesan vocation directors assembled at the FCJ Retreat & Conference Centre in Calgary from Oct. 1-4 to contemplate how they can join forces to inspire more calls to the priesthood and consecrated life. 
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Organized by Newman Theological College’s Benedict XVI Institute for the New Evangelization, the “Awakening Vocations" Conference offered the approximately 30 clerics expertise on how to craft a strategic plan and constructively dialogue about what is and is currently not working with vocational ministries.

Apostolic Nuncio to Canada Archbishop Ivan Jurkovič and Cardinal Thomas Collins, the Archbishop of Toronto from 2007-23, delivered keynote addresses.

Jurkovič analyzed the Dicastery of the Clergy’s 2016 document Ratio Fundamentalis Institutionis Sacerdotalis - The Gift of the Priestly Vocation. As for Collins, in addition to presenting his remarks, he also led a lunchtime working session centred on spotlighting the efforts of the lay vocations organization Serra Canada.
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Fr. Cristino Bouvette, the vocations director for the Diocese of Calgary and a conference coordinator, said attendees gained important insights from the four-day symposium, but perhaps the most significant gift was the companionship.
“In many cases, we are facing similar things, similar challenges, and it is very encouraging to realize that we’re not doing our work alone even though it sometimes feels like you are a bit isolated in your diocesan context,” said Bouvette. “To be with other vocation directors to share similar things you are facing and working on is encouraging and uplifting.”

Fr. Connor O’Hara of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall echoed Bouvette’s sentiments by saying it was “consoling” to learn that all of the vocational directors have “very similar experiences, challenges, blessings and scopes of work that they’ve been asked by their bishop to see to.”

All the priests unanimously agreed that this spirit of solidarity cannot be constrained to just a four-day event in Calgary. An Oct. 3 working session was devoted to considering the structure and vision of a potential nationwide vocations director association or confraternity. Additionally, there was also deliberation about creating various clusters with three to five vocations directors so these clerics could engage in concentrated conversations about their respective diocesan situations and keep each other accountable.

“I am looking forward to putting together groupings of priests that will work and meet together going forward from this conference,” said Fr. Daniele Muscolino of the Diocese of Sault. Ste. Marie. “We can continue to share resources, update each other about how things are going and talk about best practices.”

Bouvette and Muscolino both told The Catholic Register there are advantages to having these clusters being regionally based, but there is also inherent value in having a vocations director from Toronto routinely gleaning insight from a peer in Victoria, B.C.

The priests received a glimpse of what an ongoing working relationship could look like during a breakout group session to craft a strategic vocations plan for the next year. These roundtable discussions were facilitated by Bill Tomiak, the executive director of the local Catholic Christian preparatory school Clear Water Academy — managed by the Legion of Christ — and Dr. Sinda Vanderpool, the president and vice-chancellor of St. Mary’s University.

Other presenters included Peter An, a seminarian in Calgary; Fr. Kris Schmidt, the Archdiocese of Edmonton vocations director; and Fr. Geoffrey Young and Fr. Murray Kuemper of the Diocese of Saskatoon.

Bouvette presented the research on the state of vocations authored by the Benedict XVI Institute for the New Evangelization, specifically its former director Dr. Ryan Topping.

The Register reported earlier this year how the revelations within "Meet Our New Priests: 12 Key Findings about the Background, Discernment, and Seminary Formation of Canada’s Recent Ordination Classes" paint an alarming picture of the state of priestly vocations.

Alluding to The Vatican Central Office of Church Statistics’ replacement ratio for seminarians to priests (RRSP) equation, Rome suggests there should be “12.5 seminarians for every 100 priests.” As of October 2023, Topping tabulated there are 6,025 active or retired priests in Canada. The RRSP required to replenish that total is 753, but there were only 211 active seminarians a year ago.

Yet-to-be-published research about the Canadian vocations director landscape was also presented. The Benedict XVI Institute anticipates publishing its "Fishers of Men" report within several months.

Written by Quinton Amundson, Catholic Register. First published in Catholic Register on Oct. 11.  Published with permission. Photos courtesy of Newman Theological College, Benedict XVI Institute. 
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It was always the Lord

7/5/2024

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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.
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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 understand that organizing, preparing, and facilitating this great 40 hours devotion demands more time to plan a well-organized and orderly event. Thanks be to God; all hours were faithfully observed with Adorers present praying and offering their intentions not only for the increase of vocations but also for strengthening the pastoral priorities identified for every Parish Renewal Plan, namely for our Parish, Family and Youth and for our Volunteers.

On a more personal note, the benefits of 40 hours Adoration are not only for our parish but also for our Diocese and for the whole world. The parish on prayer is a Church on fire with the love for God, for others and for our community.
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“Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:38) It is indeed true that without prayer, all other initiatives to foster vocations are useless. And it is equally true that without prayer, all our plans and activities carrying this Synodal journey in the  spirit of renewal will be in vain. It is always the Lord, Dominus Est!
“Pray therefore that the Lord of the harvest to send out more laborers into his harvest.” (Matthew 9:38) It is indeed true that without prayer, all other initiatives to foster vocations are useless. And it is equally true that without prayer, all our plans and activities carrying this Synodal journey in the  spirit of renewal will be in vain." ~Fr. Eli Canete

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Written by Fr. Eligio Canete, currently Pastor of St. James' Parish in Calgary. Fr. Eli has been appointed Pastor of St. Mary’s Parish, Brooks, effective August 1, 2024.
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A synodal Church needs its parish priests

5/12/2024

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"A synodal Church needs its parish priests," declares Pope Francis, emphasizing the critical role of parish priests in the Church's synodal process. He also elaborates on their importance by noting that priests "know from within the life of God’s people their joys and hardships, their resources and their needs."

The International Meeting 'Parish Priests for the Synod' was held in Rome from April 28 to May 2, 2024, bringing together approximately 200 priests from 100 countries. This event was particularly significant as it symbolized the Church's dedication to actively listen to the voices of parish priests, who are positioned at the forefront of the Church, deeply immersed in the daily lives of the parish communities, and intimately connected with the challenges, needs, and blessings of the people.

This worldwide meeting of listening, prayer, and discernment, promoted by the General Secretariat of the Synod and the Dicastery for the Clergy, along with the Dicastery for Evangelization and the Dicastery for the Oriental Churches, was authentically representative of varied realities within the Church.

​Among the participating priests were individuals like Father Paul Crotty from Australia, who serves as the pastor of a rural community of indigenous people with 30 attendees on Sundays at their underground church — an underground church that was literally dug into the ground. Working alongside him was Father Pham from Hanoi, Vietnam, where 4000 people attend Sunday masses regularly. This diversity was also evident through the presence of priests from South Korea, Croatia, Kenya, Nigeria, Malta, the Philippines, India, as well as Australia and Vietnam, in our roundtable discussions.
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Delegates from Canada with Sister Nathalie Becquart, Under-Secretary of the General Secretariat of the Synod.
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During the audience with the Pope.
The daily schedule of the event was structured from 8 am to 9 pm. Sessions commenced with introductions to the day's theme, followed by dedicated time for meditation and personal prayer. Throughout the day, there were fostered synodal conversations within 18 language-divided working groups, each comprising about 12 priests. These groups engaged in deep discussions and discernment, sharing their insights and perspectives. The activities culminated in plenary presentations where groups shared their collaborative insights and discussions. Moreover, there were also the celebrations of the Eucharist, along with dialogues focusing on the Synod and Synodality. This structure provided us with a meaningful opportunity to engage and share enriching moments together, particularly through the 'conversation in the Spirit' methodology.
 
This method of conversation transformed the dialogues on the rounded table from mere debates into a genuine experience of communal discernment, facilitating deep discussions on the three themes proposed for the parish priests. The first theme, The Face of the Synodal Church, delved into the experiences and understanding of synodality in the life of parishes and dioceses. Shifting to the second theme, All Disciples All Missionaries. we explored the participation of different charisms, vocations, and ministries in the life of local churches. Finally, on the third theme, Teaching Ties, Building Communities, we focused on discernment dynamics for mission and the participation of various groups within parishes and dioceses.
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With Fr. Pierre from Vancouver and Fr. Raymond Lafontaine, from the Archdiocese of Montreal, one of the facilitators for the discussions in the working groups.
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With priests of my working group
The synodal meeting for priests concluded with a private audience and a moment of dialogue with the Holy Father in the Paul VI Hall, during which he gave three recommendations to the parish priests. Firstly, Pope Francis urged us to embrace our specific ministerial charism in ever greater service to the varied gifts that the Spirit bestows upon the People of God. Secondly, he encouraged the practice of communal discernment, using the method of 'conversation in the Spirit' for this purpose. Lastly, the Pope emphasized the importance of fraternity and collaboration among priests and with bishops. In his closing remarks, before personally greeting each priest, Pope Francis commissioned us to be missionaries of synodality in our parishes and dioceses.
 
The International Meeting for Parish Priests was truly unique experience. While the Church typically invites bishops, theologians, and experts to such events, this time the focus was on listening to parish priests, representing a remarkable shift. As Cardinal Mario Grech, Secretary General of the General Secretariat of the Synod, highlighted, “I normally underline that there is no synod without the bishop, but allow me to say today that there is no synod without the parish priest”.

Building on this sentiment, Cardinal Lazarus You, Prefect of the Dicastery for the Clergy, also emphasized that “this meeting does not involve many speeches but rather a lot of listening: mutual listening and shared listening to the Holy Spirit. This is the methodology of the Synod.” This change authentically reflects the spirit of synodality, providing a consistent path for engagement and meaningful exchanges, particularly through the Spirit-guided conversational approach.
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Father Paul from Australia celebrating Mass with his community.
This encounter allowed the parish priests, the frontline leaders who directly engage with all members of the People of God, to witness how each local experience contributes as a gift to the universal Church. Many participants expressed enthusiasm for the proposed synodal process, viewing it as an opportunity for growth and renewal in the Church.

​Clergy members from around the world emphasized the importance of actively participating in and promoting synodality within their communities. While challenges such as fear, skepticism, and reluctance to change hindering the acceptance of the synodal process were highlighted, there was also a clear sense of joy and appreciation for this global gathering, as well as for the recognition of the essential role played by parish priests in a synodal church, inviting pastors to embrace their calling as missionaries of synodality.
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Written by Fr. Fabio DeSouza for Faithfully. Fr. Fabio DeSouza is the pastor for Our Lady of Fatima Parish in Calgary, and a member of the Diocesan Renewal Leadership Team
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Nurturing the culture of vocations

4/27/2024

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"We urgently need more vocations in our diocese—to Consecrated life and the Priesthood. Without everyone's involvement, how can we hope to see an increase in vocations?" Sr. Dianne, Assistant Director of Vocations, posed this compelling question at the Vocations Rally on Good Shepherd Sunday, April 21, at St. Michael’s Parish in Calgary.
 
“We really need to get that soil prepared so that the seeds of vocation can fall into it, and they can flourish,” she continued. Indeed, this was the driving force behind gathering the faithful at the Vocations Rally, aiming to enlighten us all on how to create such nurturing conditions.

The event, co-hosted with the Benedict XVI Institute from Newman Theological College, was a hopeful beginning for fostering vocations within our diocesan community. With more than 400 attendees, including pre-registrants and walk-ins, the Rally kicked off with Mass at 11 am, led by Fr. Edmund Vargas. Afterward, attendees were invited to enjoy a delicious lunch prepared by the Knights of Columbus in the narthex, and explore various booths featuring Religious brothers and sisters, seminarians, and vocations advocates before the start of the presentations.
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Fr. Cristino, Director of Vocations, shared his astonishment at the turnout and the discussions he had in the days following the rally. “It was impressive to me, first of all, how many people were in attendance. But the follow up conversations I've been having with people all week clearly indicate that they were deeply impacted by all of the sharing they received in that brief time together!”

But this comes as no surprise. The insights shared by each speaker, combined with the sense of community encountered at the Rally, were a true renewal experience.
If you want vocations, build a strong catholic culture." ~Dr. Ryan Topping
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Dr. Ryan Topping, Director of the Benedict XVI Institute in Newman Theological College opened the Rally with a strong message: "If you want vocations, build a strong catholic culture." He went on to share findings from a study on new Canadian priests, highlighting both concerning and hopeful trends in the vocational landscape. His talk underscored the vital importance of parish priests and families in guiding young people toward considering vocations to Consecrated life and Priesthood.
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Dr. Topping highlighted that priests emerge from the community, the People of God. Therefore, to encourage more vocations, the Church must foster a vibrant Catholic culture that cherishes family, promotes unapologetic faith teaching, engages in active devotions, and cultivates a communal spirit that is receptive to God’s call.  Read more about the report “Meet Our new Priests” here.
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Fr. Santiago Torres, our recently ordained, affirmed the communal roots of vocations, stating, “Vocation is not something that just comes out of nowhere. It comes out from communities, it comes out from families, and it comes out from a faith that is shared, and that is lived authentically, and in a manner that is joyful and intriguing to those whom the Lord is calling to His service.”
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He shared stories from his own vocational journey, which began in his final year at university, supported by the nurturing environments of both his family and the parish community at St. Bonaventure, as well as the University of Calgary Catholic Community at the time.
Vocation is not something that just comes out of nowhere. It comes out from communities, it comes out from families..." ~Fr. Santiago Torres
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We live as a couple in the world, but not of the world. And that's important to remember.” ~Cedric & Greta De Souza
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A particularly impactful presentation was given by Cedric and Greta De Souza, parents to Fr. Raymond De Souza of the Diocese of Kingston and Sr. John Mary of Sister of Life in Toronto, two married children, and grandparents to seven children. They shared, “We live as a couple in the world, but not of the world. And that's important to remember.” Rooted firmly in their Catholic faith, they highlighted how Catholicism has been a constant and reassuring force in their lives.

The De Souzas discussed the concept of a 'domestic church' within their home. They spoke about the significance of imbuing their children’s lives with daily faith practices, remaining actively involved in church life, prioritizing Sunday as the day of worship and family, and adhering to the principle that "the family that prays together stays together." Their regular practice of hosting priests and devout Catholic friends for meals and fellowship not only integrated their family more deeply into the wider Catholic community, but also showcased to their children the normalcy and dignity of a life devoted to religious faith.  
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The Seeds of the Word's Brother John Paul and Sister Ana Sophia, along with a panel comprising Religious and Diocesan priests, Religious Sisters and a Brother, a Diocesan seminarian and a Religious Sister novice, also took the Rally stage. They took turn in sharing their vocation stories and key moments in their discernment process, offering us a deeper understanding of the vocation call to Consecrated life and Priesthood. 
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The event culminated with a closing keynote by Bishop McGrattan, who reflected on one of the diocese's priorities of #Renewal. A key component to this renewal, he pointed out, is strengthening family life, which plays a vital role in fostering vocations.

Bishop McGrattan highlighted the essential role of the family in vocational discernment, expressing gratitude towards parents and teachers who have nurtured vocations. "Every vocation begins in the family. And for those who have parents who have nurtured your vocation to this point, I want to thank you. For the teachers that have nurtured that sense of a vocation in a young person. I want to thank you."

Echoing Dr. Topping's earlier remarks, the Bishop spoke about the significant role Priests and Religious play as vocation directors and encouragers. "The greatest vocation directors, encouragers, are Priests and Religious. And that's why you have been treated to what I consider to be the culture of vocations. It's the life and the witness of our Priests and our Religious in the Diocese of Calgary."

In his concluding remarks, Bishop McGrattan drew inspiration from the Good Shepherd, who lays down His life for the flock, urging all the faithful to remain open and attentive to God's calling. “Let us always attune our ears to be open to hear the voice of the Good Shepherd, who is calling our young people to a path of deep vocation and service for the church.”
The greatest vocation directors, encouragers, are Priests and Religious. " ~Bishop McGrattan
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SEE ALL PHOTOS
Videos from the Vocations Rally are available here:
  • Video #1 - Featuring Dr. Ryan Topping, Fr. Cristino Bouvette & Fr. Santiago Torres; Greta De Souza
  • Video #2 - Featuring Cedric & Greta De Souza, Seeds of the Word, Consecrated Life panel members
  • Video #3 - Featuring Consecrated Life Panel members and Bishop McGrattan

​Videos courtesy of St. Michael's Catholic Community. 

The Office of Vocations is very thankful for the Vocations Rally Planning Team, Benedict XVI Instittute of the Newman Theological College, St. Michael’s Parish and Diocesan staff, video and photography team, Knights of Columbus, Seminarians, Consecrated Life members, Serra Club of Calgary, and many others who supported the Vocations Rally and came to support our Diocesan effort to create a culture of vocations! We wouldn’t be able to do it without you. 

Photos: Bandi Szakony, for the Diocese of Calgary
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With trust in God's guiding light

4/16/2024

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Note from the editor: We're thrilled to share insights from Fr. Tim Boyle's third year of service with the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith during Holy Week. Dive into the highlights of his northern journey, alongside the inspiring story of Fatima. Her dedication as a Missionary Disciple in the Village of Gameti, NWT, truly captures the essence of daily service, sacrifice, and true commitment. Enjoy the read and the photos!

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God has given our church enough ministerial vocations. Many of them have been given to women. Fatima Lee received one of those calls. Born in Hong Kong supported by a mother who believed in education, Fatima’s call to serve God was shaped when as a young women she left Hong Kong to study theology at Louvain in Belgium. 
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Her vocation to serve the church was put on hold when she married Bernard and together they raised their two sons, eventually settling in Toronto. In the course of time she found her way back into ministry and served the People of God in a parish for many years. The sudden death of her husband eight years ago resurrected her original vocation to be a missionary. When the Archdiocese of Toronto invited local priests to serve in the north, Fatima asked Bishop Kasun if they would sponsor a layperson.

Six years ago she began a new chapter in the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith. She serves as the Diocesan Religious Education Coordinator, creating and offering sacramental preparation programs for catechists, working with lay leaders and on various projects for the Bishop.

But her true heart’s work is as the spiritual leader of Village of Gameti where she shares reflections on scripture and leads their Sunday communion service whenever she can. 
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Fr. Tim Boyle and Fatima
When I first visited the village with her, I thought of the winter north as something similar to their picturesque winter castle festival. The ice road is seen from the air as a straightforward, simple, smooth drive. But accompanying Fatima this year, I have begun to see that ministering in the north is a mix of breathtaking beauty and heartbreaking challenges. 
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At the Winter Castle Festival
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The ice road view from the plane
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Sun rays over the Village of Gameti
On Wednesday of Holy Week, we drove the 300 km six-hour winter ice road to Gameti. Driving the winter ice road captures ministry in the north better than any other experience. We went through sections of forest surrounded by skeletons of trees destroyed by the fires.
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Winter ice road to Gameti
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Fatima in front of the sign to the Village of Gameti
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Leaving the forest and onto the ice road
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Burnt areas from forest fires
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Frozen lake
Across vast frozen lakes where you could look down at a meter of the bluest ice fractured by fissures reflecting the sunlight at all angles.

​ Later using her hand drawn map of Mageti, Fatima explained the many different family ties and connections and I caught a glimpse of their closeness as well as similar fissures and fractures running through the four generations who have settled there. Pix 19. Her love of these people and her desire to serve them has inspired her many trips to St. Paul’s church over these years. 
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Map of Gameti
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Fatima walked to the Church
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Good Friday Cross
​We like to think of ourselves as Easter people, but the people of the North, in many ways, have bonded more with Good Friday. Last year, we celebrated Cory Junior's baptism. This year, Chantal introduced us to the newest member of the family. Cai is only a month old, but he’s already been on the winter ice road returning after his birth in Yellowknife. There will be health challenges in Cai’s future, but for now, he is simply being loved. And Fatima will be there to support this family as they work through those challenges. 
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Chantelle and her new born son, Cai.
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Chantal and Fatima
On Good Friday we learned that the winter road was closed to day time travel. That kind of setback is a familar event to this ministerial pioneer. Fatima has had to deal with having many of her hopes for growth closed for different reasons. On Easter Sunday, it snowed all afternoon, and the wind shaped new drifts in the yard outside the trailer. Thankfully the snow ended around 9 pm, and a guardian angel had left tracks for us to follow.
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A barricade announcing "night time travel only"
Gone was the beautiful clear ice.. the open skies. The lakes and the forest we travelled through were now snow-covered, and the night was silent.

​Gazing out into the landscape lit only by our headlights, Fatima remarked that having faith and ministering in the north was like driving the winter road at night. You can only see what the headlights show you. Only by trusting and moving forward will you discover that God has prepared a path for you. 
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Evening winter road
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Written by Fr. Tim Boyle for Faithfully. Fr. Tim is the Vicar for Clergy, and he also serves as the Bishop's Delegate
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40 Hours Devotion for Vocations

3/10/2024

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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.
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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.
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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.”
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Simultaneously, St. Anthony’s Parish, Calgary also held its own 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations, and St. Luke's Parish had also completed its 40 Hours of Devotion as well. Several other Parishes have committed to hosting Devotion in the coming weeks. We pray to the Lord of the harvest, present in the Eucharist, that He might raise up many holy Priests and consecrated men and women and that He might strengthen all Priests and consecrated men and women currently serving our Diocese. 
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The Eucharist is the key to the flourishing of vocations and the renewal of the Church.  This is because the Eucharist is Christ.  As Fr. Avinash reminded parishioners just before Benediction, “The Eucharist is the source and summit of our lives.” 

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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Parish aims to be Strathmore’s ‘beating heart’

1/5/2024

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The exterior of Sacred Heart Parish under construction in Strathmore, Alberta. The parish is moving into a refurbished IGA supermarket. Photo credit: Sacred Heart Parish, Strathmore.
Fr. Cristino Bouvette knew the first guided tour of the future Sacred Heart Parish would be a profoundly stirring experience for his congregation. 

After all, Catholics in Strathmore, Alberta, have prayed for a new house of worship since their original parish closed its doors in 2008 when the church and rectory were deemed unsafe.

Last month’s open house did not disappoint Bouvette, who arrived as pastor in October. 

“Everyone else in our parish has waited longer and invested far more than I certainly have,” said Bouvette. “The highlight for me was watching them come in and see it and realize this is happening and getting somewhere. There were tears in people’s eyes and smiles on their faces, and the kids were running around in the areas safe to do so. You could see excitement.”

Work began in August to transfigure a former 16,000 sq. ft. IGA into a place parishioners envision as the new “beating heart” of this prairie community east of Calgary. The new Sacred Heart Parish’s potential to be a lively hub of activity and fellowship is considerable. It will boast a parish hall for approximately 300, a community kitchen and plenty of meeting rooms for lay groups. 

For the past 15 years, liturgical services have been held in the gymnasium of Holy Cross Collegiate. The congregation has not only endured after all these years but has actually grown and will serve more than 500 families.

Nettie Hendricks, chair of the parish fundraising committee, said excitement over the new parish and the arrival of Bouvette has inspired people to return to church in recent weeks.

“Fr. Cristino was only with us for two weeks, and he had to do a funeral. Many people who had not come to Mass for some time came. They had fallen away but have now come back. People who have followed the building of the Church are coming back. We had people at that open house that fell away. They said, ‘We are blessed. We see the pastor you have and the building you have. And we are coming back to our church.’ ”

Bouvette, who played a key planning role in Pope Francis’ penitential pilgrimage in 2022, has almost exclusively ministered to youthful Catholics in recent years as he was — and still is — a vicar for vocations and young adults at the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy in Calgary.

“I did mention to (Bishop William McGrattan) a few months ago that I miss old people,” said Bouvette with a chuckle. “I have a lopsided experience of pastoral ministry. He just laughed at me. Then, when he needed to assign someone to Strathmore, unexpectedly, he sent me. He said, ‘There, you said you missed old people. Well, you’ve got old people in Strathmore.’ ” 

When he arrived in Strathmore, he found it was so much more.

“When I got here, I realized there are many people here of a wide range of ages, demographics and experience. It is exciting to be with them.”

Bouvette treasures all the diverse experiences afforded him during his clerical service, but “this project is the most rewarding experience of priestly ministry in the sense that it captures all that could be asked for from a priest.”

“When you go to the seminary as a young man like I did, what I am doing now is all you ever dream of or think you will do,” said Bouvette. “But then to inherit a building project that is not really even a building project, but a transformation project — it has a remarkable experience.”

This diverse parish community has amassed $7.4 million to date, holding 50/50 raffles, golf tournaments and dinners with auctions. The parish has also received funds through a pledge form initiative and serving beer at the town’s annual rodeo. Strathmore Catholics still have work to do as architectural costs have driven the project price to $10.4 million.
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Catholics across Canada have also visited the parish website to submit online donations to the retrofitting project. Hendricks said such gifts are appreciated and important.

The parish posted a video showing photos of the construction completed during October and November and detailing the tasks ahead at sacredhc.ca/construction.

Written by Quinton Amundson for The Catholic Register. Article was first published on Jan. 4 for The Catholic Register here. Reposted with permission. 
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2023 Priest Study Days

10/5/2023

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Last week, the priests of the Diocese of Calgary convened for a four-day study at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies in Canmore. Under the guidance of Lucas Pollice, an Associate Professor of Theology and Catechetics from the Augustine Institute, the clergy explored the mission of the laity and the new evangelization. The priests deepened their understanding of the lay vocation, examining its vital role and mission, and how it partakes in Christ's priestly, prophetic, and kingly mission.
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In addition to the discussions, the gathering also showcased an exclusive preview of the Pastoral Renewal launch video, which was scheduled for release two days later on the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi. Beyond the video preview, the priests dedicated time to reflect on and discuss the pastoral needs of their parish communities in light of the upcoming pastoral renewal, guided by the Pastoral Renewal Leadership team.

Fr. Tim Boyle led a reflection on the Road to Emmaus (Luke 24:13-35), encouraging the priests to share with one another the challenges they face in ministry, but above all, to share moments when their hearts truly burned with passion for Christ, just like the two disciples on the road to Emmaus when they encountered the Risen Lord. This enriching exercise of deep listening and sharing among the presbyterate highlighted the chosen path for renewal in our Diocese, that which is rooted in the willingness to meet one another on the road, of walking together, of listening and dialogue, so that we can recognize the Lord in our midst. 
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Let us pray for our priests in this season of pastoral renewal in the Diocese of Calgary, for their ministry and work in forming missionary misciples in Christ.

May the pastoral renewal guide us ever deeper into the communion of the Church, strengthen our participation in it, prepare us to embark on a mission, and fortify our bonds of love, understanding, and commitment as we journey together with Christ. 
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Photos courtesy of Fr. Iqbal Khurshid, Bonnie Annicchiarico, and Fr. Wilbert Chin Jon.
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Fr. Sajo Jacob: God has walked with me

9/2/2023

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I was born in Kerala, southern India, and blessed to have been raised in a Catholic faith environment. My parents were devout and churchgoing. The church played a significant role in my upbringing. My family frequented the parish church, and I was actively involved in the parish. I was also introduced to very solid catechism and different devotions.

I felt a calling to the priesthood at a very young age.  Reflecting on what triggered this priestly vocation, it was a fruit of my Novena devotion to Mother Mary at my parish Church. The priest at the time was very particular, that everyone must attend the Novena prayer on Saturdays immediately after the Holy Mass. This brought me very close to Mother Mary, and one day I felt that God is calling me to serve Him as told by a loving Mother-Mother Mary.It touched my heart as if a heavenly whisper had been percolating for a while, gradually maturing into a discernment of the priesthood. Fortunately, by that time, I had become well-acquainted with the parish priest and a few other priest friends. After a few years, I pursued my priestly studies in different parts of India. In 1998, I was ordained by the then bishop of the Archdiocese of Ernakulum, Mar Thomas Chakkiath. 

I belong to the Archdiocese of Ernakulam — claimed as the heart of the Syro-Malabar Church. The heritage of the Syro-Malabar Church goes back to St. Thomas the Apostle who is believed to have arrived in Kerala in 52 AD. I served in various capacities within my priestly ministry in Kerala for six years before relocating to Calgary in 2004.

My journey in Calgary has been very providential, with God guiding me through different ministries such as associate pastor, campus minister, and pastor. Looking back on my journey in Canada, I can profusely say that, as the psalmist prays in Psalm 7:1, God has walked with me, “I will give to the Lord the thanks due to his righteousness, and I will sing praise to the name of the Lord, the Most High.” It has been a journey where my experience of God's guidance was profound.

I could trust in God as He is in control of everything. My motto in my priestly journey reflects the words of 2 Corinthians 12:9 — "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.”  On this occasion, I would like to acknowledge the gracious and kind support of many bishops, priests, and fellow brothers and sisters.

Reflecting on my priestly journey of 25 years, two very pertinent aspects of my vocation have been the Grace of God, and the intercession of Mother Mary. I was quite blessed and privileged to lead a youth ministry as a campus minister at two post-secondary colleges for a while.  Engaging with post-secondary students for more than ten years not only transformed me but also brought many young people to the faith and Christian values."

Working in the secular landscape of universities was challenging, but having a platform to uphold that “Faith matters, Christ transforms” was incredible. It was eye-opening to interact with young people who were struggling in their search for meaning in life while aspiring for a better future. I must admit that it was rewarding. Moreover, engaging with pluralistic faith groups and diverse cultures, while specifically upholding the Christian values and faith connections in my ministry, was always intriguing.
           
Another highlight of my ministry that I humbly reflect upon is my role as director and pastor of Mother Teresa Syro-Malabar Church in Calgary.  It was in 2009 that Bishop Henry appointed me as the Director of the Syro-Malabar Community when it was still a very small community.

I have been privileged to witness its exponential growth from 30 to 450 families by 2018, and to have played a part in establishing a church for the community. God entrusted me with the role of becoming the founding priest of the Mother Teresa Syro-Malabar community in Calgary. Having had the privilege of meeting Mother Teresa twice in Kerala, her spiritual influence has greatly affected my priestly life and inspired me to rally for Mother Teresa's Church in Calgary.

Lastly, I am also involved with military chaplaincy as a Reserve Chaplain. This was an offshoot of campus ministry, where many students were drawn to military service and their persuasive invitation to serve the military community added another dimension to my priestly vocation. A chaplain's role in the military goes beyond the borders of religion and faith; it is more about embracing pure humanity and the well-being of anyone in need. It is a ministry of presence and strengthening robust resilience.  
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Fr. Sajo Jacob

Ordained: December 30, 1998, Kerala, India
  • Associate pastor at St. Mark’s, Calgary (2004-2006)
  • Associate pastor at St. Peter’s, Calgary (2006)
  • Associate pastor at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary (2009)
  • Chaplain at SAIT and Mount Royal College (2009-2019)
  • Director of Syro-Malabar Community, Calgary (2010-present)
  • Calgary Hospital Chaplaincy (2020-2022)
  • Pastor at  St. Pius X, Calgary (2022-present)

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Written by Fr. Sajo Jacob for Faithfully.
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Fr. Roy Jayamaha: A missionary journey

9/2/2023

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I, Fr. Roy Anthony Donatus Jayamaha, was born to God- fearing parents, Rex Arvin and Mary Magdalene Jayamaha of Wattla, Sri Lanka. I was the third child in a family of seven siblings and was attracted to the religious life from my childhood. I was  educated by the De la Salle Brothers and was attracted to become one of them. After completing my studies, I taught for two years in a leading La Salle School in Colombo.
 
One fine day, I met a Sri Lankan missionary priest serving in Pakistan, who had come on a home leave. After listening to his interesting stories and challenging conditions, I contacted some Pakistani Bishops and expressed my willingness to serve as a missionary in this mostly Muslim country. In 1976, although it was  heart-breaking news for my parents, I left with their blessing, to join the Diocese of Lahore, in Pakistan.
 
When I landed in Lahore, I was surprised to see the Bishop himself at the airport to receive this unknown seminarian-to-be. On the same evening, the Bishop took me to show the place where I would travel daily to learn the Urdu language. It was a convent of the Good Shepherd Sisters which was six km from the minor seminary. While travelling, the Bishop gave a running commentary about the historical city and suddenly asked me to look through the window where I saw a huge cemetery. Then with a serious gesture, he uttered, “Boy, we all have to come here.” As it was my first winter experience, the Bishop gave some old winter clothes to wear, but no pocket money, because the board and lodging did not cost me in the minor seminary. I travelled during the week, up and down on a bicycle from the minor seminary to the Good Shepherd Convent, in order to study Urdu. First, I had to learn the alphabet and then the words.
 
After four months of language study, I was sent to remote village parishes to work with a young diocesan priest for nine months and later another nine months with two Belgium Capuchin missionaries. While there I learned the Punjabi language, customs, culture, and what not. Afterwards, I did my Philosophy and Theological studies at Christ the King Seminary in Karachi which was nearly  1,100 km from Lahore. My greatest memory of this time was to eventually see that all five residential staff members were recognized for their services to God and were rewarded by getting the Red Hats ( i.e., one cardinal, two archbishops, and two bishops). Bravo!.
 
On October 1st 1983, the feast of St. Therese of Lisieux, the Patroness of Missions, I requested, and was granted to be ordained a priest of God. That red-letter day took place in my hometown of Wattala, Sri Lanka, with the Pakistani late Archbishop Armando Trindade as celebrant and the late Archbishop Oswald Gomis of Colombo, Sri Lanka, assisting.
 
My first assignment as a priest was to work in a large remote parish near the Pakistani / Indian border which consisted of some 276 villages. The Catholic families were scattered far and wide and one was fortunate to see even a handful in some villages. There were thirteen full time paid catechists to assist me. There I  toured the villages on a motorbike over many rough and treacherous roads to administer the sacraments and other pastoral needs my flock required. Quite a few nights were spent in the villages, in order to, meet the people as they came home late from the fields and farms. Most were laborers, working for Muslim landlords.  Some laborers shared their pathetic stories with me by staying late at night, sitting in their courtyards.
 
From 1987 to 1993, I served as a pastor in another remote area. There I built a church and few chapels together with the people. The main church was dedicated to the Holy Spirit. In 2005, it was badly burnt and partly destroyed by a mob of rebellious group of people. One day my driver took the jeep to leave a newborn baby and her mother in a village nearly 23km away from a hospital. While the driver was returning, two dacoits beat him and  took my jeep at the gunpoint and fled away with it. Every Sunday, the parishioners prayed to Mother Mary to recover the vehicle. After 6 months, on a feast day of Mother Mary, the police returned the jeep with some bullet holes on it. It was unfortunate that notorious dacoits were shot dead by the police.
 
In 1993,  I  was appointed as the Director of the National Marian Shrine, which was built in 1886, and was the second oldest Catholic Church in Pakistan.
 
On a sabbatical, in 1995,I flew to Australia, where I met the good Father John Schuster and got a sweet taste for Calgary. During our get-togethers, I learned a lot about Canada and the Calgary Diocese. Upon my return to Pakistan, I was appointed the Director of the Renewal Centre in Lahore. There, I trained lay catechists for the archdiocese and taught diocesan spirituality for the propaedeutic year students in the Philosophy Seminary for seven years. For a short time, I was the acting rector of this seminary. In the absence of the Archbishop and Vicar- General, twice I was given the honor of being the administrator of the archdiocese. While being the executive secretary of the National Clergy Commission, I was involved in arranging renewal courses for clergy and on-going formation for young priests in the country. I compiled the Directory of the Catholic Church in Pakistan three times.
 
With the help of generous benefactors, I built a centre for special children. I always had a soft heart for the broken, poor, and needy. I felt honoured to serve under three Archbishops and elected twice as a member of the College of Consultors under two archbishops.
  
My services in Pakistan abruptly ended  when two gunmen attacked, threatened  and robbed me. As the Hindi song says “ajeeb dastan hai…kahan shuru, kahan katham..." which means  strange story, from where it started and where it ended. I learned many things as a student and as a missionary priest for thirty seven years from  loving Pakistani people. Little did I know that  I would leave Pakistan for good and be called to ministry in the dreamland, Calgary, Alberta in July of 2014. I'm really grateful to Bishop Emeritus Frederick Henry, for accepting me to the diocese with open arms.
 
After all is said and done, a priest has to be broken and shared with others, keep the Eucharist at the center of his life, and become another Christ wherever he is. Today, although no one comes for daily Mass, I bring one and all to the altar at every liturgy. As someone rightly said, “Let the Christ in me, meet and greet the Christ in them”.
 
This year, I have reached another milestone in my priesthood, 40 years of humble service as a missionary priest. As of Palm Sunday  2023, I have celebrated 14,307 Holy Masses. What a wonderful gift from our Lord!.
 
Priests need priests, especially when far away and alone in the missions. The beauty of this fraternity is that we know our brother priests do remember us and pray for us as we do for them as well as  our parents, families and friends. Today as a Jesus Caritas priest, this “Littleness” and “Hiddenness” of our universal brother, St. Charles de Foucauld, has helped me to live the life of Nazareth happily more than ever with the Indigenous people of Brocket.  I have just completed seven years in this mission, learning daily more than teaching. Together, we try to uplift the community, give new life, strengthen the families and  beautify the place that attracts many people even from nearby parishes.
 
Pope Francis’ document, “Amoris Laetitia" (On the Joy of Love) also reminds us regarding the practice of hospitality and how to reach out to people in parish communities. Our parishioners still worry about the same old question the Abbot asked, “How can we best serve the people who come to visit?” ( Holy Moments-by Matthew Kelly). Let us hope and pray that they will become a more vibrant community in the time to come.
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Fr. Roy Jayamaha

Ordained by Archbishop Armando Trindade in Colombo, Sri Lanka

Pastoral assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Associate Pastor: St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary (2014-2016)
  • Pastor in St. Paul's Brocket, (2016 - present)

Written by Fr. Roy Jayamaha, Pastor of St. Paul's Church, Piikani Nation, Brocket, AB.
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Fr. Bryan Frank: Looking back

9/2/2023

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I was ordained on April 15, 1983 by Bishop Paul O'Byrne at Saint Mary's cathedral. 

I was a late vocation and entered the seminary at the age of thirty after a successful career in sales and then owning my own businesses. I had already acquired a diploma in Business Administration. My vocation was influenced by two priests, Father Jim Sheridan and Father William Harding and the example of my parents. 
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I applied to and was accepted by the Diocese of Calgary and after a year's probation was sent to study at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon run by the Benedictine Monks.

I entered pre-theology being a mature student and in that time earned a diploma in Philosophy. After this year I entered the school of Theology and after four years received my M·aster's diplomas and was ordained in Calgary. 

My first assignment was at St. Peter's parish and Chaplain at the Calgary Correctional Centre. My first Pastor was Father Stan Henke. I was transferred after two years to St. Basil's Parish in Lethbridge and Chaplain at the Leth bridge Correctional Centre and the Young Offenders Centre. My Pastor was Father John Maes. 

My first pastorate was St. Ambrose's parish in Coaldale and responsibility for the Correctional Centre in Lethbridge. I was at Saint Ambrose for five years and in that time updated the interior and exterior of the church building, and had a successful youth group of thirty young people and reached out socially to the parishioners. 

I was transferred to St. Mark's parish in Calgary and was fortunate to work with Deacon Amadeo Malate. It was a parish, in those days, of 2000 families and six schools and pastoral responsibility for the faithful in Chestermere. 

After three years at Saint Mark's, I was transferred to Saint Mary's in Brooks with missions in Tilley and Tide Lake. I spent nine years in Brooks and in that time we formed a Catholic school district under the old two by two system of the provincial government. It was a K to 12 School. We formed a food Bank (Saint Vincent de Paul Society), a successful youth program and many outreach and social programs for the parishioners. I was fortunate to be able to work with Deacon Bob Wilson.· 

I was transferred after the nine years to the parish Nostra Madonna delle Grazie (Our Lady of Grace, now Mary, Mother of the Redeemer in Calgary) an Italian-English parish in Calgary and remained there three very good years working with Deacon Ron Nowell. 

I was transferred to the combined parish of Canmore and Banff. In that time we acquired the property and put in place the design for a new church building (The Shrine Church) in Canmore. We encouraged many social programs and outreach activities to the parishioners and to the many tourists that attended while on vacation. I was very ably assisted by Deacon Brian West. 

I retired after eight years and at 76, I am enjoying retirement. 
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Fr. Bryan Frank​

Ordained: April 15th, 1983, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary

Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Assistant: St. Peter’s, Calgary (1983-1985)
  • Assistant: Correctional Institute, Calgary (1983-1985)
  • Assistant: St. Basil’s, Lethbridge (1985-1987)
  • Chaplain: Lethbridge Correctional Institute (1987-1992)
  • Pastor: St. Ambrose, Coaldale (1987-1992)
  • Pastor: St. Mark’s, Calgary (1992-1995)
  • Pastor: St. Mary’s, Brooks (1995-2004)
  • Pastor: Our Lady of Grace, Calgary (2005-2007)
  • Administrator: St. Michael’s, Pincher Creek (2007-2008)
  • Pastor:  Our Lady of the Rockies, Canmore; St. Mary’s, Banff (2008-2015)
  • Retired: August 2015

Written by Fr. Bryan Frank, Retired Priest of the Diocese of Calgary.
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Fr. Michael L. Storey: Servant of God

9/2/2023

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Written by Deacon Michael Soentgerath. 

Father Michael Storey, diocesan priest for the Diocese of Calgary, celebrated his 50th Anniversary of Priestly Ordination on May 12 this year. For this special anniversary year, I had a chance to sit down with Fr. Mike to look back on those fifty years and highlight some of the very special events that Fr. Mike remembers with much gratitude.

Firstly, the ordination day itself was such a marvellous celebration of faith, with Bishop Paul O’Byrne having celebrated his ordination at St. Augustine Parish in Taber. Bishop Paul chose Taber as the location with the intention of allowing the rural parishes to experience a priestly ordination in their hometown. Fr. Mike’s connection to Taber was that he completed this parish practicum in his final year of seminary. The whole parish, as well as many from different parts of Canada, gathered in Taber for this special celebration that all would remember and cherish as a tremendous day of celebrating the ministerial priesthood.

Another highlight of Fr. Mike’s priestly life was when Bishop Paul O’Byrne appointed him as the Ecumenical Officer of the Diocese. Fr. Mike had been Pastor of Ascension Catholic Parish in Calgary, the first Parish within the diocese to be under the same roof as a Lutheran Congregation. The two parishes together and formed the "Sandstone Ecumenical Centre". A true hands-on experience of intentionally living daily the spirit of ecumenism, as one Body of Christ focusing on what unites us rather than our divisions. It came as no surprise several years later, that Fr. Mike was the priest, chosen to administrate the reunification of Anglicans who wished to return to the Catholic Church together with Father Colin O’Rorke. Approximately sixty  people were received back into the Catholic Church in this endeavour, initiated by Pope Benedict XVI. Fr. Mike feels very blessed to have been chosen to help facilitate this historical moment within our diocese and the Catholic Church.

As a Pastor, Fr. Mike feels very grateful for the opportunity of having been appointed to serve in many parishes of the diocese: Canadian Martyrs in Calgary, St. Michael’s in Pincher Creek, Sacred Heart in Oyen and Acadia Valley, St. Peter in Milk River, St. James in Okotoks, Ascension Parish in Calgary, St. James in Calgary-with a special ministry to the South Sudanese Catholics in Calgary, St. Peter’s in Calgary and St. Mary’s in Brooks.

Following his Brooks appointment, Bishop Henry appointed Fr. Mike to the Calgary Priest Hospital Chaplaincy Team. This is when I had the privilege of working more closely with Fr. Mike. His work within the various hospitals within the city of Calgary was an amazing and extremely fruitful ministry with many experiences of people healing and on occasion even being cured of illness. Father recalls with great amazement how often the Sacraments of the Church were of such great healing benefit to those who availed themselves to their reception. Even fellow Christians asking for pastoral support was a common occurrence. His Chaplaincy Ministry was also not limited only to hospitals, he also served as Chaplain to the Calgary Police Service until August of this year.

Finally, a special occasion that Fr. Mike will always cherish, was when his classmate Cardinal Thomas Collins, then Archbishop of Toronto, was made a Cardinal in Rome and he was invited to come and take part in the ceremony of his former classmate and friend. It was a powerful celebration of faith with Saint Pope John Paul II.

Now Fr. Mike resides at the Providence Care Centre in the Priest residence wing, together with the other priests of the diocese. He reflects on his marvellous 50-year journey as a Servant of God in priestly ministry with gratitude.

With thankfulness and fond memories he looks back on his call from God in thanksgiving for all that the Lord had done and accomplished through his words, his hands and his heart! May the years ahead be filled with much peace, grace and many blessings in the Lord!
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Fr. Michael L. Storey

​Ordained:  May 12th, 1973, at St. Augustine’s, Taber, AB.

​Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Assistant:  Canadian Martyrs, Calgary (1973-1974)
  • Assistant:  St. Michael’s, Pincher Creek (1974-1975)
  • Assistant:  Sacred Heart, Oyen; St. Mary’s, Acadia Valley (1975-1977)
  • Pastor:  Sacred Heart, Oyen; St. Mary’s, Acadia Valley (1977-1980)
  • Pastor:  St. Peter’s, Milk River (1980-1985)
  • Pastor:  St. Mary’s, Medicine Hat (1985-1987)
  • Pastor:  St. James, Okotoks (1987-1994)
  • Pastor:  Ascension of Our Lord, Calgary (1994-1996)
  • Pastor:  St. John’s, Calgary (1996-2000)
  • Pastor:  St. James, Calgary (2000-2007)
  • Pastor:  St. Peter’s, Calgary (2007-2009)
  • Pastor:  St. Mary’s, Brooks 
  • Chaplain:  Calgary Hospital Chaplaincy
  • Chaplain:  St. John the Evangelist (Anglican Ordinariate), Calgary (2011-2012)
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Fr. Gregory Coupal: Signs of God’s love

9/2/2023

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There are a number of theories about how time works. Some say that it is linear, others say that it is circular or cyclical. While the physicists argue the matter out, Fr. Greg Coupal’s life might be used as an argument for the case that time might just be cyclical after all.

Born in Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1946, Fr. Greg moved to Calgary at the age of 6.  He first attended Holy Name Cottage School in Glengarry, one of the cottage schools which were developed by the school boards in Calgary to help reach sparsely populated parts of the city before they filled out in the years after World War II. He later attended St. Charles School and then St. Mary’s Boys High School.

The Coupal family was a mixed-marriage family — Fr. Greg’s father, Jean-Paul, was a Catholic, and his mother, Dorothy, was an Anglican. Aside from himself, the Coupals also had a daughter, Cathy, five years younger than Fr. Greg. He, his father, and his sister would attend Mass regularly at Sacred Heart Parish, and his mother would join them for major occasions.  Fr. Stan Henke was the young assistant at Sacred Heart at this time, and he gave Fr. Greg his first communion; Fr. Stan would later become a very good friend. 

While the Coupals were not directly encouraging of their son’s vocation, they were very supportive of it. Fr. Greg was never an altar server (even though his mother typed out all the responses for the trainees learning their Latin), not was the family the kind to pray the rosary together every night, yet he remembers his father’s pride in telling the sisters who were guarding exhibits at Expo 67 in Montreal that “This is my son!  He’s going to be a priest!”

Fr. Greg got his first “feelings” that he was called to the priesthood while studying at St. Mary’s High School. The Basilians were his teachers at the time, and the family had just moved to the new St. Gerard’s Parish, where Msgr. J. J. “Jack” O’Brien was pastor and Fr. Phil Fry was assistant. Msgr. O’Brien was very influential for Fr. Greg as a terrific model, and it was he who arranged for Fr. Greg to meet with Bishop Carroll as he was finishing high school. Fr. Greg was still missing Math 30 at the end of high school, and had to return to St. Mary’s the next year to complete it. Bishop Carroll was nonplussed, and said: “You don’t need Math 30 to count the collection.”

Fr. Greg entered St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton in 1965, just as the Second Vatican Council was drawing to a close.  It was still very monastic when he entered, and change was very gradual.  Seminarians were not to visit in each other’s rooms, and there was complete silence after night prayer.  However, the anticipation of change after the council showed some weakness in the formerly unflappable structures of seminary life; “What do we do?” and “Where do we go from here?” seemed to be the unspoken, and sometimes seriously debated, questions that hung in the air in those years. 

The major development at the seminary at the time was the creation of Newman Theological College, and seminarians’ courses were conducted under the jurisdiction of NTC, even though they were within the same facility as in previous years. For a number of factors, Fr. Greg was the only member of his intake class at St. Joseph’s to be ordained, and even then, Fr. Greg did not graduate from St. Joseph’s Seminary.

As Fr. Greg parted ways with St. Joseph’s, Bishop O’Byrne arranged for him to attend St. Thomas the Apostle Seminary in Kenmore, Washington, just outside of Seattle.  It was discovered that Fr. Greg had completed most of his theology requirements, and so the faculty made the decision to place him in a parish — Our Lady of the Lake in Seattle, under Fr. Bill Lane and Fr. Pat Callaghan. These two were an excellent spiritual team, and served as top-notch mentors to Fr. Greg, ensuring that he was included in all social and spiritual activities in the parish. 

​Changes following the Second Vatican Council were beginning to take effect around this time — Fr. Greg was the last man to be ordained a subdeacon for the diocese of Calgary in the spring of 1972, before this holy order was suppressed that summer. He was ordained a deacon at St. James’ Parish in Calgary, where he served one of the first pastoral placements that would later become a regular part of seminary training. 
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Fr. Greg's ordination, St. Gerard's, 1973.
Fr. Greg was ordained on March 3rd, 1973, the Saturday before Ash Wednesday, at St. Gerard’s Parish in Calgary, in the midst of a beautiful chinook, which shocked his classmates from Seattle.

Fr. Greg was one of the last ordinandi from St. Thomas Seminary, which closed in 1977.  Immediately afterwards, Fr. Greg left for New Orleans for Mardi Gras and to visit a family, former parishioners of St. James, who could not make the ordination.  On the way home he stopped in Houston to visit their son, a seminarian for the Diocese of Corpus Christi, TX; this young man is now the Bishop of Biloxi, Mississippi, Louis Kihneman, III.          
       
In his priestly ministry, Fr. Greg’s placements have been varied.  He remembers the “Seek the Face of God” conferences at St. Mary’s in Medicine Hat fondly, as well as the retreats at St. Gerard’s in Calgary with the Redemptorists and with Grayson Warren Brown — “God is Good!”. 

He is grateful for the many incredible women and pastoral associates such as Doreen Yochim and Teri Hutchinson, with whom he has shared ministry and who highlighted to him the great potential and gifts that women have to offer within the church.

Notably, for much of his priestly life, Fr. Greg has been involved in ministry to high schools as chaplain, chaplain emeritus and adjunct chaplain, particularly with Barb Fabijan-Waddell at St. Mary’s, Bishop Carroll and St. Anne’s Academic Centre.  This has taken him as far away as the former Soviet Union with St. Mary’s High School in 1978. 

This particularly memorable trip involved a Mass in Communist Russia, where no liturgical changes had yet occurred after Vatican II, the only way to communicate with the priest was in extremely broken Latin, and an armed guard was posted at the back of the church.  There was also a five-hour trip to the hospital to escort one of the members of a Vancouver group with the same itinerary who sprained an ankle, which involved some very extremely broken Russian.  He was the chair of the police commission in Hanna, and had an RCMP officer boarding with him — the so-called “Odd Couple” are still friends today.  

Fr. Greg also still serves as a chaplain for Retrouvaille, helping couples with marriage challenges, having inherited the role from Fr. Jack Bastigal, and Fr. John Petravicius before him. Fr. Greg is not only chaplain for the Calgary community, but for the Vancouver community as well, and enjoys seeing that with a lot of hard work on their part and the power of the Holy Spirit, these couples leave these weekends with a lot more hope for their marriages.
           
When asked for advice for those discerning vocations today, his advice is steeped in his experiences in seminary:  “If you’re not happy…, get out.”  He was of 83 seminarians at St. Joseph’s at the time of his entrance in 1965, and one of 12 when he and St. Joseph’s parted ways. He has been very happy as a priest — and still is.

He also stresses that the importance for the discerner to be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, and that God will speak in little ways through the people and circumstances around us, rather than in a big booming way.  As well, it is important to remember that vocations are not ours, but that God gives each vocation as a gift, and we are to be stewards of the gift.

Included in the best advice he’s ever been given, words from Bishop Emeritus Henry come to mind, that a priest should “be a shepherd, not a cowboy.”  A shepherd invites his flock to follow him in front, while a cowboy pushes the cattle along the trail from behind. 

In his 50 years as a priest, his most effective pastoral ministry occurred by accepting people where they were, and then gently inviting them to grow, rather than by imposing his expectations upon them. To make the point, Fr. Greg gave the example of a funeral in which the family had no desire or intention to choose any readings for the service. Fr. Greg chose to leave the lectionary with the family over the weekend, and by the next meeting, they had chosen an Old and New Testament reading, a responsorial psalm, and a passage from the Gospels. At the funeral, they thanked Fr. Greg “for taking us where we were, and leading us a little bit further.”
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Fr. Greg's 25th anniversary, Corpus Christi, 1998.
Fr. Greg’s journey has been cyclical — many of his early influences would remain or return to be part of his life later. He presided over the funerals of his Grade 1 teacher, Alice Tucking, Grade 3 teacher, Cosma Luvisotto, Grade 12 English teacher Ron Thompson; and led a prayer service for his junior high teacher, Bernie Andrea. 

Part of his involvement as a high school chaplain in Calgary and Medicine Hat was conducting the “Search” program — he is still friends with some of the students who are now grandparents. He returned to St. Gerard’s, his home parish, as pastor later on; and his first placement as a priest was also his last — St. Mary’s Cathedral.

​For Fr. Greg, the life of a priest is a “sign of God’s love for people”.  Despite all the changes that have happened in his time, Fr. Greg has done his best to be one of these signs, pointing out God’s love for us steadily, throughout the cycles of his 50 golden years of priestly ministry.
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Fr. Gregory Coupal
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Ordained
:  March 3, 1973, St. Gerard’s Parish, Calgary.

Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Calgary:
  • Assistant:  St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary (1973-1979)
  • Chaplain:  St. Mary’s High School, Calgary (1975-1979)
  • Pastor:  St. George’s, Hanna (1979-1984)
  • Pastor:  Christ the King, Claresholm (1984-1987)
  • Pastor:  St. Mary’s, Medicine Hat; St. Albert the Great, CFB Suffield (1987-1996)
  • Pastor:  Corpus Christi, Calgary (1996-1998)
  • Pastor:  St. Gerard’s, Calgary (1998-2006)
  • Pastor:  St. Bonaventure, Calgary (2006-2008)
  • Rector:  St. Mary’s Cathedral (2008-2014)
  • Retired:  October 18th, 2014

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Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully. Solomon is a born and raised Calgarian. He studied music history in Lethbridge, and is now a seminarian in his pre-theology studies at St. Joseph's Seminary in Edmonton. He has been worshipping most recently with Canadian Martyrs Parish in Calgary, and with St. Mary's Parish in Banff where he has been working as a heritage interpreter with Parks Canada. He is an oboist by training, a chorister by grace, hobby wordsmith, amateur calligrapher, and museum enthusiast.
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From Diocesan Priest to Military Chaplain: Father John's Journey

6/26/2023

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“War is the ultimate human failure,” says Capt./Fr. John Nemanic. Not a sentiment I expect to hear from a military chaplain but Fr. John is adamant. “Human beings are called to be in communion with one another; to love and help each other. I had to grapple with this.” As we continue the interview, he expands on this conflict.
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Barely nine months ago, Fr. John was a diocesan priest in the Diocese of Calgary. Now he is a chaplain serving in the Roman Catholic Military Ordinariate of Canada (RC Milord Canada) under the supervision of Bishop Scott McCaig. The RCMilord is described as “a diocese of massive dimensions” serving not only military members and their families at home, but also wherever the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have a presence around the world.

Fr. John is simultaneously an officer, serving under a military chain of command including the Royal Canadian Chaplain Service (RCChS). This branch of the military, which Fr. John describes as similar to Alberta Catholic schools in that it serves all faiths. According to the National Defence website, “CAF chaplains attend to the needs of all members of the CAF and their families, whether they identify with a particular Faith Tradition, have no specific spiritual/faith practice, belief or custom, or are spiritually curious.”

In some ways, this is similar to parish work, caring for the spiritual needs of all CAF members, those who are Catholic, those from other faith backgrounds or those who have none. The pluralism found within the CAF reflects that seen in Canadian society as a whole, so chaplains have to be prepared to deal with all of it. Fr. John says, “As individual chaplains we’re told to be faithful to our faith traditions, so I might refer for example, a same-sex marriage request, to another chaplain. The chaplain might also refer military families to the local (secular) parish, for example, for sacramental preparation or for French-language Mass. He also liaises with other houses of worship nearby to be able to refer different faith adherents appropriately. It’s an environment of ecumenism and outreach into which chaplains are rigorously initiated.

Fr. John felt a calling to the military as early as his calling to the priesthood. His father served in the Yugoslavian army, so after Fr. John was ordained in 2008, he considered serving as a reservist. However, he found the commitment unsustainable with full time parish work. In 2017, his yearning to serve for the military resurfaced during centennial celebrations of the Battle of Vimy Ridge. Eventually, he applied to the RCChS and began a long process of interviews, physical tests, evaluations, educational qualification assessments and personal reference checks. “This was also to test the call,” Fr. John says, “A lot of it was prayer.”

Once he was accepted, he was posted to Garrison Petawawa in Ontario (population 19,000 including 6,000 people directly connected to the base). He then began 13 weeks of basic training from 5 am to 10 pm. It was a tough regimen designed to emphasize teamwork and endurance under adversity, as well as essential fighting skills. Chaplains do not carry weapons, although they do have to learn how to safely disarm them. They also do not command any personnel but bear an officer’s rank so they can minister to members at all levels. Chaplains have authority, and an obligation, to present significant issues from the rank-and-file to higher-ups. They also preside at religious services and form part of the group which delivers news to a family following an incident. 
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It was during basic training that Fr. John experienced a memorable moment. Among his fellow trainees, who ranged in age from 19 to 50, one approached him expressing suicidal thoughts. Fr. John arranged for mental health support for the person. He remembers being awed and humbled by the “power of the padre”, to be trusted with a confidence at the outset of his training. Not all his experiences were as positive.

While visiting the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa during Basic Training, he paused in front of a large display of instruments meant to kill and maim. “My stomach churned,” he says, “I wondered, ‘am I enabling this by serving in the CAF?’” With the help of an advisor, he came to understand differently. “Canada’s interests in going to war are noble: to defend our country and defend those who need our help.” He goes on to say that Jesus met violence with acceptance when he submitted to being crucified. Chaplains can provide solace to those who’ve had to kill and those suffering from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder). Fr. John explains that soldiers have to accept what the military terms ‘unlimited liability’ which means they cannot refuse an order even if it places them in dire danger. Officers have to deal with issuing such orders. Even peacekeepers, who are not permitted to fire unless first fired upon, can encounter terrible situations which they are powerless to affect.
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“It’s such a conundrum to support CAF members but not believe in war,” Fr. John says. “Only God can bring creation out of chaos. Pray for peace in our hearts and homes. Pray that there is no more war and no need for the military but pray also for our soldiers.”

Fr. John ends our interview the same way he began it, with gratitude to Bishop McGrattan for “putting me on loan to the military”. He says fervently, “I would never have found peace until I knew if I could do this. God has put me in a place where I can really help people.”


Written by Alice Matisz for Faithfully. ​Edited and approved by the Canadian Army Forces. Alice lives in Lethbridge with her husband Don. She is a member of All Saints Parish where she volunteers to bring the Eucharist to a long term care home. She enjoys reading, writing, baking and painting. 

​
Photos courtesy of Fr. John Nemanic.
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Our newest priest, Fr Santiago Torres!

6/18/2023

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A thunderclap of applause erupted inside St. Mary’s Cathedral Friday evening as the faithful deemed Santiago Torres worthy of ordination to the priesthood.  

There was standing room only as young and old watched on as Torres prostrated himself before God and His people, giving his undivided heart to the priesthood on the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, as a choir sounding like angels sang the Litany of the Saints.  

Then the essential moment – the Laying on of Hands – by Bishop William McGrattan, as the Holy Spirit conformed Torres to the priesthood of Christ. It was poignant to see the many faces of Christ come forward one by one laying their hands on their new brother priest as he knelt to receive this gesture in humility.  
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Ordination of Fr. Santiago Torres, June 16, 2023 by Bishop William T. McGrattan at St. Mary's Cathedral
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The word ‘humility’ was repeated through the music, the prayers, the homily and even Fr. Torres’ thank you address at the end of the ordination. 

Bishop McGrattan emphasized every priest must possess the gift of the fear of God, a trepidation that they are unworthy to receive this call. “Each priest must respond to their call with confidence and humility inspired by the Spirit of God,” he said. 

Sincere, affable, gentle, kind, confident, humble, joyful and a gift to the Church; these are words that the faithful use to describe their newest Calgary diocesan priest. I count myself among the faithful who feel blessed by Fr. Santiago’s “yes” to live for Christ. 

A few weeks before the ordination, I had the privilege of sitting down to speak with Father (at that time Deacon) Torres. He chatted with me from his dorm room at St. Joseph’s Seminary in Edmonton via video call. Almost immediately I was reminded of his magnetic personality. We had first met about 13 years ago (summer of 2010) during which time he had just experienced the love of God in a profound life-changing way. By the end of the interview my heart was full of hope for the future of Fr. Santiago’s priestly vocation and for all the ways he will bring glory to God and peace to those he ministers to on Earth.

PictureFr. Santiago Torres
A chat with Fr. Santiago

The Parable of the Mustard Seed came to mind as I sat down to write and reveal a glimpse of Fr. Santiago Torres’s profound journey of faith: one that began for him as a tiny seed hidden within his mother’s womb. 

“When I was conceived my Dad didn’t want anything to do with the pregnancy and so he left my Mom. I never knew who my biological dad was. He pushed [abortion] on her and my mom decided to have me instead – Praise God.” 

The 34-year-old priest, born and raised in Bogota, Colombia, considers his mother his primary role model. 

“My Mom has always been that solid foundation in my life for security and love – how to give of yourself for others.” 

Two days before the ordination, Fr. Santiago’s mother, Maria Cristina Latorre, was busy preparing for the ordination, welcoming her best friend from Germany, her sisters from Colombia, Santiago’s out-of-town seminarian friends and parishioners from his diaconal year in Lethbridge. With emotions running high amidst the hustle and bustle at her house, she stepped away to reflect and answer a few questions about her son. 

“I don’t know why Jesus chose me, but I’m here and I’m ready to give back my son to Him,” said Latorre, trying to hold back her tears. “There are too many emotions.

“I ask God why you chose my son?,” she said. “I’m not asking this ‘why’ in a bad way. No, I’m asking why [because] I’m so humbled to be his mom.

“Santiago explained to me ‘Mom, sometimes God, through difficult times, or bad situations, He makes something good from bad,’ which makes sense for me,” she continued.

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Fr. Santiago Torres and his twin sisters, Ana Maria and Maria Juliana.
Growing up in Bogota, Colombia 

When Fr. Santiago was two-years-old, his mother married and had twin girls, Ana Maria and Maria Juliana. Then at six-years-old his parents divorced, but the family continued to keep in touch with his sisters’ father, the man who Fr. Santiago considers his earthly father figure. 

“It’s incredible how important the love of a father is in a person’s life and yet, even if one hasn’t had that in one’s life, God still wants to give us that love,” said Fr. Santiago. “Looking back on my life in those years that I wasn’t close to Him… even if I didn’t realize He was there, He was always there.”

From early on the seed of faith was planted through Fr. Santiago’s Sacraments of Baptism and First Eucharist, but he was not Confirmed until later as an adult. From an early age watching television soccer matches won out over going to Sunday Mass. Meanwhile, his grandparents played a pivotal role in helping his mother raise Fr. Santiago and his sisters, both practically and spiritually.

Mrs. Latorre remembers those early days of childrearing and how her parents did not approve of all the ways her life had unfolded. Yet, as devout Catholics, they continued to support and love her and her children. 

“At this time I was not close to God, I cannot say I was praying, but I can say God was with me all the time. I think He has been by my side all the time,” said Mrs. Latorre, tearfully.
A new beginning in Canada 

Mrs. Latorre married Juan Gonzalo Arango when Fr. Santiago was around 14 and then, in 2005 at the age of 16, the family immigrated to Calgary for better opportunities. 

“For me it was very difficult,” said Fr. Santiago. “My friends were everything. I had a girlfriend in Colombia at that time as well. We moved in October, which was hard because it was starting to get cold and high school had already started. I only knew enough English to get by.”  

Shortly after the move, he began a relationship with a Colombian girl, also newly immigrated to Canada, who, to his astonishment, practiced her Catholic faith. 

The seed of faith received some significant watering one day when he was at his girlfriend’s house and the family was on a long-distance phone call with a priest from Colombia. Each person got a chance to speak to this priest, including – to his surprise – Fr. Santiago. 

“I was completely dumbfounded because I hadn’t talked to a priest in forever and that was how my conversion began,” said Fr. Santiago “It’s incredible how God works.

“Because I didn’t know him and I knew I wouldn’t see him again ever, I was able to open my heart to him and actually talk about stuff that was going on in my life more than I would talk with my friends or girlfriend.” 

Shortly after that his girlfriend invited him to Mass and he began to pray at night again. He sees this period in high school as living a double life – one of renewed faith, yet still steeped in his secular lifestyle. But the seed of faith that had been planted in his childhood began to receive nourishment. 
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Fr. Santiago Torres and his family
PictureYoung Fr. Santiago at CCO evangelistic mission, Impact.
Turning back to God 

Two years after graduating high school (summer of 2010) at the age of twenty, Fr. Santiago participated in Impact, an evangelistic mission hosted by Catholic Christian Outreach. It was geared toward bringing lukewarm Catholic university students back into the faith. He took a faith study and attended ‘Summit’, an evening of adoration prayer at St. Bonaventure. It was during this hour of adoration and praise and worship that he gave his adult ‘yes’ to place Jesus at the centre of his life.

“I just remember closing my eyes and feeling so loved,” said Fr. Santiago “It was just incredible. I started crying. It was just an experience of a love I’d never encountered. 

“I’d just broken up with my girlfriend, trying to fit into a culture I’d just arrived in, trying to wear a lot of masks to belong. I just felt the love that God was trying to give me, for no other reason than for being who I was.”   

His newly sprouted seed of faith continued to grow with good friendships through the former University of Calgary Catholic Community (now St. Xavier Chaplaincy). After graduating with a mechanical engineering degree in 2014, Fr. Santiago worked for a year in his field all the while discerning a call to either explore the priesthood or a budding female friendship. 

He received spiritual direction from a number of priests in the diocese and decided to apply for seminary studies. 

“I entered [into the seminary] with a lot of reluctance,” said Fr. Santiago. “I just felt I had been on the fence for a long time by then, a lot of wrestling and struggling. But I felt I had tried everything I could to discern outside the seminary, but the one thing I hadn’t done was give the seminary a shot.”  

The female friend he wanted to romantically pursue gave him the last push to enter seminary. 

“She said, ‘Santi, if you are not God’s will for me, then I don’t want to be with you.’ And that cut me to the heart because it was the opposite of what I was doing. I felt God was calling me to be a priest and I was choosing not to follow His will, but to be with her,” said Fr. Santiago.

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The formative seminary years  

Fr. Santiago spent his first two seminary years at Mount Angel Seminary in Oregon, USA where one third of the seminarians were Latino. 

“I was able to make really good friends and feel at home,” said Fr. Santiago. “I began to feel this was right, that it was what God wanted me to do. That continued to be the feeling year after year.”  

He completed the next six years of training in Edmonton at St. Joseph’s Seminary. 

During this time fellow seminarian Serge Buisse became a close friend. They spent a lot of time together, studying, playing sports, confiding in one another. 

Fr. Serge was ordained last July for the St. Boniface Archdiocese in Winnipeg. He now pastors the francophone parish of St. Joachim in La Broquerie, Manitoba. He describes Fr. Santiago as down-to-earth, joyfilled, friendly and warm.  

“He was always a gift in so far as his desire to grow,” said Fr. Serge “He is very human. I thank God He sent me someone like him; his capacity to be real, to be authentic and we supported each other in almost every aspect of life.” 

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New life as a priest 
Fr. Santiago’s journey of faith grew and eventually flourished into a tree whose branches provide shelter to others.

Following his ordination on June 16 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, he prayed his first Mass the next morning at St. Bonaventure Parish. He will begin his ministry as Associate Pastor of All Saints Parish in Lethbridge and Associate Chaplain with the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy beginning August 15. 

I’m looking forward to “being able to share the love I received from God with others, being able to minister to people, offer the sacraments of His love, and being a witness,” said Fr. Santiago. 

“The reason I’m becoming a priest is He has drawn me into relationship with Him and shown me that is where I will be most fulfilled and most happy. And God wants that for everybody. He wants to be in relationship with everybody, and that everybody is going to be most fulfilled in that relationship with Him.” 

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A few of Fr. Santiago Torres’s favourite things:
  • Burgers and fries 
  • Soccer, bouldering, volleyball  
  • Peanuts – “I eat peanuts with the shells on which is apparently super weird!” ?
  • ​My Mom – “She taught me responsibility and self-sacrificial love by raising three children as a single-mom.”
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Fr. Santiago Torres' First Mass at St. Bonaventure, June 17, 2023
Livestream of the Ordination Mass - June 16, 2023 | Download worship aid
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  • View ALL photos from the Ordination Mass of Fr. Santiago on June 16, 2023. Solemnity of Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.
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Message of encouragements from Fr. Santiago's family:
“The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.” Santi, God is with you and for you. Be not afraid. You are loved and the Lord will continue to guide you and provide for you. Let him. He is faithful.
​~ Ana Maria Torres, sister
May God guide you and hold your hand each step of the way as you serve His people. I am thankful for the gift that He gave me to have you as my brother, and I ask that He guide me as your sister to support you always in this path. I love you!" ~ ​Maria Juliana, sister
I think you will be an effective priest with the young people. I think your vocation could be a good example for some people. My hope is that Jesus and Mary will be with you on your side.” ~ Mrs. Maria Cristina Latorre, mother. She asks that we all pray for her son.

A note from the Diocese of Calgary:
Thank you to all ministers, volunteers, and staff who helped prepare for the Ordination! Special thanks to St. Mary's Cathedral parish staff, Catholic Women's League & Serra Club Calgary for organizing the reception, St. John Choir Schola, St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy, Calgary seminarians, photographers Yuan Wang (SFXC) & Victor Panlilio (Canadian Martyr's Parish), livestreamer Rikki Sabater (St. Anthony's Parish) & team, videographers Annie Chirka (St. Peter's Parish) & team.
​

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

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Photos courtesy of Fr. Santiago Torres, Yuan Wang, and Victor Panlilio.
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Ordination of Santiago Torres to the Sacred Priesthood of Jesus Christ

6/16/2023

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Watch Livestream
Digital Worship Aid
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Ordination to the Priesthood
Rev. Mr. Santiago Torres will be ordained to the Sacred Priesthood on the Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus by Most Reverend William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary:
  • When: Friday, June 16 at 7 pm - St. Mary's Cathedral. Door opens at 6 pm.
  • Livestream available through the Diocesan Facebook Live. 

Masses of Thanksgiving
Soon-to-be Fr. Santiago Torres will celebrate Mass of Thanksgivings on:
  • Saturday, June 17 at 9 am - St. Bonaventure, Calgary
  • Sunday, June 18 at All Saints, Lethbridge
    • 11 am at St. Basil's Church;
    • 6 pm at Assumption's Church.
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