Category: Religious Life

On February 2nd, 2023, religious from eight different communities gathered to celebrate the World Day of Consecrated Life on the Feast of Presentation of the Lord. It was a joy-filled day with the celebration of the Eucharist, meaningful conversations that deepened connections, and a delightful meal shared between those present.

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World Day Prayer for Consecrated Life

1/28/2023

February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, is celebrated in the Church also as the World Day for Consecrated Life. In parishes, the celebration may be transferred to the weekend following February 2 to make the celebration more accessible. This is an opportunity for the Church to reflect on and celebrate the unique role and importance that Consecrated Life has in the Church. (CCCB)

The Consecrated Life includes all men and women who vow or promise to consecrate their lives to God and to provide a unique public witness as members of religious communities, apostolic societies, secular institutes, and consecrated virgins. (CCCB)

The following is a prayer that can be offered for the local Church to ask the Lord for more vocations to these particular vocations in our Diocese.

The Consecrated Life, deeply rooted in the example and teaching of Christ the Lord, is a gift of God the Father to his Church through the Holy Spirit." ~ St. John Paul II: Vita Consecrata 1

Prayer for Consecrated Life in our Diocese

O God our Father, Lord of the harvest, we ask You to send Your Holy Spirit to stir up the grace of Consecrated life vocations in the hearts of many within our parish community. Grant them the willingness and generosity to place their lives completely in Your hands as Religious priests, brothers and sisters, and consecrated virgins. Help us to support them by our own fidelity to Your call to holiness through prayer and Christian service. When You desire that members of our family and friends follow Your Son in this way, grant us the wisdom, love, and insight to support and encourage them to listen to Your voice and follow You without delay. We ask this in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

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Submitted by Sr. Dianne Turner, Assistant Director of Vocation

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Let's hang out with the Sisters

12/18/2022

An invitation from Sr. Dianne Turner (Assistant Vocation Director of the Diocese of Calgary) to young and unmarried women:

Maybe you have a sister, and you have fun times with her, but this is about Religious Sisters having fun together, you know, the ones people call Nuns (though Nuns are a type of Religious Sisters who live a cloistered life in a monastery. If you want to know more about this distinction, just ask). So, we Sisters decided that we would gather for a night of fun and conversation, pizza supper, and Night Prayer. Personally, I am looking forward to playing some games because I truly enjoy card games, board games, charades, etc.

Then we thought it would be great to invite young, unmarried women to hang out with us for this evening, so that we could get to know each other in a lighter setting and build our friendship. What a blessing it would be to meet young women who want to get to know us. It's an opportunity to make new friends, and catch up with some old acquaintances!

Perhaps you have questions you would like answered without anyone knowing that you are talking to the Sisters. Maybe you want to meet Sisters from a variety of communities. You might simply want to have a lovely evening of free pizza and conversation, fun activities, and night prayer at the end. You might even consider bringing along a friend and your favourite game to play with the Sisters. What could be a better way to spend a Friday evening?

The FCJ Sisters have kindly offered Sacred Heart Convent for the evening, located behind St. Mary’s Cathedral at 219-19th Avenue SW, Calgary from 6 to 9 p.m. on Friday, January 13, 2023.

Please let us know if you are coming by Thursday, January 12, 2023, by contacting Sr. Dianne at 403-218-5504 or email sisterdianne.turner@calgarydiocese.ca so that we can order the right amount of pizza (meatless of course, because it is Friday).

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Sr. Helen Hengel - 80 years of consecrated life

12/1/2022

Sr. Helen Hengel, SCSL

I was born in 1922 and raised in Shaunavon, Saskatchewan. I attended High School in Swift Current where I met the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis. Soon after I felt called by God to begin my life with the Sisters in Bienville, Quebec.

After the time of formation and profession of vows (1942), I returned to Western Canada teaching In Saskatchewan and Alberta until 1958. Then I moved to Medicine Hat to the Novitiate Formation community as Director until 1964. I was further blessed with the opportunity for religious studies in Rome, and then further studies in psychology and counselling in Calgary, Ottawa, and New York. My journey then was focused on spiritual direction, youth counseling (University of Calgary) and helping those who suffered from addiction and their families through recovery, counselling with AADAC, the 12 Step individual and group counselling. I also served those attending serenity retreats, and those in personal growth groups and retreats for women.

My life has been blessed as a Sister, which has brought me joy and peace, challenges for growth. I cherised the call to support God's people in their journeys and times for prayer, and contemplation with a long life being held in God's love.

You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you." (Isaiah 26:3)

Submitted by Sr. Helen for Faithfully.

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Sr. Clemence Liboiron - 75 years of consecrated life

12/1/2022

Sr. Clemence Liboiron, SCSL

I have been abundantly blessed, as I was born and raised in Ponteix, Saskatchewan in a faith-filled family where love, prayer and acceptance were the dominant forces molding me and guiding me in my early life.

In my teen years I was privileged to be asked to be responsible for looking after the cleanliness of the sanctuary in our parish church. Years later when I was finishing my high school there were moments when I felt God's love and presence in my life and a deep desire to follow Him. So it was. I joined the congregation of sisters who taught me at St. Theresa Academy in Medicine Hat, the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis. For my formation and I went to Bienville, Quebec and in 1947 I made my profession of vows. I then returned to western Canada for my initial training to become a teacher, and in later years earned a B. Ed and B.A in Alberta.

In my 30 years as a teacher, mostly in Saskatchewan, I was blessed to work with many wonderful teachers and many eager students.

After a wonderful sabbatical in Ottawa, I had the privilege of taking biblical sessions in Jerusalem and time to visit the Holy Land. Shortly after this wonderful experience I was ready to accept the position as parish leader in parishes in the Archdiocese of Regina, Saskatchewan, as well as working with Father Sullivan in the task of training lay people to lead the parishes for Sunday liturgy in the absence of a pastor.

In 2011 I retired in Medicine Hat. I was a member of St. Patrick's Parish as well as had the time and privilege of visiting my relatives and friends.

Presently I am retired and enjoying life in Swan Evergreen Village Senior Home in Calgary with other Sisters from my community.

Submitted by Sr. Clemence Liboiron for Faithfully.

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Fr. Kevin Lynch, OFM: Into the mystery

8/28/2022

“If you don’t have a sense of mystery, you’re as good as dead. If that makes me religious, then I’m religious.” — Albert Einstein

Fr. Kevin Lynch, OFM, distinctly recalls the moment where he received his first experience of the Church, and his call to the priesthood. It was at St. John the Baptist Cathedral in McLennan, in northern Alberta, his family parish growing up. He remembers a great, big building filled with light, and the priest coming down the aisle in procession. Young Fr. Kevin’s heart knew: “I want to be one of those.” This was his mystery, discovered at seven years old; where he felt called, where he felt he belonged.

The youngest of the three sons of Irish and Scottish immigrants, Fr. Kevin grew up on a farm 7 miles outside McLennan, AB, where “we had nothing, but we were happy”. Family life was stable, with a sense of belonging. At age 10, the family moved into town so that the children could receive an education from the Sisters of Providence, and for Grades 11 and 12, Fr. Kevin moved to Edmonton to study at St. Anthony’s College with the Franciscans.

The mystery that penetrated his heart at 7 was still active, and so it made sense to follow up with the Franciscans in discernment. He had been stuck by the earthiness and groundedness of the friars, who entertained very little living in the abstract world. Fr. Kevin was sent first to Sherbrooke, Quebec, for his noviciate, and made his first vows at 20. He went on to Montreal for four more years of study in theology, before being ordained a deacon by Cardinal Léger, who emphasized the centrality of the mercy of God to the Franciscan way of life in his ordination homily. Much of his studies were quite routine, typical of the years before Vatican II, although learning French proved a good challenge. The seeds of Quebec’s Quiet Revolution were beginning to germinate, and the changes were visible. When Fr. Kevin first arrived in Quebec, he and his fellow novices were warmly driven around the city through the kindness of the people; by the time he left, there were nothing but suspicious stares and cold shoulders, leading Fr. Kevin to wonder why the Church leadership in Quebec had not noticed the disaffectedness of their flocks. At the end of his studies, Fr. Kevin was ordained priest in the church were he first felt the call, on June 16th, 1962, by Bishop Henri Routhier, OMI.

Fr. Kevin’s first assignment was teaching chemistry and physics at O’Leary High School in Edmonton. Changes were beginning to manifest themselves in clerical life at the time, not in the least with the Mass being celebrated in the vernacular, and concelebrations coming into practice. After a particular run-in with a parishioner’s somewhat anti-clerical family, Fr. Kevin began forgoing clerical collars. At one notable school dance in 1971, Fr. Kevin was dressed in a suit and tie. A student who was a known as a drug pusher at the school came up to him rather shocked, asking: “Where’s your collar?! Someone has to stand for something around here…” Fr. Kevin noted the irony of the situation: he had to be placed upon a pedestal, but this student could do whatever he wanted.

A large portion of Fr. Kevin’s ministry was as director of religious education in Edmonton Catholic School District from 1973-1995. He was first sent on sabbatical to study religious education in the UK, and thereafter made a point to take time off every 5 years to allow for regular renewal. While he considers it to have been a rather routine administrative job, many changes were implemented in his time through consultation with the CCCB. The “Come to the Father” program of catechesis was brought in, which shifted the focus away from traditional question-and-answer catechesis towards a more holistic understanding, and began renewal of religious education in Edmonton. As well, Edmonton Catholic schools began sending teachers to Newman Theological College at this time, forming in their religious education studies.

Fr. Kevin was also provincial minister from 1982-1992, and represented western Canada at general chapters, the international meetings of Franciscans, once in Assisi and once in San Diego. Part of the work involved travelling extensively to Europe, Asia and South America, and taking part in the theological discussions that were ongoing in these parts of the world, such as the growth of liberation theology in South America.

Fr. Kevin’s next assignment was to the retreat centre in Lumsden, Saskatchewan, where he worked to incorporate an ecumenical board of Lutherans, Anglicans and Roman Catholics to create an ecumenical retreat house, which ran in that configuration for about 10 years. Retreat work — giving talks and spiritual direction, and AA ministry (especially fifth step ministry) — has always been enjoyable for Fr. Kevin, and he continues this work now since arriving at Mount St. Francis in Cochrane in 2007.

Fr. Kevin has certainly seen many changes in his sixty years of priestly ministry. He has seen the shift in the understanding of faith from the intellectual assent so visible in his early days of seminary to being that of a personal relationship with Christ that is broadly seen and understood today. In encouraging others to grow in this relationship with Christ, he stresses the importance of setting time aside for prayer, be it five minutes or half an hour. This time must be set aside, to examine one’s conscience, to be grateful at the end of the day, or to simple just be, but at a certain time and place, taking the minutes, if not the hours to do so. As for specific prayers, Fr. Kevin has a particular fondness for what is commonly known as the Peace Prayer of St. Francis. While shown not to be St. Francis’ actual words, it encapsulates much of his teaching well.

For Fr. Kevin, the greatest vocation is that of baptism, the one from which we draw our dignity as the children of God; and yet, our quest to live out our baptism fully is never complete — we all need to become better Christians. As for advice for those specifically discerning religious life, Fr. Kevin’s advice is simple. One must continue to pray about the questions, and especially to pray for perseverance. A spiritual director is invaluable, as well as ensuring that it isn’t just a “head trip”, but that the seminarian or novice must be prepare to get their hands dirty.

Overall, it’s been a “wholesome” journey for Fr. Kevin, from the first encounter wit the mystical in his home parish in McLennan, now through several placements, onwards through school administration until today’s work at Mount St. Francis. He has met all kinds of people, from beggars to governors, and despite their outward difference, Fr. Kevin has found similarities among all the people he has ministered to. He finds this to be a fascinating matter in ministry, that everyone is in need of love and respect, no matter their background. It seems that the initial mystery that drew Fr. Kevin in at a tender age keeps revealing itself still, well over sixty years on.

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Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully

Fr. Kevin Lynch, OFM

Ordained: June 16, 1962 in McLennan, AB by Bishop Henri Routhier, OMI

Pastoral placement in the Diocese of Calgary

Co-Director at Mt. St. Francis Retreat Centre, Cochrane Aug. 31, 2007

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Radiating Christ

1/23/2022

Br. Michael Perras. Photo: Solomon Ip.

Above his bedroom door, Br. Michael Perras, OFM, has a small banner made by his great-aunt who was an Ursuline sister which reads: “To Radiate Christ”. For him, it serves as a reminder to put on Christ when putting on his habit every day. Yet it also speaks to something deeper, the call for Christians to radiate Christ to the other. Those in consecrated life have chosen this as their life’s work, whether contemplative or active, ordained or not, male or female.

The feast of the Presentation makes this clear to us — that we are to live in imitation of Christ, the “light to enlighten the nations”. This feast has long fascinated Br. Michael (Mount St. Francis, Cochrane), in particular the figures of Sts. Simeon and Anna. In Br. Michael’s words, they serve as reminders: reminders to be amazed and to give praise, reminders to hope and trust, reminders of the elders in our lives, reminders of those who pass on the amazement of encountering Christ, and as reminders of those who call out the truth of who we are — in many ways, they are types of the consecrated life itself. The feast itself is a reminder: the hints of our baptismal promises in the liturgy are a reminder that we live as children of God, in the dignity of being anointed priest, prophet and king as Christ was in his Incarnation among us. Finally, Candlemas has been traditionally seen as the tail end of Christmas, with its themes of light-bearing. It is only right then, that the consecrated life and the Presentation of Christ are celebrated together, serving to remind us that we are all called to be bearers of light, and to witness to the light — to radiate Christ into the world.

When we think of the consecrated life, the mind quickly turns to nuns and religious sisters, and for good reason. Women far outstrip men in North America to the vocation of consecrated life, both in number of vocations and variety of orders. However, they do not comprise the only groups under the term “consecrated life”. Rather, the consecrated life includes all who profess public vows of poverty, chastity in the form of celibacy, and obedience, within a permanent state of life recognized by the Church. Compared with sisters and nuns, brothers, monks and friars are far less common in North America, especially within this diocese. Some orders have come and gone quite quickly, such as the Benedictines, while others enjoyed enduring tenures among us, such as the Brothers of Our Lady of Lourdes. The Franciscans have maintained a steady presence in Cochrane from the 1940s until now, and among them lives the sole non-ordained religious brother currently in the diocese: Br. Michael.

For Br. Michael, the call to religious life “came out of nowhere”. He grew up in a parish which receive Redemptorist missions regularly, and had two great-aunts who had been Ursuline sisters, but these seemed to be more “stepping stones” to the consecrated life, not “runway moments”. His parents owned the grocery store in Glenavon, SK, which was a primer in the life of service, and this continued in his life into youth ministry work throughout Saskatchewan. However, several things drew him to the Franciscans. Having tried to live simply during his pre-Franciscan life, an added depth was encountered in religious life, where the continual call to simplicity means to live out of who one is. Community and fraternity naturally grow out of this simplicity, with the discovery that “I can live out who I am in this way” among the messiness and the goodness of community, not changing who God has asked him to be.

The centrality of the Incarnation to the Franciscan charism also drew Br. Michael. St. Francis’ life was centred upon the humility of the Incarnation and the charity of the Passion, and for Br. Michael, who has been drawn to the Incarnation since childhood, this aspect of the charism is central: “God with us”, Emmanuel. Flowing out of this incarnational reality comes a broader understanding of living the Gospel as good news, in everything done in everyday life.

Br. Michael sums up his experience of consecrated life quite succinctly in the phrase “big brother, little brother, always a brother”. As the eldest of four, being the big brother has always been a part of his life; and joining the Order of Friars Minor, the experience of “minority”, of being little and simple, is central to the charism. From this place of being a biological brother flows the life of being a religious brother. Biological siblinghood calls us to the importance of relationship and building bridges, and questions how we build links, how we forgive and reconcile, and how we engage with others with different viewpoints; it is only natural that religious brotherhood does the same in different dimensions — being present to others, listening to others on their journey, encouraging what they have and offer. Br. Michael sees his vocation as that of a link in a chain — being others’ connection to faith and to the Church, the Church’s connection to the world, and linking these together in new and unexplored ways.

Each religious brother and sister lives out their vocation in a different way, stemming from the consideration of what they have and what they offer. Historically, unordained brothers were manual labourers who made life function for their order; nowadays, many are engaged in academic pursuits or in active ministry work — Br. Michael himself works in retreat ministry and spiritual direction. Despite changing situations, the most important facets of consecrated life have not: to announce the Good News, and to witness to the Good News lived out in the lives of the people of the broader community.

For Br. Michael, consecrated life is an invitation for us to deeper listening and awareness of God’s working in our lives and those around us. In our noisy world of instant gratification, consecrated life gives us pause to reflect on what and who we are listening to. The work of fraternity, hospitality and service that so many religious carry out points out that all Christians have a vocation to community and to being the Church. The ordained priesthood can often seem removed to some, and so the accessibility of consecrated life speaks to the connection, approachability, inclusivity and dialogue that all Christians are meant to embody, to the centrality of relationship in humanity. To sum it up, consecrated life is a sign for us to live life for the other, and not for the self.

In Br. Michael’s words, consecrated life is one of “witness and connection, being present and listening” — a life remarkably similar to those of Sts. Simeon and Anne. As we approach the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, let us grow in the lessons that consecrated life teaches us: chiefly, let us grow “To Radiate Christ”.

Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully. Solomon Ip is a born-and-bred Calgarian, a member of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, and is an exhibit interpreter at Heritage Park in Calgary. He worships at St. John the Evangelist, Calgary; All Saints, Lethbridge; and the Calgary and Lethbridge branches of the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy.

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There is no mission without contemplation

12/19/2021

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Sr. Bridget (formerly Alissa Going) in her profession to Consecrated Life in Brazil.

Over the past few months as I have become acquainted with the members of the Seeds of the Word, I have come to see Our Blessed Mother in each one of them: a joyful young woman dressed in simple blue clothes, her life overflowing with the Life of God. The Seeds of the Word is a Brazilian contemplative and missionary community whose mission in Calgary began in 2014. Visiting their home, I have peeked into the community’s life of prayer, penance, and mission, which they live in cheerful hiddenness. Their contagious smiles reveal the treasure of their courageous hearts which have opened to receive and give the gift of God.

The focus of the community is intimacy with Jesus Christ through the Word of God. For them, Jesus is the Precious Seed, whom they receive in personal and communal prayer, and then share with the world. Christmas is the most important feast for the community because of the centrality of the Word of God in their spirituality. Sr. Ana Sophia shares her experience: “I always get emotional at Christmas time when we contemplate that Baby... the Word of God Who came to save the world. It is so powerful to look at Him.”

One of the newest sisters, Sr. Bridget, formerly Alissa Going, from Vauxhall, AB, professed her first vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience on December 3, the feast of St. Francis Xavier. Through these vows, she has made a commitment to her first year of consecrated life. As Sr. Ana Sophia explains,

“the call to consecrated life is a special call from the Lord, not to everyone, but just a few people who He separates from the world to Himself because these people need more than what the world offers us. That’s why we leave everything behind for Him: because those good things are not enough. We need more.”

Consecrated men and women show each of us, whatever our state in life may be, that it is only in giving ourselves to God that we can receive Him. At Christmastime, the Child Jesus reaches His sweet hands out to us in love. In order to truly hold Him in our arms, we must release our mortal grasp on all the things that pass away. If human weakness trembles at the prospect of such self-emptying, it is still when it senses the warmth of love shared in the manger.

Ana, one of the postulants said, “We do not lose anything. We just gain everything.” Sr. Mary Elisabeth remarked that as Sr. Bridget consecrated herself to God, “she was so happy, she was glowing!” It is nothing less than the radiant glow of heaven, in which consecrated people participate on earth.

The community follows Our Lady’s Christmas-time model in being both contemplative and missionary. After receiving the Word of God in her heart and in her womb, our strong and selfless Mother travelled with haste over rough hills to share the gift of God with her cousin Elizabeth. If it is contemplation to receive the embrace of God, it is mission to offer this embrace to others.

The community’s Rule of Life states that “there is no mission without contemplation.” The generous prayer lives of the Seeds of the Word overflow into their lives of mission. They are missionaries in everything they do, lovingly offering each moment of their day for the salvation of souls. “If during the day we don’t go anywhere, we are still missionaries in the house.”

The specific apostolate of the community varies based on the diocese they are in. In Calgary, the Seeds visit schools, parishes and groups to share the Word of God. Their sabbatical year program, which currently takes place internationally, is an opportunity for people of all ages to grow closer to the Word of God and to find their places in the Church. Sr. Bridget took part in the program as a way to take a step forward in discerning her call to the consecrated life.

Ana said of Sr. Bridget, “It was very beautiful to see her courage because if you want to follow Christ you need to be very courageous... to go to another place where God is calling you. It was very beautiful to see how she said yes to God’s plan, whatever it was, even if it was hard for her. We pray that many other people here in the diocese will also answer the call of God, even if it is difficult.”

Each sister in Calgary has left her family and country to share the Word of God in our city. Like Our Blessed Mother, they are eager to travel long distances and surmount tall hills for the sake of sharing the Gospel. I was blessed to be present to bid farewell to Sr. Bridget and Sr. Edith Mary as they left the St. John Paul II house in Calgary to go to the community’s new mission in the Philippines. As the door closed behind them, one of the remaining sisters said with a sad smile on her face, “this is the life of the missionary.”

“Religious life,” Sr. Mary Elisabeth insists, “takes courage to embrace, to say that I will say no to the things the world gives me and to say yes to a life that is hidden many times, a life with sacrifices many times, but a real life, a life with Jesus who is real. It's not a life of dreams. It's a real life in which you love God through people. It’s a life offered to others. It’s a life that is given 24/7.”

Regardless of the state of life to which God calls him or her, each Christian is called to a courageous life of contemplation and mission. As Christmas draws near, we are each invited to open our hearts to the Infant Jesus, that Adorable Little Seed, Who wishes to be planted firmly in our souls and to bear the fruits of love, peace, and joy in our lives.

Written by Angela Blach for Faithfully. Angela Blach is a member of the St. Francis Xavier chaplaincy. She is taking a gap year from her History degree at the University of Calgary. When she's not at work, she enjoys reading, writing, taking walks, and spending time with her friends.

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We can grow in intimacy with the Word of God and support the mission of the Seeds of the Word by purchasing their yearly Lectio Divina Compendium. It is a little book that lays out the daily Mass readings as an aid to praying with Scripture. For this and other inquiries, the Seeds can be contacted at seedsoftheword.community@gmail.com.

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Love is sharing a pizza

7/14/2021

The kids gave Fr. Marek a thumbs-up for his pizza. Photo: M. Widmeyer.

Fr. Marek Paczka, SDS.

Shareable and delicious, pizza is a dish for friends. Parishioners and staff at St. Joseph’s in northwest Calgary know this from experience. This year their priest, new to the parish since August 2020, served them up over one hundred of his own homemade pizzas, spread over several occasions.

Fr. Marek Paczka described himself as “not a cook,” but nonetheless decided he might be able to learn to make something as simple as pizza.

The story behind the pizzas is both sad and hopeful. Fr. Marek spoke about an Italian couple who befriended him when he was a parish priest in Port Alberni, BC.

“They invited me to dinner and we became friends. I would dine at their house at least once a week for 15 years, even when I moved parishes and had to drive 110 kilometers.”

Having fallen in love with Italian culture while spending 2 years in Rome, Fr. Marek found it easy to spend time with this special couple and their friends around the dinner table, and was even included on special occasions like Christmas and Easter

“There is something about sitting down together and just facing each other,” he said, adding that in Italian culture it is common for families and friends to spend thousands of hours together at the table.

He spent many hours with his friends eating wonderful meals at dinner parties, and mentioned mushroom picking and enjoying produce from their vegetable garden.

This past year, the husband half of this couple passed away fairly suddenly from cancer. Fr. Marek was shocked.
“I didn’t make it to see him before he died,” he said, “but I did make it to his funeral.”

Because he wanted to preserve something of the friendship he had with this man and his wife and guided by his feelings for Italian cooking, Fr. Marek said he asked another mutual friend, Elvia Orli, how to make pizza.

“I could never cook the wonderful Italian meals that my friends made,” he explained, “but I thought I could try to make pizza,” he said.

“I tried and tried and tried and it never worked. I gave up when my dough didn’t rise. I had done something wrong. But this year I thought I’d try again, so I phoned Elvia and asked her again for the recipe and had her tell me what to do.

“I realized it was simple, and this time I was successful. I was shocked because I’m not a cook. It’s just flour and water, yeast and salt and a little bit of oil.

Fr. Marek's pizza, hot from the oven. Photo: F. O'Hara

Fr. Marek delivered his pizzas to a parishioner's home. Photo: Fr. Marek.

“I made four pizzas with ham and veggies and some chives from the garden here (at St. Joseph’s) and I tested it first myself, secretly. Then I shared with my secretary and eventually a few of the other staff.

“Then one Sunday after Mass I shared pizzas with the parish.”

Thus far, Fr. Marek has made over one-hundred-and-ten pizzas for various people in his parish. “I thought that once I’d made one-hundred, I could be comfortable with it.”

“I was just fascinated by the fact that I was making pizza. I have used over 30 kilograms of flour, not to mention the meat and other ingredients.”

Inspired by a friendship and helping his relationship to his parish, pizza making has become a hobby, though Fr. Marek said that cooking has never been his passion.

He also cites the attitudes that bring communities together as another inspiration for the pizza.

“I learned this growing up and also from my time building houses in Zambia, that material things are not as important as people. The poor appreciate things, and they have a culture of making things themselves, and sharing, contributing to community life.”

“My mother grew up in a poor family and we were poor, but she shared what she had, and I suppose I wanted to share what I can do with the people around me. There is a joy in helping someone with the essentials, and I guess I am feeding people.”

A few parishioners had great things to say about Fr. Marek’s pizzas,

“The pizza is delicious, writes Susan Couture, “but what makes it so special is the love that goes into it. “The topping is always a nice surprise. We had one that had leek on it which I’ve never seen on a pizza before but it was delish.” Mia Drewniak writes, “I love the crust and the healthy toppings. Lots of garden herbs and even leeks made it on to the pizza. Inspiring!”

Out of a desire to honour dear friends, to honour a mother’s example and to serve his parishioners, Fr. Marek has in a unique way brought together tradition and connection.

Written by Jessica Cyr for Faithfully.. Jessica is a journalist, wife, and mother of five. She attends St. Bernard’s parish in Calgary.

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Igniting the spark of my faith: Sister Madeleine

7/13/2021

Sr. Madeleine Gregg, fcJ

This is a story of how a chance meeting changed the trajectory of my faith journey. We are all on a faith journey, whether you believe you are or not. I had always felt ‘Catholic’ because I had attended Catholic elementary and high school in Saskatchewan but going through RCIA as a 19-year-old confirmed me in my faith and invited me to participate in a formalized way.

When I became a teacher with the Calgary Catholic School District, my faith practices were supported by the district’s expectation that teachers attend church regularly. Later, when I became an administrator, I felt a keen responsibility to be the faith leader in my building. I was in a groove with my faith journey (maybe the groove was actually a rut!); I was comfortable where I was. I attended church regularly and served in a variety of roles in my parish. I was not looking for or expecting a faith trajectory change. Then I met Sister Madeleine Gregg, FCJ.

I met Sr. Madeleine within the first week that she moved to Calgary in 2015 to work at the FCJ Retreat Centre. Sr. Madeleine is a Faithful Companion of Jesus and had moved from Tuscaloosa, Alabama where she had lived and worked for the previous 22 years. Dr. Gregg, as she was known to her students at the University of Alabama (Roll Tide!), taught in the Multiple Abilities Program where she guided pre-service teachers to reach their full potential in working with diverse learners. Sister Madeleine had a fulfilling career in higher education. She published more than 40 scholarly articles, many of which won awards from various organizations. Her latest (and greatest) publication is a children’s picture book. It tells about the youthful experience of the foundress of her congregation, Marie Madeleine d’Houet and what she learned by being sent to time-out when she was naughty.

In the past five years, the people working at the FCJ Centre have reinvigorated it and are working hard to make known what they offer. Sessions aimed at spiritual growth, themed retreats and prayer experiences, on-line work, Spiritual Directors training, opportunities to make a retreat based on the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius of Loyola, and many other initiatives keep the place hopping. My faith journey continued on an upward path, greatly aided by Sr. Madeleine, who suggested I make a specially designed retreat, called ‘Jumpstart Your Prayer Life’ silent retreat. I was really nervous about doing a silent retreat and was sure I wouldn’t be able to keep from talking for an entire weekend. But I did keep quiet except when I was sharing the results of my prayer with Sr. Madeleine. I loved it! At a different time, the ‘Take a Break’ silent retreat was an enlightening experience, filled with Sr. Madeleine’s suggestions for scripture reading. Recently, I made another silent weekend retreat, under the direction of Sr. Ann Marie Walsh, also an FCJ Sister who works at the Centre.

Retreats are special times. In between, additional work in spiritual direction has also been a source of knowledge and growth in faith. In these sessions, I can explore my actual beliefs and really think about how I am integrating my faith with my life. Spiritual direction is another regular practice that helps me unravel the word of God. It is hard work to stay in my inner world and sort out what I really believe from what I think I believe.

From my chance meeting with Sr. Madeleine in an elevator as we traveled one story of the Telus Convention Centre at the District Opening Mass, to now where a cherished friendship exists, it has been a pleasure to learn and work with her. As a principal in the Calgary Catholic School District, I have had opportunities to be shaped by her teaching at school as she visited and taught students about a variety of faith-formation topics. Special times have also been shared at my cabin in Invermere, sometimes on retreat and sometimes filled with jelly making and flower-bed transplanting.

To say that Sr. Madeleine has changed my life is an understatement. She is faith-filled, inspiring, and energetic. As a convert to Catholicism herself, her personal testimony is awe-inspiring and her faith in God is unwavering. Being in her presence has ignited a spark in me to develop a faith more like hers and to share it with others.

Thanks be to God!

Written by Shannon Griffin for Faithfully. Shannon Griffin has been teaching with Calgary Catholic School District for 24 years, with 15 years as an administrator. She is currently the Principal of Our Lady of the Evergreens School. In her spare time you will find Shannon enjoying a round of golf or playing board games and cards with friends.

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Devoted to the Precious Blood

4/14/2021

The early-spring sun is barely risen when the six Sisters of the Precious Blood monastery in Calgary make their way to their chapel for morning mass. As the day progresses, the sisters will gather in the chapel four more times to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, an official Prayer of the Church, which sanctifies the day with prayer. Each woman will also spend 30 minutes in private prayer and adoration before the Blessed Sacrament. They use those precious minutes to pray for the needs of the Church, especially the Roman Catholic Diocese of Calgary, and to ask God’s blessing on the world. They also devote that time alone to pray “for the people for whom we’ve promised to pray,” explains Sr. Margaret Nadeau. Many of those prayer requests are posted on the chapel door, a physical reminder that those who live in this cloistered religious community are purposefully devoted to the world from which they’ve chosen to live apart.

Altar breads

Founded in Quebec in 1861, the Sisters of the Precious Blood was the first contemplative community established in Canada. In addition to the founding monastery in Saint-Hyacinthe, Quebec, the order has houses in Calgary, Regina, London and Hamilton, plus two monasteries in the United States and two in Japan.

As well as praying for the people in the communities where they live, the Sisters of the Precious Blood monastery in Calgary plays a tangible role in supporting parishes across the diocese. While the Calgary convent stopped baking altar breads several decades ago, the sisters still receive regular truckloads of hosts baked in the order’s Hamilton house.

Once in Calgary, the large cartons are unpacked into smaller boxes of hosts according to the needs of the parishes. Parishes typically pick up these smaller boxes from the monastery, which is located in Erlton, just south of downtown Calgary. Some boxes are also shipped to parishes in other dioceses.

The pandemic disrupted this aspect of life in the monastery. While orders for hosts fell in the early weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic, a few parishes in Calgary also were over-supplied. With Calgary’s diocese supporting public health protocols, that extra supply more than sustained the parishes when offering regular masses with fewer parishioners became the norm.

“One of the main sources of our income has been the sale and supply of hosts, but demand changed when the pandemic started. Orders are starting to pick up a little now and that’s good as our Hamilton house has hired lay staff and we want to keep them working,” says Sr. Nadeau. A native of Medicine Hat, she joined the Sisters of the Precious Blood 63 years ago this month. “For me, it was a way to embrace the total church in a life of prayer.”

Month of the Holy Eucharist

All Catholics are called to join that embrace in a special way during the month of April, which is dedicated to the Holy Eucharist. April was chosen because it typically includes Easter Sunday. (Even when Easter falls in March, the entire month of April is part of the Easter season.)

The dedication to the Holy Eucharist is a daily commitment for the Sisters of the Precious Blood, whose charism focuses on adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. While some of the order’s houses across Canada could not have daily mass during the pandemic, that wasn’t the case in Calgary. In the early days, Bishop William McGrattan did restrict the list of visiting priests to two individuals. Over time, those restrictions were changed to allow more priests to say mass at the monastery.

For now, visitors cannot participate in the holy hour celebration the monastery hosts every Thursday evening. The sisters understand, but miss sharing this special hour of prayers and singing with others in the faith community.
“In some ways we’re probably one of the groups of people that has been least affected by the pandemic and for that, we’re grateful,” says Sr. Nadeau. “We live a cloistered life with or without the pandemic and life here goes on every day, with our life of prayer still the biggest thing for us. We just keep on every day, just like we did before.”

Written by Joy Gregory for Faithfully.

Individuals who would like the Sisters of the Precious Blood to include their petitions in the sisters’ private prayers, can contact the monastery at 403-265-1691.

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What do you long to do with all your heart?

1/13/2021

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Sr. Dianne Turner

“Why did you become a Religious Sister?” I was recently asked this question by a young woman, and I thought: “How can I answer that in one sentence?”, knowing that we had a very limited time to speak. “It was because God called me,” I said. She responded, “I know what you mean. God called me, too.” I elaborated, “I fell in love with Jesus and wanted to give my whole life to Him.”

I have often wondered why so few young women are becoming Religious Sisters. Is not God still calling young women like He called me? What do I need to do to help them open their hearts, to hear His Voice, and to answer as St. Francis of Assisi did when he heard the Lord call him to live the Gospel life: “This is what I long to do with all my heart!”

I heard the call to give my life to the Lord when I was 16. In the very core of my being, I knew that the Lord wanted me for Himself and that all my incoherent longings would be fulfilled in Him. Since my call to be a Religious Sister was completely tied up with my newly identified Franciscan way of being, I read all that I could about St. Francis and St. Clare of Assisi and was drawn more deeply into the way of life that would eventually lead to becoming Catholic and entering the Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth.

Becoming familiar with the Scriptures and the lives of the Saints are extremely helpful ways to figure out what spiritual identity the Lord has given us. Spending time with Jesus is also essential in developing a life-giving relationship with Him. I used to take the family dog for a walk so that I could pray alone without anyone asking me what I was doing. The dog was most uninquisitive and non-judging. I would also recommend finding a quiet place that speaks to you of God. St. Francis liked to frequent caves in the hillside and deserted chapels.

I also was blessed to have helpful spiritual people with whom I could talk about what was going on in my relationship with the Lord. Some of these were friends around my same age. Some were older people who helped to guide me in a good direction. Spending time with the Sisters, working alongside them, praying with them—these were all beneficial activities that aided my discernment that this was the community that the Lord wanted to me join.

These Sisters were not young. I did not join these Sisters because they were young. They were vibrant, faith-filled women who had given their lives to the Lord, who were living their consecration in their ordered, stable, prayerful, loving, communal, hard-working, Franciscan way, and I loved them for it.

So, I ask the young women who are reading this: What do you long to do with all your heart?

Written by Sister Dianne Turner, OSE
Franciscan Sisters of St. Elizabeth

Photo courtesy of Sr. Dianne Turner.

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Why be a consecrated man or woman?

1/13/2021

Sr. Terry Smith, FCJ & Sr. Agnes Samosir, FCJ

In his homily for the World Day of Prayer for the Consecrated Life in 2020, Pope Francis said, "Men and women religious, who live to imitate Jesus, are called to bring their own gaze into the world, a gaze of compassion, a gaze that goes in search of those far-off; a gaze that does not condemn, but encourages, frees, consoles; a gaze of compassion." That Jesus had compassion on the people is something that we hear more than once in the gospels.

The more we come to know Jesus through praying with the gospels, the more we recognize his compassionate love for us individually and for all the world. Young people who want to know God's plan for their lives would be helped in their discernment by placing themselves in Christ's loving gaze. There they can come to know more of who they are and the gifts that they could be using to 'encourage, free and console' others in the form of life that is their vocation.

For myself, I grew up in a Catholic family in which prayer, participation in Mass and helping others nourished my faith. By Gr. 10, I was certain that God wanted me to be a Sister and since many of our teachers were Faithful Companions of Jesus and I was attracted by their way of living, I asked to enter in the middle of Gr. 11. The training I received to pray with Scripture and the courses I took over the years to understand the Bible more all enabled me to develop a deeper relationship with Jesus. By living the vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience in community, I have been gifted with countless experiences with people of different cultures in different countries.

We religious pray often that more young men and women will hear God calling them to serve him through a lifetime of dedication as priests, brothers or sisters. If those young people feel drawn to a particular way of serving, they are encouraged to contact one or more of the communities in our diocese. They may find a sense of being at home when the spirit of a given community matches the gift of the individual.

Please join us in prayer for vocations to the priesthood and religious life especially on February 2, the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord, and on the weekend of Feb. 6-7, the World Day of Prayer for the Consecrated Life.

Written by Sr. Theresa Smith f.c.J.
To learn more about the Faithful Companions of Jesus Sisters, visit fcjsisters.org

Photos courtesy of the FCJ Sisters

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Why I am a religious Sister today

1/13/2021

Sr. Ernestine with the Olympic torch at the U of C

Every call to religious life is personal. We all have our individual way of coming to know what we want for our life. For me, Sister Ernestine Miskolczi, SSS, this awareness happened very early in life. I remember very well that when I was about five years old while visiting relatives, three-year old twin girls were dressed up as nuns by the older girls. Being shy and perhaps a loner I was sitting on the stairs looking at the twins and thinking to myself that they will not be ‘nuns’ but I will.

During my growing-up years we had Sisters who would teach us catechism during the summer holidays. These Sisters seemed always happy and that is what I wanted for my life. My teachers during high-school were all Sisters who further impressed me and helped draw me to thinking about this life style for myself. Needless to say, there were some handsome young fellows who held my hand and touched my heart but could never draw me away from my first choice.

In high school I had come to know a couple different communities of religious life. The first one that I had come to know was the one that I chose to enter right out of high school. I grew up in the wide-open spaces on a farm in Saskatchewan with blue skies from horizon to horizon. When I entered the noviciate of the Sisters of Social Service I had to move to the big city of Hamilton. Wide open spaces were gone. Three months later we were going to see Niagara Falls; what joy filled my heart, I could be in the open spaces for a while. To my great disappointment we didn’t see much open space as there were buildings practically all the way to the Falls. I soon learned that religious life wasn’t all peaches and cream. It had its ups and downs as all life does.

For over sixty years of ministry in God’s service as a Sisters of Social Service I enjoyed twenty years of as a teacher in Ontario and Saskatchewan, thirty years of parish ministry in three different parishes in Calgary, and several years of volunteer work wherever I can.

I am blessed indeed in many ways. My other works took me to see the Holy Land twice, visits to Europe three times, to Mexico three times, Los Angeles seven times. Who can want for more?

Written by Sr. Ernestine Miskolczi, SSS
For more information on Sisters of Social Service, visit: sistersofsocialservice.ca

Photos courtesy of Sr. Ernestine

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Words from Sr. Mary Elisabeth

1/13/2021

Sr. Mary Elisabeth

February 2nd is the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord. It is also the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. To me, this feast meets a need to give praise and thank the Lord for the gift of the Consecrated people in the Church, which belongs to the sanctity of the Church, as Saint John Paul II once pointed out.

On this day the prayers of the entire Church are dedicated to every consecrated person, giving thanks to God the Father, giver of every good, for the gift of this vocation. This feast offers the opportunity to appreciate the testimony of those who have chosen to follow Christ through the practice of the evangelical counsels by promoting understanding and appreciation of the Consecrated Life within the People of God.

This day is also, and above all, a day to renew our commitment and rekindle the feelings that inspired and continue to inspire the gift of ourselves to the Lord. Throughout the history of the Church, men and women religious have been a light in the darkness by living out their various charisms, and this day, we find a beautiful opportunity to thank the Lord for their gift to the Church.

Pope Benedict XVI once said: "In today’s feast we celebrate the mystery of consecration: the consecration of Christ, the consecration of Mary, the consecration of those who place themselves in the following of Jesus for love of the Kingdom of God." (Homily, February 2nd, 2012)

May Christ Jesus bless all of us on this beautiful feast and may He continue to call many to serve Him in the practice of the evangelical counsels with a heart full of joy to serve Him and only Him.

Vivit vero in me Christus - Gal 2, 20

Written by Sr. Mary Elisabeth
Seeds of the Word in Calgary

Photo courtesy of Seeds of the Word

Daily Lectio Divina with the Sisters of the Seeds of the Words in Calgary! This is a daily program, every morning at 7:30 am. Tune in via YouTube

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Consecrated life is not dying, it's renewing

2/11/2020

Have you ever met someone that made a distinct impression? I think most of us could answer “yes.” Maybe that person didn’t do or say very much, but in their very presence or being, they made an impact, small or large.

I first encountered a religious sister when I was in kindergarten. It was during Lent. Sister (the sands of time have eroded her name) was kind and gentle, listened intently to our five-year-old selves, and really seemed to know about Jesus.

Until that day, I had not yet understood that Jesus had eventually grown from the baby I knew in picture books to the man who would eventually die on the cross for all of us. I remember feeling surprised and a little afraid of this new revelation, but Sister’s gentle demeanour and peace about the whole thing made me think that this grown-up Jesus must be quite wonderful, and then I was very curious.

A quick online search tells me that Sisters of Providence of St. Vincent de Paul were nearing the end of their ministry in my hometown. Though I can’t recognize that sister from the photographs, I carry the memory of the day she illuminated Christ for me. I eventually forgot about her – in fact, this memory didn’t resurface until I sat down to write this story – but the imprint on my heart, the one about grown-up Jesus never left me.

It is thousands of small moments like that one that mark the lives of many of us who live in the Diocese of Calgary – churchgoing or not – and exactly why a day of prayer for Consecrated Life is something to celebrate. World Day for Consecrated Life was founded by Pope John Paul II in 1997. Men and women renew their vows of poverty, chastity and obedience in parishes worldwide.

“The vocation of consecrated men and women have been for our Church from her earliest days a living witness to the truth of the fact God alone is enough and it is ultimately He to whom we must cling now in preparation for an eternity of adoring Him forever,” said Fr. Cristino Bouvette prior to the renewal of vows at the St. Francis Xavier chaplaincy’s Mass.

Consecrated Life Mass at St. Mary's Cathedral, Calgary - Photo: Fr. Mariusz Sztuk.

Ascension of Our Lord School Grade 9 students retreat with Sr. Madeleine Gregg, fcJ at the FCJ Centre.

Faithful Companions of Jesus Sisters enjoying their outing to Banff.

Spanning the front of St. Bernard’s church on the Feast of the Presentation, Calgary’s consecrated women, along with a few priests, echoed Anna and Simeon, whose words were shared in the gospel, in proclaiming God’s gifts and committing themselves to service of Him.

“I didn’t realize there were so many sisters in our diocese,” a friend said to me after we’d welcomed representatives from some of the 28 communities of consecrated men and women within the diocese. Neither had I, I admitted, scanning the mostly unfamiliar faces.

The answer to that may lie in the fact that many of them are continually at work with the poor, sick and marginalized, not on the doorsteps of suburban housewives. But if we made a little effort to venture downtown to the FCJ Centre, or west to Mount St. Francis in Cochrane we would find religious houses of peaceful retreat.

Walk into St. Mary’s High School and you might find Sr. Dianne Turner, Franciscan Sister of St. Elizabeth teaching a class. Throughout our city and surrounding communities there are men and women of varying charisms working and witnessing to the love of Christ.

Relatively new to Calgary, but friends with various parishes in our city are the Seeds of the Word Sisters, hailing from Brazil. Inspired by their community is Brittany Andreas, 19-year-old student at Mount Royal University.

After connecting with campus ministries, reigniting her faith and looking to the future, she thought “I need to be open to everything. I can’t force my own vocation.” She began visiting the Seeds of the Word sisters’ home with a few other students. Soon, half-hour visits turned to two-hour heart-to-hearts.

“Hearing the stories of how they came to consecrated life was really beautiful,” Andreas said,

“It was also inspiring to know that they didn’t have perfect backgrounds either, because we all have mistakes that we’ve made.”

I could relate, but was inspired by the courage that Andreas showed in considering the consecrated life. When I was the same age, I wanted to run away if a sister talked to me. Having few encounters with consecrated women in the flesh, my distorted view landed somewhere between my Dad’s stories of nuns reprimanding him in elementary school, the Sound of Music’s cloistered Carmelites and the singing nuns of Sister Act. Like Andreas, it was when I had real-life encounters with consecrated men and women that I came to realize my fear was baseless.

In a conversation with Sr. Dianne Turner after Mass, I admitted to her that my impression of the consecrated vocation when I was younger and unmarried was that it meant being alone. I had many examples of Catholic wives and mothers to draw from, but not very many sisters.

“Really in the end we are not alone because the Lord is with us,” she replied,

“[We have] the angels, the saints, we are never alone. Even if we’re the only one left in our order, which will soon happen to me, but I don’t feel alone because the Lord is always with me.”

In my collective encounters with people like Sr. Dianne or the Seeds of the Words Community, I soon realized that consecrated life also means being a part of and serving a community, and that like in a marriage, that community becomes a family of love.

Sr. Dianne went on to say later in our conversation that what the young need is to pray and ask God what it is He wants. That is the very definition of discerning a vocation – listening for God’s voice.

CCO missionary Chris Kokot, 24, like Andreas has been inspired by the sisters in Seeds of the Word community.

“I’m thinking about their sabbatical year after my commitment to CCO is finished,” he said.

Sharing about how he wants to pursue God’s call for him, he said, “I think the Church needs people who know Jesus in a personal way. Many people have barriers pop up for them when it comes to Church teaching, but people who truly know God the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit and live it out are what we need more of.”

Chris spends his days with CCO reaching out to students on our city’s post-secondary campuses, and getting to know them with the hope that they’ll come to know God.

“You can know about God, or you can really know Him. There’s a difference,” he said.

It is because of the similarities between charisms or gifts of CCO and the Seeds of the Word community that draws Kokot towards a possible time of discernment with them.

Young, real and welcoming were key words in the rest of my talk with Kokot and Andreas, who felt like they could relate to the young sisters who throw snowballs and watch the same sort of movies.

It is true that many of the religious we see in Canada are, as Sr. Dianne put it bluntly, “old.”

“But I can’t help that I’m old,” she said honestly, wishing that the young might see past the age of many of our consecrated and see the beauty in the life.

Her hope was to inspire women and men who might like to work in Canada, “there are so few sisters to start off with, and many young women, if they are called go online and find an order in the States.

“What we really need is the witness of religious life here.”

“There are so many wonderful orders,” she said of a few we discussed that are primarily in the United States, but we agreed that in our own nation, there is still good work to be done.

In that spirit, Sr. Dianne and the Assembly of Women Religious have a retreat planned on March 7 to encourage women age 16-35 to come and get their questions about religious life answered from sisters representing several communities.

It is with hope that we must look forward to a new generation of consecrated people, while we treasure the work and wisdom of the last.

Written by Jessica Cyr

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A welcome from Seeds of the Word Community

2/11/2020

To be honest, when they first pitched the idea to me, I was already fairly certain that it wasn’t going to happen. “Would you ever consider travelling to Brazil, Father, to learn more about our community and experience our life?” Sister Mary Elisabeth asked me one day. Immediately turning them down proved not to be so easy, but I had my doubts about going.
After additional time in prayer, discovering an utterly miraculous open block of time in my calendar precisely over the days the Sisters had invited me - with the bonus that my friend, Fr. Nathan Siray, former pastor and a friend of the Sisters was also invited - we decided to take the plunge! I could never have dreamed what God was already preparing for us down in Belém.

I have sensed a growing need to better understand the unique charism of the Seeds of the Word Community considering their expanding presence in our diocese coupled with the growing interest of our young people in discerning with them. After less than five years in Calgary, there was already a young woman from the community of Vauxhall living in one of their communities and my trip down was going to afford me the opportunity to visit her and have some of my questions answered.

Alissa Going was in Calgary to attend a day of prayer and discernment for women considering consecrated religious life in October 2014. In walked two sisters wearing their distinctive blue habits and white veils. Who were they? Alissa thought. Later, Sr. Mary Elisabeth would recount that they themselves didn’t know what they were doing at that retreat. Upon arriving in Calgary their only concern was tracking down a parish where they could attend weekday Mass and were delighted to be greeted by the familiar and smiling face of Sister Diane Turner, also surprised to meet young, habited sisters in her parish. Naturally, she invited them to attend the day of prayer with her several days later. For Alissa, that series of chance meetings would change her life.

After learning more about their community, she decided to take up their offer to travel down to one of their houses in Brazil to experience what they call the Sabbatical Year. I asked Alissa to tell me more about what the year entailed and with her warm smile that beamed peace and her eyes closed, clutching her bible and notebook she said, “It’s a time when anyone is invited to give a year of their lives to God and let themselves be transformed by His Word in the heart of the Seeds of the Word Community.” She compared it to going to a year in Bible School or at the St. Therese School for Mission in Bruno, SK. The rest is history.

For myself as our diocesan Director of Vocations, and for Fr. Nathan as Alissa’s former spiritual director, it’s hard to describe the joy we received having the opportunity, brief as it was, to witness Alissa’s life in the heart of the Seeds of the Word Community, but to also be welcomed into it ourselves. Pope Francis has often referred to God as a God of surprises. He surprised me with a trip to Brazil; He surprised Alissa with her vocation on a day of prayer; He has surprised the Seeds of the Word Community with the welcome they have received in the Diocese of Calgary. I can’t wait to see the surprises He has in store for us all through these Seeds!

Seeds of the Word Community in Calgary

Written by Fr. Cristino Bouvette

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The Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict (1955-2019)

6/26/2019

The Ministry of the Sisters of the Order St. Benedict in the Province of Alberta (1955 to 2019)

In 1955 the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict in Arborg, Manitoba responded to a call to teach in the province of Alberta in the new R.C. Assumption School in the village of Oyen. Since that grace-filled call, the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict have continued to minister to this day in other areas of the province of Alberta.

Their call came on December 20, 1954, when Fr. Stephen Molnar, pastor of Sacred Heart Parish in Oyen, Alberta wrote a letter to Rev. Mother Dorothea, O.S.B., prioress of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict in which he requested the services of two teaching Sisters for the newly established Assumption R.C. Separate School District #5- (October 1, 1954) in Oyen, Alberta. The parishioners of Sacred Heart Parish had taken a great leap in faith and courage when they had the first Separate School District established in 27 years outside the cities and towns of the Diocese of Calgary. Thus, while the school district became firmly established, and plans were moving forward for the construction of the school, the greatest need still had to be addressed which was to obtain the services of at least two teaching Sisters who would pioneer this brave venture.

To his grateful surprise, Fr. Molnar received a reply from Mother Dorothea dated March 3, 1955 which indicated that the Sisters would be willing to respond favorably to his request pending the receipt of further detailed information and a site visit.

Following this hopeful response, Fr. Molnar quickly contacted the R.C. Bishop of Calgary and plans were swiftly put into motion for the sisters to begin a canonically established branch house, known as St. Benedict's Convent in the village of Oyen, Alberta.

As in all great plans and dreams, when the four Sisters arrived in Oyen, Alberta, on August 24, 1955, they found that the new school and convent were not ready. Furthermore, neither would be ready till the following May. Sacred Heart Parish had purchased a three-story home from a local Hutterite colony and made plans to have it moved sometime in the future near the site where the school was to be built. In the meantime, the Sisters would teach in the parish hall and church sacristy or wherever a space for a classroom was available, and they would live in the parish rectory.

The first four Benedictine sisters (as they were commonly known) that arrived in Oyen, Alberta were Sr. Cecilia Socha, superior and homemaker, Sr. Clementine Janicki, piano teacher who would provide private music lessons to pupils in the village, Sr. Mathilda Lucas, teacher and principal (grades;7-9), and Sr. Gerarda Pura, teacher (grades 1-6). Besides teaching, the latter two Sisters took care of the sanctuary and altar linens at the Parish church, prepared the children's choir for both Low and High Masses, went to the three Mission churches (Sibbald, Youngstown & Sunnybrook, Alberta) each Saturday and Sunday to provide religious instruction to the children. For the first couple of years, these Sisters also provided the janitorial service in the school as the budget was not able to handle the salary for a janitor.

Within a few years the school population grew and soon there was a need for more teachers. By 1963 there were six sisters living in the convent and ministering where needed. In all, 26 Benedictine Sisters continued their various ministries in Oyen and surrounding areas until 1973.

Meanwhile, in 1963 Fr. Molnar was transferred to Calgary to start the new Parish of St. Cecilia in the south west area of the city. Since he was so pleased with the missionary spirit and cooperative work of the Sisters of St. Benedict in Oyen, Alberta, he dared again to send a plea to the new prioress of St. Benedict's Monastery in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Mother Clothilde Kolano. This time his request was for several Sisters to teach in the two R.C. Separate Schools located within the parish boundaries, namely, St. Cecilia's and St. Matthew's Schools. Initially, five Sisters were sent to establish a convent in Calgary — Sr. Eleanor Grzymalowski (house superior & private kindergarten teacher), Srs. Lioba Broda and Imelda Koldesk (teachers at St. Cecilia's school), Sr. Gregory Koldesk (teacher at St. Matthew's school) and Sr. Christina Wenger (housekeeper).

Following the firm establishment of the second convent in the province of Alberta, the ministry of the Sisters of St. Benedict continued to flourish over the years mainly in the area of education. Their teaching in the two original elementary schools soon expanded to teaching religion in various elementary, junior high and senior high schools in the Calgary Catholic School system (St. Mary's community school, Bishop Grandin, Bishop O'Byrne, Bishop McNally, St. Rupert's, St. Benedict's, Bishop Kidd, Holy Cross, St. Mary’s High School) as well as working as an itinerant teacher for the Calgary Catholic School Board with special needs children in the area of visually impaired and developmentally delayed students and as a consultant for the developmentally delayed students. Additional works of the Sisters included ministering as Diocesan Liturgical Director at the Calgary Diocesan Liturgical Office; Director of Religious Education and RCIA at St. John's and St. Patrick's parishes; parish ministry as pastoral assistant at St. Patrick's and St. John's parishes; as member of the Diocesan Liturgical Commission; provision of adult religious education in St. James parish, Okotoks and St. Michael's parish in Black Diamond; nursing at the Calgary General Hospital; serving as house attendant at Diakonos House South (a residential house to provide refuge for first responders during difficult personal circumstances) in Calgary and Diakonos House North in Edmonton; and providing spiritual direction, directing retreats and training new spiritual directors at Providence Renewal Centre in Edmonton.

This June 2019, marks the end of an era of Benedictine presence In Alberta. After 45 years of teaching, Sister Dorothy Levandosky is retiring from teaching, returning to her home at St. Benedict’s Monastery in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

Reflecting on the ministry of the Sisters of the Order of St. Benedict in the province of Alberta over the last 64 years, one can see that their response to a call to Alberta and to the various ministries has come from their discernment to do God's will as a community and as individuals. Their mission to witness Jesus Christ is visible in their contemplative living, provision of hospitality, a daily rhythm of community and personal prayer and their reverencing ministry to all God's people within and beyond their community.

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Sr. Dorothy Levandosky, OSB

This Friday, June 28, 2019, Sr. Dorothy Levandosky, OSB will be heading home to Winnipeg to retire after 45 years of teaching. To contact Sr. Dorothy, click here.

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Sr. Mary Anne Mulvihill

4/26/2019

We are saddened to learn that Sister Mary Anne Mulvihill, Sister of Charity of St. Louis, was tragically killed in a vehicle collision Wednesday, April 24, near Princeton BC at 2:45 pm MST. At the moment, no date has been set for the funeral. We will keep you posted.

Let us pray for the repose of the soul of Sister Mary Anne and for the consolation of her family, community, and friends.

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The aftermath of World War II was my beginning

4/2/2019

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Sr. Carmelita Cusay, FMM, Catechist (middle) with First Communicants in St. Joseph's Parochial School in Manila, Philippines, 1961.

“I remember being four or five-years-old, walking through the ravages of WWII feeling determined to make something good out of the chaos, destruction, death and suffering brought on by what I think of now as a senseless war.

My outlook on life then and now was inspired by a devoted and loving dad and a dedicated and faithful mom. They taught me to love others as God loves you, be good to others as God is to you and to be a giver and let God give you as much as He is sure to give – these are the lessons that I tried to live up to. My thoughts of becoming a nun were triggered by the musicale that was part of our graduation in 6th grade. I was asked to sing my role in the song: “I wonder what I’ll be when I am big someday.” I was told to sing: “ I want to be a nun (3 x) when I am big someday.

Although on the inside I said, No, I don’t want to! My heart softly pondered on the thought. ‘Will Jesus want me? A nun?’ Throughout those High School and early College years – that question, now growing into a kind of song, became a strong force that led me to sneak hours after school to spend time before Jesus in the Eucharist at our church. Mom sensed my silence. Dad was confident that something beautiful was being nurtured in me.

Eventually, when I decided to leave home, it was not so easy to leave. I said Au Revoir as well as come and visit me. My dad eventually said to me, ‘why would I not offer my dear child back to God? She belongs to Him. She is ours as His gift and should we not offer her, to Him as our gift in thanksgiving?’ So, this has been my journey. Now I’m serving in Calgary with the Franciscan Missionaries of Mary (FMM). There were rough roads, slippery roads, lots of smooth roads—a lot marked by many blessings.”

If you would like to know more about becoming a nun, let's chat.

Sr. Carmelita Cusay, FMM | Religious Sister in Calgary
Caseworker for the Marriage Tribunal at the Canonical Services Department, Catholic Pastoral Centre.

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Jubilarian Priests 2018

7/6/2018

50 Years

Bishop Frederick B. Henry
A native of London, Ontario, Bishop Frederick Bernard Henry was born on April 11, 1943; the eldest of five sons in the family of Leo and Noreen Henry. After finishing high school, he entered St. Peter’s Seminary, London. He became a priest on May 25, 1968. In 1971, he earned a Master’s Degree in Philosophy from the University of Notre Dame, Indiana, and in 1973 a Licentiate in Theology with a Specialization in Fundamental Theology from the Gregorian University in Rome. He was an Associate Professor of Theology and Philosophy at St. Peter’s Seminary from 1973 - 1986 and Dean of Theology and Rector of St. Peter’s Seminary from 1981 - 1986. He was appointed Auxiliary Bishop of London and Titular Bishop of Carinola and ordained to the Episcopate on June 24, 1986. He was installed as the fourth Bishop of Thunder Bay on May 11, 1995 and installed as the seventh Bishop of Calgary on March 19, 1998. Bishop Henry’s episcopal motto, ‘Dabo Vobis Pastores’ (I will give you pastors) is taken from Jeremiah 3:15, which reads ‘I will give you shepherds after my own heart, who will feed you with knowledge and understanding’. This was the motto of the seminary in London, ON where Bishop Henry taught before coming to Calgary. As Bishop, he was passionate about addressing abortion, euthanasia, the disregard of the poor, and the education of young people. He was motivated by his love for the priesthood and by the growing population of Calgary. On January 4, 2017, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Bishop Henry, and has appointed the Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of the Diocese of Peterborough, as his successor.

Rev. John Maes
Fr. John Maes was born in Antwerp, Belgium in January of 1943. He went to Edmonton seminary and was ordained a priest on May 18th of 1968 at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary by Bishop Harrington. He served as the Assistant Pastor of St. Mary’s Cathedral, Calgary in 1968, followed by Canadian Martyrs in 1971. He went on to serve as Pastor of a number of parishes in the Diocese of Calgary, starting with Holy Cross Parish in Fort Macleod (1973-77), St. Andrew in Vulcan (1977-80), St. Augustine in Taber (1980-84), St. Basil in Lethbridge (1984-89) and St Thomas More in Calgary (1989-95). His last pastoral assignment was also his longest. He served as the Pastor of St. Patrick’s Church, Medicine Hat from August 1998 until his retirement on July 31, 2010.

Rev. Dominic Phamvanbao
Father Dominic Phamvanbao was born on November 16, 1939 and was ordained a priest on June 1st of 1968. With the Diocese of Calgary, his first assignment was with the Vietnamese Catholic Mission from 1978-1981 as an administrator. At the same time, he was also the associate pastor of Holy Spirit Parish (1979-1981.) He served as pastor at St. Ann’s Parish (1981-84), Our Lady of the Assumption Parish (1986-89), St. Francis Church (1989-95), Our Lady of Perpetual Help (1994-95), Ascension Parish (1995-99), Holy Trinity (1999). Also, he took on associate pastor roles at Corpus Christi Church (1984-85), St. Gerard’s Parish (1985-86), and St. Vincent Liem from 2009 to 2012 when he was assigned to the Archdiocese of Vancouver. Upon returning to Calgary in 2015, he resided at St. Dominic Priory.

25 Years

Rev. Jaroslaw Dziuba
Father Jaroslaw ‘Yarek’ Dziuba was born in 1965 in Chrzanow, Poland. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 29, 1993 for the Society of the Divine Saviour, an order which emphasizes the universality of the Christian vocation, animating lay people to live their baptismal commitment and to be witnesses of faith in their private and social life. Within the Diocese of Calgary, he has served as a pastor at St. James, Calgary (2007-12) and St. James, Okotoks (2012-16). Father Yarek is presently the pastor of St Joseph, Calgary where he has served since August 2016 and he is also the Dean of Northwest Calgary. Among many things, Fr. Yarek is known for his theological and deep understanding of the Divine Mercy.

Rev. Paul Raj
Born in 1965 in Palayamkottai, Tirnelveli, Fr. Paul is seventh of eight children. He has five brothers and two sisters. He decided to join the Diocesan seminary after grade 10 but his parish priest then vocation director looked at him and said that he was too young. After Grade 12, he joined the Pallottines and became a priest after 11 years of studies. He was ordained on December 19, 1993 by Most Rev. Irudaya Raj, D.D., Bishop of Palayamkottai Diocese, Tamil, Nadu, South India. He completed his Masters in Pastoral Theology in the Philippines in 2001-2004. He then returned to India to continue serving the church as a pastor and shared his knowledge by guest teaching in the seminary for the next 5 years and offering Pastoral Theology classes to the lay people. His ministry highlights thus far as Pallottine Priest has the Church he built and a 27 class room high school. His first assignment in the Diocese of Calgary was at St. Cecilia in 2014 as an assistant pastor. Father Paul is presently the pastor of St. Cecilia in Calgary and has been since December 2014. He is also the Vice Superior of the Pallotines in Canada.

Rev. Albert Sayson
Father Albert Sayson was born in 1962 in Naga City, Philippines. He studied in a Catholic school run by Chinese priests. This school provided students a venue to grow in faith and to be involved in church work as altar servers or members of the school choir. He served as an altar boy right through his high school years and continued to work as a convent boy during his first year of university. After almost a year, he was encouraged by Fr. Joseph Chen to attend a vocation campaign search. Out of curiosity he participated in the gathering and following that began to pray for guidance to take the entrance examination to enter in the seminary. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 8, 1993 in Taytay, Rizal, Philippines. He is presently serving on his first assignment in the Diocese of Calgary as the associate pastor of Holy Family, Medicine Hat where he has been since December 2014. In his own words he said “I am so grateful to all the people who have been supportive and prayed for me. It is in the Mass that I encounter Jesus who has guided me and who I have been celebrating Mass for 25 years for. I am still encountering Jesus with all the people who attend as I celebrate the Eucharist. It was at the Chrism Mass that I renewed my promise to serve God’s people and his church as I celebrate my 25th anniversary of my ordination to the priesthood. I am so grateful to celebrate my anniversary with other jubilarians in the diocese of Calgary.”

Rev. Jacek Walkiewicz
Father Jacek Walkiewicz was born in 1967. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 25, 1993. One of the main motivations of his priesthood is his love for serving and being with his people. He belongs to the religious order Society of Christ. He was sent to North American province in 1995, not long after his ordination. He was in Chicago for 4 years working as the pastor for Holy Trinity Church. He then served at Sacred Heart, Guelph, Ontario, which was his longest tenure so far. After fourteen years, he served at St Cyril and Methodius in Milwaukee, Wisconsin for two years. In 2015, his Superior Provincial asked him to go to Canada. He was assigned as the pastor of Our Lady Queen of Peace, Calgary.

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Jubilarian Sisters of 2018

6/13/2018