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Pray for the Conclave

5/6/2025

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A message from Bishop McGrattan:

​This Wednesday, May 7th, 133 Cardinals from across the world will gather in a solemn assembly to begin the process of electing a new Pope—the 267th Successor of Saint Peter. This process, known as a conclave, takes place behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel. The term conclave comes from the Latin cum clavis, meaning "with key," symbolizing a place that is securely locked.

The conclave recalls the gathering of the Apostles in the Upper Room before Pentecost, where they “constantly devoted themselves to prayer” (Acts 1:13–14). Unlike modern portrayals in popular media, the conclave is first and foremost a deeply spiritual event. It is carried out with solemn liturgical acts and constant prayer, as emphasized in the Order of the Sacred Rites of a Conclave. The Cardinals undertake this sacred responsibility under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, whom they invoke in order to hear God’s voice and discern His will.

In that same spirit of prayer, the rites of the conclave envision that the faithful are praying alongside the Cardinal-electors. As the Order states: “the whole church, united with us [the Cardinal electors] in prayer, invokes the grace of the Holy Spirit so that we may elect a worthy pastor of the entire flock of Christ.” I therefore invite you—clergy, consecrated men and women, and lay faithful—to join your prayers with those of your local Ordinary, asking the Holy Spirit to grant the Cardinals wisdom, faith, and discernment as they carry out this sacred task.

There are many meaningful ways to pray for the conclave. One may choose to pray daily the ancient hymn Veni, Creator Spiritus (“Come, O Creator Spirit”), echoing the Apostles' prayerful anticipation after Christ’s Ascension. Alternatively, one could pray the beautiful Collect from the Mass for the Election of a Pope:
O God, Eternal Shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care."
With the support of your prayers, may God's will be accomplished. And when the time comes, may you joyfully welcome the newly elected Pastor of the Universal Church, with a renewed awareness that Christ “placed Blessed Peter over the other Apostles and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and communion” (Lumen Gentium, no. 18).
QUESTIONS & ANSWERS on CONCLAVE
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Written by
​Bishop William T. McGrattan, 
President of CCCB
​and Bishop of Calgary

​It has been a tradition, as a private devotion, to ask for the grace of the Holy Spirit. This practice is especially suitable during the Eastertide. To do so, families may use the following prayer.
All: Come, Holy Spirit, 
fill the hearts of your faithful
and kindle in them the fire of your love.

Leader: Send forth your Spirit, O Lord,

All: and renew the face of the earth.

Leader: O God, on the first Pentecost
you instructed the hearts of those who believed in you
by the light of the Holy Spirit:
under the inspiration of the same Spirit,
give us a taste for what is right and true
and a continuing sense of his joy-bringing presence
and power, through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.
ROSARY FOR THE CONCLAVE
LITANY TO ST JOSEPH
MORE PRAYERS
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2025 Sunday of the Word of God "I hope in your Word" (Ps. 119)

1/15/2025

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As part of the Jubilee of Hope, this Sixth Annual Sunday of the Word of God (January 26 2025)  invites us to reflect on the theme: “I hope in your Word” (Ps 119:74). God’s Word is steadfast and powerful, accomplishing all it promises (Isaiah 55:11). In Jesus, the living Word of God (John 1:14), we find our ultimate hope (1 Tim 1:1). God’s presence is inseparable from His Word, offering an unfailing source of hope and renewal. In this year of hopeful Jubilee, open the Scriptures and rediscover the life-changing power of God’s promise.
The celebration of the Sunday of the Word of God invites parish communities to embrace the living and transformative power of Scripture, with this 2025 Handbook serving as a guide to deepen its celebration within the Jubilee Year.
Download Liturgical & Pastoral Handbook
The relationship between the Risen Lord, the community of believers and sacred Scripture is essential to our identity as Christians. Without the Lord who opens our minds to them, it is impossible to understand the Scriptures in depth. Yet the contrary is equally true: without the Scriptures, the events of the mission of Jesus and of his Church in this world would remain incomprehensible. Hence, Saint Jerome could rightly claim: “Ignorance of the Scriptures is ignorance of Christ."  ~Pope Francis, Aperuit Illis, 1.

​Make Scripture a part of everyday life

​Here are some practical tips from the Dicastery of Evangelization (Vatican) to encourage the love of Scripture:

  • Carry the Word with you, physically or on your phone (e.g. Pocket Bible, YOUCAT-Daily, Amen, Hallow, Living With Christ, The Bible in a Year)
  • Enthrone the Bible in Your Home
  • ​Pray with the Bible
    • Lectio Divina (Divine Reading)
      Have you ever had the incredible experience of prayerfully reading the Word of God? Lectio Divina is a very effective method of prayer and spiritual formation, for spiritual growth and communion with God through His Word. More
      • Seeds of the Word Lectio Divina Compendium 2025 
  • The Liturgy of the Hours
    ​The Liturgy of the Hours is essential for integrating Scripture into daily life. Sacrosanctum Concilium states, “By tradition going back to early Christian times, the divine office is devised so that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God… it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her bridegroom; It is the very prayer which Christ Himself… addresses to the Father” (SC, 84). Pastors are urged to promote the communal celebration of Vespers, especially on Sundays and solemn feasts, while encouraging the laity to pray the divine office together or individually (SC, 100).
    • How to Pray the Liturgy of the Hours 
    • Divine Office 
  • Bible Group or Study​  

  • Meditated Rosary
    Another source for praying with Scripture is the variety of traditional Catholic prayers, such as the Rosary. It is an evangelical prayer with a distinct Christological orientation, defined by St. John Paul II as a "compendium of the Gospel." In fact, it has an essentially contemplative character, since it leads us into the meditation of the mysteries of the Lord's life, accompanied by the one who was closest to the Lord. To give biblical foundation and greater depth to the meditation, it is helpful if the announcement of the mystery is followed by the proclamation of a corresponding biblical passage. It is appropriate that after the announcing of the mystery and the proclamation of the Word, one should pause for a suitable period of time to fix one's gaze on the meditated mystery, before beginning the vocal prayer (cf. Apostolic Letter Rosarium Virginis Mariae, No. 30-31) 
    • Rosary in a Year Podcast
    • A Scriptural Rosary for the Family 
  • Biblical Eucharistic Adoration
    • Liturgical & Pastoral Handbook, p. 13

Online resources

  • ​Lectio - Formed​
  •  The Bible Project 
    • Learn How to Read the Bible | Watch Animated Explainer Videos 
  • Mass Readings Explained Calendar
  • The Bible in a Year Archives - Ascension Press Media 
  • Biblical examination of conscience 
  • Salvation History Bible Study: Learn How to Read the Bible as One Book 
  • Reading the Scripture for All It’s Worth: 
  • Institute of Catholic Culture: Sacred Scripture courses and lectures 
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It's the Year of Prayer - toward Jubilee Year 2025

1/4/2024

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In preparation for the 2025 Jubilee Year 'Pilgrims of Hope,' 2024 has been designated a Year of Prayer. The Holy Father encourages us to highlight the importance of both communal prayer and individual prayer this year.

​
Learn about the Jubilee Year "Pilgrims of Hope"
  • Official Hymn for the Jubilee - Pilgrims of Hope
  • Characteristics of the Jubilee  + Logo of the Jubilee
  • Jubilee Events Calendar + Jubilee Pilgrimage
  • Letter of the Holy Father for the Promotion of the New Evangelization for the Jubilee 2025
  • The Jubilee Prayer
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In this time of preparation, I would greatly desire that we devote 2024, the year preceding the Jubilee event, to a great “symphony” of prayer. Prayer, above all else, to renew our desire to be in the presence of the Lord, to listen to him and to adore him. Prayer, moreover, to thank God for the many gifts of his love for us and to praise his work in creation, which summons everyone to respect it and to take concrete and responsible steps to protect it. Prayer as the expression of a single “heart and soul” (cf. Acts 4:32), which then translates into solidarity and the sharing of our daily bread. Prayer that makes it possible for every man and woman in this world to turn to the one God and to reveal to him what lies hidden in the depths of their heart. Prayer as the royal road to holiness, which enables us to be contemplative even in the midst of activity. In a word, may it be an intense year of prayer in which hearts are opened to receive the outpouring of God’s grace and to make the “Our Father,” the prayer Jesus taught us, the life programme of each of his disciples."

​~Pope Francis
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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. 
​
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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