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

6/26/2019

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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.
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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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Our spiritual father

6/5/2019

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Fr. Timothy Boyle, Vicar for Clergy
Roman Catholic parishioners the world over will spill out of their parish churches on Sunday, June 16 with an especially-cheerful mission. En route to family engagements seasoned with handmade cards and gifts for dads old and new, many will stop to wish their parish priests a heartfelt, “Happy Father’s Day, Father.” 
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It’s a tradition Fr. Tim Boyle of Lethbridge has appreciated since his ordination in 1974. While the secular notion of fatherhood “is a metaphor I never used to understand myself as a priest,” he admits the good wishes are gratefully accepted. 

Deacon Troy Nguyen is at a significantly different place in his priestly vocation. Nguyen, 31, will receive Holy Orders on Friday, June 28, 2019. While he will have to wait a year before he hears the “Happy Father’s Day, Father” of the June greeting, he and Boyle already hold one Father’s Day tradition in common; both of these Calgary-born-and-raised priests use the occasion to thank God for their dads—and to contemplate their roles in the Church.

Are you hungry?

Nguyen says his dad is a man of few words. “But when we’re together at home, he’ll ask me, ‘are you hungry?’ I’ve come to recognize that simple question as an act of love and care. He wants to know if I am OK if I need anything. In some ways, I think I will be asking the people I serve the same question, ‘are you hungry?’ meaning, ‘how can I help, what do you need?’”

It’s an analogy Boyle can appreciate. He remembers his dad with great affection and is thankful for the many fathers he’s met in the parishes he’s worked in across southern Alberta. Like Nguyen, Boyle sees his vocation—and that of the secular dad—as rooted in service to others.

Indeed, that notion of service nurtured Boyle’s calling to the priesthood. He had an uncle who served as a missionary priest. As well, Boyle’s family (his dad and the six children), pulled together to care for their wife and mother after she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Volunteering at the old children’s hospital gave Boyle additional frontline experience with service. “Those were some pretty formative experiences. And then I discovered that words have power, and I learned I had some ability to take ideas and give them expression in a way that helped people.” That knowledge, combined with a lifetime of faith practice nourished in his family, brought Boyle into the priesthood. He was ordained at the age of 24.

Nguyen’s journey included a break from seminary studies to finish a Bachelor of Education at the University of Alberta. In addition to teaching, he spent some time in the banking industry. The priestly vocation was “something I found really difficult to do at first,” admits Nguyen. “I felt like I was giving up everything. Now I understand that Jesus is worth giving up everything for. When I see an icon of Jesus on the cross, I realize he’s telling me, ‘God is worth it.’”

As a priest, Nguyen will share that faith with the people he serves in the Calgary Diocese. Now based at St. Peter’s, Nguyen also has strong ties to Calgary’s Vietnamese community. He will be the first Canadian-born Vietnamese priest ordained in this city. “When people I’ve met tell me they hope I can be their father, I know they are talking about my spiritual role in their lives. Still, it’s humbling.”

Boyle’s own role in the Church changed in 2018. Stepping back from the role of the parish priest, he now serves as the Bishop’s Delegate to a Diocesan committee that follows up allegations of sexual abuse and misconduct by clergy. He’s also the Vicar for Clergy, where he helps the Bishop with priest assignments. These are dramatically different roles for the long-time parish priest, but he accepts the challenges with the heart of a willing servant who believes the grace of Christ means “there will always be this core of love to keep His Church alive.” 

In the same way that earthly dads take care of their children, Boyle sees God’s hand in the world. “Life is not in the hands of fate. It’s not in the hands of chance. It’s a divine story that has God as its beginning and God as its ending,” says Boyle.

Nguyen echoes that sentiment. As a priest, he recognizes that his vocation is a gift from God that he can nurture with his faith. “Really, what people are looking for is hope. As a priest, I want to help them find that.”
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Deacon Troy Nguyen will be ordained priest on June 28, 2019 - Feast of Sacred Heart of Jesus

Written by Joy Gregory
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Fr. Cristino Bouvette

6/5/2019

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Which man of faith in the Calgary Diocese inspires you in your vocation as husband and father? Michael Chiasson shared his father figure: 
​This question immediately made me think of my dad, his role and place in my life….However, because my dad recently passed away, I also look at those father figures around. Fr. Cristino Bouvette inspires me. One thing that I’m super thankful for is his heart of prayer, his heart of obedience and his heart of openness. Those three things challenge me as a father because I see him as a young priest that is super faithful, willing to risk for the vocation he’s been entrusted, and it immediately makes me look in the mirror and ask: Am I a man of prayer? Am I obedient to who I’m being called to love? Am I dying to myself? I see that in him so much, and it’s beautifully attractive but scary because — would I be willing to do that? The final part is openness. Something that might not even be his style, (music for example) he sees the heart and how God would use that even though it might not be his specific way.
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Fr. Cristino Bouvette at One Rock
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Michael Chiasson attends St. Michael Catholic Community with his wife and two children. He is a motivational speaker and founder of Access52 based in Calgary. 

Written by Sara Francis
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Good Shepherd Sunday

5/7/2019

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This coming Sunday is the Good Shepherd Sunday, or the World Day of Prayer for Vocations. The second collection this Sunday supports the education and formation of our seminarians. To help promote awareness of the Good Shepherd Sunday and to encourage donations for Good Shepherd Sunday, please use the graphic below for your parish social media, AV media, website or bulletin. 
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Like my mother, I found my own path

5/1/2019

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Jessica Cyr & her family
When I was a little girl, I remember my mom talking about her career aspirations – the things she dreamed of doing before I came along – and how when I came, she decided that staying home with me would be better. I vividly remember looking up at my mother, who was the most wonderful person I knew and in my 4- or 5-year-old mind thinking, “I want to be just like you.” I often go back to this version of myself when I start getting anxious about the path I’ve chosen; to stay home with my children like my mom before me.
Last week I found myself having the conversation about “what I do,” with other women. A bunch of soccer-moms trying to make small talk leaves me a bit wary.

“I stay at home with my five kids.” I said, eliciting replies of “Wow,” and “Five? You have five children?”, and then “and do you work?” (the question I was dreading).

“I work,” I say carefully, “having five kids means there’s a lot of work.”

A somewhat uncomfortable laugh. “Oh, of course, there is. Five! I just can’t imagine. But before kids, what did you do?”

“My background is in journalism. Now sometimes I freelance on the side,” I say.

I sense relief as I share this. A collective sigh as I share what I’ve contributed to life beyond the home. I do mean that sarcastically, because though I highly respect meaningful work outside the home, I don’t see why it can’t be on equal ground with the meaningful work many other women and I do within our homes. Aside from my household though, I am privileged to have the time for mother’s groups, school volunteering, and to commune with other moms who stay home. Women are needed in so many roles, and the choices we have today are abundant. There is a bit of material sacrifice in staying home, but I say this as a woman with the choice that many others don’t have due to poverty. The few things we don’t have compared to the time with my children are small.

I don’t view my position in the home as one might view a typical job, so I don’t want to call it a career, but I so badly want to convey to others that it is fulfilling. If I said the word “vocation,” in the soccer-mom crowd, I’m not sure what kind of looks I would get. 

In explaining vocation, the Catechism of the Catholic Church (898) states that “it belongs to the laity” – that is people who are not priests or religious; ordinary people like your average mom – “to seek the kingdom of God by engaging in temporal affairs and directing them toward God’s will.”

That means that even I, an ordinary mother, have a role to play in the kingdom. In my endless laundry, in my nightly wakings with babies and in all of the budgeting, story reading, disciplining and other seemingly mundane things that I do in my home, there is the opportunity to “direct them” to God and His ultimate plan. 

I certainly know quite a few Catholic mothers whose vocation also includes a career balanced with home. But I think we must remember that mothers in any walk of life are not the sum of what they do, but that motherhood is wrapped up in womanhood and indeed humanity itself. 

St. John Paul II famously wrote a thank you to mothers in his 1995 Letter to Women, 

“You have sheltered human beings within yourselves in a unique experience of joy and travail. This experience makes you become God's own smile upon the newborn child, the one who guides your child's first steps, who helps it to grow, and who is the anchor as the child makes its way along the journey of life.”​

These important words have echoed in my heart since I began on my own mothering journey 10 years ago. Being the anchor and the guide is no easy task, but seeing those first steps, hearing those first words and having the luxury of time with my children is an immense privilege. Some days are hard, and it is on those days that I think “Was I ‘God’s own smile’ or was I Satan’s scowl to these children.” 

The great responsibility of raising four boys and a little girl is a heavy burden, which some days is eased only by the very idea that God’s grace is upon my husband and me to do it. It also eases my mind to know that even great saints struggled in this vocation:

“I could never have imagined how much I would suffer being a mother,” wrote St. Gianna Beretta Molla to her husband in 1958, “… It’s a good thing you’re more optimistic than I am so you can encourage me – otherwise, my morale would be almost below zero.”

St. Zelie Martin, mother of St. Therese of Lisieux wrote in a letter to one of her daughters, “I long for rest. I have not even the courage to struggle on. I feel the need of quiet reflection to think of salvation, which the complications of this world have made me neglect.” 

In some ways, life has grown only more complicated for mothers since the time of St. Zelie, but we continue to look for the very same things; quiet reflection, rest, balance.

I find solace in the community of women I’ve built over the years; people who understand what the Catholic faith teaches about family and vocation. Without these gracious and welcoming women, I might’ve thought that staying at home with children is not for me. Coffee flows in the homes of my friends, and an understanding ear is there when I need it. 

My mother converted to Catholicism when I was a child, and her example of fervent love for God and practice of the faith has shaped my motherhood. Hence, I also find encouragement within the Church I was brought up in. I’ve been blessed to encounter priests who smile on my family and welcome their noise and laughter, even in the middle of their homilies. I’ve been fortunate to have encountered those amazing people who will hold a baby, or just smile kindly at us when the children are being children. And in my role at home, it is my joy to bring the Church and its beauty to my children.

Written by Jessica Cyr, parishioner of St. Bernard / Our Lady of Assumption in Calgary.
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Rest in peace, Ted Andrew

4/30/2019

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Ted Andrew at Chrism Mass, April 2019. Photo: Bandi Szakony.
One of the humbling privileges of serving as the vocation director of our diocese is coming into contact with young men who sincerely desire to give their lives to our Lord and the service of His Church. I would like to briefly share with you the impact one such of those young men has had upon me in the last year and a half. 
 
You may recognize the young man in the photograph as the one who presented the oil to be blessed as Oil of the Sick only two weeks ago at the Mass of Chrism. He and I first came into contact over Skype while he was still serving on a NET Ireland team. He had been diagnosed with cancer there which threw a wrench in his plan to return home at the end of his missionary year with the hope to enter the seminary for our diocese. His doctors were confident that he would recover there and return home well. 
 
That never turned out to be the case, and although he did make it back to Canada, he went through a roller coaster ride of sickness and health. His longing for the priesthood never wavered but at the beginning of April, when his doctors prognosticated that he would have only three months to a year left to live, he resigned himself to the fact he would never be ordained. Nevertheless, I asked him to consider himself my "assistant vocation director", wherein he would unite his sufferings to the Cross of our Lord for the intention of many and holy vocations to the priesthood for our diocese. He was unwaveringly committed to this spiritual work. Being present at our Chrism Mass was an opportunity for him to feel a share in our presbyterate.
 
Much sooner than expected, our assistant vocation director, Ted Andrew, peacefully passed from this life in the early hours of an Easter Octave morning, April 25, with his loving parents by his side. 
 
He will be laid to rest in his hometown of Youngstown following the funeral Mass at Sacred Heart in Oyen on Tuesday, April 30. Please join me in offering your prayers and Masses for this spiritual brother of ours, that His Father will look upon him with mercy, and in His goodness, favourably hear his prayers for the growth of our presbyterate. 
Presentation of the Oil of the Sick at the Chrism Mass (April 15, 2019). 

Written by Fr. Cristino Bouvette, Director of Vocations
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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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Upcoming Ordination - Rev. Mr. Troy Nguyen

2/22/2019

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Most Reverend William McGrattan made an announcement on Friday, February 22, 2019, Feast of the Chair of St. Peter, Apostle: 
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Reverend Mr. Troy Nguyen, having completed his studies through St. Joseph's Seminary and Newman Theological College in Edmonton, AB and currently serving at St. Peter's Parish, Calgary as Transitional Deacon, will be ordained to the Priesthood on Friday June, 28, 2019 at St. Mary's Cathedral at 7 pm. 

See photos from Deacon Troy Nguyen's Ordination to the Transitional Diaconate. 
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Deacon Troy Nguyen. Photo credit: St. Peter's Church.
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St. Bernard's parish welcomes the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy Centre

2/6/2019

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The moment I stepped into St. Bernard’s Church with one small child in tow and one gestating in my belly, I knew I’d be seeing more of the place. At a crossroads between our post-secondary days and life with a family, my husband Joseph and I were looking for a church to call home.

“Let’s go St. Bernard’s,” Joseph said, pointing out its 9 a.m. Mass time, ideal for our small child and in the community we’d moved to.  

I entered that Sunday with trepidation. I was a new mom with a toddler son who’d received a few annoyed glances at other Masses. We were elated and a bit surprised when people at St. Bernard’s just smiled at us and told us we were doing a great job, even though our toddler behaved exactly as expected – like a toddler. A smiling woman greeted us after Mass and offered us coffee and a cookie for our son.

That warmth and kindness was what made us stay. For almost eight years, we’ve been parishioners, welcoming three more children into our family and into the Church. It is that welcoming atmosphere that receives a new kind of young family – the church family that will be the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy Centre.

“It will be a tremendous addition to our community,” said longtime parishioner Nancy Steudler.

Nancy and her husband Chris began attending St. Bernard’s as a newly engaged couple in 1982. They too were welcomed by the parish and were married there in 1983. As their family grew to four children, they became leaders in parish ministries, contributing the life of the parish. They and many others expressed joy at welcoming young people from across the city to worship and keep the faith alive in this church.

During an information session for the parish, Fr. Matthew Emmelkamp, pastor at St. Bernard’s/Our Lady of the Assumption and Fr. Cristino Bouvette, Director of Vocations who will oversee the chaplaincy centre answered any questions that parishioners had.  Those in attendance seemed hopeful and mindful that young people are the future of the Church. 
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​At the inaugural Mass I had a sense of hope as I watched the pews fill with young people along with parishioners I recognized – a few being founding members of the parish.

Since Bishop McGrattan was a bit under the weather, he asked Fr. Cristino Bouvette to give the homily.

Fr. Cristino cited the Gospel for that day where Jesus says “nobody puts new wine into old wineskins.”

“With the loving concern and care as our shepherd, Bishop McGrattan has seen that this new wine needs a new wine skin” he said, referring to the students and young professionals, along with newlyweds and families who will access the centre.

Drawing again on the Gospel, Fr. Cristino, comparing the crowd to grapes, said “many of you have begun to experience being crushed by various means and methods, because the world has an infinite number of them. And you’re beginning to be strained and purified.

“But contained within you is a power; a power that must be harnessed. A power that must be properly and lovingly cared for and maintained in order that that rich wine will be yielded.

“That power is the power of your vocation; That way in which God from the beginning of time already orchestrated in His mind a plan for your heart that when brought to fulfillment would transform this world.”

It was in this spirit that the nearly-full church celebrated Mass together with the Bishop and many of our priests.  Afterward, the narthex was filled with a buzzing, joyful crowd.

The need for the chaplaincy centre has grown apparent as Catholic on-campus ministries at the city’s post-secondary institutions have stretched themselves to capacity, serving the needs of a growing contingent of young people, primarily 18-35-year-olds.
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“We’re not going to be a status-quo parish,” said Fr. Cristino, pointing to the transitional stages that students, young professionals and young families are in. The aim of the St. Francis Xavier Chaplaincy centre is to be an off-campus place of transition and a launching point for the future leaders of the Church. 

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“We’re about building missionary disciples,” Fr. Cristino said, expressing the hope that this centre will better serve the needs of a growing, vibrant community, working alongside ministries like CCO and the University of Calgary Catholic Community, while encouraging the young to go out and leave the community after a time of formation and build up the Church elsewhere.
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As a St. Bernard’s parishioner and mother of young children, it is exciting to see the next generation fill the church that has become my family’s home.  I look forward to watching the new ministry unfold with an abundance of hope in my heart for the future. My hope is that each young person who enters St. Bernard’s feels as welcome as I did nearly a decade ago.  

Written by Jessica Cyr
​Photography by Yuan Wang
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This is love, gathered 'round the kitchen table

2/5/2019

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Visitors to the Faba home may be surprised by the size and shape of the kitchen table. Where others might have a couch that faces a television, this family of 11 has a round table that spans 72 inches in diameter. This is where the family gathers for evening meals and in a month where the secular world pays lip service to messages about love, this family works to live it. Indeed, if red is the colour of love and the colour of a house might speak to what’s inside, the heritage red hue of the Faba home in southwest Calgary is right on the money.

Kari and Phil Faba, who married at 20 and 25, readily admit they didn’t begin their married life with a plan to have an extra-large family. “I would suggest that the one thing that made all of this happen, one child at a time, was that there was a love for the Church that allowed us to trust,” says Kari.

​Now parenting nine children ages 27 to seven, she and Phil talked to Faithfully about how they manage, as parents, to keep a love for Christ at their family table.
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Work-life balance

Kari’s got no shame in admitting she juggles faith-filled parenthood with paid work. But she knows where her priorities lie. Having worked full-time at a city bank until their third child arrived, she then moved to part-time work, taking night shifts opposite of Phil’s hours in the construction business. Looking ahead to her family’s future, she also partnered in a farmers’ market business that eventually became a full-time occupation.

These days, she and Phil own and operate that business outright. While they have full-time staff, The Stock and Sauce Co. at the Calgary Farmers’ Market is a seven-days-a-week enterprise and the Fabas are hands-on entrepreneurs.
The absence of firm boundaries between their marriage and their business partnership can be complicated. “It’s one thing to be married and then go off to your separate jobs,” says Kari. “We don’t have the luxury of comparing different job notes at night.”

​Here, faith helps them keep priorities straight, says Phil. “As Kari likes to say, in our marriage there is sacrament. In business, there is no sacrament.” Daily mass as frequently as possible, regular reconciliation, constant prayer. The Church, says Kari, “always has our best interests at heart.”
Quality time

Phil knows the notion of “quality time” with one’s children can come off sounding a bit corny. But he makes no apologies for how he and Kari make quality time with their kids a primary goal. In 2002, Phil took his first paternity leave when their son Thomas was born. “It was a totally different experience for me.” Taking responsibility for the home front helped Phil understand that while there may never be “enough” time, he would aim to know and love each child for his and herself. “Each one is different and you learn to nurture their strengths,” says Phil.

With the three oldest kids now living on their own (two own the house another brother rents a room in while attending university), Phil and Kari admit their parenting strategies have evolved with experience. Certain house rules, however, hold steady: All of the kids are involved in church, school and work; they participate in sports, but sit down to eat—together—every night; and they don’t leave family time to chance. By planning game and movie nights, they commit and recommit to being a strong presence in their children’s lives. 
Of trust, patience and faith

Phil admits that trust in God comes more easily to Kari than him and he is grateful for how her example strengthens her faith. “There were times when I worried: how am I going to feed them, how am I going to house them?” He also seeks to be more patient and admits, with a smile, “God gives me lots of opportunities to improve.” 
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Sitting beside Phil in their living room, one wall featuring a gallery-sized collection of school portraits, Kari smiles back at him. As she sees it, trust in God opens the door to what’s possible. “If we stay where it’s safe, we miss opportunities.”
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Written by: Joy Gregory ​
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Love for the refugees

2/5/2019

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We’ve all heard the clichés about life, lemons and lemonade. But what if it feels like God has made you responsible for a roomful of refugees who desperately need to learn to speak English and there isn’t a spare chair in any ESL class in the city? The Christian response, according to Sr. Ger Curran of the Faithful Companions of Jesus, is to pray about it—and then start your own lessons.

“Our intention was not to provide professional classes, but we knew these people needed to learn basic words and phrases if they were going to be successful here. We also knew they couldn’t wait, so our classes were based on what they told us they needed to do: get on a bus, see a doctor, go to a store.”
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That combination of prayer and action backstopped the development of the Faith in Action committee based at the FCJ Centre Christian Life Centre in downtown Calgary. Strengthened by their hands-on experience helping several Syrian families settle in Calgary, the committee was formed a couple of years ago “to reach out to people who live in what we call the ‘shadowlands,’” says Sr. Curran. A professional counsellor whose work at FCJ includes individual and family counselling, Curran says the two-year-old committee doesn’t “define shadowlands specifically. It’s really about a willingness to find the people who need the most help.”

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Sr. Ger Curran with her Syrian Godchild
Called to action

In the fall of 2015, a committee of St. Mary’s parishioners, the FCJ Christian Life Centre Staff and FCJ sisters answered a global call for help and sponsored one refugee couple and their child from Syria, says Curran. Less than a year into that project, the committee discovered three fundamental truths about the Christian reaction to refugee sponsorship. First, the 12-month commitment mandated under federal sponsorship rules isn’t nearly long enough for the people you’re helping; second, when the people involved open their hearts to the process, 12 months isn’t long enough for the volunteers, either; and third, when you start to help people who need a particular kind of assistance, you’re likely to meet more of the same. 

That last reality demands decisions about whether you step up or look away. “But it’s not really a choice,” admits Sr. Curran. “We do it because Jesus did it.”

The call to help more refugees arose soon after the group connected with the first family. As that family took its first steps towards settlement, Curran’s group found itself helping another Syrian family. Over time, they also helped two more. Since the newcomers all shared the same Melkite Greek Catholic tradition, it wasn’t long before members of the St. Mary’s and FCJ group were attending masses with the new Canadians. Determined to help the refugees develop relationships in their own cultural community, FCJ Centre also started to host an annual Syrian Christmas party with help from three Catholic schools in the downtown area, St. Monica’s, Our Lady of Lourdes and St. Mary’s. In 2018, that event attracted more than 130 people. It’s down from the 180 who came the first year, “but the people who come really enjoy it and the little ones love seeing a Syrian Santa.”

In addition to helping the Syrians connect with other Arabic speakers in the Catholic community, the group reached out to members of the city’s Turkish Muslim community. Called by their mandate “to live out of our abundant resources,” the FCJ Centre now invite their Muslim friends to an annual barbecue on the FCJ Centre grounds, says Curran. 
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​Fast forward to 2019 and Sr. Curran, admits her social calendar now includes invitations from the people she knows through her refugee work. In addition to being the godmother of one of the three new babies born since the families moved to Canada, Sr. Curran is invited to several birthday parties, including some for preschoolers. When she wants to see how one of the families is doing, she attends a Melkite mass where she can visit with them over coffee after the Divine Liturgy.
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Strengthened by the experience of working with the Syrian refugees, the Faith in Action committee is now reaching out to help others working with Yazidi immigrants to Calgary. Also refugees of the war in Iraq, these immigrants, mostly women, experienced horrendous abuse.

As Sr. Curran sees it, this particular group inhabits the shadowlands, for now. “We don’t know what they need, but we know they need us. That’s enough to step in and try to help. It’s about love and how do we live our fidelity to our faith.”
People interested in learning more about the Faith in Action committee, or the need for ongoing support to the refugees supported by St. Mary’s and the FCJ sisters can contact Sr. Ger Curran a the FCJ Christian Life Centre. 

​Written by Joy Gregory
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Gingco’s journey from an underground movement to his ordination

12/3/2018

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​With a servant’s heart, Joseph Gingco was pleased to help run the audio-visual equipment when his parish hosted an information meeting about the permanent diaconate back in 2013. Joseph, who has a Bachelor of Computer Science degree from the Philippines, knew his skills would prove helpful. Besides that, the life-long Catholic was curious about the topic.
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Five years later, one of Calgary’s newest deacons believes God used that opportunity to serve to answer one of his prayers.
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"I will seek you"

​When Joseph and his wife moved to Canada, he promised God, “Lord, when we are in Canada, I will seek you. I think Fr. Myles Gaffney’s intention with me was that I would help him that day as he was in charge of vocations in the Diocese and was the director of the Permanent Deacon program. In my heart, I believe God was just waiting for me to open the door.”

Deacon Joseph Gingco was ordained by Calgary Catholic Bishop William McGrattan on Saturday, Nov. 17, 2018. Watching closely were his wife Nirmla and their children, Ian Jay, Lemuel and Leianne Marie.

Joseph and Nirmal were married 26 years ago in the Philippines. Soon after the birth of their first son, they moved to Saudi Arabia, where Nirmla, a registered nurse, found work in a private hospital. That hospital was pleased to also hire Nirmla’s tech-savvy husband.
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Raised in devout families that include a priest (Joseph’s brother) and a nun (Nirmla’s aunt), the couple connected with an underground movement of Christians while in Saudi Arabia. In a country that bans all religions other than a strict form of Islam, they attended secret services in people’s homes, closely following guidelines about how they arrived at and left the home churches.
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​The young family, which included a second son born in Saudi Arabia, moved to Canada on July 8, 1999. Here, Joseph and Nirmla found work in their chosen fields. Church was a central part in the family’s life and all three of their children were altar servers and sang in a church choir. Joseph and Nirmla served as extraordinary ministers of the Eucharist at Sacred Heart Church and got involved with members of a Charismatic community. The family has attended St. Albert the Great Church since 2013 and that’s where he’ll serve the Church.
Joseph admits the diaconate formation program was challenging, especially since his entry into the program coincided with a major emergency surgery and three month’s convalescence for Nirmla. Juggling a critical role as her caregiver, three kids and a full-time job—plus online courses and monthly seminars—often seemed daunting. 

Looking back, he’s grateful for all that he learned and says his “tech guy” communications skills took a giant leap forward. Looking ahead, he admits to excitement and trepidation as he figures out how to serve the Church and his family.

Beside him, Nirmla smiles. She shares Joseph’s commitment to the Permanent Deacon program—and their family. Now working as an RN in cardiac care at the South Health Campus Hospital after years in palliative care at the Rockyview, she admits to being less of a worrier than her husband. And that strength serves Joseph in his new vocation. Following Nirmla’s lead, “I’m learning to trust Him and not worry so much,” says Joseph.
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The journey may be new and uncertain, but their faith holds true. They will follow Jesus, the Holy Spirit will guide and God will provide.

​Written by: Joy Gregory
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Wedding day | Joseph & Nirmla Gingco
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Boy-meets-girl-becomes deacon

12/3/2018

4 Comments

 
Susan Laing remembers the Saturday afternoon in the mid-1990s that her husband decided to attend mass with her and their three children. Although they met at a dance held in a Catholic church she attended in Calgary—and were married in that same church— formal conversion to Catholicism was never on Dale’s short list of things he needed to do to be a good husband and father.

Baptized in the Anglican Church, Dale attended the United Church while growing up in Calgary’s Parkdale community. By the time he accepted a co-worker’s invitation to a dance to meet her sister, he was secure in his belief in God, but not given to the practice of faith. Over time, Dale saw the value of Susan’s witness to the Catholic faith. He joined the RCIA program and was confirmed in 2003.
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The couple remembers how some parishioners were surprised to learn Dale had joined the RCIA process at St. Thomas More. Susan, a cradle Catholic, was active as an RCIA sponsor, while Dale was on the Finance Council. Over the years, they were involved in many ministries ranging from church cleaning to hospitality after mass (serving coffee). 
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“I looked for ministries we could do as a family,” recalls Susan. Consequently, “A lot of people just assumed I was Catholic,” says Dale. After Dale was confirmed, the list of ministries they were part of grew to include service as lectors and commentators, Extraordinary Ministers of Communion and coordinating First Conciliation. Dale has also been involved with Together in Action and the Society of St. Vincent de Paul.

Dale remembers the day his formal conversion took another sharp turn. “About two weeks after I was confirmed, my daughter and I were coming to mass together and she asked, ‘So what’s next on your spiritual journey now that you’re Catholic?’” His response: “maybe I’ll become a Deacon.”
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Now a grandfather of three, Dale was ordained a Permanent Deacon of the Calgary Catholic Diocese on Saturday, November 17, 2018. He looks forward to serving at St. Thomas More parish, where Susan has attended Catholic mass since the couple married in 1982.
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God's call

The call to become a Permanent Deacon began soon after Dale’s confirmation. “I dismissed it out of hand, but over the years, the thought was whispered into the ears of my mind, sometimes even at 2 a.m.,” says Dale. Eight years ago, another deacon serving at St. Thomas More approached him after mass and asked him if he’d thought about becoming a Permanent Deacon. 

Suddenly, the whisper had a voice—and that voice revealed the path to a new vocation.

Both spouses are part of the rigorous formation process that leads to the husband being ordained as a Permanent Deacon. The first weekend of that process “was a bit overwhelming,” admits Susan, who works in the business office at Bishop McNally High School. “All the way through the process you’re discussing what you’ve learned and processing what that means in your own lives. But after a while, you learn to trust in God’s plan for you. It gets easier.”

Her husband agrees. “You absorb ideas from sitting in the pews and listening to the readings and homilies. But the Permanent Diaconate process goes so much deeper and it changes how you understand the Church and its teachings.”
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Dale, who manages one of the many parts departments at the City of Calgary, says he’s still learning what his new role at St. Thomas More demands. Sitting in the church narthex, he points to a display of flags that represents the diversity of a parish whose people come from more than 80 different nations. The soft-spoken grandfather of three knows this is a special place—and having raised three kids in the pews of this church, he’s excited about what lies ahead.

“I can now see the progression of God’s hand in my calling, from a simple thought to midnight urgings, to other people recognizing the light of Christ within me, to my joining my voice with that of Mary in saying ‘Yes’ to God’s call,” says Dale.

Written by: Joy Gregory
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Jubilarian Priests 2018

7/6/2018

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Celebrating 50 Years of Priesthood
Celebrating 25 Years of Priesthood

50 Years

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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. 
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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. 
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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

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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.
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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. 
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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.”
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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

1 Comment

 
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The Diocese of Calgary is proud to honour our religious sisters celebrating significant anniversaries this year!

70 years

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​Sr. Mary Clare Bednarik, SCSL | Sisters of Charity of St. Louis
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Mary Clare was born in Czechoslovakia in 1928. Her family immigrated to Medicine Hat, Alberta where she grew up with one sister and one brother. It was here, while completing her education, that she met the “Louies”. Mary Clare went to Levis, Quebec to join the Sisters, soon becoming bilingual. She professed her vows in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Following the completion of a B.A. and B. Ed, Mary Clare became an efficient and well loved educator in Saskatchewan and Burnaby, British Columbia. She was later led to use her skills as treasurer in the community’s Provincial Administration. In her own words, Mary Clare stated that “there was much to do in the Kingdom” so she embraced a variety of volunteer activities, sharing with many the gifts God had graciously bestowed on her over the years. This included 12 years in Oliver, BC with the Indigenous community and parish ministry, gardening and fruit gleaning with the Okanagan Gleaners ministry before retiring to Calgary in 2014. Mary Clare recognized and acknowledge the hand of God in every phase of her life. “The Lord called me from birth,  from my mother’s womb he gave me my name”, (Isaiah 49:1)… “…even to your old age I, the Lord, am the same, even when your hair is gray I will bear you” (Isaiah 46: 4).
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Sr. Dolores Blanchette | Sisters of Providence
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Sister Dolores says, ‘I was born in Girouxville, in a small town north of Peace River, where I was the second of five children. As far as I could remember, I always wanted to be a Sister Missionary. I became acquainted with the Sisters of Providence while working in the McLennan Hospital and I entered the novitiate in Montreal, in 1947. In 1949, I came back West and worked in different Missions. In 1977, I was sent to Egypt to open a mission along with two other Sisters from Quebec. In 1992 I came back to McLennan, Alberta and worked with the elderly there until my transfer here to Father Lacombe Centre in 2016.
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+ Sr. Anna Stauber, SCSL | Sisters of Charity of St. Louis
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Sister Anna was born in 1927 and raised on a farm near Success, Saskatchewan where she loved the farm life and all its activities. At St. Joan of Arc Academy in Swift Current she first encountered the “Louies”. By the next summer she was off to Quebec to join the community so beginning her religious life. Three years later, back in Saskatchewan, she started teaching, which she loved, and continued when she moved to Calgary. Later Anna began a missionary life in Ilo, Peru. It was there that she came to love simplicity of life and the poor.  On returning to Canada, she updated her theological and scripture studies at Newman College in Edmonton before undertaking parish ministry in Regina and Edmonton. She loved sharing faith and had a heart to share the Good News. In 1989 she joined the Native Ministry Team in the Oliver, BC  region where she spent 24 years with the Indigenous people and the parish in Oliver. To round off her experiences and her desire to “be evangelized by the poor” she spent 6 months in Haiti teaching English. Anna is now retired in Calgary. Anna is grateful for all the blessings God’s has given her over these 70 years.  “I was taught that God always has special blessings when we follow his lead – and I’ve found this to always come true for me”

65 years

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Sr. Marilyn Matz, FCJ | Faithful Companion of Jesus
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Sr. Marilyn Matz FCJ is celebrating 65 years of religious life in the Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus. Marilyn was born and grew up in Empress, Alberta. She went to school to the FCJ sisters and entered the novitiate in Calgary. Marilyn taught Chemistry and Math in her earlier years. Subsequently she served the FCJ Society as Local, Regional and Provincial leader. Marilyn’s time in Igloolik, NWT/Nunavut was one of the happiest for her. Marilyn always liked scrabble and still plays some Saturday mornings.

60 years

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Sr. Bernadette Gaetz, SCSL | Sisters of Charity of St. Louis
Sister Bernadette Gaetz was born in Medicine Hat in 1939, one of four girls in a family of eleven. She entered the Sisters of Charity of St. Louis in 1956, became a teacher, and later a Home Economics teacher during which time she had the privilege of designing the Home Economics Room at McCoy High School in Medicine Hat. She became a member of her Congregation’s Western Formation Team, and then a General Councillor from 1994 to 2006, serving first in Rome and then in Montreal. At the end of this mandate she returned to Lethbridge, where she settled into retirement. Among the blessings of her life she counts her teaching years and her twelve years as General Councillor, because they gave her the gift of visiting and meeting our Sisters throughout the world. Sister Bernadette now lives in retirement in South East Calgary, filled with gratitude for the rich life which has been hers for over sixty years.
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Sr. Ria Gerritsen, SCSL | Sisters of Charity of St. Louis
“Ria” was born in Deventer, the Netherlands, immigrated to Canada with her family, and settled in Calgary. She completed her schooling there in Calgary, religious life formation in Medicine Hat, and her teaching training in Moose Jaw and Alberta. She taught for several years in Medicine Hat and Saskatchewan before launching forth for theological studies at Newman College in Edmonton. She was Directress of Novices for several years, then worked in parish ministry before undertaking further studies in Rome and sitting as a Councillor on the Generalate Leadership Team in Rome. While there she wrote the first biography of the Foundress written in English, entitled Led By Love: a Biography of Mother St. Louis. Upon her return to Canada, Ria has used her many gifts in parish ministry, translation work, archives management (both Diocesan and Community), retreat ministry and as a member of our Provincial Leadership Team. Now enjoying retirement in Calgary, Ria continues translating from French to English,  she follows  her passion for writing and has more time for quiet, contemplative life.  “He must increase, but I must decrease.” (John 3:30-31)
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Sr. Patricia MacDonald | Faithful Companions of Jesus
Sister Patricia MacDonald is celebrating 60 years in the Sisters, Faithful Companions of Jesus. Sister Pat grew up in St. Joseph’s Parish, Calgary.  After spending most of her teaching years elsewhere, she returned to the diocese for school and parish ministry in Oyen, Lethbridge and Calgary. On the “support staff” of the FCJ Centre and Sacred Heart Convent, Sister Pat helps to get things fixed and even manages to do puzzles and handwork. 
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Sr. Margaret Nadeau | Sisters of the Precious Blood
I was born in Medicine Hat and was baptized in St. Patrick’s Parish there. After attending school in the ‘Hat, graduating from St. Theresa’s Academy and then working for a  a few years,  I entered the Precious Blood Monastery in Calgary, near St. Ann’s Church, on October 3rd,  l955.  Part of my formation in religious life was given at the Calgary Monastery before I was transferred to the Central Novitiate of our Congregation in London, ON. I pronounced First Vows in London on April 30th, 1958, Feast of St. Catherine of Siena. In the 60 years of my religious life, I have enjoyed assignments to many Monasteries across Canada including London, Regina, Nelson, and Hamilton. I have also appreciated being  part of my home Precious Blood Community in Calgary where I presently live. It is a blessing and a privilege to  pray with and for  the Church of Calgary, the universal Church and the needs of all people.​ 

50 years

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Sr. Pauline Michaniuk | Sisters of the Precious Blood
I was born in Mission, BC in 1946. When the Fraser River started flooding my parents moved to Calgary in 1948. I was raised in St. Anne’s parish and attended St. Anne’s School. There I was involved in the school field days, which I enjoyed very much. Then I went on to St. Mary’s Girls High School. By this time I was working on the weekends and was involved with the Sodality of Mary. At the parish I joined the Catholic Youth Organization and the Legion of Mary.  Our family lived a block away from the Sisters of the Precious Blood Monastery. They asked if I would pick up their mail after school and take it to the mailbox. That was my introduction to the Sisters. I entered the Sisters of the Precious Blood on October 15, 1965, and made my First Vows on October 15, 1968 in London, ON.  I am happy to be back in Calgary after being away for 25 years. I have had many transfer throughout those years, which was for my growth and understanding of life and my life in Christ. The Lord Jesus has been my Shepherd, Guardian and friend all these years, and for the years to come.

25 years

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Sr. Ely Orolfo Nasol, DM | Daughters of Mary Mother of the Church Institute
Sr. Ely was born in the province of Albay in the Philippines in 1962 where she is the third of four children. For her secondary education she studied in a Catholic School run by the Benedictine Sisters where her vocation to the religious life was awakened. She wanted to be a missionary sister from an early age but the sisters told her to finish her university degree. After finishing her BS in Biology she started her teaching career but the call to the religious life became irresistible and she entered the convent in 1990. She believes that joining the Daughters of Mary was God’s will for her because she did not even know the name of the Institute when she entered in 1990. She pronounced her first vows in 1993. After finishing her years of formation she was given the opportunity to have further studies in the consecrated life in preparation for her assignment as Vocation Directress and later on as Directress of Novices. She was also given the opportunity to finish her Master’s Degree in Theology after her election as Secretary General of the Institute. In 2016, after finishing her second term as Secretary General and Councilor she received with joy her assignment to Canada. Like the Blessed Virgin Mary she wants to spend her life doing God’s will. In her own words she says, “If I have to waste my life, I will waste it by doing God’s will for me.”
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