​You’re invited, whether for a day, a weekend, or the whole week!
Join young adults and all pilgrims for this Marian Week in the heart of the Rockies. As part of our diocesan journey in the Jubilee Year of Hope, it’s a sacred time of prayer, pilgrimage, and celebration, and a special opportunity to receive plenary indulgences during this grace-filled year. 

Location: The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies (2 Silvertip Trail, Canmore)
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Friday, Aug 15  

• 8:30 am - Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Mass with Fr. Pilmaiken at the Shrine Church, Canmore. Followed by:
  •  9 am - Adoration following Mass (overnight) until 10:45 am (Reposition) on Sat, Aug 16. 
    • 3 pm - Novena to Mary begins
    • 6 pm - Taize Prayer during Adoration 

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Saturday, Aug 16 

• 11 am - Blessing of Pilgrims and Mass
• 4 pm - Confession 
• 5 pm - Anticipated Sunday Mass
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Sunday, Aug 17 

• ​9:30 am, 11:30 am - Sunday Mass, followed by Confession, 
• ​5 pm - Sunday Mass, at Shrine Church, Canmore

Saturday, August 23 at the Shrine Church

• 11 am - Mass with Bishop McGrattan (Jubilee of Legion of Mary)
• 2 pm - Bike Pilgrimage (Banff to Canmore)
  A 27 km scenic bike pilgrimage on Sat, Aug 23, 2025, from St. Mary’s in Banff to the Shrine Church in Canmore via the Legacy Trail, with rest stops, blessings, and arrival in time for the 5 pm Queenship of Mary Mass. To join, register here
  
• 4 pm - Confession
• 5 pm - Sunday Mass
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Sunday, Aug 24 at the Shrine Church

• 9:30 am and 11:30 am - Sunday Mass 
• 5 pm - Mass​

Long before the panels were set up in St. Mary’s Cathedral Parish Hall, a teenager in Italy was gathering the stories behind them. Blessed Carlo Acutis, who had a gift for technology and a deep devotion to the Eucharist, created the online catalogue that became the foundation for the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition held here at St. Mary's Parish Hall, from Aug. 10–13, 2025.

Born in 1991, Carlo was a tech-savvy Italian teenager who loved computers, animals, and video games. From a young age, he had a deep devotion to the Holy Eucharist and a desire for others to come to know and love it as he did. Carlo researched Eucharistic miracles from around the world and created a website to catalogue them, complete with maps, photos, and explanations. His work became the foundation for the travelling Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition, now displayed in parishes across the globe.

A call she couldn’t ignore

​The exhibition’s coordinator, Rita Shank, first saw it in Maui in 2023, and she couldn’t get it out of her mind. 

“I’m a cradle Catholic. I’ve always believed in the Real Presence, but when I saw this exhibit, it really registered,” Rita shared. “Some miracles show scientific studies of the consecrated Host; even 50 years later, the red and white blood cells are still alive. I got chills. The Holy Spirit just kept nudging me to bring it to Calgary.”

She brought the idea to her pastor, Fr. Arjay Abanto, at Sacred Heart Parish in Calgary, and soon the first Calgary exhibit was underway. St. Mary’s Cathedral was their eighth showing, with more already planned, including Holy Spirit Parish later this year.

​“Volunteers are never hard to find,” she said. “People want to help. They see the value in sharing the truth, that Jesus is really present in the Eucharist, and that He invites us to be with Him and in Him.”

An invitation to encounter

​Walking through the rows of panels, visitors read about bleeding hosts, incorrupt fragments, and conversions sparked by the Eucharist. Even beyond the stories, the exhibit offered something deeper, a quiet invitation to meet Christ in the Eucharist in a more personal way.

“Once you understand that it is in the Eucharist that Jesus unites Himself most intimately to us, you can’t help but want to share it,” Rita said. “This is how He loves us.”

The Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition will continue travelling throughout the Diocese and beyond. For Rita, it’s a mission from which she can’t walk away. “Every time we set it up, I see people touched in new ways. That’s what keeps me going.”

Through the vision of a modern teenager, the relic of a soon-to-be saint, and the generosity of those who share this work, the Eucharistic Miracles Exhibition offered more than information; it offered an encounter.
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For many, that encounter may be the beginning of a deeper love for Jesus in the Eucharist.

Since October 2023, our Diocese has been on a journey of Pastoral Renewal, and now, we are entering the Parish Pastoral Renewal Planning phase.

This is a start of something extraordinary— a bold step forward as we deepen our commitment to Renewal and venture into uncharted waters. "Put out into the deep water and let down your nets for a catch." ~Luke 5:4. 

Join us in prayer as we prepare for the February 8 meeting of our Pastors and Parish Renewal Teams. This important gathering will offer an orientation to the parish renewal planning process, a spiritual journey centered on Christ.

​Together, as parish leaders and community members, we will seek God's guidance to develop a renewal plan with concrete actions that will transform our parish life and foster the spiritual growth of all its members. 

​Members of Saint Mary’s Fraternity, Secular Franciscan Order (OFS) Calgary, along with Friar Dan Gurnick, OFM, Sister Dianne Turner, OSE, Sister Anne Adounkpe, FMM, and Deacon Tomas O’Toole, OFS, gathered in gratitude on Sunday, November 17, 2024, at Saint Luke Parish in Calgary. The occasion was a special dual celebration: honouring Saint Elizabeth of Hungary, patron saint of the Secular Franciscan Order, and commemorating the 10th, 15th, and 30th anniversaries of profession for fraternity members committed to living the Gospel in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi.
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The celebration featured a presentation by Sister Dianne Turner, OSE, who led the Litany of Saint Elizabeth of Hungary and shared an inspiring reflection on her virtues. Sister Dianne encouraged attendees to reflect on which of these virtues God might be calling them to grow in today.

The brothers and sisters we celebrated on November 17th bear witness to a lifetime of living the Franciscan charism. Their commitment is a testament to the transformative power of the Holy Spirit and a model of perseverance and faith.
As a fraternity, we give thanks for their deepening faith, steadfastness in living the Rule of the Secular Franciscan Order, and their invaluable contributions to both the fraternity and the broader Church. Their journey reflects steady growth and a continued openness to God’s call. 

We rejoice as a fraternity, offering prayers of thanksgiving for the years of dedication, service, and love that these members have given to the Secular Franciscan Order. Together, we strive to walk in the footsteps of St. Francis, supporting one another in living the Gospel with simplicity, peace, and joy in the world.

May these anniversaries inspire us all to renew our own commitment to serving our Lord and His Church with the same faith and dedication.

Congratulations to all celebrating these special anniversaries!

Written by Erika Bancila, OFS, St. Mary’s Fraternity, Calgary.

Parish Renewal – a concept and process that we at St. Augustine’s see as a great need.

With great enthusiasm, we began our process of Renewal at St. Augustine's Parish, guided by the Diocese's framework. We assembled a team consisting of our Catholic school administrators, parish staff members, and other parish community members who represented various groups.

As we considered the three areas of pastoral renewal, our immediate attention was drawn to the third focus area. We recognized the need to strengthen our families' faith lives, their connection to the parish, and to collaborate with the schools in encouraging the faith life of our young people. We also understood that this process needed to be approached with an eye toward the first two pastoral priorities. As a first step, a strong effort was made—and continues—to be very present in our Catholic schools during important events, with participation by either our pastor or deacon in religious education classes.

However, as the parish became very busy with the Lenten and Easter seasons, we experienced a bit of a lull in the renewal process. It was felt that we needed a significant event to kickstart things again. With the advent of the parish survey, we decided it was critical to truly understand where our parishioners were at so we could begin to focus our attention on their needs, the gaps they might see, and base our future plans on those results.

Already in progress was a new venture for us: a Corpus Christi procession throughout our town on the day of our young children’s First Communion. We took a deep breath and prayerful approach, knowing that the same date would also mark the kickoff of the renewal survey. It was all hands on deck. Planning for First Communion and Corpus Christi was already well underway, so the question became how we could piggyback on these events.

You could ask yourself: Why has Bishop McGrattan spearheaded this Diocesan Renewal?

There are many reasons and causes, but as Catholics, we believe that, in the end, it is God who wants to renew the Diocese and to renew us: renewing us in our love for Him, our love for families, and our love for the faith.

​In this light, Ascension Catholic Parish went on a seven-week thematic journey each weekend during the Easter Season with a Series on the Eucharist. It was a chance to underline what we believe on Jesus’ own Word: that Jesus remains truly present among us, the Bread of Life. It aimed to deepen our understanding and increase our devotion, recognizing Jesus’ profound, constant love for his daughters and sons.

The Series
 
Fr. Daniel Wilson LC and I began the Series reminding us why Eucharistic devotion is so central to our faith, and in the subsequent weeks helped us to delve into its meaning and significance. To go through the topics that were discussed is, in itself, a mini-renewal of our understanding of this Sacrament:

Each week, the Greeters and Ushers helped to give our small cards to every parishioner, as a reminder of the theme. It was a way of saying that you belong, you are called, you matter. On the back of the card, we had two points to chat about on the way home from Church: What did Jesus teach us? and What is Jesus saying to me today?

Have you ever been asked to give a speech? Perhaps it is to say “Thank you” for a gift, or to toast the bride and groom at a wedding, or to introduce an idea to a group. Maybe you have been called upon to witness to your faith in Christ or explain why you are a Catholic. How do you organize your thoughts to make engaging, memorable, even humorous, comments for your audience? How do you overcome the shaking knees, the rambling thoughts, the need to say “umm” in between? Let me tell you about Toastmasters and what I learned.

I had been giving presentations for years, but I was like a golfer who went out twice a year and whacked the ball down the fairway, not consistent, not effective, but eventually would get the ball onto the green. Yes, I could give speeches, but I needed to do better.

In 2021, I was invited to join a new Toastmasters public speaking club, initiated at the request of Bishop McGrattan. Knowing that there are more than 400,000 Catholic speakers in the Diocese, he wants to encourage us to become better speakers. Bishop McGrattan supports Toastmasters as an excellent way to support the faithful in our role as witnesses to the Gospel, a theme central to our ongoing diocesan renewal.  

You may be wondering, what happens at Toastmasters?  What makes “Heart of the Rockies” Toastmasters special?
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​Toastmasters International is the parent organization that supports Toastmasters clubs around the world. Club members gather in person or online to practice their speaking skills using professionally developed education programs. These programs guide the members through speech preparation, from planning and structure to delivery using effective vocal variety, gestures, courage, and confidence. Basically, you learn how to give engaging speeches to any size of audience.

Heart of the Rockies takes the tools of Toastmasters and applies them using a Christian spirit. Members share their experiences and skills in a safe and fun environment. They become equipped to live out the invitation from the Gospel according to St. Matthew: “Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… teaching them to observe everything that I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:19-20)

We, at Heart of the Rockies, invite you to join us for one hour each week to grow in your skills as a witness of Christ to the world. Heart of the Rockies meets online Monday evenings from 7 to 8 pm and is open to everyone ages 18 and older. For further information on how to connect or to visit Heart of the Rockies Toastmasters club, please email me at [email protected].
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As a long-term toastmaster and member of Heart of the Rockies once said, “Toastmasters told me to be better, and I am better because of Toastmasters!”