Fr. Raul Ranola celebrates 50th Anniversary

Fr. Raul Ranola was born on July 7th, 1948 in Libon, Albay, Philippines, and was ordained to the priesthood in the same city on January 8th, 1972. After serving as professor, pastor and chancellor in the Philippines, Fr. Raul arrived in Calgary in 1987, serving first as assistant pastor at St. Mark’s, Marlborough, Calgary until 1989, and then as pastor at Our Lady of the Assumption in Bowness, Calgary until 1991.  Following this, he was assigned as pastor at Holy Trinity, Siksika and St. Mary’s, Cluny from 1991 to 1995, and was dean of the Drumheller Deanery from 1994 to 1995, before returning to St. Mark’s in Calgary as its pastor from 1995 to 2003.  Fr. Raul again became a dean, this time of Lethbridge Deanery, when he was assigned to St. Basil’s, Lethbridge from 2003 to 2005.  His last assignment was at Corpus Christi, Thorncliffe, Calgary, from 2005 until his retirement in 2017.

Fr. Raul’s pastoral accomplishments were felt well beyond his parish.  When I was an exhibit interpreter at Heritage Park, one of my supervisors and I got into a discussion about my desired career path.  When I mentioned I was considering the priesthood, she mentioned that she had known of a parish that had been just transformed by the current pastor, who she said “just got the place rocking.”  While not a woman of any particular faith herself, she had gone there with friends who were having a difficult patch in their lives, and had been struck by the strength of the parish that the pastor had fostered, though she could not remember the name of the parish or pastor initially. Upon some recollection, she remembered that the parish was Corpus Christi (on 4th Street NW), and the pastor was Fr. Raul.

I had approached Fr. Raul about the possibility of interviewing him for his golden jubilee before Mass at Corpus Christi when he was covering in July. He replied: “There is no need. Everyone already knows it’s my 50th anniversary!” And indeed, it is so.  Thank you, Fr. Raul, for fifty dedicated years of service to God’s people. 

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Written by Solomon Ip for Faithfully

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Fr. Raul Ranola

Ordained: January 8, 1972 in Libon,Albay, Philippines

Pastoral Assignments in the Diocese of Calgary

• Assistant Pastor: St. Mark’s, Calgary, 1987-89
• Pastor: Our Lady of Assumption, Calgary, 1989-1991
• Pastor: Cluny and Siksika Reserve, 1991 - Aug. 1, 1995
• Dean, Drumheller Deanery Sept. 21, 1994
• Pastor: St. Mark’s, Calgary, 1995-2003
• Pastor: St. Basil’s, Lethbridge, 2003-2005
• Dean: Lethbridge Pastoral Zone, Aug. 1, 2003
• Pastor: Corpus Christi, Calgary, 2005 - 2012
• Sabbatical: February 2012 to May 2012