Friar Aldin and his call to vocation

Friar Aldin's First Vows, 2022 (Mount St. Francis, Cochrane)

I am Friar Aldin Francis Canobas, O.F.M., from the Holy Spirit Province of the Franciscans of Canada. I professed my first vows on October 19, 2022, and am currently enrolled in an open studies program, working towards a Master of Divinity degree at Newman Theological College in Edmonton.

I was born in Batangas, Philippines, in 1988. I attended primary and secondary school at Our Lady of Caysasay Academy, a diocesan school, where I developed an appreciation for service and ministry. Music has been my passion, and I have been part of the school and parish choir since high school. I also volunteered as a student catechist, ministering to grade school students in the public school beside mine.

My grandmother, Sofia, was instrumental in my faith journey. She lovingly cared for us and encouraged us to attend Mass every Sunday. Her faithful witness through daily prayers, scripture reading, and Mass attendance planted a seed of faith in my heart. My parents, Felix and Florida, also inspired my vocational journey.

​My father works as a cleaner in a daycare center, and my mother, who previously worked as a Registered Nurse in Saudi Arabia, came to Calgary as a caregiver, and now works as a Health Care Aide in a nursing home. They gave me a humble yet profound example of sacrificial and unconditional love. I have two younger sisters, Angeli and Ara, who both have their own families. I am also an uncle to two lovable nephews, Gavin and Sebastian.

Friar Aldin's parents

Friar Aldin's family

I obtained my Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Santo Tomas in Manila. On February 20, 2010, I immigrated to Calgary with the rest of my family, where I completed the Bridge to Canadian Nursing program at Mount Royal University. I worked in various health care settings in Calgary: as a community support worker in a group home, as an adult care worker at the Drop-in and Rehabilitation Centre, as a health care aide in a hospital, and eventually as a Registered Nurse in Hemodialysis, and then in Mental Health, both in hospital and community settings.

​I am currently working casually as an RN in Inpatient Psychiatry at the Royal Alexandra Hospital and the Emergency Department at Grey Nuns Community Hospital in Edmonton. Working in health care has provided me with a rich experience and an environment where my eyes and ears have been opened to God's call to love others, especially our marginalized brothers and sisters. Mental health has become an advocacy for me.

Friar Aldin, Registered Nurse for the Grey Nuns Hospital, Edmonton

My love for music led me to meet CFC Singles for Christ Calgary members, who were serving as music ministers at St. Francis Parish in downtown Calgary when I was looking for a choir to join in 2010. I journeyed with Couples for Christ in 2010 as a member and became a leader in the young adult group, serving as a chapter head, music ministry head, and mission volunteer.

In 2019, I worked for the organization as a Lay Missionary and Pastoral Worker stationed in British Columbia. The community's faithfulness in living out its mission and vision of families in the Holy Spirit building the Church of the Home and the Church of the Poor has been instrumental in my faith and vocational journey. I also served with various choirs in several parishes in the Diocese of Calgary, including St. Francis, Corpus Christi, Canadian Martyrs, and St. Peter's Parish, where I am still a registered parishioner. Currently, I serve in the choir for Annunciation and St. John the Evangelist parishes in the Archdiocese of Edmonton.

Friar Aldin & Singles for Christ, 2010

Serving for Couples for Christ "Live Loud" event in 2015

Music also led me to the Franciscans. I performed as a band member at two consecutive One Rock events of the Diocese of Calgary. One Rock 2013 was held at Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre, and the next one at the Tsuu T'ina Rodeo Grounds, where I met Friars Carlos Ona and Benjamin Ripley, O.F.M. Friar Carlos has since communicated with me and encouraged me to explore the Franciscan way of life.

​Music, community, missionary zeal, healing and compassion ministry, and the joyful witness to faith have drawn me close to the Franciscan vocation. Additionally, my love for nature has played a role, particularly hiking and camping, where I find solace and a deeper communion with God, others, and the rest of creation.
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In 2020, I finally responded to God's invitation to follow Him more closely in the footsteps of St. Francis of Assisi. I completed my postulancy year in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, and in 2021, entered the international novitiate in Ireland. I returned to Canada in 2022 for my first vows, and have since been part of the Edmonton fraternity as a simply professed friar in initial formation.

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Written by Friar Aldin Francis Canobas, O.F.M. for Faithfully.  

Photos courtesy of Friar Aldin.