Stone by stone

I have known St. Mary’s University (StMU) in many ways.

I was once a student. One of my daughters is now a student. My brother-in-law began his academic career at St. Mary’s. My father-in-law was one of the founding visionaries who helped bring StMU to life.

My most important role, however, is this: I am a friend and a prayer warrior for the vision of St. Mary’s University: to become the preeminent Catholic university in Canada. 

If you have spent any time with me, I have probably asked you to pray for St. Mary’s. If I have not asked you personally, I am asking you now.  I mean it. Every vision that is meant to last must first be sustained spiritually.

About three years ago, at the desire of my dear friend Dr. Sinda Vanderpool, with a little prompting by the Holy Spirit, and with the help of beloved friends, the St. Mary’s Prayer Guild was founded. We were just four people. Four friends who believed that if this university was going to grow, not just physically, but spiritually, it would need prayer behind it. We understood that if God was building something, we wanted to be on our knees while He did it. So we picked up the little stones of the rosary and prayed.

Today, we are over 150 members strong. That is how God’s math works. We start small. He multiplies. What began as four friends praying allowed us to step forward and serve as the Ruby Sponsor for the 2026 St. Mary’s University President’s Gala. Prayer became action. Faith became movement.

That is not our work; it is His. This is the pattern we see again and again in the life of the Church. It is the pattern we see in St. Francis of Assisi. This year, Pope Leo proclaimed a Jubilee Year of St. Francis. St. Francis was a normal man going about his business, fighting in wars, enjoying parties, and seeking wealth. Rumour has it that he was a flirt, a very dynamic character, then something stopped him, the Lord’s call:

 “Francis, rebuild my Church.”

Of course, he thought God meant a physical church building. So he picked up a stone, carried it to the top of the hill, placed it by the little decrepit chapel where he was praying, and then another. Before long, others began picking up stones, too.

What Francis did not yet understand was that God was rebuilding something far greater than a crumbling stone chapel. God was rebuilding hearts. He was restoring faith. He was renewing His Church for generations to come. Millions have drawn closer to Christ because one ordinary man bent down and picked up a stone. 

Forty years ago, a group of laypeople had a vision for a Catholic university. They too heard a call, perhaps not in the ruins of a little chapel, but in the needs of our own community of Calgary. They began taking action. They picked up stones: raising funds, forming plans, sacrificing time, and believing that Catholic education matters.

Here we are today. We can be a part of that same action: where classrooms become places where faith seeks understanding, where student housing becomes a place where vocations are discerned, where a gymnasium becomes a place where virtue and character are formed, where gathering spaces are places where lifelong conversions begin.
In God's economy, physical growth can equal spiritual growth. 

When we invest in St. Mary’s University's growth, we are not simply expanding spaces. We are investing in the formation of the whole person. We are shaping leaders. We are strengthening families and our community. We are forming saints.
St. Francis did not know, when he picked up his first stone, that eight centuries later the world would still speak his name. He simply responded in faith.  Stone by stone.  Yes by yes.

Our efforts to support St. Mary’s may feel practical, even ordinary. But in God’s hands, they can be profoundly transformative for this community and for generations of students: our children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren.

May our work help build not only a stronger university but also a stronger Catholic community—one stone at a time. 
Yet here is the truth: stones do not move unless someone bends down to lift them.

The Diocese of Calgary has one Catholic university. One place where our students can pursue excellence without leaving their faith at the door. That is not something to take for granted.

Right now, before us, are stones that will shape the future of this university. This work is the foundation of the next forty years.

The next forty years of St. Mary’s will not be built by good intentions. It will be built by courage. By generosity. By prayer. By people who decide that Catholic education in Calgary matters enough to sacrifice for it.

I invite you, no, I challenge you, to pick up a stone. 

​St. Mary's Prayer Guild is an individual commitment to pray for the intentions of St. Mary's University each week. If you would like to join us, please email Kimberly at [email protected] to receive a prayer booklet and the current prayer needs of StMU.

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Written by Kimberly Cichon for Faithfully.