Emmanuel Process, Flin Flon, March 7-11, 2010

The Emmanuel Process is a five evening mission given within our archdiocese by a team of Sr. Ethel Detz OP, Fr. Bill Stang OMI and Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie OMI. It is introduced at the Sunday Eucharist in the morning and starts Sunday evening. The themes are Setting Out Into the Deep, Who is Jesus for Me? Forgiveness, Healing and Reconciliation, The Spirit and Mission of the Church, and finally, Moving Into the Future. The session in Flin Flon was attended all five evenings by around 50 enthusiastic participants.



Each session begins with a teaching on a saint, prayer for the qualities of that saint, and a procession with the Word, proclamation of the Word and enthronement of the Bible. Here Fr. Bill proclaims the Gospel with the help of candle bearers Susanne Fortin and Jan Gourlay.



After each presentation there is sharing in small groups to allow each participant an opportunity to share their experience of the topic if they wish.



This small group is obviously having an intense discussion of the theme.


A highlight of this session was an elder, Marie Bjornson who though hard of hearing, came every night just to be present and pray for all the participants. She was our prayer warrior and greatly appreciated.


After the small group sharing, there is an opportunity for any participant to share with the whole group if they so wish. Here Lucille Rossington, the Religious Education coordinator, shares some of her thoughts and experience.


Extra chairs had to be brought in to make sure that everyone had a place to sit.


Each session closed with a ritual based on the theme of the session. Here participants placed on an outline of a human figure representing the Body of Christ, slips of paper on which they had written a God-given gift that they were making a commitment to use in service to their brothers and sisters.


A pleasant surprise for the archbishop was to discover that the Renew process that had taken place within the archdiocese a decade ago was still alive in the form of a bible study group – this one focused on the role of women in the bible. Fr. Cally is pictured here with the group, as he attends whenever he can.


Each session finished with abundant food and warm fellowship. The last evening session was preceded by a pot luck supper.


A spontaneous jamming session involving some of the participants and the archbishop on the violin provided entertainment between the supper and the closing session. Here Lola Leclerc is playing the guitar, Harold Romo the mandolin and Archbishop Sylvain is on the violin (he can't fiddle but is able to play the violin!)


Here Sr. Ethel and Fr. Bill are facilitating the closing session which involved an experience of a Lectio Divina style of prayer, followed by a discussion around where the parish wants to go from here and how the archdiocesan personnel can be of assistance.


Each night the participants gathered in a circle to pray the Our Father together, sing a closing hymn and share the peace of Christ. This was the fifth Emmanuel Process held within the archdiocese. Plans are to take this event to as many communities as possible, and to follow up with other programs such as the Christopher Leadership Course, 12 Step Workshops, retreats and other initiatives in response to the particular needs and requests of each community.

AWCB (Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops) March 2-5, 2010 Lumsden, Sk.

This year, the AWCB met in at the St. Michael’s Retreat Centre in Lumsden instead of Edmonton as it is the 100^th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Regina. The gathering began with a meeting with some of the staff of both St. Joseph’s Seminary and Newman Theological College, followed by two and a half more days of meetings to share common concerns and discuss future plans for the Church in northern and western Canada. Pictured here are some of the bishops attending.

Fr. John Hibbard was our guest presenter this year. He shared a power point presentation with us on liturgical books, the translation of the missal and the GIRM (General Instructions on the Roman Missal) that will be forth coming and will certainly have an impact on the life and worship of the Church in the English speaking world.

Archbishop Daniel Bohan of Regina (left) was re-elected for a second term as president. Abbot Peter Novakowsky remains in his role as secretary to the AWCB.

Metropolitan Archbishop Lawrence Huculak stays on as vice-president of the AWCB. After the elections, the bishops had their business meeting and heard reports from the provinces and liason bishops.

Bede Hubbard, Associate General Secretary to the CCCB gave a report to the assembly.

Thursday, March 4^th was the exact date of the 100^th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Regina. All of the bishops were bussed in for an anniversary Eucharist at one of the first parishes in Regina where it seems the body of Louis Riel had been kept hidden for three weeks. Archbishop Daniel Bohan of Regina is seen here surrounded by his brother bishops.

A highlight of the week was a visit to the Marian Centre in Regina. This Madonna House Apostolate, started by Baronness Catherine Dougherty out of Combermere, Ontario, is a community of mostly lay men and women who take annual promises and serve the poor and destitute in cities across Canada. Some of the staff attended the anniversary mass and posed for this picture. A dream that I have is that some day they may open a centre in our archdiocese.

Assembly of Western Bishops Standing Committee on Aboriginal Affairs Meeting March 2, 2010

Members of the Committee from L to R: Harry Lafond of Muskeg Lake (Member at Large), Myra Charlie from Victoria; Bishop Richard Gagnon of Victoria; Sr. Eva Solomon; Carl Sydney, Whitehorse; Rosa Mantla, McKenzie-Fort Smith; Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie OMI of Keewatin-The Pas (chair); Doris Reid of The Pas; Archbishop Daniel Bohan of Regina and President of the Western/Northern Bishops; Bishop Murray Chatlain of McKenzie-Fort Smith and Bishop Garry Gordon of Whitehorse.

In 2007, the Assembly of Western Bishops formed an ad hoc committee on aboriginal affairs made up of four bishops. They engaged Sr. Eva Solomon csj to provide workshops on First Nations spirituality and ministry throughout the dioceses of northern and western Canada. After a very successful Basic Directions on Aboriginal Ministry held at Newman Theological College in July 2007, the committee became a standing committee of five bishops who decided to include First Nations representatives from their respective dioceses on the committee.

The first meeting of the full committee took place on March 2, 2010 at St. Michael’s Retreat Centre in Lumsden prior to the annual assembly of the Western Bishops. Sr. Eva facilitated a workshop on authority, responsibility and power. The participants then discussed an agenda that included their structure, organization and mandate. They reviewed the First Nations Elders’ Dialogue that had taken place the previous December and looked ahead to this summer’s Basic Directions, a possible Cultural Awareness Experience and the upcoming Basic Directions session. They suggested a focus on youth, catechesis and orientation for First Nations ministry as a priority for the group this first year.

St. Michael's Retreat Centre just outside of Lumsden, Saskatchewan. Home of a Franciscan community and run with the help of a lay staff, it is guided by an ecumenical board.

12 Step Pilgrimage Canoe Narrows, Sk Feb 25-28, 2010

The 12 Step Pilgrimage was developed in Browning, Montana and brought into Alberta decades ago, from which it spread to Saskatchewan. Oliver and Ann Shouting from southern Alberta were instrumental in spreading it to northern Alberta and came once to northern Saskatchewan. Frank and Florence Large picked it up and have been key facilitators of the pilgrimage for years, especially in the St. Paul area of Alberta. They made great sacrifices to come to Canoe Narrows to help us get the pilgrimage re-started in our archdiocese.

All the 16 participants and the team made a huge sacrifice to make this event happen, as it turned out to be the closing weekend of the Winter Olympics in Vancouver. This pilgrimage featured 10 youth participants who took it seriously and worked on their own personal growth and healing - certainly a sign of hope for the future. Sr. Diane Laejunesse came with two young men from Whitefish Lake near Debden, Sk., for this event. The other participants were from the local area. Much support from the local chief and council was appreciated.

Here pictured is the team leading the pilgrimage: Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie OMI from The Pas, MB., Mary Fleury who did the cooking and gave one presentation; Marcel our music man who also gave a talk, Marilyn Bouvier who took the initiative to organize this event after the tragic death of a child in the community, and Frank and Florence Large who found their way to the community on the Keeley Lake road, finally.

The 12 Step pilgrimage is a unique retreat experience that blends 12 Step spirituality, First Nations spirituality and Catholic Christian spirituality, It is open to anyone who wants to grow personally, learn more about the 12 Steps and find support in living a life of happy free sobriety. It is truly an experience of holistic family life for almost four days the will hopefully empower the participants to go back to their communities better equipped to meet the challenges of daily life without resorting to addictive behavior.



Music and singing is a very important part of each pilgrimage. Here Frank and Florence Large assist Marilyn and Marcel with the singing of our theme song, "One Day At A Time."



Each morning of the pilgrimage begins with a prayerful meditation on a specific theme. Here the participants are gathered for a reflection and prayer centered on the Our Father which began with a sweet grass smudging ceremony.



Talks on the themes of addiction, our Creator God, Who is my Saviour, the Gift of Faith, Death and Resurrection, Prayer and LIving a New Life are a major part of each pilgrimage. The presenters receive a lot of hugs after each talk. Here Florence Large gives a hug to Mary Fleury who spoke on how prayer helped her to cope with the challenges in her life
.


A feature of Saturday evening during the pilgrimage is performing skits that exemplify the joy of having fun without resorting to addictive behavior. Here Veronica Bouvier and Ival Lariviere entertain us with a skit entitled "Welfare Scam."


Nina Corrigal, Fr. Louis Legare and Sr. Diane Lajeunesse dramatize the end result of the pilgrimage experience in their skit.


The Renewed Spirits family group led by Marlene Opikokew and including a participant from Whitefish Lake.


The Charlie's Angels family group, led by Sr. Diane Lajeunesse pm and including the pastor of Canoe Narrows, Cole Bay and Jans Bay, Fr. Louis Legare OMI, who was training to be a team priest for the 12 Step Pilgrimage movement.


The Believers family group, led by table counselor Veronica Bouvier.


Frank and Florence Large at the closing mass presenting a certificate to Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie OMI. Each participant received a certificate at the mass which was well attended by the communities of Canoe Narrows, Jans Bay and Cole Bay.

Suicide Intervention and Prevention Workshop in Thompson Feb. 20th 2010

Our archdiocese puts on an annual one day workshop for lay formation and ministry training in Thompson each winter. The theme this year was A Holistic Approach to Suicide: Prevention and Intervention. About 60 participants came from 14 communities within the archdiocese, the furthest being Lac Brochet, MB; Kinosao, SK and Oxford House, MB

Gail Burrett of Taking Flight International from Edmonton was the presenter. She used a process of lecture with power point, one on one sharing, group work and reporting, role playing, meditation and finally community group work to come up with a plan of action for each community.

In her own calm and confident way, she shared her expertise on why suicide happens; what suicide is; the effects of suicide; how it can be prevented and how it can be handled when it happens. Her experience shone through the gripping stories she recounted to illustrate her teaching.

One of the gems that she shared with us was that self-inflicted hurt is more about soothing pain through a different kind of pain, than being suicidal. She stressed the importance of honoring the life of a suicide victim without glorifying the act of suicide. Everyone is responsible for everyone else’s well being, she emphasized, and taught us that a kind word goes a long way. Just one sentence from a teacher to an at-risk student, “How was your day, sweet heart” kept that student alive.

Participants went away with a hand-out of information, much support, greater knowledge and hope-filled determination to make a difference in their respective communities.

The event was organized by Fr. Bill Stang OMI, vicar and chancellor, and Rochelle Rydberg, our administrative secretary in collaboration with Fr. Eugene Whyte OMI and Sr. Andrea Dumont CSJ of St. Lawrence Parish in Thompson.

Fr. Bill Stang OMI, vicar and chancellor of our archdiocese, leads the gathering in prayer to start the day.



Gail works with a group from God's River as they discuss the plan that they want to take home to their community.



John Henry and Sherry Menow from Norway House share some thoughts with their pastor, Fr. Noel Boulanger OMI. Fr. Noel covers Cross Lake, Norway House, Grand Rapids and Waboden.



Madeleine Spence, lay presider from Nelson House, talks over some points with Gail during a break.


A view of some of the participants doing some personal work at their tables during the workshop.



Natalie Tays, school principal; Audrey Rose, a teacher, and Karen Spence are from Nelson House. Natalie and Karen are new lay presiders, under the guidance of Srs. Susan Gardner and Ellen Kennedy, Dominican sisters who are lay formators based in Nelson House and reaching out to the larger area of Leaf Rapids and South Indian Lake.



A group of parishioners from Thompson and the United Church minister made up one of the tables.



Sr. Carmen Catellier snjm, pastoral minister in Cross Lake, re-connects with Kerrie Samuel from Lac Brochet, who is doing her best to minister to youth in that community. Sr. Carmen used to minister in Lac Brochet and Brochet some years ago.



James Hickey of Thompson and Fr. Eugene Whyte OMI, pastor or St. Lawrence parish in Thompson, listen intently to the presenter.



Sr. Andrea Dumont csj of Thompson, Miles Bighetty from Pukatawagan and another participant work on the plans for their respective communities.

The Pas Trappers Festival Parish & KC Breakfast

Trappers' Festival here in The Pas began Wednesday, Feb 17th and runs through to Sunday Feb. 21st. The Knights of Columbus and the Parish Council team up to provide pancake breakfast each morning. Here Ron Stewart buys 50-50 tickets from Diane Kelly as Audrey Maksymchuk and Fr. Bill Stang OMI wait for more hungry customers. The winner was Ken Kelly, and contrary to some claims, all was fair and square!




At the next table, Mrs. Catalina and Marie Francoeur sold beautiful craft items.




The chefs on this shift were Ron Stewart, Jim Lamontagne, Debbie Lane, Paul Seidel and Ken Kelly. They earned rave reviews.




Ready for customer and all decked out in his special Trapper's Festival tie is Vaughn Wadelius.




Here Vaughn and Richard Brunel serve a hungry customer.




Joyce McLennan, our archdiocesan financial assistant, is manning the refreshments and keeping things clean. Guy Hall has been the site of this pancake breakfast for years, made possible by the generosity of many volunteers.

Evelyn Jebb 95th Birthday party Opaskwayak Cree Nation

A 95th birthday party was held at the Rod McGillivery Elders' Lodge today for Evelyn Jebb. She was one of the elders who blessed me at my episcopal ordination, and became my adopted kokum here in The Pas. She is a woman of deep faith and much wisdom. Amazingly, she still does bead work and would dearly love to have some smoked moose hide to work with. Does anyone know where I could get some for her as a birthday present?



Mrs. Jebb made the vest that this child (Autumn Brooke Gracie Constant) is wearing for Autumn's dad 21 years ago. She is Autumn's Chapan.




Melanie Deschambeault, a friend of Evelyn from Cumberland House, was also at the party. She celebrated her 90th birthday one month ago.




Dancers Kanses, Kessia and C.J. Michell were on hand to dance for the birthday elders.




Michael Jebb, a son of Evelyn's, and his wife Verna, who is an Anglican priest on the reserve, were on hand for the celebration, along with their grandson Christopher.




The Rod McGillivary Memorial Care Home where our elderly birthday baby resides.

Ash Wednesday in Cormorant

Cormorant is about 80 kilometers from The Pas and is one of our smaller, struggling faith communities. As I would be going to Cumberland House on the winter road for the first Sunday of Lent, I responded to an invitation from the folks in Cormorant to go there for Ash Wednesday. Pictured are some of the folks who gathered.



What I love about Cormorant is the music ministry and quite loud singing. The folks here love to sing and after the Ash Wednesday celebration, they brought in some guitars and had a hymn-fest. Here Agnes, Magdaleine, Marie and Margaret provide the instrumentation and lead the singing.




The church in Cormorant is relatively new and well kept up. They are asking for training for lay presiders; are trying to form a parish pastoral council, and have already hosted a 12 Step Workshop. They are trying hard so please keep them in your prayers.

Return of Fr. Susai Jesu OMI from India

Fr. Susai is the pastor of Pelican Narrows and Sandy Bay in northern Sask, both Cree speaking communities. He is also into his second year of learning Cree. Fr. Susai returned to India to visit his family, friends, relatives and brother Oblates right after Christmas after two years in Canada. He arrived in The Pas Feb. 16th, stayed overnight and then left with his new used vehicle to be on time for the Ash Wednesday celebration in Pelican Narrows.

Through an inexpensive phone arrangement that he found, Susai stayed in touch while in India with his parishioners who are very happy to have him back. In fact, during his absence they even intensified fund-raising efforts towards repairing the church in Sandy Bay, and building a new church in Pelican Narrows.

What is most to be admired is that they are doing this without resorting to addictive means such as bingo. Their latest creative effort to which Susai is returning this weekend is a big fishing derby in Pelican Narrows organized by the community for the new church. The picture below gives an idea of what a fishing derby looks like (this one in Pukatawagon last spring).



A fishing derby is a great way to raise funds for a new church, given that Jesus has sent us all out to be fishers of people. Hopefully this initiative will inspire other communities who are raising funds to do something similar.