Installation of Fr. Gaspar Savarimuthu, Nov. 28, 2010

Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie OMI came to La Loche to install Fr. Gaspar Savarimuthu as the new pastor of Our Lady of the Visitation parish La Loche and Our Lady of Lourdes parish in Turnor Lake, replacing Fr. John Zunti OMI who has been assigned to Patuanak.

Fr. Gaspar is a diocesan priest from India who has been in Canada for six months. He spent a few months in orientation and acculturation and served in St. Theresa Point for the summer. May God's blessing be with you, Fr. Gaspar, as you begin your ministry in this new appointment.

Youth Development Workshop, Turnor Lake, Nov 27, 2010

The workshop covered topics such as being human, self esteem, spirituality and the 12 Step healing journey. This was the beginning of Addictions Awareness week for Turnor Lake. A group of dedicated adults gave much needed support to Lorraine Sylvester who organized the workshop and invited Archbishop Sylvain to be the resource person.


The participants standing for a moment of prayer before the meal.

The group enjoyed a lot of activities including line dancing. Lorraine Sylvester who organized the workshop is on the left.

Archbishop Sylvain presenting information on addictions awareness.

Three of the younger enthusiastice participants in the workshop.

Emmanuel Process, Ile-a-la-Crosse, Nov. 21-25, 2010

Sr. Ethel Detz proclaims the Word of God with the help of two candle bearers. The Word of God is central to the Emmanuel Process.








Each session finished with a ritual to help integrate the content of the evening.

A group of elders share their experience and wisdom, adding to the event.

35th Anniversary CLC Seminar, Nov. 12-14th, 2010

Thirty five years ago, the Christopher Leadership Course was introduced into northern Saskatchewan and our archdiocese by Gerry Vermette, Paul Boudreau and then Fr. Sylvain Lavoie OMI, It spread like wild fire and has been given to over 630 participants since then. The course is an effective speaking course that helps people grow personally, overcome shyness, gain confidence and promote community service and development.

Pictured here, from L to R starting in the back row (clockwise) are: Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie OMI (Seminar Instructor) ; Troy Paul, Sr. Andrea Dumont CSJ; Betty Landego; Sr. Bernadine Fetter OSU; Angie & Ed Mihalicz (Seminar Instructors); Antoinette Lafleur; Bro, Tom Novak OMI and Fr. Arokia Vijay OMI.

The Christopher motto is that it is better to light one candle than curse the darkness, and that is what each Christopher tries to do.

The participants were put into teams to prepare lesson plans and deliver the lesson to the group. Here are Sr. Bernadine, Sr. Andrea, Troy, Instructor Ed and Betty. The hope is that courses can now be offered both in Saskatchewan and Manitoba in our archdiocese.

Celebration for St. Andre Bissette, Oct 30

A busload of bishops were able to travel to Montreal after the plenary in Cornwal to participate in the celebration for the canonization of Bro. Andre Bissette, a humble prayerful man considered a great healer. Buses drove us right onto the playing field. Cardinal Turcotte of Montreal told the crowd that God uses saints to speak to us today, and that everyone seems to know about Bro. Andre. Here a relic of the saith is brought forward for display. Usually it is only rock stars and sports heros who fill this stadium. What a statement about the man himself this celebration was.

Here we see the main altar, the introductory rites, and the crowd in the Olympic Stadium that numbered around 50,000.

CCCB Plenary, Oct 25-29, 2010 Cornwall, ON

This was my sixth plenary since becoming archbishop. It is a fraternal gathering of the nation's Catholic bishops for input, discussion and mutual support. We learned from Sr. Nuella Kenny that we had unfinished business in terms of the sexual abuse crisis, in that there was a need to go beyond apologies and protocol to addressing the underlying causes for this recent crisis.

Cardinal-elect Ravasi also gave us an in depth and spirited presentation on faith, culture and evangelization. The important role of CCODP was affirmed, as was the importance of life and family, with a committee in place to collaborate with COLF (the Catholic Orgainization on Life and the Family).

Pictured here are Msgr. Patrick Power, General Secretary; Bishop PIerre Morissette, President and Archbishop Richard Smith, Vice-President.

Arrival of a new priest, Sept 30 2010

Fr. Arokia Vijay, OMI, has been sent to us from the new India province. He is 32 years old and is presently participating in a period of orientation and acculturation with the Lacombe Oblates as well as the archdiocese.

Confirmation at Nelson House Oct 16-17, 2010

The hall in the sister's house was packed after the ceremony, as everyone enjoyed the hospitality provided by Sr. Susan and Sr. Ellen.



All but one of the candidates took in a retreat given by + Sylvain Lavoie and Sr. Susan Gardiner, with support from Sr. Ellen and Agnes Linklater, in preparation for the confirmation itself. The retreat used power point projection to focus on self esteem, who is Jesus, forgiveness, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. Sr. Susan had prepared gift bags with momentos of each of the gifts that the participants received. The teachings were followed by singing and energizers that everyone enjoyed. The pariticipants all had the opportunity to celebrate the Sacrament of Reconciliation with Bishop Sylvain, as well as write a letter to the bishop. One young lady who accompanied her friends enjoyed the retreat so much that she decided to prepare for her first communion. and that is how the Catholic Christian faith community is growing in Nelson House.



The group of 12 newlyh confirmed apostles is pictured here. They all took a new confirmation name to emphasize the newness of life in Christ that they have been given by this sacrament.

Problems blogging

For some time now, the computer would allow only one picture to be posted for a blog. The problem is being worked on and may be resolved. Thank you for your patience. + Sylvain

Youth Development Workshop Patuanak Sk Oct 10-11, 2010

The team members for the workshop are pictured here, as well as Fr. John Zunti OMI, the new pastor who was installed the same weekend, and Sr. Bernadine Fetter OSU who is exploring ministry in our archdiocese. Darlene George, the Health Worker who organizd the conference, is on the far right.

Most of the participants who participated in the workshop are pictured here at the awards banquet. Two older youth who also shared their stories were from Beauval. The workshop was organized by Darlene George with a team of elders, chaperones, go-fer and cooks. Archbishop Sylvain Lavoie OMI presented sessions on Self Esteem, Addictions Awareness, the 12 Step Program and Human Sexuality as the resource person.