ST. STEPHEn's PARISH, Olds, Alberta
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Archbishop's Blog
 
Archbishop Smith's blog, The Reason for our Hope, is now being published at Grandin Media, at grandinmedia.ca/archbsmith. You can still find a link to the latest post on the front page of the archdiocesan website at caedm.ca.
 
To subscribe to an RSS feed, use this link:
grandinmedia.ca/category/voices/voices-reason-for-our-hope/feed

Telus Livestream moves to new Channel​

Our livestreamed masses from St. Joseph's Basilica will now be found on Channel 876 on Telus Optik TV.
​Letters to the Editor
 
Some readers have asked whether they can write a Letter to the Editor of Grandin Media. Yes you can -- and we'd love to hear from you! Because Grandin Media is a digital platform, you can send your message through the contact page at https://grandinmedia.ca/more/contact-us, or you can share your comments with other readers by typing in the Comment box at the bottom of each page.
We also welcome letters by post to:
Andrew Ehrkamp, News Editor
Grandin Media
8421 – 101 Avenue NW
Edmonton AB T6A 0L1

Online Marriage Preparation
 
Engaged couples, register now for ONLINE MARRIAGE PREPARATION in 2021!
 
Coordinated through Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish, Sherwood Park, it includes a Virtual Weekend Course:

  • February 5-7, 2021
  • April 23-25, 2021
 
The $150 registration fee includes all course materials.

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​Register ASAP by emailing Mona:  
​
marriage.preparation@caedm.ca

​School names needed
 
A new K-9 school is opening in the Keswick neighbourhood and a new high school is opening in Heritage Valley will be opening in south Edmonton.
 
Edmonton Catholic Schools need your
help in choosing a meaningful name.
It could be an aspect of the mystery
of Jesus Christ, names accorded to Our Lady or a canonized saint, the name of a former pope or a name associated with heavenly beings or the name of a person associated with the founding of Catholic
education in Alberta.
 
Deadline for submissions is January 31, 2021 at 4 p.m.

Full details on ECSD website
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Called to Protect program for parents and families
 
The Archdiocese takes any allegations of abuse very seriously.
 
We are committed to ensuring that any archdiocesan employee, priest, or lay volunteer who offends against children or other vulnerable persons is promptly removed from ministry, that any offences are immediately reported to civil authorities, and that victims receive an apology, compassion, and assistance in recovering from any harm they have suffered, including compensation where appropriate.
 
Some facts regarding sexual abuse of minors:
       
• Child sexual abuse is common
•  One-in-eight males and one-in-four females are abused before they reach the age of 18 years
•  Perpetrators seek positions where they would be entrusted with the care of children
• They use their association with a church or institution to gain the trust of parents and other adults
 
About Perpetuators:
 
• They look like everyone else
• They gain trust of parents and children
 
Some of the reasons why children don’t tell when they have been abused:
 
• They are afraid or ashamed
• They think the abuse is their fault
• They fear their parents won’t love them anymore
 
For more information contact Lucy Kaakyo, volunteer services and safe environments lead, by phone at 780-469-1010 ext. 2134 or by email at Lucy.Kaakyo@caedm.ca.
 
More information on the Called to Protect program can be found here.

Living In The Word 2021 Winter Seminars
 
The Book of Job
Thursdays, starting January 21, 2021 (runs 10 weeks)
7-8 p.m.
Hosted by Stéphane Saulnier, Professor Sacred Scripture, Newman Theological College. To be held via Zoom Video Platform Online
Participants will need to Register before the start of the seminar in order to be
enrolled. Zoom meeting access details and reading materials will only be circulated to confirmed registered participants.
 
Lives of the Saints
Wednesdays, starting January 20, 2021 (runs 10 weeks)
12 to 1 p.m.
St. Athanasius, 'The Life of St. Anthony'
Hosted by Sr. Zoe Bernatsky, Assistant Professor Pastoral Theology, Newman Theological College.
​To be held via Zoom Video Platform Online.

Medieval Theologians
Fridays, starting January 22, 2021 (runs 10 weeks)
12-1 p.m.
St. Anselm of Canterbury, 'Why God Became Man?'
Hosted by Dr. Stéphane Saulnier, Professor Sacred Scripture, Newman Theological College. To be held via Zoom Video Platform Online
 
Participants will need to Register before the start of the seminar in order to be enrolled.
Zoom meeting access details will only be circulated to confirmed registered participants.
 

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​Register by contacting Reception at
Newman Theological College:
780-392-2450 or
reception@newman.edu.
Registration is free of charge.
Participants will need to obtain their own copy of the reading materials.
For more information on the Benedict XVI Institute for New Evangelization and its various programs please visit
http://www.newman.edu/BXVI

 
Winter Seminars List

Our Deceased Priests
 
We pray in a special way for all our priests who have died in the month of September.
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Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them.

May the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen
In Memoriam
 
Rev. Martin VOLK
Dec.  2, 1985
Rev. James Robert CARSWELL
Dec.  6, 1983
Rev. John Joseph AHERNE
Dec.  9, 1959
Rev. Kenneth George McLELLAN
Dec. 10, 1976
Rev. John Joseph NOLAN
Dec. 11, 1929
Rev. Thomas KROETCH
Dec. 17, 2009
Rt. Rev. Francis PATSULA
Dec. 17, 2019


​Rev. William A. MacLELLAN
Dec. 18, 1988
Rev. Augustine HICKEY
Dec. 18, 1988
Rev. Louis L. TREMBLAY
Dec. 23, 1934
Rev. Terrence J. WALL
Dec. 23, 1977
Rev. Maurice Joseph O’CONNOR
Dec. 27, 1956
Rev. Adam PRZYSIEZNIAK
Dec. 27, 1995
Rev. Albert LAISNEZ
Dec. 31, 2017

The Bible Timeline Study Course
 
Do you want to learn how to read the Bible? No Obligation Introduction Session Tuesday, December 8, 7-8 p.m.
Reading the Bible should bring us closer to Christ, but understanding it is often difficult. The good news is that you can understand the Bible, and The Bible Timeline makes it easy. Join us online via Zoom to learn more about this great course and decide if it is right for you.
 
The Bible Timeline is offered online via Zoom by Our Lady of Perpetual Help Parish in Sherwood Park. EVERYONE IS WELCOME!
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​You do not have to be a member of OLPH Parish to participate. The course starts Monday, Jan. 4, 6:30-8:30 p.m. OR Saturday, Jan. 9, 10 a.m.-12 p.m. (your choice).
To get the Zoom link for the Introduction Session or to register for the course, contact Alana at alaperle@telus.net or call/text 780-446-9009.

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The Southdown Institute has expanded its services to now reach even more members of the Catholic Faith Community. The new online Southdown Community Wellness Services are designed to help individuals navigate these new and challenging times.
 
The variety of interactive psychoeducation webinars, spirituality and psychotherapy groups address issues of grief, stress management, loneliness, isolation, anxiety, and spiritual concerns and are available to the adult Catholic population across Canada, ordained and lay alike. Please visit www.southdown.on.ca to learn more about each offering and to register. Select webinars are available in French and Spanish.
 
About The Southdown Institute: The Southdown Institute is a trusted provider of psychological services and spiritual guidance to Clergy, Vowed Religious and Lay Pastoral Ministers. Programs and services include comprehensive assessments, residential treatment, leadership consultation, education, outreach and the online Community Wellness Services.  
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Certificate in Catholic Studies - Online Faith Formation

 
This a comprehensive selection of courses on various aspects of the Catholic faith, all offered online, which can be taken individually for interest, or applied toward a specialized Certificate in Catholic Studies. This user-friendly format has grown rapidly and is being accessed by hundreds of people across the world. The next cycle starts Jan. 11, 2021.

Retrouvaille

Are you struggling in your marriage? Are you feeling a sense of hopelessness? Are you looking to create a more intimate relationship? Do you want to enrich the connection with your spouse? Regardless of what your marital issues might be, Retrouvaille could be the answer. The next program begins November 13-15, 2020.
 
For more information email info@helpourmarriage.ca, call 587-598-4357, or check the website retrouvaille.org
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A cry for help amid the pandemic
  • By Matthew Bodnarek, Grandin Media Videos
  • October 20, 2020
Some trees are just too large to cut down by yourself. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic we’ve seen a disturbing rise in domestic abuse and family turmoil. Deacon Steven Defer says this is a time in our lives when we need to speak faithfully, as brothers, sisters and friends, to those we love in order to spare them the chaos of their own stress.

Virtual Marriage Encounter
 
The first Edmonton-based virtual Marriage Encounter weekend experience will be held November 13-15.


For over 50 years Worldwide Marriage Encounter has helped over 3.5 million couples like you to uncover the secrets of a lasting, supportive, transformational marriage.
 

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​We invite you to join us from the comfort of your own home for the first Edmonton Virtual Marriage Encounter weekend experience from 7PM November 13 to 3PM November 15th. Cost is $125/couple. To register online go to www.wwme.org

Importance of the family

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a big impact on everyone, but what’s been it's effect on us as a Catholic community? Grandin Media is hosting seven panel discussions on themes identified by the bishops of Alberta and the Northwest Territories. This week's panel discussion is on The Importance of the Family.

 
Watch Video
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Help desperately needed
 
In the face of unimaginable horror following the deadly explosions in Beirut, Catholic agencies are on the ground providing desperately needed relief. Both Development and Peace-Caritas Canada and the Catholic Near East Welfare Association (CNEWA Canada) have years of practical experience through their partners in the region, and have issued emergency appeals for help.
 
Rita Rhayem, Director of Caritas Lebanon, said the need is acute.
 
“The situation is critical,” she said. “It is apocalyptic, but we don’t stop and we will carry on in order to help all those in difficulty. The wounded are received in our primary care centres, which are overwhelmed, the hospitals are incredibly crowded. They lack everything, including food to support the affected population.”
 
Donations made to Development and Peace – Caritas Canada are eligible to be matched by the Canadian government. 

Three Christian hospitals close to the Beirut port, including the 600-bed St. George Hospital, were severely damaged and evacuated after the blast.
 
“Our staff, as with the entire city, is really shaken,” said Michel Constantin, CNEWA’s Beirut-based regional director. “Our building was damaged, our offices are filled with shattered glass that could have been deadly had we not left for the day. Lebanon is on the brink of economic, political and social collapse. This will not stop us from doing our work. More than ever, the people of Lebanon need our help and, most especially, the help of their local and universal church.”
 
Funds raised by CNEWA Canada will be directed to the CNEWA office in Beirut, which will share them with local churches that offer essential health and emergency services and pastoral outreach. 

Read more in Grandin Media

A Message of Thanks from Archbishop Smith

A little while ago, I asked if it were at all possible that you consider contributing financially to the parish, in this time when the pandemic and the subsequent drop in donations have hit us and many other charities really hard. That led to some tough decisions in terms of temporary layoffs and reorganizing the way we do things.
 
People have really responded, perhaps in new ways such as donating online, or through pre-authorized giving, or continuing to drop by the church with their envelopes. I realize that for many, this continues to be a difficult time; yet people are still striving to be as generous as they can, and that deserves a heartfelt word of thanks to all of you.


It's edifying to see this concrete manifestation of your love for the Lord, your love for the Church, and your love for your parish in particular. I hope you're staying well and that the summer months afford you the opportunity to rest, to relax, to stay well and to appreciate even more deeply the extraordinary gift of faith we have been given by the Lord, along with the opportunity to live that faith out as part of the community of the Church.
 
Sincerely in Christ,
 
+Richard W. Smith
Archbishop of Edmonton

Welcome to our new Deacons!
 
On Tuesday, July 21, we were blessed with the ordinations of four new permanent deacons: Steven Defer, Pedro (Bong) Estoque, Francis Lau, and Wayne Provencal. Addressing the men in his homily, Archbishop Smith called it a day of great joy.
 
"Know that I and the Archdiocese of Edmonton rejoice with you," he said. "We are grateful to you for seeking to hear the voice of the Lord and responding generously with your lives to his call. Thank you for saying yes to Christ. We pledge you our prayer and support."


Please keep these deacons in prayer as they embark on their new ministry of service to the Church and community. To view the Mass of Ordination online, click on the video link above or visit the Archdiocese Youtube Channel.

​Lessons in Fear
 
There's a lot of fear out there these days, and that's the subject of Steven's vlog this week. He reflects specifically on the biblical phrase "Fear of the Lord Your God," and explains how we can use this kind of fear to make our best and most important life decisions.
 
For more video reflections by Steven, Father Kris, and Sister Marie Therese, check out the Grandin Media vlog playlist.

​Omni Die Dic Mariae
Virtual Choir
 
Seeking the beautiful in this time of pandemic? Vital Grandin Latin Mass Chaplaincy Choir has put together a virtual choir comprising of members of Vital Grandin Choir, some of who are also part of St. Andrews Gregorian Chant Choir, and members from a women's choir at St. Joseph Basilica. Enjoy their wonderful gift!

How do we receive Communion under the new guidelines?
 
Here's how Archbishop Smith answered when asked by a reporter:
 
A few of us gathered to film a demonstration with Father Paul at our chapel at the Pastoral & Administration Offices. In short, these are the temporary measures the Archbishop has directed for Stage 1 of the reintroduction of public Mass:
 
  • The individual attestation at the moment of reception (“The Body of Christ, R: Amen”) is eliminated; instead the priest makes one general pronouncement (“The Body of Christ”) and the congregation responds as a group (“Amen”).
 
  • There will be only one single file Communion line, and physical distancing must be maintained except for members of the same household.
 
  • Both communicants and priest must wear a non-medical mask during distribution of Communion. (This because physical distancing cannot be maintained when receiving)
 
  • The Precious Blood will not be distributed at this time.
 
  • Holy Communion may only be received in the hand. If, during Holy Communion, a priest feels that his hand has touched the hands of a communicant, he will immediately pause, place the ciborium on the corporal, sanitize his hands, and then continue to distribute the Eucharist. 

​Do you have a Loved One in Hospital?
 
When you can't visit the hospital, here's a link by which you can send wellwishes to patients. Your kind words of encouragement will be delivered by the volunteers of Alberta Health Services and Covenant Health facilities.
albertahealthservices.ca/info/wellwishes.

Left Footers: Who is the Holy Spirit?
 
In a special virtual episode of Left Footers, Grandin Media’s online talk show, Rev. Roger Niedzielski has a conversation with Rev. Michael Bombak about who the Holy Spirit is and what difference it makes to you.
Father Bombak is pastor of the Ukrainian Catholic parishes of St. Olga in Vermilion and Descent of the Holy Spirit Parish in Lloydminster.

More Left Footers

​Can we Celebrate the Sacraments Virtually? 

Please feel free to share this and other video messages from the Archbishop. All his catechetical reflections can be found on Youtube@Archedmonton.

In this video message, the Archbishop
responds to another question that has been raised recently: Is it possible to go to confession online by videoconference or over the phone?
 
"The sacramental encounter of Christ is distinct from all other ways in which we can meet the Lord," he says. "We reach out to him in prayer, we encounter him in his Word, we are with him in the presence of the Christian community. That is all real and wonderful. But in addition to all this, Jesus himself took the distinct and deliberate measure of instituting the sacraments as those unique celebrations of faith in which his tangibility and his visibility now are made available to people of all generations so that they may themselves have a fully human personal encounter with the Lord."

​Looking for Mary
 
Villa Vianney is a residence for our retired priests, located on our Catholic Campus. Years ago a statue of Mary was situated in front of the building, but it disappeared and now they are looking for a replacement.
The statue must be for outdoor use and should be about life size. If your parish or community has a spare statue that might be suitable for the Villa, please contact Father Adam at 780-469-1010 ext. 2123.

Keeping Online Spaces Safe
 
Around 95% of youth aged 12 to 17 use the internet daily. Internet usage may expose them to sexual offenders who seek contact with minors via social networking sites and apps. With changing technologies, the dynamics of abuse have also changed.
 
A report from the Michigan State Police suggests Instagram has become the primary means for offenders to find victims. Offenders are adopting new and fake identities to groom their victims, often times pretending to be a youth themselves. The conversations may start innocent-sounding, and youth may share information about themselves to the stranger. This makes it easier for the offender to locate and identify the child. The scariest part is that they are often grooming 20 or 30 kids at a time.
 
Another report shares the dangers of Snapchat. Offenders use the app to send child pornography to other child offenders. They also use it to collect inappropriate photos of their victims. Police have a hard time investigating crimes on Snapchat since the security features of the app make it difficult for offenders to be caught.

Though these reports sound terrifying, the good news is that abuse is 100% preventable. The bad news is that staff and volunteers within an organization are much more likely to be trusted by a youth program participant. Organizations need to be hyper-diligent in creating safe boundaries within a “hidden” and “private” virtual space.
 
For example, a parish ministry presence on Facebook should be set up as a Page, where communications are public, rather than as a Personal Profile of the staff member or volunteer leader of the ministry. At least two staff persons at the parish should have Administrator credentials on any social media account that represents a particular ministry.
 
When we know the behaviours of youth online, the patterns of grooming, and how organizations can carry out safeguards to prevent the abuse, we can collectively work to prevent abuse.

On Growing in Holiness

Please feel free to share this and other video messages from the Archbishop. All his catechetical reflections can be found on Youtube@Archedmonton.

In this video message, the Archbishop
responds to a question that was put to him not long after restrictions placed upon us due to COVID-19 began to take hold: How do we grow in holiness during this time of pandemic?
 
"Let me say first that I’m really pleased with the question. It suggests an intuition that these strange and limiting circumstances might be providing us with an occasion to ponder closely our life of faith and the universal call to holiness that is ours from Baptism.
 
"I think here we already have what we could call a holy intuition, one that recognizes that, since God is always at work in our lives, we should be very attentive, especially in untoward situations, to how we might be called to cooperate with His grace."

Faith in a Time of Crisis

Since the outbreak of COVID-19, everyone has been asked to adopt a new lifestyle in order to reduce its spread. For Catholics, this means finding a new way of living one's faith. This new series on Salt+Light TV brings you conversations with our Church leaders on how to find faith during this time of crisis.​

In this edition of Faith in a Time of Crisis, Deacon Pedro Guevara-Mann speaks with Archbishop Smith about how Catholics here are managing to cope despite being hit with the double-whammy of the pandemic and collapsed oil prices.

Video Blog: The Hardest Part of being a Father
 
There are a lot of opinions on how to be a good father. Steven Defer, father of three, asked a few of his good friends to name the hardest part of being a dad. The answers he gets are diverse, and illustrative of a central theme that runs through Scripture.
 
See more vlogs from Steven on Grandin Media's Youtube Channel. ​

​For those Preparing to Marry

​
In this video message, the Archbishop offers a hopeful message to those whose wedding plans have been temporarily disrupted.
 
"Here’s my suggestion: take advantage of this gift of time to ponder the important questions that have been raised for you in the marriage preparation courses you’ve taken. Go back over the material, recall the conversations, and give special focus to areas of your lives that you came to realize need special attention. This is where the gift of time becomes especially precious: it is an occasion to deepen your self-knowledge and your appreciation for one another before you enter the state of holy matrimony.
 
"Please take good advantage of this gift of time and pray that, with God’s help, He will continue to work in your hearts to prepare you well for that moment when you become married in the Lord.
 
"Please know that I share your excitement ant that I’m praying for you, of course. Many others are, too."

In this video message, the Archbishop reminds us that our parishes are in particular need of our financial support, since they no longer have the proceeds from the collection basket at Mass.
 
"This, like so many other areas of our lives right now, needs to happen in new ways. So, I’m making this special appeal to you to continue to offer your financial support. It is urgently needed.
 
"... I understand that your primary financial responsibility is, of course, to your own home and family. I hope you’ll understand that I still need to ask that you also remember your spiritual home, which is your parish. I’m inviting you prayerfully to consider how you can continue to support your parish’s mission, to the extent possible during this extraordinary time."

Livestreamed Mass
 
We invite the faithful to join celebrations of the Mass ‘virtually,’ through video livestreaming from their own parish or from St. Joseph’s Basilica with Archbishop Smith.
 
Sunday Mass at the Basilica is livestreamed at 10:30 a.m. each week. Find it on the Archdiocese of Edmonton Youtube Channel
or on Facebook at facebook.com/archedmonton
or Twitter
at twitter.com/archedmonton
 
Visit your parish website or grandinmedia.ca/livestream to find links to livestream events across the Archdiocese.
​
Mass on Cable TV
 
If you are a cable TV subscriber, you can access Salt+Light TV, Canada's Catholic network, for a nominal fee each month. Or view online at saltandlighttv.org/live.
 
Daily TV Mass is offered 4 times a day Monday to Saturday and twice a day on Sunday. (4:30 a.m., 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 8:30 p.m.)
 
Daily Papal Mass, celebrated by Pope Francis from Casa Santa Marta, airs daily at 7:30 a.m. MT.
 
Televised Mass is also available to those who subscribe to EWTN and Vision TV. Click on the links for their schedules.

little liturgies

Edmonton Catholic Schools is offering a video feature called Little Liturgies to assist parents and young children during their time of at-home schooling. In this episode, Father Glenn talks about the miracle of Easter and what it means for us today.
 
New episodes will be posted each Monday on the ECS Youtube Channel. ​

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  • Home
    • Message from the Pastor
    • Weekly Bulletin
    • History
    • News & Events >
      • Grandin Media
    • Parish Registration Form
    • Week at a Glance
  • Support Our Parish
  • Youth
  • Living in the Word
  • PRAYER
    • Some Basic Prayers
    • Grace Before Meals
    • Divine Mercy Chaplet >
      • The Divine Mercy Novena
    • Eucharistic Adoration
    • The Rosary
  • Contact
  • Liturgical Schedules
  • OUR FAITH
    • Consubstantial?
    • Dogmas of the Catholic Church
    • Indulgences
    • Liturgical Colours
    • Liturgical Year
    • Purgatory
    • Saint of the Month >
      • Patron Saints
  • Our Hope
  • Employment
  • Resources
  • Called by Name
    • Permanent Deacons
  • Retreat Centres
  • Our Lady of Fatima
  • St. Anthony Parish - Didsbury
  • Knights of Columbus
    • Council Meeting Schedule
    • Council Events
    • Who We Are
    • Learn About Us
  • Vocations