Marathons and Missions
“The loneliness of the long-distance runner can be the loneliness of a northern missionary,” states Fr. Christopher Lynch. He knows this well. He has run in 5 marathons and is currently in his 30th year as a missionary in northern BC. Fr. Chris grew up on a farm in Ireland. After high school, he worked […]
On Loan From Milwaukee
Fr. John Brophy, now retired in Milwaukee WI, cherishes warm memories of his 5 years of ministry in the Archdiocese of Regina. “Canada always attracted me,” he said. “I admired Canada for its freedom from violence and characteristic courtesy. In fact, at one time I considered applying to become a Canadian citizen.” In 1979 he […]
Getting Grubby for God
“I wrecked a lot of my clothes painting but it was well worth it,” declared 14-year-old Gianna. Repairing a church would probably not top a holiday wish list for many families, yet for the Grimards, this project became wonderfully memorable. The memories relished by 12-year-old Isaiah? “I liked having dessert every night and eating together […]
A Kamba-Cree Dance: Seeking Abundant Life
“She shows us the ingredients of an apple pie and helps us find the apples.” With this catchy image, parishioner Sandra Lachance described the resourceful gifts of Sr. Rosemary Kitavi in her ministry on the Big River First Nation Reserve (formerly known as Whitefish). From experience Sr. Rosemary knows the power that resourcefulness plays in […]
Shepherding A Scattered Flock
Flin Flon, Manitoba. Wednesday, May 28th, 4:00 p.m. Walmart. “CODE BLACK: MANDATORY IMMEDIATE EVACUATION. THE CITY HAS ORDERED EVERYONE TO LEAVE NOW. THE STORE IS CLOSED.” The announcement sent shock waves throughout the supercentre. Although everyone knew that a fire had started a kilometer west of the city, and though the past days had been […]
Qu’Appelle: Who Calls?
Qu’Appelle, the name of the river that flows across south-eastern Saskatchewan, offers a fitting motto for the ministry of Sr. Bernadette Feist, OSU. She’s spent 45 years in the Qu’Appelle Valley, responding to a wide variety of calls in service among the First Nations and Metis peoples and is the 2025 recipient of CMIC’s St. […]
Tending Little Tulitans
“When I grow up, I want to have 500 kids,” announced 5-year-old Celeste Goulet. “Then you’ll have to become a Sister,” answered her mother. And Celeste did. The path to her dream led her from Guelph, ON to Tulita, NT. There, for the past 45 years she has conducted a pre-Kindergarten class for 3 and […]
Let Raindrops Keep Falling
“Holy cow! What’s going on here?” thought David Loucks as he entered the Church of the Transfiguration in Cochrane, ON in early 2022. Surprised to see buckets and towels perched on several pews, he looked upward and was shocked to see the ceiling, walls and columns unsightly with peeling paint and stained drywall at risk […]
An Epiphany to Remember
A unique procession begins at the back of the church. Three young “wise men” wearing festive capes and eagle feathers mounted on brightly-colored headbands slowly wend their way toward the sanctuary. They are following a lighted dream-catcher carried by a young girl robed as an angel in white. Bethlehem, their destination, was a teepee in […]
Who, Me? A Missionary Disciple?
Mother Teresa wrote: “I am a pencil in God’s hands. He does the writing.” In this, the last article in this series on missionary discipleship, reflections will be offered on various types of missionary endeavour; in other words, diverse ways in which God writes with human pencils. To begin, we note as Pope Francis points […]