Lent is more than a season—it’s a journey of the heart, a call to renewal, and an invitation to draw closer to Christ. Whether through prayer, reflection, music, or storytelling, these resources can help you enter into Lent more fully. Let them guide, challenge, and inspire you to embrace this sacred time with depth and purpose. Visit catholicyyca.ca/Lent
The Diocese of Calgary is on a journey of Renewal—but Renewal isn’t about programs or plans. Renewal begins with you. A personal Renewal draws us closer to Jesus, and when we grow in Him, we become better disciples. This Lent, we invite you to take up the challenge of personal Renewal. No pressure, no perfection—just a step toward Christ.
Consider these simple ways to pray for renewal in our heart, our parish, and our diocese this Lenten season:
Pray daily the Holy Spirit Prayer, asking for Renewal in your heart, parish, and diocese.
Pray the Rosary with the intention of Renewal.
Offer up a Mass—try attending a weekday Mass.
Spend time in Adoration, resting in Christ’s presence.
Your Application package must include a completed Application for Employment, a resume and a cover letter describing suitability for the position.
St. Patrick's Parish, Calgary is hosting the Man of the Shroud Exhibition & Conference from April 3 - 27, 2025. There will be an extensive exhibit on the history, significance and scientific aspects of the Shroud of Turin. Check their website for all the events and speakers at www.stpatrickcalgary.com
Play a fun game matching pictures of several Catholic signs and symbols. Tap the "cards" to see the picture, then find the matching pairs. Challenge your family or friends to see who can match all the pairs fastest. You do not need to "identify yourself" unless you want to track your score(s).
Learn more about the signs and symbols of our faith by reading Loyola Kids Book of Catholic Signs & Symbols by Amy Welborn. All the images in this game -— as well as full explanations of what they signify -- can be found in that book.
Join Catholics around the world this Lent, through new and creative ways of using the powerful synodal experience of Conversations in the Spirit.
Ignatian Encounter Ministries (IEM), which collaborates with WUCWO School of Synodality, is hosting Conversations in the Spirit during Lent to deepen our faith.
During the 5 weeks of Lent, one-hour virtual meetings will be organised to read and share the following Sunday's Gospel. The participants, gathered in groups of 5 people in a Zoom room, will live the experience of listening to the Word of God and sharing how it speaks to each one of us, with brothers and sisters in faith from different countries of the world. Each group will be accompanied by a facilitator who, in addition to coordinating the group, will also be able to share his or her experiences.
See the poster for more information. Feel free to share this invitation.
You can register as a facilitator or participant through this link: bit.ly/botw2025; there are different timings available.
Decree on Requirements for the Reception of Jubilee Year Indulgences
Bishop William T. McGrattan released a decree on Feb. 24, 2025 outlining how the faithful in the Diocese of Calgary can obtain Plenary Indulgences during the Jubilee Year 2025.
As part of the Diocesan Pastoral Renewal in this 2025 Jubilee Year of Hope, all civilly married couples are warmly invited to celebrate the Sacrament of Matrimony, presided over by Bishop William T. McGrattan on Saturday, September. 13, 2025 at 1:30 pm,at St. Mary’s Cathedral. Due to space limitations at St. Mary’s Cathedral, participation is limited to 30 couples.
Sacred Fire Stories: A Testament to Reconciliation
The Indigenous Reconciliation Fund (IRF) are pleased to share Sacred Fire Stories, a short film highlighting Indigenous-led healing initiatives that preserve language, celebrate culture, and support education. This powerful film showcases the real impact of reconciliation in action.
Alongside the film, the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund Annual Report 2024 is now available, detailing the progress of over 200 projects supported by $18.9 million in funds raised since 2022.
Did you know? Couples who dedicate time to enrichment activities are 30% more likely to report stronger communication and deeper satisfaction in their marriage (Journal of Family Psychology, 2020). For more info or to register, click here.
“The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38). Pray with us as for an increase of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life in our Diocese.
"Getting up in the middle of the night and driving to Adoration for 3 am was an amazing experience. While meditating on the actual presence of Christ right before my eyes, I was struck by how more acute and aware my senses and attention were at this dark hour," shares one parishioner during the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations. The response to this initiative has indeed been extraordinary.
On this one-year anniversary of the publication of the Pastoral Letter on the use of social media, “Let Your Speech Always be Gracious,” authored by the Episcopal Commission of Justice and Peace, here is a new CCCB video series and other resources to help readers – individually or in group settings – to unpack the rich pastoral and moral insights of the Pastoral Letter more fully.
A Pastoral Letter on the roles of social media in modern life was recently issued by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). It offers a reflection on both the good and harm which social media impacts individuals and communities. As we prepare for Lent, it may inform our decisions around fasting and of almsgiving related to our use of social media.
Using insights from the latest CCCB pastoral letter, "Let Your Speech Always be Gracious," and the Holy Father's Lenten message, Bishop McGrattan highlights the seven commitments we should make to witness to core Christian values and help build a healthy online environment that serves the common good.
“Jubilee” is the name given to a particular year; the name comes from the instrument used to mark its launch. In this case, the instrument in question is the yobel, the ram's horn, used to proclaim the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur). This (Jewish) holiday occurs every year, but it takes on special significance when it marks the beginning of a Jubilee year. We can find an early indication of it in the Bible: a Jubilee year was to be marked every 50 years, since this would be an “extra” year, one which would happen every seven weeks of seven years, i.e., every 49 years (cf. Leviticus 25:8-13). Even though it wasn’t easy to organise, it was intended to be marked as a time to re-establish a proper relationship with God, with one another, and with all of creation, and involved the forgiveness of debts, the return of misappropriated land, and a fallow period for the fields.
Quoting the prophet Isaiah, the Gospel of Luke describes Jesus’ mission in this way: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to bring good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to captives and recovery of sight to the blind, to let the oppressed go free, and to proclaim a year acceptable to the Lord,” (Luke 4:18-19; cf. Isaiah 61:1-2). Jesus lives out these words in his daily life, in his encounters with others and in his relationships, all of which bring about liberation and conversion.
In 1300, Pope Boniface VIII called the first Jubilee, also known as a “Holy Year,” since it is a time in which God's holiness transforms us. The frequency of Holy Years has changed over time: at first, they were celebrated every 100 years; later, in 1343 Pope Clement VI reduced the gap between Jubilees to every 50 years, and in 1470 Pope Paul II made it every 25 years. There have also been “extraordinary” Holy Years: for example, in 1933 Pope Pius XI chose to commemorate the 1900th anniversary of the Redemption, and in 2015 Pope Francis proclaimed the Year of Mercy as an extraordinary jubilee.
As the conflict between Hezbollah and Israel has spread into Lebanon, thousands of families are facing displacement, and local agencies are providing shelter, food, medical care, and psychological support. Bishop William T. McGrattan urges us to join in prayers for peace and donate to trusted organizations to help those in need. To offer your support, you can donate online or by phone through the following organizations:
Father Tim Boyle continues the series for 2024/2025. This year will focus on "The Search for Wisdom", beginning Monday, Sep 16 at 10:15 am. Join in person at St. Martha's Parish in Lethbridge, or livestream. More info here
A video, Papal Visit to Canada, One Year Later, has been produced by the Archdiocese of Edmonton with reflections from Cardinal Gérald Cyprien Lacroix, Archbishop Anthony Wieslaw Krotki, Archbishop Richard Smith, and Maskwacis Chief Victor Buffalo. The video highlights Pope Francis’ visit as a significant step on the road to healing and reconciliation, noting that the work and commitment will continue. It demonstrates that the Holy Father’s visit also made not only the idea, but the reality of reconciliation possible.
Walking Together: Into One Beat - A new documentary from Salt + Light on Pope Francis' penitential pilgrimage to Canada In July 2022, Pope Francis visited Indigenous communities, celebrated Mass in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium and at the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and, most importantly, apologized for the Church’s role in the country’s Residential School System. Walking Together: Into One Beat features interviews with members of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Alberta, Quebec, and Nunavut, who share their heartfelt stories as they prepare for the Holy Father’s arrival. After the visit, they offer their reactions, impressions, and hopes for this country of many nations moving forward, as one, on the journey of reconciliation. Watch it here.
A groundbreaking report published by the Ottawa-based Cardus Institute has given voice to Indigenous Canadians who are frustrated by secular society’s unawareness of — or unwillingness to accept — the fact that almost half of them are Christian. The executive director of the Catholic Civil Rights League, Christian Elia, says society should grant Indigenous Catholics the respect and personal agency that is due all Canadians. He said his organization has heard from many Indigenous Catholics who are “growing weary of the ongoing assumption that somehow they have been coerced into the faith, that it is inconceivable that they wish to be Catholic. This condescending attitude must stop.” Read more
