On Monday, May 20, 2024, Father Gilles passed away at the age of 92 years. He is survived by the members of his religious community, the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate; his sister, Louise Desharnais, as well as many nieces, nephews, and friends. Father Gilles was predeceased by his parents,…
Jesus beckons to all of us with the simple words “Come, follow me.” “For the Sake of the Call” is a 3-part series, written by Mike Landry, which shares the testimonies of people from the Archdiocese of Edmonton who have heard and answered this call to follow Jesus Christ and…
Jordan Kuipers entered the Catholic Church this past Easter Sunday, during the Easter Vigil Mass at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Spruce Grove. Kuipers was baptized as a child, and during high school he stopped practicing his faith. He shared with us the story of how he returned to Christianity,…
Over 300 members and guests came together to mark the eighth anniversary celebration of the Nigerian African Catholic Community Edmonton. The African Mass was held on Sunday, May 26 at St. Dominic Savio Parish in Edmonton, the host parish for the Nigerian African Catholic Community Edmonton, NACCE. Fr. Philippe Insoni…
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity Sacrament of Confirmation Homily [Deuteronomy 4:32-34, 39-40; Psalm 33; Romans 8: 14-17; Matthew 28:16-20] Our celebration of the sacrament of Confirmation today coincides with the Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity. I would like to give particular focus, then, to the significance of the…
Heather Harrison is a Grade 4 teacher at St. Augustine School in Ponoka. She was received into the Catholic Church this past Easter Vigil at her local parish, St. Augustine Catholic Church. Heather shared with us her story of conversion and how being a teacher in the Catholic schools inspired…
With gratitude for the work of the Clergy Personnel Committee, I am pleased to announce the following appointments in the Archdiocese of Edmonton, which take effect on July 17, 2024 (unless otherwise noted). I extend deep gratitude to the Clergy of the Archdiocese for their ministry, and welcome those whom…
Pentecost Sunday Homily [Acts 2:1-11; Psalm 104; 1Corinthians 12:3b-7, 12-13; John 15:26-27; 16:12-15] Last Friday, I returned to Edmonton from Jasper. I spent the week there with the priests of the Archdiocese for our annual clergy study days. I don’t know what it is about the mountains, but it never…
It’s rare that you have an opportunity to ask a bishop questions directly, so the youth group at St. Vital Catholic Church took every opportunity during Archbishop Richard Smith’s May 10-12 visit to the Beaumont parish. The Rock sees 15 to 20 youth attending each week at St. Vital parish,…
Congratulations to Rev. Mirek Kostarzewski, who was incardinated into the Archdiocese of Edmonton on May 15, 2024. Father Mirek was ordained in Poland on June 10, 2006 for the Diocese of Sidelce. In August 2012, Archbishop Smith invited Fr. Mirek to serve the Archdiocese of Edmonton in pastoral ministry. He…