Father Benoj Makkollil was born in India, but his heart remains in Ghana, West Africa. “They have faith. Faith is strong, but poverty is there,” said Father Ben, who spent 25 years in Ghana. He is now the associate pastor at Our Lady of Perpetual Help parish in Sherwood Park.…
Third Sunday of Advent – Year B Homily [Isaiah 61:1-2a, 10-11; Luke 1; 1Thessalonians 5:16-24; John 1:6-8, 19-28] During a recent parish visit, I had occasion to sit down with a group of grade-four children. Their teachers asked me to speak with them about prayer. We discussed what prayer is,…
Father Matt Zugaj is helping Croatian Catholics maintain connection to their faith and culture. And it’s welcomed, as Father Matt celebrates his first Christmas in Canada and helps Nativity of Mary parishioners strengthen their link to their homeland. “This is my parish. I can’t imagine not having a Croatian pastor.…
Merry Christmas! The Christmas season is such a busy time that tends to be filled with many commitments and expectations of things that need to be done and people to visit. You may enter Christmas feeling overwhelmed, frazzled, and tired from all the preparations and the whirlwind that started the…
It is essential that Christians support one another on our pathway to heaven. That’s the message Archbishop Richard Smith received, and conveyed, during his pastoral visit to the parish community of Sacred Heart in Red Deer from Dec. 8-10. “In the winter months we tend naturally to look out for…
Our Church is facing a crisis of vocations. Together, we strengthen the future of the Church. The entire Archdiocese of Edmonton is invited to join us for our Archdiocesan Vocations Rally, hosted by the Benedict XVI Institute and the Archdiocese of Edmonton. Bring as many people from your parish as…
Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe 2023 Homily [Zechariah 2:10-13; Revelation 11:19a, 12:1, 3-6a, 10ab; Luke 1:39-47] My thoughts for the homily this evening are shaped by two recent encounters I have had with parishioners of the Archdiocese. What has been shared with me by these faithful people can lead…
Second Sunday of Advent – Year B Homily [Isaiah 40: 1-5, 9-11; Psalm 85; 2Peter 3:8-14; Mark 1:1-8] My visit to the parish began Friday morning with participation in Faith Day for division staff of Red Deer Catholic Schools. As I entered Saint Joseph school, just about every second person…
Over 200 people gathered for a Advent Mass at Holy Cross Cemetery. Rev. Jim Corrigan, vicar-general of the Archdiocese of Edmonton, celebrated Mass Dec. 9 along with Deacon Rene Mella. All of the people had come to this special Advent Mass remembering those who they had lost. Father Jim encouraged…
The missionary zeal of St. Francis Xavier gives us all an example to follow, Archbishop Richard Smith said on his visit to the parish community in Camrose and area. “He was a missionary in a foreign culture,” Archbishop Smith preached in his Dec. 4 homily. “Increasingly, that is what it…