Quinton Amundson Canadian Catholic News Richard Pommainville, in his latest Society of St. Vincent de Paul(SSVP) newsletter address, likens the non-profit global charity to the Energizer Bunny. “We’ve all seen the Energizer Bunny commercials with the underlying message ‘keeps going and going and going,’ ” wrote Pommainville, the society’s executive director. “It is…
Kim and Jason Street have been pillars of the Edmonton Catholic Schools Division for many years. In addition to securing grant dollars for schools to support student learning, the Streets are very active in social justice campaigns that have provided food and clothing to students in need. While COVID-19 put…
The end of the liturgical year brings with it the feast of Christ the King. For many of us there is a danger that, not really understanding the role of a monarchy, we might miss some of the rich meaning of this celebration. While we do have formal ties to…
Annet Maitwe, originally from Uganda, is an active member of the Catholic Women’s League at St. Charles parish. As a teacher, Annet and her husband Patrick understand very well how important education is to lift children out of poverty. The Maitwes founded Ann Integrated Modern School in Uganda. They are…
Sacred Heart Church of the First Peoples has a history of providing food for the needy, primarily through banquets at Christmas, Thanksgiving, and other times when families usually gather for festive meals. Many of those who live in the inner city of Edmonton don’t have strong connections with their own…
In March of 2020 with the onset of COVID-19, classes at St. Joseph’s College were quickly shifted online and all the residents were asked to vacate the buildings. This led to layoffs within the Food Services staff at SJC, as without residents or summer camps/groups to feed, there was no…
Physical therapist Ciaran O’Flynn never imagined he would be providing respiratory care to patients at the Misericordia Community Hospital. But when the hospital team saw a surge of COVID-19 patients during the second wave of the pandemic, Ciaran and six other physical therapists were trained to support respiratory therapists so they…
Catholic Social Services is welcoming refugees from Afghanistan on top of the annual amount of refugees that the organization takes in yearly. Catholic Social Services is asking for donations to help purchase essentials for this coming winter. To Donate: signofhope.cssalberta.ca/Donate-Now
Getting from Calgary to Edmonton through the blizzard to get it done Last November, during the second wave of COVID-19, Javier Martinez drove through a snowstorm from Calgary to Edmonton so he could work at a continuing care site dealing with outbreaks. Several staff at Chateau Vitaline were in isolation, and Javier,…
Volunteers are the heart of every community and every organization. While COVID-19 restricted many activities and usual volunteering opportunities, supporting our communities and each other has never been more important. Volunteers did not disappoint. They were changing rapidly, adjusting to new realities of COVID-19. Volunteers were making phone calls, checking…