Final Mass at St. Boniface Church Homily [Exodus 3: 1-6, 9-12; Psalm 103; Matthew 11: 25-27] Yesterday I met with some members of the parish leadership to plan for this mass. We all wanted to be sure that we would have on hand everything necessary for the Eucharistic gathering,…
Archbishop Smith addresses the faithful in a response video to church fires amid efforts for truth and reconciliation. On the morning of June 30, 2021 St. Jean Baptiste Church in Morinville (located within St. Paul Diocese) was destroyed in a fire. This video may be found and shared directly from YouTube, Facebook, and Instagram.…
The Archdiocese of Edmonton thanks Alberta Catholic school trustees and district staff for their leadership and sensitivity regarding the name of Bishop Vital-Justin Grandin, central Alberta’s first bishop. Bishop Grandin represents a controversial and mixed legacy. While he is remembered for the many good things he accomplished, the association of…
The following statement is issued on behalf of Archbishop Richard Smith on the vandalism of the statue of St. John Paul II at Holy Rosary Parish in Edmonton: We are saddened by the vandalism of the statue of Saint John Paul II at Holy Rosary Parish. At a time when…
MICKEY CONLON Canadian Catholic News The Cowessess First Nation will put a name to each of the hundreds of bodies found at the unmarked graves on the former Marieval Indian Residential School, vows Chief Cadmus Delorme. “We will put a headstone and a grave to each of them,” Delorme said…
News Release Liturgical Guidance for Stage 3 of Alberta’s relaunch strategy Edmonton, June 23, 2021 – The Province of Alberta has announced that Alberta’s Open for Summer Plan will enter Stage 3 on Thursday, July 1, 2021. As parishes begin to reopen, numerous conversations will occur, and of course, discernment and discretion in…
The practice has arisen of making a public acknowledgement of Treaty land at the beginning of civic events. The motivation is the desire to reach out to the Indigenous peoples of Canada in reconciliation and friendship through an acknowledgement that the territory they now share with non-Indigenous people is their…
by Rev. Raymond J. de Souza Somehow a story about hundreds of unmarked graves at the former Kamloops Indian Residential School became a story about what Pope Francis should do, not a story about the lives lost or why Prime Minister Justin Trudeau only rushed to provide money for documenting…
Episcopal Ordination of the Most Reverend Stephen Andrew Hero Solemnity of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus Homily [Hosea 11:1-4, 8ac-9; Isaiah 12; Ephesians 3:8-12, 14-19; John 19: 31-37] It feels like quite a while has passed since we heard the announcement that Pope Francis had named Father Stephen Hero…
A meeting between Pope Francis and a delegation of Canadian Indigenous people at the Vatican is being planned and expected before the end of the year. A statement from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops said the pastoral visit will include “the participation of a diverse group of Elders/Knowledge Keepers,…