Recent News

Archdiocese of Winnipeg - In Lent we are called to give alms, to pray and to fast (Matthew 6:1-18).  Why are we so called, and to what purpose?  We are called to become better disciples, to draw closer to God and God’s promise of eternal life.

These Three Lenten pillars provide us with an opportunity to stop, focus on what is essential and to fast from the unnecessary things that distract us.  They are a wake-up call for the soul. By practicing them we get back on the path of holiness. “Prayer reunites us to God; charity, to our neighbour; fasting to ourselves. God, my neighbour, my life: These are the realities that do not fade away and in which we must invest.” (Pope Francis, Homily on March 6, 2019).

How many times do we hear that something is not in keeping with our values? But can we really say what our values are?  And if so, do we live by those values?

We are surrounded by a world of temptations.  We appear to have placed individual happiness and consumerism as the cornerstone of our lives.  As we strive to attain stuff and wealth we forget our fellow brothers and sisters. We build walls and demonize people with the goal of protecting the stuff and the wealth we have amassed.  When words threaten, we demonize the people who utter them.  We turn our backs on the marginal, the vulnerable, the stranger and the Earth as we fall to the fear that we may lose what we have.

Are these the values we proclaim?  We profess to value a diverse and inclusive culture but are we acting in a manner that shows to all we truly do value diversity and inclusiveness?  When we call asylum seekers “invaders”, when we seek to limit the number of refugees that enter, when we deny indigenous peoples the resources needed to allow them to live in dignity, what are we really saying?  When we continue to scourge the Earth, throw out food, and use plastics, are we really being Stewards of the Earth God gave us? 

It is not easy to live a life where we consume only what we need and where we do with less so that some can have enough.  But that is what we are called to do by our God, a God of universal love and justice. 

We are entering into a period of election campaigning and we have choices to make. We have to look at the various platforms that various people will present and choose the ones that best align with our values and beliefs.  We have to rise above fear, negative talk, and anger and help frame the issues to reflect our true Catholic values.  Why? Because we believe in a God that loves and cares for us all.  This Lenten period is a time to reflect on and practice the life God wants us to lead and carry on throughout the year.

by Patti Fitzmaurice, Social Justice Coordinator of the Archdiocese of Winnipeg
sjustice@archwinnipeg.ca | (204) 589 - 5393

Archdiocese of Winnipeg - In an article entitled "Winnipeg recruits Catholic creatives for evangelization," the Catholic Register, Canada's oldest English Catholic publication, puts the spotlight on YouthInk - an Archdiocesan ministry launched last year through the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry (OYYAM). 

Click here to view the entire article by Janelle Lafantaisie.

Good Shepherd Parish, Portage la Prairie - Our 32-year archdiocesan tradition moves outside Winnipeg. The Annual Public Way of the Cross is being hosted by Good Shepherd Parish in Portage la Prairie on Good Friday morning, April 19. All are invited to gather at 10:00 am. 

"This year's Way of the Cross marks the first time that the procession will take place outside the City of Winnipeg," said Father Gerald Langevin, Pastor of Good Shepherd Parish. "We are grateful to Archbishop Gagnon for this opportunity to host and hopeful that many will join us from across the Archdiocese."

Please click here to view the rest of Fr. Langevin's letter of invitation.

Hales Corners, Wisconsin - The Archbishop, along with Rev. Peter Nemcek, archdiocesan Director of Vocations, visited Oliver Omega at Sacred Heart Seminary and School of Theology in Hales Corners, Wisconsin. Oliver is in his first year of Seminary Formation. The visit took place on March 13 to 15, 2019.

Archdiocese of Winnipeg - Archbishop Richard Gagnon encourages families in the Archdiocese of Winnipeg to pray through an ancient practise in the Church called lectio divina. This coincides with the implementation of our Archdiocesan Synod Global Initiative # 3, as well as the National Week for Life and the Family celebrations of 2019. 

Please see the video below for a recent conversation between Archbishop Gagnon and members of the NWLF tri-diocesan committee.

St. John XXIII Parish, Winnipeg - The Catholic School of Evangelization is hosting an exciting and unique conference featuring Bishop Lionel Gendron and Emilie Callan - participants of the recent Synod of Bishops in Rome. They had the opportunity to meet Pope Francis in person, and take part in conversations that affect the lives of young people in the Church.

Want to develop ministry with young people in your community but don't know where to start? Do you work with young people and want to better understand the latest Synod and network/discuss with other youth workers? Take part in this valuable day-long conference. Spaces are limited! Register online today. #Synod2018

Valuable opportunity for all those who want to learn more about working with and reaching young people! Parish leaders, church volunteers, clergy, school staff, catechists, youth ministers, vocations ministers, and anyone wanting to further develop their understanding of ministry with young people, all welcome to this one-of-a-kind opportunity!

Hear first-hand about the results of the recent Synod in Rome. Our guest conference speakers, His Grace Bishop Lionel Gendron (Synod Father and President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops), and Miss Emilie Callan (Synod Auditor), will share from their own experience as Synod members. They will journey with us to see how this Synod invites our Church in Manitoba to grow in our work and ministry with young people. This day-long conference will offer a time for reflection, prayer, and also for small group discussions, inviting participants to network and discern together where God is calling local initiatives to grow and continue to serve young people.

This exciting conference is open to everyone.

**Le gros de la conférence se déroulera en Anglais. Cependant, une traduction simultanée au Français sera offerte sans frais.

INVESTMENT: $30 per participant ($40 at the door). This includes all conference fees, lunch, and snacks!
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REGISTER ONLINE TODAY: events.catholicway.net

Archdiocese of Winnipeg - Reverend Samuel Argenziano was ordained to the priesthood on February 15, 1979, at St. Edward the Confessor Parish in Winnipeg. Let us pray in thanksgiving for Father Sam and his forty years of fruitful ministry as a priest of our Lord Jesus Christ. 

A little about Father Sam, from the Holy Rosary Church website where he is currently Pastor:

Born on October 23, 1947, grew up with his family on Staten Island, New York City, USA where he remembers special times of Sunday Gatherings with his Italian family and friends. As a child he loved beach parties and riding the Cyclone Roller Coaster at Coney Island.

While other grade two boys dreamed of being a policeman, Astronaut or Firefighter, this young man knew he wanted to be a Priest. With this goal in mind he set forth into the world to pursue his dream. After finishing grade 8 the young Sam entered High school and College by joining a Religious Community of Italian Origin. It was named the Missionary of St. Charles Romeo also know as the Scalabrini Fathers. After graduation he studied Theology at the University of Toronto. In his 2nd year of study He left the Community and was invited to join the Archdiocese of Winnipeg where he met with Cardinal George Bernard Flahiff who accepted him as a student.

Father Sam was ordained at St Edward the Confessor Parish on Arlington St in Winnipeg, MB on February 15, 1979. He remembers that day vividly as it was -42 below zero and with the wind chill of -50, just another typical Manitoba winter.

His ministry started at St. Peter’s Parish on Keewatin, where he worked for 5 months, he was ordained a deacon at this parish on May 13, 1978. He was transferred to St Edward the confessor on August 1, 1978 where he was associate pastor until 1982 and then became the pastor. He remained there until 1990. On July 1, 1990 he became the pastor at St Anthony of Padua in West Kildonan. Father Sam was transferred on August 1, 1995 to his present home at Holy Rosary Church.

When he has some spare time he enjoys movies and reading. Father Sam loves to travel his best trip and most favourite place to visit, is of course Italy, he visits there at least every two years. His best and most remembered trip was in 1997 when he flew from New York City to Italy and traveled to many beautiful cities, ate the best cuisine of Italy, stayed in villas at Portofino and enjoyed the history our homeland is so rich with.

Father Sam says he loves being a priest and wants to thank all of his parishioners from his first day at St. Peters to now for blessing his life with their love, faith and generosity.

Manitoba - "Supporting ex-inmates: A Multifaith guide for communities" is designed to help folks in churches, mosques, synagogues,  temples, etc., to discover their own capacity for the effort to help inmates who are coming back into society. 

Click here to view the guide

Click here to view the purpose and objectives of the MMC corrections committee

Winnipeg, Manitoba - Sebastian Aguilar, one of our young parishioners from St. Vital Parish, recently wrote a "Point of View" piece with CBC. The article was about the sexual abuse crisis in the Church, and his own experience as a seminarian in the United States. Sebastian is one of the Core Team members of YouthInk.

You can view the entire CBC article by clicking here.

Victoria, B.C. - The Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops (AWCB) Met in Victoria BC from February 26-28, 2019. The AWCB includes all the Latin Rite dioceses and the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchies in Western Canada.

It is a chance to work through a series of topics that of concern to the bishops of Western and Northern Canada. Archbishop Gagnon currently serves as President with Bishop Paul Terrio (St. Paul Diocese) as Vice President and Abbot Peter Novecosky OSB (Muenster Sask.) as General Secretary.

Manitoba Catholic Schools - Help protect our environment by collecting and dropping off your used batteries at any of our Catholic Schools. For a list of our schools along with their addresses, please click here.  

Our Catholic Schools are part of the Call2recycle battery collection and recycling program. They offer incentive programs to schools and school divisions that collect the most batteries. For information on the program can be found here: https://www.call2recycle.ca/manitoba/. 

St. Columba's Parish, Swan River - St. Columba Parish in Swan River is wondering if there are any churches in the Archdiocese that may have electric church bells (installed in the 1958-1962 era) made by Schulmerich Carillons Inc.

We are looking for more instructions in order to operate them fully and more loudly. They may need some repairs or “tubes” and we are wondering if any other churches may by chance have the same kind of bells and may by chance be able to direct us on where to obtain repairs from or give us some advice on using them. Please contact us at 204-734-2850 if you are able to give us direction. A picture of our electric bell machine is included here.     

Holy Ghost Parish, Winnipeg - The Knights of Columbus Frs. A and J Kulawy Council of Holy Ghost Parish celebrated their 30^th anniversary on Saturday, February 16th. The celebration took place at the Holy Ghost Parish, 341 Selkirk Ave.

Grand Knight Peter Kolodziej welcomed all as the council hosted a 2^nd and 3^rd degree with a dinner and dance in the evening. The event included raising funds for the Knights of Columbus Wheelchair program. Entertainment was provided by the Polish School of Dance, Sokol.

 St. Charles Parish, Winnipeg - Fifty-one women and men attended a Winter Retreat which was held at St. Charles Parish on Saturday, February 23, 2019.  It was hosted by the St. Charles Ladies’ Association and facilitated by Sister Cathy Laviolette.  The theme was ‘Blessed With a Treasure’. The St. Charles Ladies’ Association has been hosting retreats for over 25 years.

“It was both a privilege and a joy to journey with such a group of faith-filled  persons today.  My heart is full of gratitude.”  Sister Cathy Laviolette, facilitator

 “I have been working so hard at 'planning' to make room in my life for prayer, today I realized it should be that I pray first and 'plan' for my life instead.”  Vanea Friesen, St. Alphonsus Parish, Winnipeg

 “This retreat was very inspiring and eye-opening”.  Beatrice Chartrand, St. Kateri Tekakwitha Aboriginal Parish, Winnipeg

 “God gave each and everyone gifts.  As we use our gifts, we give others permission to use theirs.  As I open myself to God’s gifts, my trust in Him grows.  I will  strive to open my heart to the generosity of the spirit, to develop my individual gifts and grow in love of God”.  Colleen Bevan, St. Charles Parish, Winnipeg

 “I have really enjoyed the retreat and was able to relate to the very good topic.  Thanks.”  Jan St. Goddard, St. Kateri Tekakwitha Aboriginal Parish, Winnipeg

 “In sharing solitude, there is peace, understanding, faith and love”.  Elsie Rosler, St. John XXIII, Winnipeg

 “In love we shared and were blessed.”  Joan McCallum, St. Gianna Parish, Winnipeg

 “The retreat helped me feel reassured of God’s constant love and care for me.”  Anna Desilets, St. Charles Parish, Winnipeg

 “The heart is the centre of all treasure, for in the beginning 'there was a heart'.”  Stan Fontaine, St. Kateri Tekakwitha Aboriginal Parish, Winnipeg

 “I realized today that it’s OK to be broken,  and imperfect.  Because God loves me just the way I am.  I feel inspired to be a real disciple of God”.  Karla Buj, Winnipeg

 “Many quotes of God’s constant love for us in the psalms and Old Testament.  This encourages one to not be afraid and let God invite us closer and God will come closer to us”.  Donna Holmes, St. Kateri Tekakwitha Aboriginal Parish, Winnipeg

 “You did not choose me, I have chosen you”.  (Jn: 15:16). Marilyn Begg, St. John XXIII Parish, Winnipeg

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