January 30, 2025
Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,
Happy New Year - a Jubilee Year! Last spring on May 9, 2024 Pope Francis declared that 2025 would be an Ordinary Jubilee Year. A Jubilee Year is a special celebration the Church holds at least once every 25 years. It’s a year of pilgrimages, spiritual growth, confession, special liturgies, and turning towards God in thanksgiving and repentance. This special year carries with it the theme of hope, based on Saint Paul’s letter to the Romans: “Hope does not disappoint” (Rom 5:5). As we enter more fully into this Year, we are invited to rediscover what hope means and where it can be found in the midst of the brokenness in our world. I have experienced much hope through the people and parishes of the Archdiocese when I see people wanting to reach out to the sick and shut-ins, when I saw over 700 people gathered for the Eucharistic Congress and when I witness priests and deacons caring for their parishioners and making efforts to bring new life to their parish. Through the various ministries and activities in our communities, parishioners give witness to the Lord who is present and active in our local Church. This gives us the foundation to be a people of hope. Ultimately, the source of our hope is the resurrection of Jesus and his promise to be with us always until the end of the age (cf. Matt 28:20).
February 13, 2024
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
As we approach the season of Lent, I am filled with both gratitude and anticipation. This forty-day journey is a time of profound significance in our spiritual lives, inviting us to reflect on the transformative power of repentance, prayer, and fasting as we prepare to celebrate the Paschal Mystery of our Lord at Easter. As we begin this holy season let us each take advantage of this opportunity to draw nearer to God, to deepen our relationship with Christ, and to grow in holiness both individually and as parish communities.
February 8, 2024
My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
As we prepare for another season of Lent, I write this letter to support the Share Lent campaign launched by Development and Peace-Caritas Canada. The season of Lent is a time for reflection on our lives, and the church calls us to love more, to pray more and to show solidarity to the most vulnerable in our world.
