"Christ is our peace; in his flesh he has made both groups into one."
Ephesians 2.13-18
From Fr. George
Prayerful greetings from St. Bonaventure!
On July 15, we celebrate our parish’s titular feast day, St. Bonaventure.
We are fortunate to have such amazing saint as our parish’s patron.
St. Bonaventure has been given a great honor in the Church; he is known as a Doctor of the Church. The life of St. Bonaventure has so much to teach us.
This great saint teaches us by his life who we are & what we are called to become.
St. Pope John XXIII, at the opening of the Second Vatican Council, said that the church must, above all, use the medicine of mercy. This weekend's Gospel teaches that “the mission of the Church should be based on the Gospel of compassion we seek to live & share, from the authority of our commitment to forgiveness & reconciliation. That leadership, inspired by the wisdom of God, means not dictating & ruling over others but inspiring, providing for & selflessly caring for those whom we are called to lead.” As a parish community we are called to proclaim & practice the Gospel of compassion & mercy.
St. Bonaventure beautifully described God’s humble love & mercy as bending down to us: “The eternal God humbly bent down & lifted the dust of our nature into unity with his own person.” May St. Bonaventure inspire us to take to heart our Lord’s compassion, that we may benefit from his great learning & constantly imitate the ardor of his charity.
I wish you all a happy feast of St. Bonaventure. God bless you all.
Special Prayer to
St. Bonaventure
St Bonaventure Cardinal,
Bishop & Doctor of the Church,
you chose a life that embraced mortification & great humiliation.
You served those who were rejected & sick,
you risked illness for yourself.
You made your life a continuous prayer
& spent hours meditating on the wounds of Christ.
St Bonaventure, please pray for me
that I may have a sincere & humble heart.
Pray that I may not lose sight of Jesus’ wounds
& thus walk on the straight path to eternal salvation.
Pray that I may take a great many souls with me to Our Heavenly Father. St. Bonaventure you were known to say
“One should carefully beware of decreasing, even in the slightest, the honour that is due to Mary.”
May I strive as you did to love our Blessed Mother &
be a carrier of her peace in this world.
St Bonaventure, please place my petitions in the loving hands of Our Blessed Mother whom, I pray, they will be warmly received by her Son. Amen.
Feast Day: July 15
Our Sunday Mass Times
Saturdays at 5 pm
Sundays at 7:30 am, 9 am, 10:30 am, 12 noon & 7 pm
(please note the time changes)
- You do not need to register to attend mass.
- The dispensation of the faithful from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass continues.
- The sign of peace is to be exchanged with a bow, not by a handshake.
- Collection baskets will remain in the Narthex to drop off your donations.
- Holy Communion will be distributed by the priest (center aisle) & 2 communion ministers (side aisles).
- There is no limit of attendees for funerals, weddings & baptisms.
- Tuesday & Thursday evening masses at 7 pm will remain throughout the summer.
Parish Reopening
- Masks are no longer mandatory, but feel free to continue to wear a mask.
- Hand sanitizers are located throughout the building for your convenience. We ask that you maintain proper hand hygiene.
- Please exercise charity & kindness in respecting peoples level of comfort regarding physical distancing, physical contact, cohorts.
- There is no capacity limit for in person attendance. Please sit where you feel most comfortable.
- The decisions of vaccinations should be treated with sensitivity & respect as it is a personal decision & must be treated as private & confidential.
Crisis line for Indian Residential School survivors and family:
1-866-925-4419
- The History of Residential Schools of by D. Farrow of First Things
- Canada's Trudeau Fans the Flame of Blame (NCR Register)
- Unmarked graves were documented years ago but most of us looked away (B. Liley, Toronto Sun)
- Missing Children & Unmarked Burials (Vol. 4, National Truth & Reconciliation Report in 2015)
- How can you continue to stay in the Church? (Fr. Ron Rolheiser)
Pope Francis' message on the Kamloops Residential Schools.
Bishop William McGrattan's message on Kamloops Residential Schools.
A Catholic Response
Call to Action 48 of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission
Delegation to the Holy See: diverse group of Indigenous people to meet with Pope Francis
Hospitality Desk
Each weekend mass as you leave the church you see the smiling faces of volunteers helping at the Hospitality Desk. This display desk has various religious items, mass intention cards, missals for sale & more.
This is an excellent ministry for individuals, parent/child, grandparent/grandchild, seniors or teenagers. Shifts are at the mass of your choice for one month. You are scheduled twice a year. Training is provided & you can use a buddy system to get you used to the desk.
This is a ministry with "spares" to help cover your shift when you may need one. Contact Mary Jo at 403-271-6690 or email mjdanko@shaw.ca to volunteer.
Lectors Needed
for Sunday 12 noon & 7 pm
Do you like to attend these Sunday Masses? Would you like to try being a reader?
We need lectors at these mass times. If you are 14 and older & would like to volunteer, training is provided. Please call Ian Clark at (403) 830-7705 or email irdclark@hotmail.com
Adoration of the
Blessed Sacrament
(Mondays durin
the summer)
In September we hope to have the Adoration Chapel open for people to pray daily, Monday to Friday.
If you feel you have an hour to spend in the Adoration Chapel once a week, we need you! We have various times available to suit your schedule.
Please contact Heather at 403-278-0394 or heather.burdeyney@shaw.ca to learn about available times & to sign up.
St. Bonaventure Adoration Chapel
The Adoration Chapel is open during the summer on Mondays
after morning mass until 6 pm.
Everyone is welcome to attend.
Ministry Volunteers
St. Bonaventure Parish is a welcoming, dynamic & united faith community.
Everyone is welcome! We hope you will find our parish environment supportive & loving… a place to grow spiritually… a place to put your faith in action… a place where parishioners are encouraged to use their stewardship gifts of time & talent to be disciples of Jesus Christ.
We are so thankful for the new & many seasoned volunteers who came forward to help during the restrictions. They shared with us their eagerness to help, their smiling faces & their genuine enthusiasm, & they used their time & many talents to help our parish & parishioners during this trying time. Our parish is so grateful for all of our dedicated volunteers.
After the past year, we as a parish have to adjust to a new normal, which includes our ministries & volunteers. Our prayer this fall is that you will be willing to use your abilities & gifts to strengthen the mission & ministry of our community.
Volunteering - even just once a week - can be a great way to meet other parishioners, form friendships & help the parish run smoothly. There are countless ways to volunteer & an abundance of ministries in need of help beginning this September. Stay tuned!
1st International Family Festival
July 14-18
The Seeds of the Word Community invites you to participate in this first ever event!
We will celebrate the joy of being a family with programs for all ages: kids, teens, young adults, adults & the elderly!
With the theme: “THE GLORIOUS FREEDOM OF THE CHILDREN OF GOD", the program will have artistic presentations, moments of prayer, talks, workshops & much more! Everything will be online & for the first time... International! It will also be available in six languages!
For more information & to sign-up with Sister Agatha by calling (587) 892-9673 or by email sr.agatha.seedsoftheword@gmail.com
Pope Francis' Prayer Intention for July
We pray that, in social, economic and political situations of conflict, we may be courageous and passionate architects of dialogue and friendship.
Sunday Readings - Reflections
Mass Readings
Hard Work Requires Rest - After all the traveling light last week to do ministry, Jesus tries to take the apostles away for some rest. But the people see them go, discover where they are headed, & get there first. Oh, my! So, Jesus ministers to them by teaching many things. After we work hard at mercy works, sometimes we can rest. Sometimes not.
- How can I find some rest from work in the quiet place of prayer?
- How can my restful prayer strengthen me to do more?
- What will I do next?
Diocese of Springfield
Elizabeth House
The St. Bonaventure Knights of Columbus & CWL have continued this past year to support Elizabeth House & the work they do. Funds have been raised through Ride for Refuge as well as through K of C parish breakfasts.
To get involved in this year's
Ride for Refuge Freestyle Event
read here
Elizabeth House believes that anyone can achieve success given the proper support system & that a safe & loving place to call 'home' is where that journey often begins. Read here for more information about Elizabeth House & the work they do.
Ride for Refuge Freestyle 2021
October 2, 2021
#nobikesrequired
This year, it's your choice: You could select the classic 5 km walk. You could go for the classic 10, 25, or 50 km biking distances. Or, you could go wild & pick one of the many fun other RIDE Freestyle options to support your fundraising. Register yourself, gather your friends, & select a fundraising activity you love.
Donation Envelopes
2021 donation envelopes still to be picked up are available in the narthex.
If you currently do not have envelopes but would like to donate on a regular basis please consider our electronic options: pre-authorized debit, on-line credit card or by e-transfer (e-transfer to donations@stbonaventureparish.ca).
Sacrament of Reconciliation
The Sacrament of Reconciliation will be available
- Mondays to Saturdays from 8:30 - 8:50 am (before morning mass)
- Saturdays from 4 - 4:45 pm (before the Saturday mass)
Or to book an appointment for confession, please email Fr. Colin (frcolin@stbonaventureparish.ca) or Fr. George (frgeorge@stbonaventureparish.ca) or call the church office 403-278-7556 during office hours.
Diocesan Resources
- Diocesan Events Calendar
- This week's Diocesan Info for Parishioners - Sunday Updates from the Diocese of Calgary.
- FCJ Centre - Retreats, Programs, Counselling, Spiritual Direction - here
Spiritual Resources & Articles:
- "Why is it okay to harm Christian places of worship in Canada?" by Rex Murphy, National Post
- "No one has right to burn churches" by Rev. Dr. Andrew Bennett, Cardus Religious Freedom Institute Director
COVID-19
Anyone who has even the slightest symptoms or feelings of illness must remain at home.
The dispensation of the faithful from the obligation to attend Sunday Mass continues at this this time.
Stage 3 re-opening information & Covid-19 General Directives from the Diocese of Calgary here
Livestream Masses
Livestream of masses from our diocese, around the world & on TELUS Optik TV Ch. 877 (choose Diocese of Calgary tile logo).
Please know that our parish community is here for you.
If you or your family need spiritual or emotional support, or if you would like a priest or parishioner to call you, please contact the parish at 403-278-7556 or reply to this email. If you require assistance with food hampers from St. Vincent de Paul, you can contact the parish office to connect to the SVDP Society.
Parish Office Hours:
Monday - Friday: 9 am - noon
The church is open for prayer Monday - Friday mornings after mass until noon.
Parish Office: 403-278-7556 or info@stbonaventureparish.ca