The diocesan Office of Evangelization and Catechesis has partnered with Face2Face Ministries to bring Confirmation Retreats to young people preparing to celebrate the Sacrament of Confirmation.
Cost is $20; includes lunch.
There are six locations and dates to choose from in 2025:
* March 1, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., St. Peter, Unity, SK: LINK to Register
* March 2, noon to 6 p.m. at St. Patrick, Saskatoon: LINK to Register
* March 22, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.– Little Flower, Leader, SK: LINK to Register
* March 23, noon to 6 p.m. at St. Augustine, Humboldt, SK: LINK to Register
* April 5, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Holy Spirit, Saskatoon: LINK to Register
* April 6, noon to 6 p.m. at Saint Anne, Saskatoon: LINK to Register
For more information, contact Marilyn Jackson, diocesan Director of Ministry Services at (306) 659-5836.
Confirmation retreats and Evangelization and Catechesis are supported by gifts to theBishop’s Annual Appeal: LINK
Diocesan confirmation retreats facilitated by FacetoFace Ministries were held in 2024 at Saint Anne, Saskatoon, St. Joseph, Kindersley, St. Augustine, Humboldt, St. Patrick, Saskatoon; and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Martensville.
The Feast of the Presentation of the Lord and the XXIX World Day of Consecrated Life is marked on February 2, 2025.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen will celebrate Mass for the World Day of Consecrated Life at 11 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 2 at the Cathedral of the Holy Family, 123 Nelson Road, Saskatoon. The Mass will also be live-streamed at saskatoonmass.com.
It is with joy and hope for the Church and the world that I call us all to join in prayer and celebration on February 2, 2025 – the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life. This day offers us the opportunity to reflect with gratitude on the remarkable reality and blessing of consecrated life in our world. Many men and women give witness to the deep joy that is found in living their baptismal promises by responding to Christ’s personal call to be signs of his saving love. Their lives are marked by publicly professing the evangelical counsels of poverty, chastity, and obedience as a sign of the in-breaking Kingdom of God into our reality today.
The world of today asks, as heard in Psalm 24 which will be read in the Liturgy of the day: “Who is this king of glory?” As Christians, we are called to proclaim clearly with our lives, words and deeds: “It is the Lord!” We are also challenged to be like Simeon and Anna in the Gospel in recognizing the presence of the Lord in our everyday life and embracing His ways so that we may be faithful to our baptismal vows to the end.
On this occasion, I take this opportunity to greet and thank you all for your joyful, generous and unceasing service to the diocese. In a particular way, on this XXIX World Day of Consecrated Life, we pray for all those who have made commitments in the consecrated life.
In our diocese, we are blessed by the presence of the consecrated life of men and women, religious sisters and lay consecrated. Consecrated life, continues to be a prophetic sign for today’s Church and for the whole of society. In a radical and courageous way, women and men who consecrate their lives entirely to Christ, living in religious houses or a lay context, show to the world a glimpse of the life of heaven to come and the joy of the vision of God. May they continue to be inspired by Jesus Christ and respond generously to God’s gift of their vocation.
I cordially invite all lay faithful, priests, deacons and consecrated men and women, to this universal celebration of the renewal of our baptismal vows through continual prayer and unconditional offering of our lives in service for the Kingdom.
On Sunday, Feb. 2, 2025, at 11:00 am at Holy Family Cathedral, I will celebrate the Holy Mass in communion with all the parishes of our diocese. After the Eucharistic celebration, all are welcome to join for a moment of fraternal gathering in the hall of the Cathedral.
Sincerely in Christ,
Most Rev. Mark A. Hagemoen
Bishop Hagemoen’s homily for World Day of Consecrated Life / Presentation of Our Lord –
Hundreds travelled to the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon on a blustery Friday night Jan. 24 to venerate relics of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the Lily of the Mohawks, and of Canadian Martyrs St. Jean de Brebeuf, St. Charles Garnier and St. Gabriel Lalemant.
The diocesan event with the sacred relics began with lines of the faithful journeying up the main aisle to venerate the relics, in front of the altar, with many touching holy cards, medals and rosaries to the glass reliquaries, or placing written prayers into the chest near the relic display in front of the altar.
The relics of the Canadian martyrs included the skull of St. Jean de Brebeuf and bones of St. Charles Garnier and St. Gabriel Lalemant. Also included in the tour visit was a first-class relic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first Indigenous North American saint and patron of First Nations peoples.
Pilgrims from across the diocese visited the Cathedral of the Holy Family Jan. 24 to pray with the sacred relics of the saints. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Music ministry for the Mass was provided by the choir from Our Lady of Guadalupe Indigenous Parish in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
MC John Hickey, Evangelization and Mission Leader for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon welcomed the visitors and pilgrims who filled the cathedral. The Rosary was then prayed in French by a representative of Saints-Martyrs-Canadiens Parish in Saskatoon.
Sandra Harper of Our Lady of Guadalupe Indigenous Parish in Saskatoon spoke about the ministry of welcome and healing at the parish, which lives out the Catholic faith within the Indigenous culture. Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish Life Director Ferdinand Gemoh also spoke, noting the importance of respect and cultural diversity in celebration of faith — something that missionaries like St. Jean de Brebeuf demonstrated in their lives and ministry.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen presided at celebration of the Eucharist during the visit of the sacred relics to Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Celebration of the Eucharist followed, with Bishop Mark Hagemoen presiding. Concelebrants included Jesuit Fr. John O’Brien, who is travelling with the relics across the country, diocesan Vicar-General Fr. Kevin McGee, Holy Family Cathedral rector Fr. Gerard Cooper, St. Paul Co-Cathedral rector Fr. Stafano Penna, and other priests from around the diocese. Music ministry was provided by the choir from Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish.
Victor Granger and Deacon Nick Blom proclaimed the readings, and Sr. Marta Piano of the Verbum Dei Missionary Fraternity led the prayers of intercession.
Celebration of the Eucharist was part of the Saskatoon event welcoming the sacred relics. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
In his homily, Bishop Hagemoen reflected on the commitment and sacrifices of the missionaries, who lived and worked among the Indigenous peoples, and the response of Indigenous missionaries like Joseph Chiwatenhwa, a powerful preacher of the gospel to the Huron people. He also reflected on the hidden life of the “Lily of the Mohawks” St. Kateri Tekakwitha, who’s “little way” of love and trust in Jesus reflects the path of the “Little Flower” St. Thérèse of Lisieux.
The bishop noted that the visit of the sacred relics is timely, in the midst of many challenges and initiatives, coming as it does at the start of the Jubilee Year of Hope, and as dioceses around the world reflect on how to move forward in responding to the call of the Synod “bringing to bear the way and the method of Jesus and the Gospel in our parishes and in our world.”
“The life of St. Jean de Brebeuf and companions, and St. Kateri show us that light not only shines in the darkness, but it lifts up: darkness will not prevail,” Hagemoen said.
The reliquaries were placed in front of the altar at the Cathedral of the Holy Family Jan. 24. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
At the conclusion of Mass, Fr. John O’Brien of the National Shrine to the Canadian Martyrs in Midland, Ontario, spoke about the tour and the lives of the martyrs. He reflected on why the missionaries would leave their homes to cross the ocean and face harsh conditions, hardships, and eventually martyrdom in a new land. “The love of God is a motivating presence with them and in them,” he said.
“What is that love of God that is so powerful, and have we experienced that love of God in the same way?” he challenged, noting that the word “martyr” means “witness.” O’Brien said that in a sense we are all martyrs called to share in Christ’s Great Commission to go and make disciples and to be witnesses of God’s love in the world.
He also pointed to the reconciling prayer featured on prayer cards for the relic tour, praying that through the intercession of these saints “our hearts may be better disposed to seek reconciliation with God, with others, with ourselves, and with creation.”
Fr. John O’Brien, SJ, of the National Shrine to the Canadian Martyrs in Midland, Ontario, is accompanying the sacred relics on the national tour during the Jubilee Year. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Bishop Mark Hagemoen lifted the relics to bless the assembly at the conclusion of Mass. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Following Mass, veneration of the relics continued, with members of the St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission formation program serving as ushers, and a St. Therese choir singing a translation of the Huron Carol written by St. Jean de Brebeuf. Priests were also hearing confessions throughout the evening.
The national tour of the relics from the Canadian Martyrs Shrine in Midland, ON, got underway at the start of the Jubilee Year at a Catholic Christian Outreach Rise-Up Conference, with Janaury stops in British Columbia and Alberta, before arriving in Saskatoon for the evening event Jan. 24. The tour continues with a visit to Regina Jan. 26, before continuing east to Manitoba.
At the conclusion of Mass, priests venerated the sacred relics. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon each year declares the last Sunday of January as a day of prayer for Reverence for Life, coinciding with the anniversary of the Supreme Court’s Morgentaler decision which removed all legal limits to abortion in Canada. Bishop Hagemoen will celebrate Mass on Reverence for Life Sunday, Jan. 26 at 9 a.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Family, 123 Nelson Road, Saskatoon.
Bishop’s Message for Reverence for Life Sunday, Jan. 26
By Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon
The Day of Prayer for Reverence for Life will be celebrated in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon on Sunday, January 26, 2025, providing our faith communities with an opportunity for prayers, reflection and discussion about the value of the precious gift of human life. I send this message on the day when we celebrate Saint Hilary, Doctor of the Church, who supported Saint Athanasius regarding the divinity of Christ during the time of the Arian controversy.
Our current times continue to feature terrible conflicts in many parts of the world, including the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East. I continue to hear from many that our current world affairs highlight both the fragility and strength of human life. In these times of reflecting on the prayer of St. Francis, “Lord, make me a channel of your peace,” we continue to hear this prayer in terms of the care of the vulnerable, and especially with regards to the protection and care for the unborn, our elders, and critically ill in our communities.
1) An Uncaring and Utilitarian Culture Contributes to Sins Against Human Life
Canada continues to deal with the tragic repercussions of the removal of abortion from the Criminal Code. We now mark the 37th anniversary of the Supreme Court of Canada decision in the Morgentaler case on January 28, 1988, which removed all remaining restrictions on abortion in Canada. Incredibly applauded by many in our society, this moment in our nation’s history holds within it the tragic reality of millions of lost lives.
Victims of abortion include the unborn children who are killed, but also the mothers, fathers and families left wounded after an abortion. The community is also weakened and damaged as the weakest and most vulnerable among us are not valued and protected.
Pope Francis ushered in this Jubilee New Year with a renewed appeal for all of God’s people to make a firm commitment to respect and protect human life, from conception to natural death. As he prayed in his January 1 homily:
“[May we learn to care for] every child born of a woman…[and to protect] the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying.”
He continued: “I ask for a firm commitment to respect the dignity of human life from conception to natural death, so that each person may cherish his or her own life and all may look with hope to the future…” Let us continue to remember the Holy Father’s words quoted ni my previous letters, as the Canadian government continues to seek to expand access to doctor- assisted suicide, also known as Medical Aid in Dying or “MAID”:
“The victims of this [throwaway] culture are precisely the weakest and most fragile human beings -the unborn, the poorest, the sick and elderly, the seriously handicapped, etc. – who are in danger of being ‘thrown away’, expelled from a system that must be efficient at all costs.” (See: +Francis’ Address to a Delegation from the Dignitatus Humanae Institute, Dec. 7, 2013)
Perhaps this upcoming Jubilee Year of Hope can inspire the world to not only beg forgiveness for grave sins against our brothers and sisters of the world, but can also be a time of new-found Hope as we make concrete steps to repair the great damage of our uncaring.
II) How Can We Care for Creation While Supporting Abortion and Euthanasia?
Pope Francis continually highlights that respect for creation and respect for human life and human dignity are issues that are only realized together. As he states in his 2023 Apostolic Exhortation Laudate Deum:
“Everything is connected …no one is saved alone” (#19)
“To recognize. that human life is incomprehensible and unsustainable without other creatures. As part of the universe … all of us are linked by unseen bonds and together form a kind of universal family, a sublime communion which fills us with a sacred, affectionate and humble respect.” (#67) [Se: LaudatoDuem, October 4, 2023
The Gospel’s moral and social teaching calls on all people of good will to bring to bear intellectual, social, and political consciousness on the blatant inconsistency that is affecting the well-being and flourishing of human cultures through our world. This effort is at the service of every person on the planet! If we do not engage in calling each other to a greater and fuller humanity, we should then not be surprised at the larger deterioration of a culture of human care and respect.
III) Where is our HEART?
We no longer hear about scientific evidence – including the supporting fields of genetics and embryology – clearly showing the distinct humanity of each unborn child. Each young human person shares the fundamental human right to life that we as Canadians celebrate and support on so many other fronts.
Failing to recognize that right has left our country damaged – not only in the missing and lost lives of millions of unborn children – but also in removing “the heart” from our society. Many people today experience the loss of heart when they lose the sense of their own humanity when they no longer feel “useful” because of ill-health or aging. Persons who are older or are dealing with disabilities increasingly feel that they are a “problem” to their families and those on whom we rely for care.
The “loss of heart” is also the root cause of so many other evils in our midst, including: discrimination, injustice and racism, violence, poverty and hunger, debilitating addiction. Sisters and brothers, let us respond to loss of heart by holding steady to the hope of the Gospel of Jesus Christ: the Sacred Heart for our world. I bring you this message on the memorial of Saint Hilary, Doctor of the Church – biblical scholar and theologian – dedicated his life and work to upholding the divinity of Christ, who comes to the world to bring His mercy, forgiveness, and healing to every human person.
As Pope Francis concluded in his New Year’s Day homily:
“May we learn to care for every child born of a woman, above all by protecting, like Mary, the precious gift of life: life in the womb, the lives of children, the lives of the suffering, the poor, the elderly, the lonely and the dying… All of us are invited to take up the summons that flows from the maternal heart of Mary: we are called to cherish life, to care for wounded lives — so many wounded lives, so many – to restore dignity to the lives of everyone” because it is the basis for building a culture of peace, he said, highlighting that the Feast of Mary, Mother of God also marks the World Day of Peace.
Sisters and Brothers, we pray that as a people and nation we may re- discover our heart!
Please join in praying that life will be respected at every age and stage, from conception to natural death.
“Nazareth” – painting by Michael O’Brien: used with permission on the Reverence for Life prayer card, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon
Prayer:
Almighty God, giver of all that is good,
we thank you for the precious gift of human life:
For life in the womb, coming from your creative power,
For the life of children, making us glad with their freshness and promise,
For the life of young people, hoping for a better world,
For the life of people who are disabled, teaching us that every life has value,
For the life of the elderly, witnessing to the ageless values of patience and wisdom.
Like Blessed Mary, may we always say “yes” to Your gift.
Help us to realize the sacredness of human life and to respect and cherish it from conception to its natural end.
And bring us at last, O Father, to the fullness of eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.
AMEN
Prière
Dieu Tout-Puissant, donateur de tout ce qui est bon, nous te remercions pour le don précieux de la vie humaine:
Pour la vie dans le sein maternel, provenant de ton pouvoir créatif,
Pour la vie des enfants, nous rendant heureux de leur fraîcheur et de leur promesse,
Pour la vie des jeunes, espérant pour un monde formidable,
Pour la vie des personnes qui sont handicapées, nous apprenant que toute vie a de la valeur,
Pour la vie des personnes âgées, témoignant des valeurs intemporelles de patience et de sagesse.
Comme la bienheureuse Marie, puissions-nous toujours dire “oui” à Ton don.
Aide-nous à réaliser le caractère sacré de la vie humaine, à la respecter et à la chérir de la conception à sa fin naturelle.
Et amène-nous enfin, ô Père, à la plénitude de la vie éternelle en Jésus-Christ notre Seigneur. AMEN
Relics of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, known as the “Lily of the Mohawks” and of three of the Canadian Martyrs will be in Saskatoon on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (Photo by Bishop Mark Hagemoen)
The diocese of Saskatoon welcomes a national tour of saints’ relics to the Cathedral of the Holy Family on Friday, Jan. 24. The event will begin with an opening and the praying of the Rosary at 5:30 p.m.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen will preside at celebration of Mass at 6:00 p.m. Jan. 24 followed by time for prayer and veneration of the relics until 9:00 p.m. at the Cathedral of the Holy Family, 123 Nelson Road, Saskatoon (corner of Attridge Drive and Forestry Farm Park Drive.
The Canadian Martyrs tour includes major relics of three Canadian Martyrs, including the skull of St. Jean de Brébeuf and bones of St. Charles Garnier and St. Gabriel Lalemant, which will be travelling across Canada for the first time in 2025.
The relics have resided principally at the National Shrine to the Canadian Martyrsin Midland, Ontario for the past hundred years. The three Jesuit saints are among the eight French missionaries who first brought the Gospel to Canada, and were martyred during the Huron-Iroquois Wars of the early 1600s.
Also part of the national tour will be the relic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, the first indigenous North American saint, who was canonized in 2012 and is a beloved patron of the First Nations peoples.
The purpose of the devotional tour is to bring the relics to parts of Canada whose people cannot easily visit the Martyrs’ Shrine, giving more Canadians an opportunity for an encounter with the relics of these great saints, and to receive the graces of healing and reconciliation for themselves, their families, and our country.
The relics will first be taken to dioceses across western Canada, returning to Martyrs’ Shrine for the summer season and continuing with an eastern Canada tour in the fall of 2025.
Find a schedule of Saskatoon events from Jan. 18 to 26 at: LINK to WPCU events beginning with a Singing Into Unity Event 2:30 pm Saturday, Jan. 18, and continuing with a variety of events all week until a closing worship service at 3 pm Sunday, Jan. 26.
St. Augustine Parish in Humboldt will host an ecumenical service during the Week of Prayer, at 4 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 19, followed by a potluck supper.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen joined other Catholic bishops from across Western Canada for an annual retreat of the regional assembly of Catholic Bishops Jan. 7 to 11, 2025, held this year at Mission, B.C.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen (back row, third from left) joined other Catholic bishops from dioceses and parches across Western Canada for an annual retreat Jan. 7-11, 2025 in Mission, B.C. (Photo courtesy of the Archdiocese of Vancouver)
The annual bishops’ retreat included news about the Canadian Martyrs relic tour which was underway in British Columbia, and which will include a stop at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24:
Relics of St. Kateri Tekakwitha, known as the “Lily of the Mohawks” and of three of the Canadian Martyrs will be in Saskatoon on Friday, Jan. 24, 2025. (Photo by Bishop Mark Hagemoen)
There were signs of spring in British Columbia during the January retreat reported Bishop Hagemoen:
Signs of spring in British Columbia. (Photo by Bishop Mark Hagemoen)
Bishop Mark Hagemoen photographed flowers blooming during the Western Canadian bishops’ retreat Jan. 9-11. (Photo by Bishop Mark Hagemoen)
Max Connolly of St. Therese Institute of Faith and Mission, Bruno, SK, and Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon were among those attending the Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) Rise Up conference Dec. 29-Jan. 1 in Calgary. (Submitted photo)
Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon joined Catholic Christian Outreach Dec. 29 for the annual Rise Up young adult conference, held this year in Calgary.
Rise Up guest speakers included Msgr. James Shea president of the University of Mary in Bismarck, North Dakota; Canadian Martyrs’ Shrine director Fr John O’Brien, SJ, CCO co-founder Angele Regnier, and a group of active and former CCO missionaries. Each shared personal accounts and demonstrated a willingness “to really be vulnerable” in their talks, said event manager Joseph Murphy.
The conference also featured men’s and women’s sessions; holiness and mission workshops; celebration of the Eucharist, Eucharist adoration, and a New Year’s Eve banquet and dance.
Just over 500 young adults gathered for this year’s Rise Up Conference, many of them CCO missionaries. (Photo courtesy of CCO)
Launch of Canadian Martyrs relic tour
A unique feature this year was the presence of major relics of the Canadian Martyrs. On Dec. 31, the skull of St. Jean de Brébeuf and the bones of St. Gabriel Lalemant and St. Charles Garnier — and a relic of St. Kateri Tekakwitha — were venerated.
The relic tour will be passing through Vancouver, before continuing across Western Canada, including a stop from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Friday, Jan. 24 at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon. Read more about the relic tour here.
Prayers for the launch of Jubilee 2025 were offered in dioceses across the world on the Feast of the Holy Family, including in Saskatoon, where Bishop Mark Hagemoen inaugurated the year-long spiritual pilgrimage during celebration of the Eucharist Dec. 28 at Holy Spirit Parish in Saskatoon.
Bishop Mark Hagemoen presided at the rite of opening of the Jubilee Year Dec. 28 at Holy Spirit Parish in Saskatoon. The rite was also celebrated at both the Cathedral of the Holy Family and St. Paul Co-Cathedral Dec. 29, led by cathedral rectors, Fr. Gerard Cooper and Fr. Stefano Penna, respectively. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon, News)
In a gathering at the entrance of the church at the start of Mass, Bishop Hagemoen proclaimed: “In fellowship with the universal Church, as we celebrate the love of the Father that reveals itself in the flesh of the Word made man and in the sign of the cross, anchor of salvation, we solemnly open the Jubilee Year for the Church of the diocese of Saskatoon.”
The bishop continued: “This rite is for us the prelude to a rich experience of grace and mercy; we are ready always to respond to whoever asks the reason for the hope that is in us, especially in this time of war and disorder. May Christ, our peace and our hope, be our companion on the journey in this year of grace and consolation. May the Holy Spirit, who today begins this work both in us and with us, bring it to completion in the day of Christ Jesus.”
The proclamation was followed by scripture and prayers, reading of excerpts from the Bull of Indiction of the Jubilee Year, veneration of the processional cross, the blessing of holy water at the baptismal font, and a procession into the sanctuary for the beginning of Mass, including the singing of the official Jubilee 2025 hymn.
The rite was also celebrated at both the Cathedral of the Holy Family and St. Paul Co-Cathedral on Sunday, Dec. 29, led respectively by the cathedral rectors, Fr. Gerard Cooper and Fr. Stefano Penna.
Homily
In his homily at Holy Spirit Church, Bishop Mark Hagemoen described how a Jubilee Year is traditionally celebrated every 25 years by the Church, and reflected on Pope Francis’ declaration of the theme “Pilgrims of Hope.”
The Holy Father is extremely concerned about obstacles to hope in our time, Hagemoen noted. “Not just obstacles that are theoretical – real obstacles. There are too many wars in the world… the majority of people on the planet Earth are dealing with some sort of significant conflict, or major inadequacy to their thriving as human beings.”
The bishop quoted Pope Francis’ call to the faithful to be Pilgrims of Hope: “We must fan the flame of hope that has been given us and help everyone to gain new strength and certainty by looking to the future with an open spirit, a trusting heart and far-sighted vision.”
The Holy Father also said with the opening of one of the Holy Doors in Rome: “Each of us is called to enter into the mystery of God’s great grace. This is a time when the door of hope has opened wide on the world. This is a time when God says to each one: ‘There is hope – to you and for you.'”
Hagemoen continued, quoting Pope Francis: “The Jubilee Year should be a time of every individual, and all peoples and all nations to become together as Pilgrims of Hope, to silence the sounds of arms , and overcome divisions.”
This is a hope firmly grounded in our Saviour Jesus Christ and our faith, stressed Hagemeon, and is not a “pipe dream.”
“This is the One who gives His life absolutely, the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords, when He did not have to — because every human person is dearly loved and He goes all the way in dealing with any obstacle that comes between us and God. Indeed the genius of our Catholic Christian faith finds its source and summit in Jesus Christ, the Saviour of the world.”
The Feast of the Holy Family is an “amazing time to celebrate the Jubilee Year,” the bishop added. “Let us be thankful for our families, the first place where we learn about out humanity.”
Pilgrimage
In practical terms, the Jubilee Year goes for the whole year, and will include opportunities for spiritual growth and nourishment. “In the diocese of Saskatoon I am pleased to announce that we have a special time of pilgrimage, of opportunity to visit holy places, and to reflect on acting like the Lord, putting on Christ in our love and service to others, through the works of mercy and penance.”
Highlights include pilgrimages — “every one of us is on a pilgrimage journey,” noted Hagemoen, regardless of our ability to physically travel.
However, this will be a year with a particular focus on making pilgrimage visits to local sacred sites within the boundaries of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, which include the diocesan cathedrals and St. Peter’s Abbey at Muenster.
“We are also very blessed within the diocese of Saskatoon to actually have historical pilgrimage sites… the schedules will be known in the coming moths,” he said, listing the annual pilgrimages to the Our Lady of Mount Carmel Shrine west of Humboldt, to Holy Rosary Shrine at Reward, to Our Lady of Sorrows Shrine and Sts. Peter and Paul Church at Blumenfeld, to St. Anthony Church at Grosswerder, and to the eparchial shrines of Our Lady of Sorrows near Cudworth, and the Millennium Pro-Life Crossnear Aberdeen. In addition, there are other annual pilgrimages to nearby sacred sites in the diocese of Prince Albert including the shrine at St. Laurent, and in the archdiocese of Regina, including the shrine at Rama.
Works of mercy and penance
“I conclude (by) reflecting on the works of mercy and penance,” Hagemoen said. “These are exercises and disciplines that come from the Church’s teaching, about how we are called to imitate the Lord in the little things: feeding the hungry, welcoming the stranger, burying the dead, giving counsel to those who are doubtful or anxious, comfort to the afflicted, visiting those who are dealing with incarceration, or who are very limited in their movement, clothing the naked, praying for th living and the dead, bearing patiently with those who do us ill. I am sure on that list there are some that jump to mind right away!”
He also noted the special teaching on the availability of the mercy of Indulgence, sharing the words of Pope Francis about this spiritual teaching from the Jubilee of Mercy in 2015.
“Pope Francis underlined how the Indulgence acquired ‘an even more important meaning’ in that context, since God’s mercy becomes the indulgence on the part of the Father who, through the Bride of Christ, his Church, reaches and blesses sinners and frees them from every residue left by sin. Similarly, Pope Francis now declares that the gift of indulgences as a way of discovering the unlimited nature of God’s mercy,” said Hagemoen.
He continued, quoting Pope Francis: “Not by chance, for the ancients, the terms ‘mercy’ and ‘indulgence’
were interchangeable, as expressions of the fullness of God’s forgiveness, which knows no bounds.” The Holy Father concludes: “The Indulgence, therefore, is a Jubilee grace.”
“So our exercises of visiting holy sites, the works of mercy, and also taking advantage of opportunities for penance… is an opportunity to experience and receive the Jubilee grace of God’s mercy,” said Hagemoen, thanking the rectors of the cathedral and pastors at all parishes in the diocese for participating in the launch of the Jubilee Year.
Video of opening rite and bishop’s homily:
Photos:
Preparing for the celebration. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon, News)
The rite of opening of the Jubilee Year began at the entrance of Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon, News)
Bishop Mark Hagemoen presided at the rite of opening of the Jubilee Year Dec. 28 at Holy Spirit Parish in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon, News)
Reading of the Papal Bull of Indiction for Jubilee 2025. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Bishop Hagemoen leads the opening rite for the Jubilee Year during the Dec. 28 celebration of the Eucharist at Holy Spirit Church in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Bishop Hagemoen venerates the cross before leading the assembly into the sanctuary for celebration of Mass. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Blessing the waters of the baptismal font before the penitential sprinkling rite. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
Processing into the sanctuary as part of the opening rite for the Jubilee 2025 Year of Hope. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)
The Jubilee Prayer
Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother,
and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos
in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth,
when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope,
a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer
throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise for ever.
Diocesan confirmation retreats facilitated by FacetoFace Ministries were held in 2024 at Saint Anne, Saskatoon, St. Joseph, Kindersley, St. Augustine, Humboldt, St. Patrick, Saskatoon; and Immaculate Heart of Mary, Martensville.
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