Monthly Archives

May 2025

May 08
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World Day of Prayer for Vocations

By Enriching faith

May 11,  2025 Good Shepherd Sunday on the Fourth Sunday of Easter

World Day of Prayer for Vocations

One of Pope Francis’ last messages is the one for the 2025 World Day of Prayer for Vocations May 11, “Pilgrims of Hope: the Gift of Life,” which was released in March:  LINK to Pope Francis message

Excerpt: “The Church needs pastors, religious, missionaries and spouses capable of saying “yes” to the Lord with trust and hope. A vocation is never a treasure stored away in the heart; rather, it grows and is strengthened within a community that believes, loves and hopes. No one can respond to God’s call alone, for all of us need the prayers and support of our brothers and sisters. Dearly beloved, the Church is alive and fruitful when she generates new vocations.  Our world looks, often unknowingly, for witnesses of hope who proclaim with their lives that following Christ is a source of true joy. Let us never tire, then, of asking the Lord for new labourers for his harvest, certain that with great love he continues to call them. Dear young people, I entrust your efforts to follow the Lord to the intercession of Mary, Mother of the Church and Mother of vocations. Keep walking as pilgrims of hope on the path of the Gospel!” – Pope Francis, March 19, 2025

* Please pray for vocations, for all those discerning God’s call in their lives, and for our diocesan seminarians: Huy Le, Mishca Taillon, John Paul Wasan, and Matthew Witzaney.

Prayer for Vocations

O God, you have chosen the apostles to make disciples of all nations.
By Baptism and Confirmation, you have called all of us to embrace our priesthood in Jesus Christ and build up the Body of Christ as his disciples. ­Give us strength to respond to your call.
We entreat you, O Lord, to raise up from our families many priests and deacons, sisters and brothers
who will love you with their whole hearts and will gladly spend their entire lives to make
you known and loved by all.
Amen

May 08
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Bishop Hagemoen message about election of Pope Leo XIV

By Bishop Mark Hagemoen's blog

Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen’s message – Download PDF

 

By Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon

To the Clergy, Religious, & Lay Faithful of the Diocese of Saskatoon:

On the Occasion of the Election of Pope Leo XIV

“It is with joy and hope that I acknowledge with you the election of Pope Leo XIV. This of course follows the passing of Pope Francis on Easter Monday – just a few weeks ago.

“There is already much commentary about the man previously known as Cardinal Robert Prevost – and especially on why he may have chosen the name “Leo”. I am sure he will give much explanation for this in the near future.

“However, at this time we celebrate his leadership as a missionary servant to God’s people; his work of dialogue and building bridges; his work to bring ongoing growth, organisation, and reform to the governance structures of the Church.

“I join with all of you as we unite in prayer and hope for the papal leadership of Pope Leo XIV, and the future of our Church in this Jubilee Year of Hope. May the same hope that so inspired Pope Francis also inspire and bless Pope Leo XIV, and of course all our diocese as we thank God at this time of the election of the Holy Father.

​”In the words of Pope Leo XIV in his opening address, ‘Peace be with all of you!’”

RELATED: Canadian Catholic Bishops welcome Pope Leo XIV with Rejoicing and Prayers – LINK

RELATED: Video of Press Conference with CCCB President Bishop William McGrattan of Calgary – LINK

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May 08
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CONFIRMATION 2025 – Bishop Hagemoen celebrates at St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Saskatoon

By Bishop Mark Hagemoen's blog

Bishop Mark Hagemoen and Pastor Fr. Clement Arthur with confirmands at St. Peter the Apostle Parish, Saskatoon. (Photo by Monica Aspiazu).

Bishop Mark Hagemoen joined the parish community of St. Peter the Apostle, 1121 Northumberland Avenue, Saskatoon on Wednesday, May 7, 2025  to celebrate confirmation with youth of the parish.

Confirmation season began April 29, 2025 at Saint Anne Parish, Saskatoon, and continued April 30 at St. Augustine, Saskatoon. A large group of young people also received the sacrament of confirmation at St. Patrick Parish, Saskatoon on May 6.

The 2025 Confirmation schedule with the bishop continues throughout the Easter season at parishes across the diocese until early summer: check out the website calendar of events for other celebration dates and locations: rcdos.ca/events.

See other confirmation coverage posted at: LINK

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May 08
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Habemus Papam! Chicago-born Cardinal Prevost elected pope, takes name Leo XIV

By News

Pope Leo XIV, the former Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, waves to the crowds in St. Peter’s Square at the Vatican after his election as pope May 8, 2025. The new pope was born in Chicago. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

Cardinal Robert F. Prevost, the Chicago-born prefect of the Dicastery for Bishops under Pope Francis, was elected the 267th pope on May 8, 2025 and took the name Pope Leo XIV. 
MEDIA RELEASE:

CCCB Welcomes Pope Leo XIV with Rejoicing and Prayers

By Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops Communications Office

[Ottawa – 8 May 2025]  – Today, the Church in Canada and throughout the world rejoices, as His Eminence Robert Francis Cardinal Prevost, O.S.A., after being duly elected by the College of Cardinals, has accepted to become the 267th Bishop of Rome, successor of Saint Peter, and vicar of Christ on earth!

Taking the name Leo XIV, the Roman Pontiff, as the successor of Saint Peter, is the “perpetual and visible source and foundation of the unity both of the Bishops and the whole company of the faithful” (Lumen Gentium, no. 23).

As our loving shepherd and spiritual guide, Pope Leo XIV’s ministry is to orient Christ’s flock toward the kingdom of heaven, where the citizenship of Christians truly lies (cf. Philippians 3:20-21).

Pope Leo XIV was born in Chicago, Illinois, on 14 September 1955. As a member of the Order of Saint Augustine (O.S.A.), in which he held various leadership positions, he dedicated many years of service to the Augustinian missions in Peru as a priest and seminary professor. He was eventually appointed Bishop of Chiclayo, Peru, by Pope Francis.

As a Bishop of the Church in Peru, he served as Vice President and member of the Permanent Council of the Peruvian Bishops’
Conference. In 2023, Pope Francis appointed him as Prefect of the Dicastery of Bishops and elevated him to the College of Cardinals.

Pope Leo XIV holds a doctorate in canon law from the Pontifical College of St. Thomas Aquinas in Rome.

Commenting on this historic moment, the President of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Most Rev. William T. McGrattan, Bishop of Calgary, asks the faithful to embrace the new Pope: “I encourage the faithful in Canada to unite with their local Ordinary in welcoming Pope Leo XIV as our new Holy Father, and to remember him daily in their prayers so that he may embark on his Petrine ministry with fidelity, confident that the Lord will help him.”

As the Church in Canada rejoices today with Christians throughout the world, let us remember our new Holy Father in prayer, that despite the considerable weight of his role and responsibilities, his yoke may be easy and his burden light (cf. Matthew 11:28-20).

May God grant strength and wisdom to our Holy Father Pope Leo XIV, and may Mary, Mother of the Church, be ever at his side, guarding him with her mantle of protection.

To pray for Pope Leo XIV, you are invited to use the prayers for the inauguration of the Petrine Ministry now available on the CCCB website: LINK.

RELATED: Message from Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen on the election of Pope Leo XIV – LINK

RELATED: Video of Press Conference with CCCB President Bishop William McGrattan of Calgary – LINK


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May 05
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CCCB president invites faithful to join in prayer for conclave to select a new pope

By News

“O God, Eternal Shepherd, who govern your flock with unfailing care, grant in your boundless fatherly love a pastor for your Church who will please you by his holiness and to us show watchful care.” – Collect from the Mass for the Election of a Pope:

Cardinals from around the world pray in the Sistine Chapel at the Vatican on March 12, 2013, before beginning the Conclave to elect a successor to Pope Benedict XVI. The following day, on the fifth ballot, they elected Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Buenos Aires, Argentina, who chose the name Francis. (CNS photo/Vatican Media)

In a statement released May 5, Bishop William McGratten, president of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), issued an invitation to all the Catholic faithful of Canada to pray for the conclave at which cardinals from around the world will vote to choose the next pope.

Resources about the conclave, including the CCCB president’s message and a selection of prayers, have also been posted on the CCCB website at: LINK.

“With the support of your prayers, may God’s will be accomplished,” wrote McGrattan about the solemn process of electing a new pope to replace Pope Francis who died April 21.

McGrattan’s message notes that on Wednesday, May 7, 133 cardinals from across the world will gather to begin the process to choose the 267th successor of Saint Peter “behind the closed doors of the Sistine Chapel.”

“The conclave recalls the gathering of the Apostles in the Upper Room before Pentecost, where they ‘constantly devoted themselves to prayer’ (Acts 1:13–14),” wrote McGratten. “Unlike modern portrayals in popular media, the conclave is first and foremost a deeply spiritual event. It is carried out with solemn liturgical acts and constant prayer, as emphasized in the Order of the Sacred Rites of a Conclave. The cardinals undertake this sacred responsibility under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, whom they invoke in order to hear God’s voice and discern His will.”

In that spirit, the conclave rites envision that the faithful are praying alongside the cardinal electors, he said, quoting the order that states: “the whole church, united with us [the cardinal electors] in prayer, invokes the grace of the Holy Spirit so that we may elect a worthy pastor of the entire flock of Christ.”

McGratten notes that there are many meaningful ways to pray for the conclave “asking the Holy Spirit to grant the cardinals wisdom, faith, and discernment as they carry out this sacred task.”

The CCCB president concluded: “And when the time comes, may you joyfully welcome the newly elected pastor of the Universal Church, with a renewed awareness that Christ ‘placed Blessed Peter over the other Apostles and instituted in him a permanent and visible source and foundation of unity of faith and communion’ (Lumen Gentium, no. 18).”

CCCB webpage dedicated to the conclave, which contains relevant information and resources:

 

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May 05
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Bishop Hagemoen attends ordination of priest in Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith NT

By Bishop Mark Hagemoen's blog

Bishop Mark Hageoen (second from right) joined celebrant Bishop Jon Hansen and priests from across the diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith and beyond for the priestly ordination of Fr. Peter Dai Nguyen (second from left). (Photo from Mackenzie-Fort Smith Diocese Facebook)

Bishop Mark Hagemoen was back in the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith in the Northwest Territories for the May 3, 2025 celebration of the priestly ordination of Fr. Peter Dai Nguyen, a seminarian who began his studies as a diocesan seminarian for the northern diocese in 2014, when Bishop Mark Hagemeon was serving as his bishop.

Bishop Hagemoen was subsequently appointed as the bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon. Bishop Jon Hansen, CSsR, is now the bishop of Mackenzie-Fort Smith.

View more photos of the ordination on Mackenzie-Fort Smith diocesan Facebook page – LINK

The ordination of Fr. Peter Dai Nguyen was celebrated May 3 at St. Patrick Cathedral in Yellowknife, NT. (Photo from Mackenzie-Fort Smith Facebook)