Kiply Lukan Yaworski

“Our Lord Jesus Christ offers the unexpected, ultimate, and final confrontation between light and darkness, death and life – abundant life – to the full. What we recall and witness again in the way of Jesus Christ is utterly amazing, astonishing, unbelievable!” – Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Holy Week / Easter 2024 message

Video message:

Bishop Mark Hagemoen’s Holy Week / Easter letter is posted at:PDF of Bishop’s Easter Message

Text message:

Greetings to you all as we approach another Holy Week and Easter Season!

I always find that when I come to Palm Sunday and the beginning of Holy Week, I am faced with a sense of tension and dichotomy. What unfolds is the great and loving gift of God, meeting the tragedy and complexity of human longing coupled with human failing.

In Viktor Frankl’s famous work, “Man’s search for Meaning,” one of his quotes about suffering and meaning is: “What is to give light, must endure burning.”

We begin Holy Week – having experienced this past year the call to be light – but also to endure burning. Indeed, we have even been consumed. The challenges, the tensions and conflicts, the polarizations we have all experienced – in our world and country, our communities, and our families – have been very challenging and uncharacteristic of what we would call an acceptable normal.

And yet, the feature of tension has always been part of the Paschal Mystery. It is a key feature of the Gospel – and it comes to an apex in Holy Week when Our Lord Jesus Christ offers the unexpected, ultimate, and final confrontation between light and darkness, death and life – abundant life – to the full. What we recall and witness again in the way of Jesus Christ is utterly amazing, astonishing, unbelievable!

St. Paul in his letter to the Philippians sums up the unique response of Jesus Christ, who uniquely goes the wonderful, terrible path.

Firstly, He was in the form of God – He was God. Secondly, He did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, taken advantage of. Thirdly, He emptied Himself, taking the form of a slave. Who has ever done this? Especially when they had the unique ability to avoid or overcome? Fourthly, He was obedient to the Father’s plan to heal, redeem, and save the world  – all the way to the point of death, even death on a cross. No one with such status and ability has ever done this. This is why God exalted Him. This is why every knee should bend, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord!

Pope Francis has stated: “There are many people who admire Jesus: He said beautiful things; He was filled with love and forgiveness; His example changed history, and so on. They admire Him, but their lives are not changed. To admire Jesus is not enough. We have to follow in His footsteps, to let ourselves be challenged by Him; to pass from admiration to amazement. What is most amazing about the Lord and his Passover? It is the fact that he achieves glory through humiliation. He triumphs by accepting suffering and death, things that we, in our quest for admiration and success, would rather avoid…. Jesus did it for us, to plumb the depths of our human experience, our entire existence, all our evil. To draw near to us and not abandon us in our suffering and our death. To redeem us, to save us.”

The Pope concluded that the celebration of the Passion of Our Lord needs to move us from distant admiration of Jesus Christ, to amazement at Jesus, who demonstrates the greatest love the world has known – our salvation and new life passes through the wood of the Cross! Destruction meets new life; hell meets heaven; and death meets resurrection.

Let us ask ourselves: Why did Jesus die on the cross for us? Why did humanity crucify Christ? Do we still crucify Christ? If so, what does Christ show us as a new way?

These are questions that must be faced and asked. Don’t rush the answer… sometimes that is the problem. Let us ask the questions, and stay in the eerie, mysterious silence of the response of Jesus Christ on the cross, before rejoicing in the unbelievably good news of Easter.

A blessed Holy Week and Easter season to you all!

Most Reverend Mark A. Hagemoen, Bishop of Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon

Bishop’s Easter Triduum schedule:

Bishop Mark Hagemoen will celebrate the following at the Cathedral of the Holy Family (also to be live-streamed at saskatoonmass.com):

9 a.m. Palm Sunday, March 24
7 p.m. Chrism Mass Tuesday, March 26
7 p.m. Holy Thursday, Mass of Our Lord’s Supper, March 28
3 p.m. Good Friday Solemn Liturgy, March 29
7 p.m. Good Friday Stations of Cross March 29 – outdoors on grounds of Holy Family Cathedral
9 p.m. Holy Saturday Easter Vigil, March 30

Bishop Hagemoen will celebrate Easter morning at St. Paul Co-Cathedral (in-person only):

10 a.m. Easter Sunday Mass, March 31

Sixty-seven runners participated in the second annual Lenten 40 pilgrimage relay in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon on March 23, the eve of Holy Week.

Teams of 2, 3 or 4 took part in the Lenten 40 run on a cold spring morning Saturday, the day before Palm Sunday and the start of Holy Week.

Before the run, Bishop Mark Hagemoen blessed the runners, reminding them that Lenten40 is a pilgrimage and not a race, cautioning them about cold temperatures and icy patches on the route, while noting the importance of a spiritual pilgrimage taken together as a community and not just as individuals.

Jerome Montpetit, a member of the organizing committee, spoke about the cross that each team of runners would carry and pass on to teammates during the 40+ km. run.

“We need to learn to love the cross,” said Montpetit. “This is an instrument of our salvation, and a sign of love ultimately. — so hopefully, while you are running with the cross, you can reflect on the great love that God has for you, for us, and for the world that He gave up His only Son for, so that whoever would believe in Him would have everlasting life.”

Run begins and ends at foot of cross raised on the cathedral grounds for Holy Week:

Bishop Stephen Hero of Prince Albert and Bishop Mark Hagemoen of Saskatoon are sharing reflections as part of a Lenten video series from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).

Bishop Hagemoen’s reflections for Palm Sunday:

Geared to individuals, families, and communities, this series is meant to offer spiritual inspiration and guidance on how to prepare well for the Easter season.

For the English series, Bishop Stephen Hero of the Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert presents reflections for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, and Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon presents for March 3, March 10, March 17, and Palm/Passion Sunday on March 24.

Bishop Martin Laliberté, PMÉ, of Trois-Rivières will present the reflections in French throughout the Lenten season.

Visit the CCCB website page at: www.cccb.ca every Monday to access videos for the upcoming Sunday Eucharistic Celebration.

Bishop Mark Hagemoen celebration schedule at the Cathedral of the Holy Family  (also live-streamed at saskatoonmass.com):

– 9 a.m. Palm Sunday, March 24
– 7 p.m. Chrism Mass Tuesday, March 26
– 7 p.m. Holy Thursday, Mass of Our Lord’s Supper, March 28
– 3 p.m. Good Friday Solemn Liturgy, March 29
– 7 p.m. Good Friday Stations of Cross on grounds of Holy Family Cathedral, March 29
– 9 p.m. Holy Saturday Easter Vigil, March 30
—————————
Easter morning, March 31, the bishop will celebrate 10 a.m. Mass at St. Paul Co-Cathedral: in-person only

A Breathe Catholic marriage conference was held March 8-9, 2024 at the Cathedral of the Holy Family – the third time the event has been held in Saskatoon.

Eighty-eight couples participated in the conference – 54 married couples, and 34 engaged couples. The conference included presentations, prayer, and time for couples to reflect.

Coordinated by Gerald and Denis Montpetit of Cat.Chat Productions, a Catholic ministry to children and families based in Bruno, SK, the Breathe conference also featured other speakers and leaders, including John and Tracy Connelly, Rita Taylor, Brett and Andrea Powell, Saskatoon Bishop Mark Hagemoen, and Fr. Gerard Cooper, rector of Holy Family Cathedral.

Bishop Mark Hagemoen was one of the leaders attending the Breathe marriage conference March 9. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

“Couples experienced seven engaging sessions from speakers who were open, and honest with their personal stories,” said Denise Montpetit. “The couples were given practical tools designed to help build unity, rediscover joy, experience peace in their marriage.”

She noted that the Breathe event includes a “great mix”  of visuals, video clips, guidebook activities, as well as meaningful conversations and activities for each individual couple to undertake together.

Breathe Catholic Marriage Conference was held March 9 at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

(Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

Prayer was part of the Catholic marriage conference March 9, 2024 in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

Gerald and Denise Montpetit, Breathe presenters (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

Breathe Catholic Marriage Conference was held March 9 at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

A highlight was to see couples experience memorable surprise moments planned throughout the weekend, she said. It was also a highlight “witnessing so many couples of all ages participate in the Sacraments of Mass and Reconciliation, as well as receiving individual blessings from Bishop Mark and Fr. Gerard Cooper. “

She also shared comments from couples who attended, including:

• “This conference breathed so much life into our marriage.”
• “We are so grateful! It helped us to reset and relax in our engagement.”
• “With 35 years of marriage under our belt, this weekend was a real game changer for the both of us.”
• “I enjoyed getting to spend time with my wife and discovering practical ways to improve myself in our marriage.”
• “All in all, I feel blessed that my husband and I came to this conference. We’ve been married almost 43 years but there’s always room to grow in marriage.”

 (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

Couples share insights together during the Breathe Catholic Marriage Conference held March 9 at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon. (Photo by Kiply Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News)

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Bishop Stephen Hero of Prince Albert and Bishop Mark Hagemoen of Saskatoon are sharing reflections as part of a Lenten video series from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB).

Bishop Hagemoen’s reflections for the Fourth Sunday of Lent:

Geared to individuals, families, and communities, this series is meant to offer spiritual inspiration and guidance on how to prepare well for the Easter season.

For the English series, Bishop Stephen Hero of the Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert presents reflections for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, and Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon presents for March 3, March 10, March 17, and Palm/Passion Sunday on March 24.

Bishop Martin Laliberté, PMÉ, of Trois-Rivières will present the reflections in French throughout the Lenten season.

Visit the CCCB website page at: www.cccb.ca every Monday to access videos for the upcoming Sunday Eucharistic Celebration.

Bishop Stephen Hero of Prince Albert and Bishop Mark Hagemoen of Saskatoon are sharing reflections as part ofa Lenten video series from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops(CCCB).

Bishop Hagemoen’s reflections for the Third Sunday of Lent:

Geared to individuals, families, and communities, this series is meant to offer spiritual inspiration and guidance on how to prepare well for the Easter season.

For the English series, Bishop Stephen Hero of the Catholic Diocese of Prince Albert presents reflections for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 18 and Feb. 25, and Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon presents for March 3, March 10, March 17, and Palm/Passion Sunday on March 24.

Bishop Martin Laliberté, PMÉ, of Trois-Rivières will present the reflections in French throughout the Lenten season.

Visit the CCCB website page at: www.cccb.ca every Monday to access videos for the upcoming Sunday Eucharistic Celebration.