Bishop Mark Hagemoen’s blog

Bishop Mark Hagemoen brings greetings and reflections in this message to the diocese for Christmas 2023, focused on the great love of God and the profound hope that Jesus Christ brings to our world, a Light in our darkness.

Bishop Hagemoen’s Christmas Letter – Click here for PDF

By Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon

“In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through him, and without him not one thing came into being. What has come into being in him was life, and the life was the light of all people. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overcome it. (John 1: 1-5)

This New Testament passage from St. John continues to inspire and encourage me. It is the introduction of the Gospel of St. John, which is proclaimed on Christmas Day.

During theses darker of colder days, in the midst of a world wracked with violence and strife, our hearts are again stirred by the meaning and metaphors of darkness and light. It is so good to appreciate that the light infuses all darkness, and that darkness can never overcome light. A similar message comes to us from the prophet Isaiah, who proclaims: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who lived in a land of great darkness – on them, light has shined.” (Isaiah 9:2)

In this time of war and conflict in so many places in our world – and in the face of the great daily challenges facing so many vulnerable people affected by confusion and hopelessness, and also poverty, homelessness, illness, and other ‘losses’ – we long more than ever for great light. Our hearts yearn for the fulfillment of the angel’s proclamation at the birth of our Saviour, the Light of the World, Jesus Christ: “Peace on earth, goodwill to those upon whom His favour rests.” (Luke 2:14)

Jesus is the great light and hope that has come into the world. This is the reality that we celebrate joyfully at Christmas. It is the great good news that GOD IS WITH US. Emmanuel has indeed come! Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is loving us, suffering with us, caring for us, holding us.

I invite you all to take time during this season of preparation and of celebration to renew your awareness that nothing can come between us and the great love of God in Jesus Christ. He brings a new way of peace and healing that fills us with the great rejoicing, that bursts forth in our songs and carols, that is reflected in our lights, decorations and gifts to others: Joy to the World! This awareness also means that we can live and act with a renewed and bold hope.

As Pope Benedict XVI states: “The Christian message is not only ‘informative’ but ‘performative.’ That means: the Gospel is not merely a communication of things that can be known—it is one that makes things happen and is life-changing. The dark door of time, of the future, has been thrown open. The one who has hope lives differently; the one who hopes has been granted the gift of a new life.” (See Spe Salve, #2)

 

These reflections about hope are a reminder that you and I are called to the hope that finds its source in the Saviour who comes to us at Christmas. The Incarnation – Jesus who is the Word of God made flesh among us – is the inspiration and source of all hope. This awareness has been the inspiration for many who have gone before us.

For example, I cite Saint John Henry Newman, who reminds us that, “The truth has been upheld in the world not as a system, not by books, not by argument, nor by temporal power, but by the personal influence of such men & women as have already been described, who are at once teachers and patterns of it.”

May we be teachers and patterns of hope as we are renewed by the celebration of the Christmas season. Let us ask ourselves:

1. How is God calling me to be more fully human, fully alive in my life right now?
   

   Pope Francis greets visitors from the popemobile before his weekly general audience Nov. 15, 2023. (Photo by Pablo Esparza, CNS)

2. Do I give the Christ permission to take my heart of stone and make it a heart of flesh – one that receives and expresses HOPE?
3. In what way is this Christmas different for me, in terms of what God wants me to change, to heal and forgive, to live and do differently?

I take this opportunity to thank you all for your love and faithfulness to God and His people, and his salvific desire for all the world. I also thank you for all that you each do every day to respond to the needs of those you care for, with compassion and care.

I wish you, your families, and communities, a blessed and joy-filled Christmas season!

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Bishop Mark Hagemoen visited St. Mary Parish in Lanigan, SK, on Sunday, Dec. 3, celebrating Sunday Eucharist with the community and pastor Fr. Augustine Osei-Bonsu.

Photos by Justin Foley:

A second group recently completed the first four sessions of a diocesan online Indigenous Pastoral and Lay Leader Ministry Education Program (IPL).

Their achievement was marked with an in-person celebration Dec. 2, 2023 at the Cathedral of the Holy Family in Saskatoon, which included the presentation of certificates by Bishop Mark Hagemoen to the 15 graduates who most recently completed the program.

The IPL “mini conference” held on the final day of the Church’s liturgical year, included a keynote address by Deacon Harry Lafond, celebration of Mass with Bishop Mark Hagemoen, and a time for the group to share reflections and feedback about the program.

Those achieving an IPL certificate in 2023 are: Elaine Callow, Diane Coté, Heidi Epp, Lynn Eremondi, Nicole Gursky, Margaret Hitchcock, Marilyn Kotylak, , Carmen Lopez Folan, Patricia Pasloski, Ivon Prefontaine, Fr. Matthew Ramsay, Patricia Schiller, Terry Mae Sinclair, Jane Waldock, and Marie-Jeanne Will.

Video introduction to IPL program:

Launched in September 2019, the online IPL course was developed after much consultation and reflection on how to respond as a diocese to the Truth and Reconciliation Commission (TRC) Calls to Action, particularly those addressed to churches, said Bishop Mark Hagemoen. The goals include building greater awareness about the history of the interaction between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples, including the impacts of colonization and the legacy of Residential Schools, while furthering understanding and respect for Indigenous culture and spirituality, all in a spirit of “right relationship.”

The program is in some ways unique, in that it has a particular focus on the relationship between Indigenous Peoples and the Catholic Church, and includes a focus on Catholic social and moral teachings and the relationship between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Catholics, noted Hagemoen.

The diocese of Saskatoon worked with partners — including Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools and St. Thomas. More College – and with a number of Indigenous and non-Indigenous educators and leaders to develop and present the program. Funding has included a Pastoral Study Grant from the Louisville Institute, and evaluation of the program and its content has been ongoing.

Although the sessions can be taken individually, and do not require pre-requisites, those who do complete all of the first four modules (18 hours each) are awarded a certificate. The first cohort graduated in November 2021, and the second in December 2023. IPL is now expanding to include four more new modules, starting Jan. 9, 2024. Those who eventually complete all eight modules will earn a diploma.

The next IPL courses include:  Contemporary Effects of Colonization II: Social Justice – Jan. 9 to March 5, 2024;  Introduction to Métis Studies – April 2 to May 28, 2024; and Introduction to Inuit Studies Sept. 24 to Nov. 29, 2024. There are also plans for a community placement experience to conclude the diploma program.

For more information and registration, please see: rcdos.ca/indigenous-ministry-education

Keynote address by Deacon Harry Lafond

In his address to the graduates, other program participants and leaders at the IPL event, Deacon Harry Lafond began with words in Cree, as a testament to the importance of language. “Language carries who we are as people, who we are as families, and who we are as community,” he said.

A member of Muskeg Lake Cree Nation, Lafond shared how his community has been living and moving forward for decades with the “word of the day” that is reconciliation, describing partnerships that have included establishment of an ongoing relationship with the city of Saskatoon, where many of the community’s members live. “It’s not the size of a community that makes the difference, it’s the attitude.”

“The same thing is true of my relationship with the Catholic Church,” said Lafond. “I and my family have worked at this understanding of Residential Schools.”

He also reflected on leadership as a call to service – which has been his goal in a range of roles, including serving as chief of his community, as well as serving in the Office of the Treaty Commissioner, at St. Thomas More College and the University of Saskatchewan, and as a permanent deacon ordained in the Catholic diocese of Prince Albert. Effective leadership “is not about telling people how to do things,” but rather about “opening doors for people to find their own answers.”

He also reflected on the messages of Pope Francis during his visit to Canada to apologize to Indigenous Peoples and described the work of a group of Indigenous Catholic leaders to find ways forward as a part of the Catholic Church. Most recently this has included praying the Rosary monthly online, with different Indigenous languages for each decade. The hope going forward is that there might someday be a formal structure in the Church that would provide a voice for Indigenous People, he said. “It is a big dream.”

Photo Gallery – LINK

[Photos by Kiply Lukan Yaworski]

Bishop Mark Hagemoen joined the parish community of Our Lady of Lourdes in Saskatoon on the Solemnity of Christ the King Nov. 26, offering special prayers for the installation of Fr. Daniel Yasinski as pastor.

Yasinski was appointed pastor of Our Lady of Lourdes Parish earlier this year. Ordained in 2013, he previously served as pastor at the parishes of Assumption of Our Lady, Kerrobert; Immaculate Conception, Major; St. Eugene de Mazenod, Luseland; and Our Lady of Grace, Dodsland.

The installation prayers by Bishop Hagemoen offered an opportunity to reflect prayerfully on the role of the pastor, highlighting the priest’s sacramental ministry through a series of prayers at different spots throughout the church building: the altar, the ambo, the tabernacle, the baptismal font, the entrance of the church, the confessional, and so on.

Bishop Hagemoen will continue travelling to parishes in the diocese to install other recently-appointed pastors in the weeks ahead.

“This isn’t a required ritual, but it is something that is an option, and we have chosen to do that because of its simple but rich symbolism about the relationship of the pastor — the priest — with the people of God,” explains Bishop Hagemoen.

Photo gallery LINK

Other recent pastor installations by Bishop Hagemoen:

• Fr. Greg Smith-Windsor – St. Aloysius Parish, Allan – Oct. 8, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Santhosh Thekkekulam, VC– St. Mary Parish, Macklin – Oct. 21, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Rinesh Menambadath Chacko, VC – St. James Parish, Wilkie – Oct. 21, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. John Ezeoruonye – St. Front Parish, St. Front – Nov. 5 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Daniel Louh – St. Philippe Neri Parish, Vonda – Nov. 18, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Paul Oshin – St. Peter Cathedral Parish, Muenster – Nov. 19, 2023 – LINK

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(Kiply Lukan Yaworski is the coordinator of communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon: rcdos.ca)

 

 

Bishop Mark Hagemoen was one of the leaders who gathered to pray for persecuted Christians on Red Wednesday

The front of Holy Covenant Evangelical Orthodox Church on Alexandra Avenue in Saskatoon was bathed in red light Nov. 22, 2023, for Red Wednesday, a day of prayer, awareness, and advocacy about the persecution of Christians.

Inside, an ecumenical gathering featured prayers, information and reflections on the plight of followers of Christ who face persecution, discrimination, violence, and death because of their faith.

Red Wednesday is an initiative of Aid to the Church in Need, an international Catholic aid organization founded in 1947, and recognized as a Pontifical Foundation since 2011.

The Red Wednesday event began in 2016 in the United Kingdom, with a number of high-profile buildings bathed in red light to bring awareness to the issue of Christian persecution, said Myron Rogal, who emceed the Saskatoon event. “Red, of course, is the colour of the blood of martyrs.”

Rogal, who coordinates the Office of Justice and Peace in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, said that while religious freedom is a reality in Canada, that is not the reality for an estimated 327 million Christians who live in countries where they are persecuted, excluded, and attacked for their faith.

“It is estimated that 75 percent of all acts of violence for religious reasons are perpetrated against Christians,” he said. “Instead of the situation getting better, it is getting worse. In 47 countries since 2021 the situation has worsened.”

“We gather together tonight in a spirit of solidarity,” Rogal said.

The Red Wednesday event began with a welcome from Evangelical Orthodox Bishop Jakob Palm, who also provided a reflection on the ecumenism of martyrdom.

“The way in and to unity in the Church really is the way of suffering,” he said. “The witness of the church and its growth is and has been watered by the blood of the martyrs throughout the centuries.”

Those who persecute Christians do not ask which denomination or confession that they belong to – rather they are persecuted simply as followers of Christ, observed Palm.

“Christian unity in such cases is de facto realized in persecution and blood: an ecumenism of martyrdom. To be called Christian ultimately means to be called to the cross.”

The service continued with the proclamation of scripture, hymns, and prayers, as well as testimony from Rubina Bhatti, a Catholic Christian from Pakistan, and Bishop Emeritus Albert Thévenot, MAfr, former missionary and retired bishop of Prince Albert, both of whom are members of the Saskatchewan-based charity Canadian Aid to Persecuted Christians (CAPC).

Christians are at risk in Pakistan, as well as in other countries around the world, such as North Korea, Afghanistan, Somalia, Libya, Eritrea, Yemen, Iran, Nigeria, and India. Since its inception in 2019, CAPC has been providing legal and survival support to the families suffering minor girls’ abduction and forceful conversion and marriages, victims of blasphemy laws, and refugees fleeing persecution, as well as helping Christians denied aid during natural disasters and the pandemic.

Bhatti described examples of persecution and violence in Pakistan, highlighting the misuse of blasphemy laws, and summarizing a number of cases and events, including the mob attack in the Christian community of Jaranwala in August 2023. “Houses and churches were burned.. families displaced… homes looted, vandalized, and set on fire,” because of an accusation of blasphemy, she said.

Bishop Emeritus Thévenot recalled his time serving in Tanzania, where different faith groups – Christians, Muslims, and traditional African religious — lived in peace and friendship. A group from Sudan came into the community and wanted to change that relationship, but the local Muslim population refused to disrupt the harmony. “In some societies you always have fanatics, who want to go overboard.”

However, in some parts of the world, division, persecution and violence are directed against Christians today – it is not something that only happened long ago, Thévenot said. “It still exists today…while I am taken up with the idea of all these people dying for their faith, do I stay indifferent… or do I feel touched?”

He noted that even North American society is becoming increasingly anti-Christian, with secularism even pushing against the celebration of Christian holidays such as Christmas.

He also described the work of CAPC to provide help and support to Christians in peril “They are not forgotten, and we give witness that Christ is with them always,” he said, also urging action: “not only to talk about them, but to try and find ways to help them: let us be involved in this; let us not be spectators.”

Roman Catholic Bishop Mark Hagemoen joined Evangelical Orthodox Bishop Jakob Palm in leading prayers before a time of silent prayer and candle lighting.

In closing remarks, Hagemoen said that in the face of the plight and suffering of persecuted Christians, “we come back to the Word of God, which sustains us: ‘Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.’…God’s grace is so powerful that he can bring light even to the darkness.”

Hagemoen said the challenge is responding to the plight of the persecuted, given the way of the Gospel. “There is no easy answer to this,” the bishop said, calling for a response that is faithful to he way of Jesus Christ who is the Saviour. “It does mean to respond to hate not only with love, but with engagement, and not to give in to indifference.

The celebration concluded with the Lord’s prayer and a blessing.

 

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[Photos by Joan Hill]

Bishop Mark Hagemoen celebrated Sunday Eucharist with St. Peter Cathedral parishioners at Muenster, SK, on Nov. 19, 2023, offering special prayers to officially install Fr. Paul Oshin as pastor of the parishes of St. Peter, Muenster; St. Scholastica, Burr; and Holy Trinity, Pilger.

Oshin was appointed pastor of the three Humboldt-area parishes earlier this year. He previously served at St. Paul Co-Cathedral, and as  a hospital chaplain in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon, as well serving as pastor to the Athabasca region parishes at Black Lake, Fond du Lac, and Stony Rapids in the northern diocese of Keewatin-Le Pas.

The installation prayers by Bishop Hagemoen offered an opportunity to reflect prayerfully on the role of the pastor, highlighting the priest’s sacramental ministry through a series of prayers at different spots throughout the church building: the altar, the ambo, the tabernacle, the baptismal font, the entrance of the church, the confessional, and so on.

Bishop Hagemoen will continue travelling to parishes in the diocese to install other recently-appointed pastors in the weeks ahead.

“This isn’t a required ritual, but it is something that is an option, and we have chosen to do that because of its simple but rich symbolism about the relationship of the pastor — the priest — with the people of God,” explains Bishop Hagemoen.

Photo gallery: LINK

 

Other pastor installations by Bishop Hagemoen:

• Fr. Greg Smith-Windsor – St. Aloysius Parish, Allan – Oct. 8, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Santhosh Thekkekulam, VC– St. Mary Parish, Macklin – Oct. 21, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Rinesh Menambadath Chacko, VC – St. James Parish, Wilkie – Oct. 21, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. John Ezeoruonye – St. Front Parish, St. Front – Nov. 5 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Daniel Louh – St. Philippe Neri Parish, Vonda – Nov. 18, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Daniel Yasinski – Our Lady of Lourdes, Saskatoon – Nov. 26, 2023 – LINK

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Bishop Mark Hagemoen celebrated the Eucharist with the faith community of hSt. Philippe Neri Parish in Vonda, SK, Nov. 18, 2023, offering special prayers to officially install Fr. Daniel Louh, SMA, as pastor of the parishes at Vonda, Prud’homme, and St. Denis.

Louh was appointed pastor of the Trinite parishes earlier this year. He is also serving as pastor of Sts-Martyrs-Canadiens Francophone Parish in Saskatoon. Originally from the diocese of Man, Côte d’Ivoire, Louh assisted at St. Paul Co-Cathedral when he first arrived in the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon in 2021. A member of the Society of African Missions, Louh also served for a time as associate pastor at St. Mary Parish in Saskatoon.

The installation prayers by Bishop Hagemoen offered an opportunity to reflect prayerfully on the role of the pastor, highlighting the priest’s sacramental ministry through a series of prayers at different spots throughout the church building: the altar, the ambo, the tabernacle, the baptismal font, the entrance of the church, the confessional, and so on.

Bishop Hagemoen will continue travelling to parishes in the diocese to install other recently-appointed pastors in the weeks ahead.

“This isn’t a required ritual, but it is something that is an option, and we have chosen to do that because of its simple but rich symbolism about the relationship of the pastor — the priest — with the people of God,” explains Bishop Hagemoen.

Photo gallery: LINK

Other pastor installations by Bishop Hagemoen:

• Fr. Greg Smith-Windsor – St. Aloysius Parish, Allan – Oct. 8, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Santhosh Thekkekulam, VC– St. Mary Parish, Macklin – Oct. 21, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. Rinesh Menambadath Chacko, VC – St. James Parish, Wilkie – Oct. 21, 2023 – LINK
• Fr. John Ezeoruonye – St.Front Parish, St. Front – Nov. 5, 2023 – LINK

Upcoming:

• Fr. Paul Oshin – St. Peter  Cathedral, Muenster – Nov. 19, 2023 at 10:00 a.m.
• Fr. Daniel Yasinski – Our Lady of Lourdes, Saskatoon – Nov. 26, 2023 at 10:30 a.m.

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(Kiply Lukan Yaworski is the coordinator of communications for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon: rcdos.ca)

 

 

Read more about the IRF in our diocese: LINK