6 August 2007
Dear Pastors, Lay Pastoral Animators and Faithful of the Archdiocese
It has been a couple of months now since you heard from me, this largely because I was away from McLennan from June 13th until July 23rd. Now that I am back in the saddle, let me bring you up to date on what has been happening.
Reception of the Pallium in Rome: On June 29th, the feast of Sts. Peter and Paul, I received the pallium from the Holy Father. This was an awesome experience, one of the many that have been mine since being named as archbishop. Over the coming months, you will see me wear the pallium over my shoulders at Masses in the archdiocese. The pallium is a white wool garment, make from the shearings of two sheep that are brought to the Vatican on the feast of St. Agnes each January; some black crosses are woven into it, and it is decorated with three pins (representing the nails of Christ’s crucifixion). The pallium carries much symbolism: my solidarity with the Pope, the mandate as a metropolitan archbishop to take the straying sheep over my shoulders and bring it home, the many crosses that I must bear, that will come my way as the pastoral leader of this local Church. At a special audience with the Holy Father the next day, I expressed greetings to Pope Benedict from the clergy and people of our archdiocese of Grouard-McLennan. He seemed to know immediately where we’re located in Canada.
Eucharistic Congress: During my absence, the Arc of the New Covenant made its way around to several parishes in our archdiocese. This provided an opportunity for adoration of the Blessed Sacrament, and heralded a year of preparation for the International Eucharistic Congress being held in Quebec City next year, from June 15th to 22nd, 2008. I have already registered for this Congress; I hope that many of you choose to do so as well. For more information, please contact Father Joseph Jacobson here at the chancery office.
Aboriginal ministry: Once I returned from Rome and other vacation time, I took part in a conference held at Newman Theological College in Edmonton, entitled Directions in Aboriginal Ministry. This was a very beneficial experience for me, given that we have many Native and Métis communities in our archdiocese. I am grateful for all that I learned at this conference about the spirituality and symbols of our aboriginal peoples. Sister Eva Solomon, a Sister of St. Joseph and an Ojibwa Indian, conducted much of the conference. Sister Eva will be in our archdiocese from November 6th to 12th. I hope that many of you, both Native and non-Native, have the chance to meet and hear her while she is among us.
Pilgrimages: I was honoured to be able to preside at a Mass at Lac Ste-Anne last week, on Sunday, July 22nd. I was pleased to meet people from all over western Canada there. This is obviously the “season” for pilgrimages: I will also be present at the annual pilgrimage at Little Red River from August 10th to 13th, as well as the archdiocesan pilgrimage in Girouxville on August 15th, the feast of the Assumption. I was out of the country for the Eleskie pilgrimage … this must wait for another year.
Indian Residential School Settlement Agreement: I mentioned in a previous letter that I was chosen as one of two bishops to sit on the Board of the Corporation of 50 Catholic parties involved in the settlement of the Indian Residential Schools issue. At a recent Annual General Meeting of this Board, I was selected as the chairman. It would appear that this position will demand even more of my time and energy over the next several years. However, I willingly take this on in the belief that this issue will have a major impact on the future of both Aboriginal peoples and the Canadian Catholic Church. I ask you to keep this Agreement in your prayers over the coming months and years.
Fairview: After several years of ministry among us, Father Joe T. Singarajah is leaving our archdiocese before the end of August to accept another appointment with his Oblate community. I am grateful to Father Joe T. for his years of service among us, and wish him God’s blessings for his future ministry. As I write this, I do not yet have a priest to serve Fairview and Hines Creek. I pray that I will have a suitable option before the end of September.
Our Archdiocesan Family: In previous letters, I have spoken of my intention to establish an Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. As we come toward the end of the summer, I will be working to establish this Council, which will have as its mandate to provide me with input on the direction of pastoral ministry in the archdiocese … in other words, a pastoral plan. Key to this will be to have a realistic picture of both the needs and the resources that can be identified in the archdiocese as a whole. Archbishop Henri Goudreault began work in this direction when he convoked the archdiocesan synod before his untimely death. I would like to move in a similar direction, not by calling a synod right away – that may happen later down the road – but by establishing the Archdiocesan Pastoral Council. One of the goals of this Council will be to strengthen our identity as one family of faith in Jesus Christ, under the leadership of the archbishop. I ask all of you to begin to include this intention in your prayers.
The Holy Father wrote a letter to the Catholic world recently on the importance of vacations. In whatever remains of yours, I pray that it bring you peace and refreshment.
+ Gerard Pettipas, C.Ss.R.
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