One of my favorite saints is St. Jose Sanchez del Rio because he was an example of having no fear. He was a Mexican Christero.
I love his battle cry, which was “Viva la Cristo Rey” meaning long live Christ the King. I was touched because at the young age of 14 he was martyred. He was also martyred with many other Christeros.
He had so much faith and that is why he is one of my favorite saints.
St. Jose Sanchez del Rio, Pray for us
To God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
Before I start, I have to write a couple things first, there needs to be some start point. In three words I would like to say that, Saints are awesome!
They are incredible people with beautiful stories, each unique and special. There are a lot of them, so many stories that I had a hard time choosing which ones to write about. The Saint and servant of God I will write about are both incredible women that have shown me such wonderful examples in life. I also acknowledge my patron Saint and namesake Kateri Tekakwitha, another woman that I love.
I have had a decent amount of struggle in my life, as I had been diagnosed with a rare genetic condition that brought me on some trips for testing at the hospital. I have always felt a connection to those who have suffered like me (well in different ways of course) martyrs, those who struggled with sickness, persecution, disabilities, all those people who have given of themselves, given up their pain to the Lord and stayed faithful no matter what. There are so many people I would love to acknowledge, but the list of names would be endless. Both of these women I will write about suffered but they all brought their troubles before God. They are women that I have become very much attached to, more so recently.
Saint Margaret of Castello is the Saint that I chose for my Confirmation. When I first read about her in a Saint book (‘Saints Around the World’, by Meg Hunter-Kilmer) and then later on a web page, I knew that she was meant to be my spiritual Godmother because she definitely feels like it. Margaret was born into a well-to-do family near Florence, Italy in 1287. She suffered rejection due to her severe physical disabilities as a dwarf, having a curved back leaving her hunched over, she was lame to the point that she could barely walk and she was blind. That is a lot to suffer from. Margaret was kept hidden away for many of her first years, at the age of six she was walled up in a room attached to a chapel. A family chaplain taught her about God, and there by the chapel she could attend Mass and receive the eucharist. Her parents were looking for a miracle to heal their daughter but when it didn’t happen, they abandoned her. Margaret later became a member of the Dominican Third Order of Castello and developed a deep prayer life, devoting the reminder of her life (33 years) to acts of penance and charity.
Margaret suffered so much but through it all she was serene, calm, cheerful and courageous. Even though her outer appearance might not have been the most appealing, her joy and kindness overpowered that and gave her a unique beauty through that. She had patience, forgiveness and understanding.
St.Margaret of Castello, Pray for us!
St. Margaret of Castello teaches me about the importance of remaining joy filled, kind and loving. She is just such a role model for my life and that is what I aim to follow, living with joy, kindness and love.
I deeply have come to love this incredible woman, Catherine Doherty. She is a “servant of God” at this point, on the path to being recognized as a saint. I really got close to her when I began reading about her life in books(such as, ‘Victorious Exile’ by Echo Lewis and ‘They Called her the Baroness’ by Lorene Hanley Duquin). Her life was literally like an epic adventure story! It was a very inspiring story too. Her Russian name was Ekaterina Fyodorovna Kolyschkina and she was born in the year 1897 in Nizhny-Novgorod, Russia. She was baptised and received an upbringing in the Russian Orthodox Church as well as an openness to other religions. Catherine spent much of her childhood in different countries, places where her father’s work brought them. She even travelled to Egypt. At the age of just fifteen, Catherine married her first cousin the Baron Boris de Hueck who was many years older than she.
Catherine’s road of life she travelled was filled with physical, mental and emotional pain. She had learned from her father how to pray during times of suffering and she saw so much of it in her lifetime. The marriage between her and Boris was quite full of verbal and emotional abuse which submerged Catherine in misery. Boris was unfaithful to her and along with that came the emotional control of her and her feeling of unworthiness. World War I came and in Catherine’s words she said “I dipped into a sea of pain.” She was a hero during that time and so very brave and courageous. Catherine became Catholic in London, England, 1919. She had a son and so often she had to leave him at home so that she could earn money to care for her family and unfaithful Boris. She opened a friendship house in 1932 in Toronto after moving to the slums. She was a radical gospel witness and she took care of the poor with a loving motherly heart.
Servant of God Catherine Doherty, Pray for us
Catherine knew so much suffering and she pushed through the pain and found beauty. She founded Madonna House (a place I would like to go someday) a beautiful place filled with beautiful people. I love how Catherine Doherty brought the eastern and western church together. Here is the prayer “The Little Mandate” which is a prayer I love. She has shown me what real motherly love is and how to be a disciple of Christ.
Arise — go! Sell all you possess. Give it directly, personally to the poor. Take up My cross (their cross) and follow Me, going to the poor, being poor, being one with them, one with Me. Little — be always little! Be simple, poor, childlike. Preach the Gospel with your life — without compromise! Listen to the Spirit. He will lead you… Do little things exceedingly well for love of Me. Love… love… love, never counting the cost Go into the marketplace and stay with Me. Pray, fast. Pray always, fast. Be hidden. Be a light to your neighbour’s feet. Go without fear into the depth of men’s hearts. I shall be with you. Pray always. I will be your rest.
I just love the Saints; they can be your greatest friends when you have or feel like you have none. These two women really teach me how to love authentically, have kindness and courage.
These two saints I am sharing about I have always felt like I wanted to learn more about.
I was named after St.Magdalene of Canossa, Magdalene being my middle name. She is the foundress of the Canossian Sisters. She had a great desire to care for the poor and the needy, even offering lodging to poor girls in her own home. She inspires me to be generous towards others.
I desire that God may set your heart on fire with his love.
St.Magdalene of Canossa, Pray for us
St.Cecilia is another saint I feel drawn to. Whenever I hear her name I feel like I need to get to know her more. She also makes me feel inspired by her gift of music. I too desire to express myself in music and so I look to her as an example.
St.Cecilia, Pray for us
To God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
The saints I would like to share, are two I have come to find great admiration for.
When I chose St.Catherine of Siena as my Confirmation Saint I did not know much about her, but I think the main reason I chose her was because of her confidence to speak the truth and what she thought was right. When she was young she went to the Pope herself, in Avignon, and told him to go back to Rome (which influenced his decision to go back to Rome in 1376 ). I also liked her because I found her to be a lot like me; feisty, and passionate about her beliefs and thoughts.
Be who God meant you to be, and you will set the world on fire.
As I got to know more about St. Catherine it also changed my outlook on fasting. She fasted greatly, by giving up her bed, and eating little food( which she died from in the end ). She even cut her hair off, so she could influence her mom to let her be a nun and not have to get married. St. Catherine was also tempted greatly but stayed strong through it all, often by repeating the powerful name of Jesus. She had such a devotion to the Lord that he appeared to her many times, and helped her stay strong. Knowing her has brought me to realize that as long as I don’t fill my mind with things of this world and always give up more, I can be a lot closer to the Lord.
St. Catherine of Siena, pray for us!
The second saint I would like to share about( one that awes me) is a very recently canonized saint… St. Carlo Acutis.
I was first introduced to him when we did an activity where each person in our family picked a name from a hat of a “Blessed”( a person on their way to being recognized as a saint ) to share about when it came to their feast day. I just happened to get Blessed Carlo Acutis! What I admire about St. Carlo is that he loved Jesus and was not afraid to show that, even inviting friends of his to the church with him. He often expressed Jesus as being his best friend to those he asked to join him. He even converted the family caretaker to the Catholic faith!
Our goal must be infinite, not the finite. The infinite is our homeland. Heaven has been waiting for us forever.
I also love his example of self-control amidst his time of playing video games, pokemon, soccer, etc. He always found time to visit Jesus and others. Carlo often brought his conversations back around to Jesus. He even used his love of computer progamming to make a website about eucharistic miracles! Although St. Carlo lived a short earthly life he gave us the most amazing example of joy by his smile he wore all the time. He is a reminder that no matter how young you are you can make a change in people’s lives, even adults came to him with serious situations they trusted him with. St. Carlo became a saint even though he only lived 15 years. He teaches us to love always, because we never know how long we have.
I consider Saint Maximilian Kolbe as the saint whom I think of most as a spiritual friend. He seems to have adopted me which I never discovered until some years beyond my childhood, at the age of 21, with the discovery that the first time that his feast day was celebrated, after he was canonized a saint, on August 14th, 1983 was also the very day that I began my new life in Christ as a baptized Catholic Christian.
Perhaps what Saint Maximilian is most well known for is the offering of his life for another man in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. And this has always been striking for me; the image of Him offering to die in this man’s place. Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friend, from John 15.13, has been a verse I have meditated on as I pondered Maximilian’s offering. It has led me to ask, “are we not to give our life for all, even our enemies?” A treasure I have received is to realize that in loving and offering our lives even for our enemies they become friends.
Greater love has no man than this, than to lay down one’s life…
One year after I made my consecration to Jesus through Mary, at the age of 20, I started to discover Saint Maximilian more fully and have come to realize his intense devotion to the Blessed Mother of Jesus. His pursuits were always done with such complete trust in the Virgin Mary and for the greatest glory of God. His complete and total trust is so striking for me and has been something that I have sought His intercession in acquiring.
Another striking aspect is how this trust gave him such a firm foundation that struggles or barriers, including health or jealousy from others, never weighed him down or caused him to waver in always seeking to do the Lord’s will and that of the Blessed Virgin Mary, in pleasing her Son.
Saint Joseph is another saint whom I have come to befriend. He is a bit of a mystery with much of his life being unknown, because of the little we hear about him in scripture, but what we do know of him I find very striking. One particular aspect which I admire, and seek to emulate, is that when he heard the voice of God he followed expediently, without delay, in total trust (Matthew 1.20,24; 2.13-15; 2.19-22).
Another aspect of his life that is striking to me is his care for his family; the Virgin Mary and Jesus, the son of God. I imagine at times he probably felt unworthy but found strength in that the Lord had chosen Him for this task, leading with both humility and strength from God. We do not know for sure how old he was, or how long he lived, but I picture him as both young and old at the same time; having the wisdom of age yet the strength and endurance of youth.
When Joseph woke from sleep, he did as the angel of the Lord commanded him.
I seek the intercession of St.Joseph in leading my family and living out my own vocation as a Father, and to be able to hear and respond to the voice of the Lord in my life.
To God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
One of the aspects of the Catholic Faith that I have appreciated the most is the knowledge that we are never alone on our journey to eternal life. We are a part of a huge family consisting not only of those on earth, the “church militant”, but also all those who are being purified as they await the glory of heaven, and those who have already attained that glory. Those who have already attained the glory of heaven, the “church triumphant”, we celebrate on November 1st, All Saints Day. And those awaiting that glory as they are being purified to see God face to face, the “church suffering”, we commemorate on November 2, All Souls Day.
The month of November is a special time to pray for our loved ones who have passed from this life, and also to be encouraged by the examples of the saints in living here on earth what we desire to live for all eternity.
We hear of Christ’s example in Sacred Scripture and it is His example that we seek to follow. But we also have so many people, the saints, who have gone before us and lived ordinary lives, yet their lives have become extraordinary because they have lived them in, with, and for Christ.
This month we will be sharing stories about the particular saints who have inspired us to live in, with, and for the Lord Jesus in our own lives. We are so thankful for the lives of these holy people, these saints and spiritual friends, who have gone before us and are still very much with us as “a great cloud of witnesses”. (Hebrews 12:1) They encourage us, and I imagine are cheering us on, to cast aside everything that would hinder us in our ‘not so ordinary’ life, in our own journey of faith, and to run with perseverance the race that is set before us towards union with God through love of Him and love of our neighbour.
To God, the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
How hard it is to see our suffering as a blessing!
In our lives we do not look for suffering; good health is preferred to sickness, joy is more acceptable than sorrow, success is more desired than failure, and riches more cherished than poverty!
But Jesus’ measurement for blessedness are things so detestable by our standards; poverty, hunger, grieving and sorrowing, and being hated, despised, and excluded.
So, why these situations and states in order for us to blessed? Why suffering? Why poverty? Why hunger? Why exclusion? I believe the simple answer would be because these all bring us to a profound need, a need for God and for total reliance on Him.
But it is hard to be faithful! There are so many comforts and temptations that distract us and pull us away from God and the path of blessedness. It is kind of like a tug-of-war, with the world as our opponent. It is impossible for us to pull and to resist on our own. We need God pulling with us, for us! He has actually already won the “tug-of-war” so we just really need to let go, fall on our knees, and acknowledge our need for Him.
“Blessed the one who trusts in the Lord”
– Psalm 1 (response)
We will face hardships, temptations, and struggles in this life. We will have the desire to escape into comforts, but we need to remember that we can not face these on our own.
Trust in the Lord with all that you are!
Go to Him and ask Him for help and strength!
And in time you will see the blessedness of suffering as the way of drawing ever closer to him.
Praise the Lord for opportunities to grow more in need of Him and to draw closer to Him; that poverty has become a sure path to eternal riches, hunger has created a way to eternal satisfaction, sorrow and grief have become paths leading to eternal joy, and that rejection has paved the way to an acceptance into an eternity in love.
Jesus is waiting for you today, so come to Him hungry and empty.
Come and allow, not the world but, Jesus to fill you by the power of the Holy Spirit!
I felt so inspired to share this reflection, after sharing it at our Liturgy last Sunday, because this suffering really speaks to us in a very personal way as we have struggled through these past 2 years among so much adversity, all exascerbated with the challenges faced during a pandemic. At times we have felt so low, but it has been prayer, a dependance on God, and the support & encouragement we have received from so many family, friends, and clergy that has carried us. To put it in a nutshell, this passage from Luke(v.21-22 particularly) has almost completely related to our situation and speaks deeply to our hearts.
We have been asked by quite a few people lately, perhaps because we are all out in “public” with things opening up more and people gathering again (as we had a funeral service for an elder earlier this week), “how much longer are you staying?” And we feel as if people are really saying, “why are you still here? With everything that has happened and the church coming to the forefront of controversy with residential schools, shouldn’t you be somewhere else? Wouldn’t it be easier to go home and be with your families?”
So through it all we have been reminded this week, “We love because he first loved us.” Wherever we are, wherever He puts us and calls us to be, it is Gods love that we sink in to, that we accommodate to permeate our hearts, and that we seek to share by first loving those closest to us(our children and each other); allowing His love to shine forth from our hearts as a beacon of hope to all. And, as we heard recently from another person: “I hope you guys grow old here!”
Just stumbled upon a great idea today as we received an e-mail from HolyHeroes.com: to pray a novena to the Holy Spirit in preparation for Lent!
“We want to prepare our Lent in imitation of Jesus, who was led by the Holy Spirit into the desert of His Lent.
This Lent, rather than trying to change ourselves by penances and sacrifices of our choosing, we want to be led by the Spirit so that He can guide us in the ways He would like to transform us.”
Well, here is a long overdue recap of the last few months, by way of pictures. It will be short, in the way of writing, and sweet! Enjoy!!
We had a family photo shoot down at Glenora. We were able to enlist one of our friends, who enjoys photography, to spend some time with us to do this.
Riding in the RCMP Cruiser during the Terry Fox run. It was a long way for the little ones, but they did make it just past the half way point.
Enjoying ice cream after the run!
Kateri up to her face painting again!
Dressing up at the McBride Museum, in Whitehorse
Holy Family Apostolate meeting at Maryhouse, in Whitehorse; starting with a meal, then a holy hour, and finishing with reflection and sharing.
A fairly typical Whitehorse run; loading up the groceries and building supplies.
Stopping overnight in Teslin, to visit with Trudy, one of the other Pastoral Administrators in the diocese. Driving was a bit dicey as we hit a snow storm.
Kateri posing with Constable Warkentin
Denise’s mom had flown to Whitehorse and travelled down with us, so she was in town for 2 weeks.
Our new pet, Tuffy
Carving pumpkins in preparation for All Hallows Eve
There’s Tuffy again:)
Our first snowfall, at the beginning of November
Tobias’ first snow:)
Celebrating mommy’s 33rd birthday
Baking Christ the King cookies
Getting ready for our procession on the Solemnity of Christ the King. It was pretty cold out so we didn’t get too many takers
Something we were inspired to try this year; rolling our own beeswax candles for our advent wreaths. A few people from our church community joined us to make some for themselves also.
Celebrating Mass during our Diocesan Retreat for pastoral staff, at the beginning of December, at the Cathedral in Whitehorse.
Singing for the Christmas concert
Every year Santa shows up after the Christmas concert to bring presents for all of the kids.
Christmas tree hunting. We even found an ‘ethical’ tree (or at least we were told we did!) because we found it underneath the power lines. I guess one day it would have to eventually be cut down anyways:)
A late night skate, across the street, at the Rec with some hot chocolate to warm them bones
Out at another one of our friends’ places, having a winter pre-Christmas party on their pond
Our Nativity Pageant, complete with a live baby Jesus:)
Fr.David Reilander, President of Catholic Missions in Canada, sharing his Christmas message, up close, with the children
Christmas morning, unwrapping Baby Jesus the best gift ever!
Putting Baby Jesus in the manger
The view from our living room window, over to the Rec Centre and the RCMP. It had warmed up just enough for the snow to slide part way down the roof and give us the snow cave feel. It stayed like this for quite a few weeks as we had a pretty long run of colder temperatures.
Putting together our new family puzzle
Aliz helping mommy make biscuits
St.Ann’s Mission in Watson Lake. Joshua went to help one of the other Pastoral Administrators with the major renovations being done in the rectory to make it ready for our two new priests from India. He went for a few days in the middle of December and then for 1 week at the beginning of November.
Celebrating Mass in Watson Lake
Our 2 new priests from India, Fr.Deva(L) and Fr.Suresh(R), and Jean Claude(another of the Pastoral Administrators in the diocese), working on the rectory renovations in Watson Lake
Here is Tuffy’s brother, Sven, who we picked up a few weeks after getting Tuffy, so that he would have a friend to keep him company.
The three magi, following the star and bearing spiritual gifts for the good people of Telegraph Creek, on the feast of the Epiphany!
Now you may have noticed that we do not have too many pictures of the community. To explain, we are wanting to respect the people here that are a part of our church community, and wider community, by limiting the amount of photos we put of them on this blog. We hope you enjoy what you do see though and that it may give you a little snapshot of what is going on up here with us. We will share stories(hopefully), inspirations, and highlights as we feel prompted!
Well, it appears like we have blasted into the new year, and missed posting our pictures for most of the fall and into the tail end of 2016! With family life and ministry it seems that life has still happened and time has passed. Sometime soon we will post some highlights for you, but until then….
We ended up getting out to do a few fun things on the weekend.
On Saturday we visited with our friends, who just had a new baby goat born. Kateri was loving holding the animals, including the chickens. We went sledding at their place and stayed for a bit of a visit, warming up inside on hot chocolate!
Then on Sunday afternoon, after visiting with our Church community post Communion Service, we decided to hit the ‘ski hill’ for some more sledding. It has been nice here lately with temperatures dropping down to around 20 below at night but warming up to the mid teens during the day. It hasn’t snowed here in a while, so the hill was mainly ice(or really, crunchy snow), but we all had a blast!
the BLUE DOOR 