The Life of the Society in Western Canada

By Fr. Jean Violette

If you ever read the history of Western Canada, which I most highly recommend, you will read about such men as Archbishop Taché, Bishop Grandin, and Father Lacombe. These are the men who opened the West. They were missionary bishops and priests; Oblates of Mary Immaculate (OMI) who went about the entire western and northern part of Canada literally running after the Indian and Métis populations in order to win them over to Christ and His Church.

The territory covered by the Society in the West is the same as the one covered by these heroic men, not that we are very heroic. If one considers that they traveled on foot, slept outdoors in minus 30 degrees F. (which are just a few of the hardships they encountered), and then the relative ease with which we go about our work, there is really no comparison and no place for heroics.

Our territory extends across 5 provinces, and 4 time zones; from Thunder Bay, Ontario to Port Hardy on Vancouver Island. We visit these groups regularly at least once a month, except for Thunder Bay which we visit every two months. To take care of this parish there are two Society priests. The main group is in Winnipeg where Fr. Gérard Rusak and I live. In Winnipeg the generosity of the faithful has made it possible for the Society to own a nice little church dedicated to St. Pius X, and three houses which serve as the priory which has been placed under the protection of St. Raphael.

Our Winnipeg group of about 80-90 faithful is a very active one. On Sunday our little church is filled with parishioners ranging in age from a few weeks old to the venerable age of 90. Very often the ladies of the parish prepare a lunch after Sunday Mass. This gives every one a chance to go downstairs and get to know one another a little better. It also makes it easier for the new members of the parish to be introduced to the other people. We also have quite a good number of young people and young couples, many of whom frequently help with the manual tasks around the church and rectory. Many of them also form our choir. Indeed Winnipeg is fortunate to have a very good choir which is much appreciated, especially around Christmas and Easter time, because it enables us to have the full beauty of the Roman liturgy; something which few of the Society parishes have. If you can't make it to a Society seminary for Holy Week, come to Winnipeg. The office of Tenebrae is chanted in its entirety, as is the beautiful Mass of Holy Thursday, the moving liturgical function of Good Friday, and solemn Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday Masses. Of course, each Sunday we have sung-Mass, and recently we have started to have sung-Mass on First Friday also. We have approximately 15-20 people assisting at daily Mass.

For the past 4 years we have been having parish missions during Lent. Each year a visiting priest comes to preach a 4-5 day mission which is very well attended. It is an excellent opportunity for those who cannot attend a closed retreat to take a few days off to think about the purpose of life, renew or make good resolutions in order to work at their salvation, and also to make a good general confession. We have found these missions to be so beneficial and very well accepted that this year we will extend them to two other parishes; Calgary and Nanaimo.

Because of the extent of our parish it is easy to understand that we travel quite a bit. Our missionary travel takes us away from Winnipeg for 10 days at a time. On Friday one of us flies out West on the mission tour. The first stop is Calgary where we also have Mass every Sunday. Calgary is the fastest growing group in Western Canada. When I first started going there in 1985 there were about 50 people coming to Mass, and now there are about 120 on Sunday. The priest stays in Calgary for three days offering Mass, hearing confessions, teaching catechism, and visiting the sick and those parishioners who invite him.

In Calgary we have the joy of having many young families, which by worldly standards are considered large, but by the standard of holy Mother Church are a source of joy and consolation, and the promise for the future of the Church and Society. Already many of them have 5-6 children. Along with the families in Rocky Mountain House, of which we shall speak later, it is certainly from these families that Our Lord will choose priestly and religious vocations as well as good Catholic parents. There is already a little school with 15 children, all supported by the parents who care more about the spiritual and even academic welfare of their children than following the easiest way out for themselves and their families. There are also some who make great sacrifices to send their children to the Society's school in St. Mary's, Kansas. I recommend these families to your prayers, because certainly the devil and the world are not happy with what they are doing, and they will certainly stir up many obstacles for them. But we must pray for them because as I have already said these families are the future of the Church and Society. Certainly these parents who follow the laws of God in marriage, who pray in and as a family, and who teach catechism to their children, draw upon the Church and Society many graces for which the devil certainly is not happy. But if he is not happy, we are and so is God.

In Calgary we now have a church. For the past 3 1/2 years we had been renting a funeral chapel. This arrangement worked out well in great part because of the devotion of one family who from the beginning has spared no effort to prepare all the things necessary for the offering of the Holy Sacrifice at the cost of great personal sacrifice. We are all, and especially myself, indebted to them for their great devotion to the Mass. I know they have made life very easy for me. Please keep them also in your prayers, they certainly have a right to them. As I said, we did not until recently have a church, but it was certainly not because of the lack of generosity of our parishioners. God has blessed us with many generous people who support the Society's work at the price of great personal sacrifices of both time and money. Without them it would be impossible to do what little work we do. It is a sure sign that they really appreciate the Mass. Many of them attend daily Mass in the Ukrainian rite. In Western Canada faithful Catholics have been able to avoid the poison of the Novus Ordo and still go to Holy Mass and have regular recourse to the sacraments thanks to the Ukrainian Catholic rite. This is how many of them avoided being contaminated by the Novus Ordo liturgy, devoid of sacredness and respect for anything holy. As in Winnipeg, there is a perpetual line-up at the confessional which is the best indicator of spiritual effort in the parish. Of course this is tiring for the priest, but even more so, very consoling.

As I said, the priest stays three days in Calgary; Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. After Sunday Mass at 9:00, it is a rush for the airport and a flight to Vancouver for 2:00 pm Mass. In Vancouver we have approximately 30-40 people. They are a smaller group in comparison to Winnipeg and Calgary, but it is also at the price of great sacrifices that they have the Mass every 15 days. As in Winnipeg and Calgary there are people who have been faithful to the true Mass for many years. We wish to be able to spend more time in that city of 1.5 million people, but for now, with our limited human resources it is not possible.

After Vancouver the priest takes a 5:00 or 5:30 flight to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island where approximately 45 faithful await his arrival. In Nanaimo we have just bought a beautiful little church which can seat approximately 100 people. We hope to be able to fill it very soon. In the meantime the parishioners are very active raising money to pay for the church. As usual, the ladies have thought of a good way to raise money for the building fund. After Mass a pie or cake baked by one of the ladies is raffled, the proceeds going to the building fund. In a few months a few hundred dollars have been raised thanks to the generosity of all. We have people coming to Sunday Mass in Nanaimo from as far off as Victoria and Port Alberni and Courtenay. Here again there usually is a long line-up for confessions. After a few words with every one the priest goes for supper and a good night's sleep.

Once a month on Monday we drive, with the help of one of our parishioners, to Port Hardy; a 5 hour ride north of Nanaimo. On Tuesday we visit Victoria where we have a group of about 20 people.

On Wednesday the priest leaves Nanaimo to go back to Alberta. Once a month we try to stop in Vernon to visit with Fr. Paul Greuter, a good personal friend as well as a friend of the Society. After a day with Fr. Greuter we return to Calgary. The other time however, the priest flies into Calgary and then drives up to Edmonton, a 2 1/2 to 3 hour drive, to catch a flight for Peace River. There we have Mass on Wednesday and Thursday evenings for three families. Mass is followed by a lunch and catechism or any other matter of interest.

On Friday morning it's back to Edmonton, and from there a drive to Rocky Mountain House where about 40 people come for Mass. After Mass the priest goes to have supper with one of the families who take turns in taking good care of us. Saturday morning the priest goes back to Calgary for catechism and evening Mass. Sunday morning means Mass in Calgary at the regular 9:00 am time, and then back to Rocky Mountain House for 6:00 pm Mass for about 50-60 people. Once a month we first go to Edmonton for an afternoon Mass before going to Rocky Mountain House. This is a very long day but it is made easier thanks to the kindness of a gentleman who drives us. This makes the recitation of the breviary a lot easier, and the trip a lot more pleasant.

On Monday a flight brings the priest back to Winnipeg for a few days of community life until the following Friday when we start all over again with a return to Calgary.

And don't think the one who stays in Winnipeg has nothing to do. On Sundays he alternates between Kenora, Ontario and Regina, Saskatchewan. Once a month during the week he travels to Dryden and Thunder Bay in Ontario, and also to Brandon, Manitoba and Rocanville, Saskatchewan. Plus, there is the visit of the sick, and there is always plenty to take care of. As the members of the Third order know, their bulletin comes from Winnipeg from the desk of Fr. Rusak, who has been appointed spiritual director for Canada by Fr. Emily.

Ours is a busy life, and I assure you there is never a dull moment, but it's a happy life. The good God has certainly blessed us with many good and generous faithful who make our life a lot easier by their sacrifices—either of money which is necessary to pay our fantastic travel expenses, or of their time to help us in our different needs when it comes to setting up for Mass or driving us around. Surely this crisis in the Church has brought about many generous and dedicated faithful souls. That is why we thank the good God each day and pray especially for the faithful He has given us every day at Holy Mass, so that He will grant them all perseverance in His service and the eternal reward He has promised to the good and faithful servants.

I wish to take this opportunity to again thank everyone who in one way or another help Fr. Rusak and myself. Remember that nothing we do for Our Lord is small in His eyes, and it will merit us an eternal reward in Heaven.