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"Your destiny is to be apostles, and so tend within your hearts the sacred fire that the Holy Spirit lights there..."

- St. Eugene de Mazenod -

July - August 2013 Volume 12 No. 4

News & Views Assumption Province

Contents

Page 3 World Youth Day

Page 6 Vacation with God

Page 8 Walking Pilgrimage to Midland

Page 9 Queen of Apostles Open House

0 Provincial Feast & 50th Jubilee of Queen of Apostles

Page 13 Marriage Encounter

Page 14 Anniversary of Coronation

in Ludźmierz

Page 15 Canonical Visitation & Blessing of Fr. Sylla Statue

Page 20 Annual Pilgrimage to Rama

Page 21 Fr. Pawel Ratajczak OMI

Page 22 Birthdays & Good byes

Page 23 Oblate Cottage

Assumption Province Feast Day and

the 50th Anniversary of Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre

Page 11

A few months ago during our

Inter-chapter meeting, we had a

chance to watch a video which

captures very well the time we

take away from our daily work.

The title of the video was

“Change your words and the

world will change”.

There was a blind man sitting in

front of a church begging for money.

As people were passing by, some of

them stopped and put change into

.

A Message from the Provincial

the steel container in front of him. Beside the man was a sign saying “I am

blind please help me”. At one point, a young girl who was passing by

stopped and looked at the blind man. She picked up his sign, started

writing some words on it and then placed the sign back next to him and

left. Within minutes, almost every person who walked past, donated money

to the man. About an hour later, the same girl came back, stopped by the

blind man and looked at him. He recognized her and asked, “What did

you do to my sign?”. She replied, “I wrote the same message but in

different words.”

2


Every summer is an opportunity to get some rest, visit family and friends, discover new places and learn

new things. During this time of vacation, I had the privilege to celebrate my Silver Jubilee of ordination

with my classmates in Obra, in my hometown parish and also in many holy places like the Shrine of

Devine Mercy in Lagiewniki, by the tomb of Bl. John Paul II and the great apostle St. Peter in Rome. I

also visited 4 major basilicas in Rome and prayed there as my pilgrimage on the occasion of my 25th

anniversary of priesthood. All these events and places influence our lives inspiring us to live our vocation

more fully. This season is very special in our life journey because it gives us an opportunity to distance

ourselves from our regular duties and come back to our daily life with a new approach and new energy.

As we begin a new school year, and in a couple of months we will begin our three year preparation for the

200th anniversary of the establishment of our congregation, we are invited to undergo conversion: by

changing our words, attitude and message so that the world around us will change as well.

Fr. Marian Gil OMI

3


Praised be Jesus Christ and Mary Immaculate!

July 22, 2013 Dear Young Oblate Friends and Missionaries,

These days in Aparecida have been filled with sharing, celebration and faith. We have drawn closer as an Oblate family and have deepened the charity and zeal of Saint Eugene de Mazenod. We are filled with gratitude for God for this wonderful experience! This letter and the sandals that go with it remind us that our missionary journey of life and faith is a journey deeper and deeper into the mystery of Jesus Christ. As we go on this journey, please pray for workers in the vineyard of

the Lord. Please remember that for the mission of the Church, Jesus needs committed young people, adults, married people, single people, missionaries, Sisters, Brothers and priests to carry on his work. Part of Jesus’ ministry was calling others by name to follow him full time for a whole lifetime! I ask you to consider this for your own life. Is Jesus calling you to become a missionary priest, Brother or Sister as an Oblate of Mary Immaculate? Do you know a young man or woman who is generous, happy with a strong faith that could

be a dedicated Missionary Oblate of Mary Immaculate? Invite him or her to think about it. Tell them you see in them the qualities of a priest, Brother or Sister. Encourage them to discern this vocation. Think and pray about this for your own life. Don’t be afraid. Don’t be hesitant! The Church needs you. The Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate need you. The Poor need you. Be courageous and ask yourself if God is calling you! Saint Eugene called us to leave nothing undared, so dare to

consider a missionary vocation as a Brother, a priest or a Sister. Invite others, call them by name, as Jesus did, and encourage them in thinking about a vocation. I ask you also to please pray for vocations to the Lord of the harvest, that he will send good labourers into the work of the Kingdom.

Thank you for these wonderful days together growing together in faith, and in our missionary vocation. With my love and prayer,

Father Louis Lougen, OMI Superior General

Superior General’s Letter following the Oblate Youth Gathering in Aparecida

http://www.google.ca/url?sa=i&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&frm=1&source=images&cd=&cad=rja&docid=kSVc_hTIQ5ebhM&tbnid=rq4qS3MkXUWrhM:&ved=0CAUQjRw&url=http://www.omiworld.org/information.asp?iID=6&N=&ei=XI8bUtHCIIrA2AXVtYGIDQ&bvm=bv.51156542,d.b2I&psig=AFQjCNE_QIY22Zj1U4Xn74xx5S9-eAoeNQ&ust=1377624208397850

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World Youth Day in Brazil 2013

Does 7 million people sound amazing? Oh yes!

At a press conference in Rio de Janeiro,

Archbishop Orani Tempesta, provided several

interesting statistics.

There were about 427,000 pilgrims from

175 countries participating in the

catechesis during the week.

The opening mass for WYD on Tuesday

July 23 was attended by 600,000 faithful.

1.2 million pilgrims gathered on the

Copacabana beach on Thursday July 25

to welcome the Pope.

The Copacabana beach was swarmed by

3.7 million people for mass on Sunday.

The way the of the cross with the Pope

was attended by 2 million people.

The Archbishop summed up these statistics with

the words “We have seen the works of God. God

was at work among us, God surprised us. This

was well above our expectations and plans.”

What can I add to that? Our group of youth,

along with Fr. Wojciech Stangel and me, took

part in the Oblate gathering in Aparecida at the

feet of the Mother of God in the local sanctuary.

Five days filled with Oblate charism with Father

Superior General Louis Lougen OMI and a

thousand other youth from parishes that are

ministered to by Oblates and others. Around 400

youth spoke Portuguese, 300 Spanish and 300

English, which included a great group from

Canada. The program consisted of lots of prayers

and time dedicated to St. Eugene de Mazenod

and the Oblate charism.

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Another five days in Rio de Janeiro. God blessed us with rain in order to dedicate three days to the

catechesis of various Bishops in multiple languages, but also with good weather from Friday to

Sunday. Not a single drop fell in the couple of days when a combined 7 million people gathered on

the Copacabana beach for the Papal welcome, way of the cross, Saturday’s vigil with the Pope and

the final Mass on Sunday.

“Go and make disciples of all nations in the community, together without fear, and serve” said Pope

Francis. Cherish your hope and allow God to surprise us by living in joy and drawing strength from

the love of Christ which is manifested on the cross with Mary as the model for a life of faith. And just

like we left joyous to Brazil, we returned full of joy to our homes, but the spirit of WYD spoken

through the words of Pope Francis, animates us to implement the teachings of Christ. And off to

Krakow we go in 2016!

Fr. Mieczyslaw Burdzy OMI

6


As we all know, the most important job of any

altar server is to serve at the altar, and so year-

round formation is dedicated to this. But not only

that - following in the footsteps of St. Eugene, we

want to help them firstly become good people,

then good Christians, and only then saints. This

task is not as easy as it might seem! The year-

round formation of altar servers includes meetings,

catechesis, and the “technical” preparation for

service, but this is not all. It also includes soccer,

picnics, joint celebrations and summer break – a

trip to Kaszuby – a vacation with God which is

both team building and formational.

This year was our second trip with 53 children and

11 adults. Quite a large group, but the presence of

so many children is joyous and gives an

opportunity to form altar servers and bring them

closer to God and love for their neighbour. Such a

trip is an excellent opportunity for altar servers to

get to know each other, relax and see the beauty of

the world God has created for us.

The program includes firstly, of course, formation

- so daily Eucharist which is the center of every

day, catechesis conducted in a very interesting

way and based on well-known children’s films

(this year we based them on the famous movie

"The Lion King"), prayer, Stations of the Cross...

Added to this is a responsibility for your

community, the preparation of the liturgy, having

fun working together whether it is to help prepare

a meal and then clean up after, wash the dishes…

It seems that for many of the altar servers it was

their first opportunity to find out how a broom

and mop work and also discover that the

bathroom does not clean itself and the garbage

does not empty itself.

A Vacation with God in Kaszuby

7


We cannot forgot that this is a vacation so there

was also lots of time to relax and play sports: soccer, volleyball, badminton, various team

games, kayaking, of course fun in the lake – for

the brave even a short lesson in scuba diving, fun in the sand (not just for little children!), walks

while admiring the beautiful weather, fun

evenings and camp fires, dance clubs, …and for

the “persistent amateurs of nightly adventures” were push-ups and sit-ups in true military style!

A beautiful experience was when we went on a day-long trip to Ottawa where we celebrated mass

at a Polish parish, visited Parliament and a War

Museum. Our day ended impressively – with

nightly fireworks!

We are very grateful firstly to God who gives us

the opportunity to rest and grow in such a lovely place, but also to so many people who have

laboured for the good of the altar servers and their

formation - from Father Janusz, our pastor, to the

many parents and volunteers who sacrificed their vacation time for the sake of the younger

generation. Thank you! God bless.

Fr. Marcin Rosinski OMI

8


31st Annual Walking Pilgrimage to Midland

The 31st Annual Walking Pilgrimage to Midland took place from August 5 – 11,

2013. This walking pilgrimage has been

a staple of the Polish community since its beginning and allows people to take

time out of their busy schedules to

rejuvenate their love, dedication to God

and give thanks for all that He has done.

Over 650 people took part in this year’s pilgrimage, including a woman from

China who heard about this pilgrimage

to the Canadian Martyr’s Shrine in

Midland during her visit to Poland. There was also an unprecedented

number of young people whose energy

and love was apparent during the evening gatherings in which they sang

and danced for hours praising God.

On Sunday August 11th, 2013 over 12,000 Polonia attended the Solemnity

of the Assumption of the Blessed

Mother in Midland. The celebration was uplifting and even emotional when

His Grace Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz,

Archbishop of Minsk, Belarus,

preached his homily.

9


Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre was privileged to host an open house on August 10th, 2013 from 10 am to

4 pm to commemorate the 50th anniversary of its service to the Archdiocese of Toronto, different Christian denominations and to the secular society. The retreat house displayed different programs run by the Queen of Apostles Team. Some of the programs include Advent and Lenten retreats, CWL, Engaged Encounter,

Marriage Encounter, Seniors’ Retreat, ACTS Women and Men, Deacons’ Retreat, RCIA, Students’ Retreat and Sisters’ Retreat. The open house was an opportunity for all to refresh their fond memories and to learn about the new developments in the centre over the last fifty years. Appetizers, refreshments and souvenirs

were handed out to the 500 visitor’s throughout the day and the ACTS program provided musical entertainment. The Michael J. Smith Memorial Fund was also inaugurated for the upkeep and renovation of Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre.

During the official part of the festivities, both Fr. Marian Gil, Provincial of Assumption Province, and Fr. Chris Pulchny, Director of Queen of Apostles, thanked the past and present staff for their dedicated service over the past 50 years and the great hospitality of the retreat house. The day also included Dave & Pat Rudan

and Al & Nita Lobo, two team couples, who were honoured for their service to the retreat house with a certificate and miniature Oblate Madonna and a PowerPoint presentation entitled “Spiritual Oasis since 1963” which highlighted the chronological development of the retreat house since its foundation.

Fr. Tomy Thomas OMI

50th Anniversary of Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre

Open House

10


As every year on August 15th, Oblates from Assumption Province come together to celebrate the Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and our Feast Day! This year’s celebrations were even more festive as they coincided with the 50th anniversary of Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre. We were honoured to host His Eminence, Thomas Cardinal Collins and His Grace Tadeusz Kondrusiewicz, Archbishop of Minsk, Belarus at this year’s event. We also took a moment to honour two employees from Queen of Apostles, Anne Hales and Joe Russo. They received the Crystal Oblate Madonna Award for their dedication

and hard work in promoting the charism of St. Eugene de Mazenod and participating in the mission of our Province to preach the good news to the poor. Pictures from the celebrations and biographies of Anne and Joe can be found below.

Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary Assumption Province Feast Day

50th Anniversary of Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre

11


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ANNE HALES Anne was born in Toronto to Slovakian parents. Anne attended the Toronto School of Theology, the

Jesuit Spiritual Centre in Guelph and has completed countless workshops and courses on preaching

retreats. She first worked in diocesan parish ministry at Nativity of Our Lord Parish in Etobicoke but was offered a job by Fr. Michael Smith almost 30 years ago to lead retreats at Queen of Apostles.

Since then Mrs. Hales has been on the preaching team at the Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre,

preaching Oblate-style retreats, including special Women’s Retreats each year. Her giftedness is particularly evident in her work with grade school and high school students.

Anne is also in charge of payables, payrolls and promotion of the centre. She is married to Paul and is the

proud mother to Michael and Matthew and grandmother of two boys.

JOE RUSSO Joseph Russo was born in Melbourne, Australia on March 2nd to Italian born parents, John and Maria Russo. Joe, his parents and older brother Frank moved to Canada in 1969. He and his family resided in

Etobicoke and Joe went to Humber College from 1978 to 1981 where he received a diploma in

Hospitality Management, his Chef papers and the Commonwealth Holiday Inn Award of Excellence.

After graduation, Mr. Russo worked for the Holiday Inn and was in the Management Training program. In 1981, he was hired by Father Smith as Sous Chef for Queen of Apostles Retreat Centre. In 1988, he

got married and moved to Mississauga where he currently resides with his two children Megan and

Lawrence, ages 21 and 23.

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The seed for such a program for married couples came from the Centre’s founder, Father Michael Smith, OMI. Early on in his priesthood, Fr. Smith developed a passion for supporting the family by helping married couples in their personal and spiritual growth. In 1963, the Centre was built to accommodate couples and the first programs were married couples’ retreats.

The first Marriage Encounter was given at Queen of Apostles in January 1971. Fr. Smith invited Ken and Jackie Good from Hamilton, who had ME experience, to give this weekend with him for CFM couples. Later, it was Fr. Smith, along with Fran and Malcolm Peake and Al and Cathy Webster who were the first “local” couples to give the Marriage Encounter at Queen of Apostles. Fr. Smith’s personal commitment to inspire, develop and respond to the needs of team couples helped to create a

bond with the couples. He was open to new ideas and shared his dream to have Queen of Apostles become a Centre where marriage and family life could be enriched. His philosophy was that if you enriched a marriage relationship, you strengthen the Church. The reputation of Queen of Apostles grew as a welcoming Christian ecumenical retreat Centre. The Centre helped other denominations train team couples for their own communities. A request for assistance was made from the

Family Life Office in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Father Larry, along with Dave and Pat Rudan, gave two ME weekends and training to assist in the program there. Fr. Stan Bak OMI had heard of and was very much interested in the Engaged Encounter program that was being offered in other locations. Along with Don and Judy McPhee and Joe and Barbara Cornacchia, he attended such a weekend in Detroit in 1975. Fr. Stan was happy with the experience but felt there was something missing. In order

for a couple to begin their marriage on a solid footing, they needed to be introduced to good communication skills. With the help of team couples, topics were honed and two communication skill workshops were introduced to the program. On the weekend of March 12, 1976, Fr. Stan along with Don and Judy McPhee and Joe and Barbara Cornnaccia gave the first Engaged Encounter at Queen of Apostles. For a number of years, there were over 40 weekend programs per year dedicated to ME and EE - some held

simultaneously in different conference rooms, which required many team couples and many hours of personal training. At its peak, there were about 60-70 team couples available for EE and ME weekends. The idea was that a couple would give two weekends a year to keep “in tune” but not to be overburdened. The philosophy was that if team couples would participate in both ME and EE, their personal and mutual relationship in marriage would be enriched.

To enable couples with children to make the weekend, staff incorporated the generous help of individuals from the Young Adult Retreats as well as the 25 and Up Club Retreats singles to babysit for couples who could not find a

babysitter. Each week, Fr. Larry and later, Sr. MaryAnne and others would spend much time phoning for babysitters as well as for high school students to serve at tables for meals during weekend programs. Pope John Paul II and now, Pope Francis have emphasized the importance of helping families in their growth.

Consequently, we thank the Provincial Council and entire Oblate Assumption province for continuing to support Marriage and Engaged Encounters, which greatly benefit and enhance the health and growth of married couples and families, the basis of our church communities and society. The Assumption Province has a right to be proud of the ministry and accomplishments of Queen of Apostles over the past 50 years.

Submitted by Larry Novakowski with the help of Dave & Pat Rudan Edited by Zofia Kaczmarska for purpose of News & Views

Marriage Encounter at Queen of Apostles Renewal Centre

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50th Anniversary of the Coronation of

the Miraculous Statue of Our Lady of Ludźmierz

50 years ago, among 200,000 faithful on August 15th,

1963, His Eminence Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski –

Primate of Poland, together with His Excellency Bishop

Karol Wojtyla crowned the miraculous statue of Our

Lady of Ludźmierz with papal crowns in Ludźmierz

Poland. This was an enormously important celebration

that is remembered by many to this day. Following the

coronation, while four Bishops were carrying the

miraculous statue of Our Lady in a procession, the

scepter in her hand suddenly began to fall. Immediately

Bp. Karol Wojtyla, walking next to the statue, caught the

scepter in midair. The Primate of Poland turned to Bp.

Wojtyla and said, “Karol, the Mother of God is sharing

her authority with you…”.

In the last half-century, the devotion to Our Lady of

Ludźmierz has spread all over the world. The miraculous

statue of Our Lady has reached the United States,

Bethlehem, Rome, the Dominican Republic, Germany,

France, various places in Poland, and even our own St.

Eugene de Mazenod Church in Brampton, Canada. In

each of these places there is a live and fervent devotion to

Mary, who constantly intercedes for us with her Son, and

paves the way for us to Him.

The 50th anniversary of the coronation ceremony was

presided over by His Eminence Cardinal Stanislaw

Dziwisz, Archbishop of Krakow. He also preached the

homily, which can be found at: www.demazenod.org.

The ceremony was also attended by dozens of priests,

both local and from all over the world, including two

Oblates: Fr. Wladyslaw Karciarz OMI and Fr. Adam

Filas OMI. We must give tremendous credit to Fr. Prelate

and Custodian of the Ludźmierz Shrine, Fr. Tadeusz

Juchas, who despite serious health problems prepared the

anniversary celebration, which was attended by over

40,000 people, impeccably!

Fr. Adam Filas OMI

15


Canonical Visitation in Sturgis

From August 16th – 18th, 2013 I had the privilege to conduct a canonical visitation of Fr. Marcin

Mironiuk and visit the following parishes: St. Patrick’s - Sturgis, St. Anthony’s – Rama, Buchanan and

St. Thomas’ – Norquay. I would like to thank Fr. Marcin for his hospitality and for taking care of all details while I was there.

St. Patrick’s Church

Sturgis

St. Peter & Paul Church Dobrowody

St. Anthony’s Church

Rama

St. Anne’s Church

Buchanan

St. Thomas’ Church Norquay

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My visitation coincided with the blessing of the statue of Fr.

Anthony Sylla OMI which was made in Verona, Italy in bronze and

placed at the entrance of the grotto area. I must say that I was amazed at how great of an influence and impact Fr. Sylla had on

many people, not only in Alberta but in Saskatchewan as well.

Placing a statue on the holy ground of the grotto which was built by

Fr. Sylla, was a vivid sign of great respect and gratitude, which the people who were touched by his ministry wanted to express.

On my way from the Regina Airport to Sturgis, one of the families who spent their entire life in the Rama area shared how Fr. Sylla

ministered to different generations during his 29 years of service at

St. Anthony’s Parish in Rama. I heard a remarkable story of a young

man who in 1965 passing by the grotto in Rama stopped there and prayed asking for help because he was jobless. During that encounter

he made promises that if he gets a job and is healthy, he will looks

after the grotto as long as he lives. Later on, he not only got a job but

An Oblate who Influenced the Lives of Thousands of People

established his own company which signed a deal with the city of Regina for a multi-million dollar

contract. Today on the grounds of the Lourdes Grotto in Rama you can find many plaques which mention the name of this man and his family who keeps his promise and provides financial support to

this ministry at St. Anthony’s Parish.

A year ago, the community in Rama with the help of the Broda family were able to erect a statue

dedicated to St. Gianna Beretta Molla in order to say that life is precious and sacred and every human being should respect this gift. On the first Sunday after August 15th, there is a tradition to celebrate Mass

in the intention of unborn children at the grotto in Rama.

The entire Broda family.

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The statue of Fr. Sylla was another expression to thank God for the many graces the Broda family

received and the community of St. Anthony’s parish

but also to pay great respect to the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate who ministered for

decades in this parish, especially deeply respected Fr.

Anthony Sylla. Although Fr. Anthony passed away

35 years ago (1978) his influence and his memory is very alive in today’s community. Sometimes we

think that individual life doesn’t make much

difference, but the lives of Holy people like Gianna Beretta Molla and Holy Oblates played incredible

role not only during the time they were alive, but

even after death.

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Fr. Sylla & the Grotto…

Anthony Joseph Sylla was born on June 1, 1881 in Popielnice, Poland, the youngest of eleven children. Fr. Sylla had his first missionary call to Canada to work among Polish

immigrants arriving in Alberta on October 28, 1909. His missionary work took him throughout many parts of both southern and northern Alberta including Skaro where he built his first grotto. On March 17, 1927 Fr. Sylla assumed full

pastoral responsibility at Holy Ghost Parish in Winnipeg, Manitoba, the largest Polish parish in Western Canada. A beautiful parish hall was built by him, but on September 17, 1933, they bade farewell to him as he was requested by

Bishop Prud’homme of the diocese of Prince Albert Saskatchewan to serve the people of Rama and Dobrowody.

Fr. Sylla voluntarily answered his call arriving at the train station in Rama on September 21, 1933. On Saturday September 24, he celebrated his first Mass in Rama at 9:00am and then went on to Dobrowody for the second Mass.

Fr. Sylla took charge of the missions east of Rama and north of Canora. Lacking even in the simplest material, parishioners purchased the former creamery at Invermay and the parish hall was built. With the same spirit

Fr. Sylla and his people also built a new rectory which was completed and blessed in July of 1942. It was on the eve of September 1, 1939 WWII, when Poland was invaded that Fr. Sylla summoned his

parishioners and asked them to haul their fieldstones for a grotto has to be built so that people had a sacred place to pray for peace in the world. This shrine would be a replica of the Grotta of Lourdes in France, thus it was named Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine. This was where the Blessed Virgin Mary in her apparitions expressed

her desire that people should pray. Excavation began with a man-made hill on the west side of the church. Over 300 truckloads of stones as well as many wagonloads of fieldstones were brought in from the Rama and Dobrowody districts. More than 200 bags of cement were used in the construction of the large front and the

two side wings in the form of a semicircle. Each of the stones were hand washed and passed through the hands of Fr. Sylla as he blessed it in its proper place. On June 15, 1941 with the large front wall and that two side wings completed, Msgr. J.A. Jansen, the Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Regina, blessed the shrine. Almost 1000 persons attended this celebration which also marked the Feast Day of the patron saint, St.

Anthony. Approximately 2000 attended the first pilgrimage on August 14 and 15 in 1941 on the Feast of Blessed Virgin Mary’s Assumption.

In 1944 a wooden cross, bearing the bronze figure of Jesus, dominates the scene high on the hill above the grotto. Stone steps lead up at either side to a pulpit and to the cross. Two statues, one of the Sorrowful Mother and the other of St. John stand on each side of the Cross. In the same stone altars are three statues, one of Our

Lord taken down from the Cross in the arms of His Mother (Pieta) another of Our Lord in the sepulchre and the third of the Resurrected Jesus.

In 1954, the local Knights of Columbus built a fountain near the entrance of the shrine placing a statue in the centre of Our Lady of Grace, and donated it to Fr. Sylla. In 1958-59, the Stations of the Cross portrayed by stone niches were erected by Fr. Sylla around the outside of the hill. The white sculpted statues placed inside each niche were the work of a Polish man, Mr. Brunka, of Winnipeg.

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An Oblate who Significantly Touched my Life… Father Sylla baptized me in 1934 and was still in Rama when I had my First Mass in Rama. I remember him saying to me after my Mass, “Rudy you are a priest, be a good priest.” It was Fr. Sylla who first popped the question to me about being a priest when I was about 9 or 10 years old. I remember the spot where this happened, on the sidewalk near the front of the parish hall and not far from the pool hall. I recall Fr. Sylla as my first pastor. He was the image of a good Oblate and dedicated pastor. A prayerful, holy man, a man of faith. He celebrated liturgies in a devotional, pastoral way. He lived a life of simplicity and frugality. He was much respected by the people and other priests. He also cared about the catechetical instruction of the children. In the summer he invited the Benedictine Sisters

from Winnipeg to give us two weeks of preparation for the Sacraments and regular catechism. Just a little anecdote. I recall that at the end of our First Communion Mass, all the First Communion children, kneeling along the communion rail, received their First Communion certificate, all except me who was the last one in the row. This was a traumatic feeling! But, after Mass, my good grandmother Mazurkiewicz, took me to the parish office where Father Sylla wrote out the certificate for me. So, in a way, it was special.

He was a priest of devotions. Perhaps, his main devotion was to Our Blessed Mother, Mary. This is evident in his

supervising and actually himself working on the building of Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto. He had previously built a

similar grotto at Skaro AB, outside of Edmonton. The annual Feast of the Assumption of Mary Pilgrimage drew

many people for the August 14 and 15 Masses, confessions, Rosary and procession, Adoration of the Blessed

Sacrament, Anointing of the Sick, personal prayer and devotions, blessing of religious articles, and, of course,

sharing in the delicious dinner put on by the Rama parishioners. Masses were in Polish, English, and Ukrainian.

Usually the Archbishop of Regina was present, and at times the Ukrainian bishop also for the Ukrainian liturgy.

One of the highlights of the pilgrimage was the opportunity for confession, of which most pilgrims took advantage.

These pilgrimages have had a special feeling of “holy time, holy ground.” When possible, I have tried to participate

in the Rama pilgrimage. Fr. Sylla’s Marian devotion and the grotto, with its pilgrimage, have instilled a Marian

quality to the faith of the Rama people. The Grotto has put Rama on the map.

An anecdote. On the pilgrimage morning of August 15, 1945, the people were crying. At first I didn’t know what

this was all about. I soon learned that news had just come that the Second World War was finally over! These were

tears of joy and relief. I have heard that Fr. Sylla urged the people to finish the building of the grotto so that the war

would come to an end.

When I was assigned to Holy Rosary Parish in Edmonton, 1965-67, Fr. Sylla was there in residence in his

retirement years. Prayer was very much part of his life. This was the time of Vatican II Council and major liturgical

renewal in the Church, changes in the format of the Mass and the beginning of the vernacular at Mass. Though

some younger clergy reacted to some of the changes, Father Sylla, in his 80's, asked me to teach and help him to

celebrate Mass in the ‘new way.’

I will always hold Father Sylla in high regard as a good, holy priest and as an Oblate who significantly touched my

life.

Fr. Rudy Nowakowski OMI

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The 72nd Annual Pilgrimage held on August 14 & 15 at the Shrine of Our Lady of Lourdes in Rama attracted over 800 pilgrims over the two days. August 14, The Vigil of the Assumption of the Blessed

Virgin Mary began with Mass at 8:00pm with the main celebrant, Fr. Daniel Yasinski of Holy Spirit

Parish in Saskatoon, SK. Fr. Marcin Mironiuk OMI, pastor of St. Anthony's in Rama, welcomed Fr.

Daniel who was ordained only two months ago and the ten other priests that came from surrounding areas including Saskatoon. It was a special event for Fr. Daniel as this was the first time as a priest in

Rama where his roots are. He recalled how his grandparents never missed a pilgrimage and how

important the Holy Rosary had always been in his family.

His homily focussed " the indispensable role of The Blessed Virgin Mary. The reason being that "

1) " because she is Our Mother"

2) " because all grace comes to us through Our Blessed Mother"

He referred to Her as "Our biggest fan" and that "She wants us to come home." She is the One who can help us get to heaven and that we must dedicate our lives to Her every day.

The living rosary and the candlelight procession took place following the Mass. The evening concluded

with Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Adoration till midnight.

"Godzinki" at 8:00 am began the Feast day of Mary's Assumption, followed by Mass in Polish with Fr.

Marcin Mironiuk. The Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine Rite with celebrants Very Rev. Fr. Joakim Rac

and Fr. Methodius Kushko took place at the Shrine. Stations of the Cross and anointing of the Sick and

Aged preceded the Final Mass. Lunch was served at the Parish Hall.

Mary & Joseph Kowalyshyn

72nd Annual Rama Pilgrimage

21


August 15 marks the Solemnity of the Assumption of Mary, a great

feast for the Church and for our Province. The same date also falls

on the two-month anniversary of my arrival in Rome. After

spending this time here, I can say that very slowly the General

House and Rome itself are beginning to feel like “home”. The

initial period of arriving in a foreign city and a new Oblate

community is passing, where everything and everyone is new.

Now comes the time of deepening community ties, and of work:

methodical, daily and sustained – first at the Italian language

school, and then at the Gregorian University. Rome does give the

opportunity to participate in some very special events, such as

Masses with the Pope. Nevertheless, my first priority is learning

and study.

Fr. Pawel Ratajczak OMI in Rome

My main work over the past two months has been the task of getting to know the Italian language. I go to a private

language school near the General House along with other Oblates, since for various reasons, this year we did not

have the opportunity to go outside of Rome to study Italian. Our language school caters mostly to men and

women religious, so I share a common ground and a common interest with my fellow classmates. All of the

continents of the globe are represented in my class of 11 students. This internationality is at times tedious, as for

example, not everybody seems to understand the notion of “punctuality”. More so, however, the diversity of

cultures is a source of richness and information about the Catholic Church across the globe. The news we receive

about the Church is not all positive: in August, one of the fellow sisters of a woman religious from our class, was

arrested along with some priests by Chinese Communist authorities for the crime of….holding a summer camp for

children. There is still no word about where the sister and priests are being detained, or for how long. Therefore,

the experience of internationality is also at times a lesson about the persecuted Church. During this time, I travel

once a week to a community of Mother Theresa’s sisters, the Missionaries of Charity, where I hear some

confessions and give a short spiritual talk.

As far as plans for August and September are concerned, I will spend these months in language school. I am also

exploring and thinking about different possibilities for a licentiate thesis topic. I have not forgotten about the

community of the Province, and I hope the community has not forgotten about me! I’m thankful for all prayers and

support.

22


Birthdays and Goodbyes

On August 1st, the Toronto district gathered at the Provincial House to celebrate the birthdays of

Father Provincial Marian Gil OMI and Fr. Leo Von Wedon OMI.

A special thank you to everyone who made it out to the festivities!

Happy birthday Fr. Marian and Fr. Leo!!

That same day, we also bade farewell to Fr. Jozef Kowalik OMI who is from Poland and has been

helping out at St. Eugene de Mazenod Parish for the past few months. Thank you Fr. Jozef for all

your hard work, cheerful smile and for your example of a genuine and wholehearted devotion to our

Blessed Mother.

We also took the opportunity to congratulate Fr. Gilbert Bertrand on his 25 th anniversary of

ordination. Fr. Gilbert will be hosting Fr. Pawel Nyrek in Halifax while he takes English language

classes. Thank you Fr. Gilbert for your continued hospitality over the years and congratulations on

your 25th anniversary of ordination!

23


As is fitting for the summer holidays, the Oblate cottage has been visited by many. Below are just a few

pictures of the many activities going on. Thank you to Fr. Janusz and others who have dedicated a part of

their vacation to various work at the cottage so that we can all enjoy it year-long.

A Little from our Oblate Cottage…

24


Fr. Tuan Pham OMI shares his experience of ministry

to Vietnamese and Burmese parishioners.

We encourage you to view this video.

http://omiusa.org/en/component/content/article/810

We also include and encourage you to take a few minutes out of your day to view

the following links:

Message from youth in Aparecida:

http://www.omiworld.org/content.asp?catID=3&artID=2171

Blind man video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnVbiTwkvp4&feature=youtu.be

We encourage anyone who has an

interesting, fun or creative picture which

they would like to share with the

Province, please send it to

[email protected] and it will be included into our News & Views.

http://omiusa.org/en/component/content/article/810

http://www.omiworld.org/content.asp?catID=3&artID=2171

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BnVbiTwkvp4&feature=youtu.be

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