*Article by Patrick Woods, C.Ss.R. published in the November edition of SCALA Redemptorist Newsletter*
For two weeks in November, from the 5th to the 15th, Redemptorists, deacons and Lay Missionaries from the Denver Province, the Baltimore Province, the St Anne de Beaupre Province, the Edmonton-Toronto Province, and the Yorkton Province travelled to the Archdiocese of Grouard/McLennan in Alberta, Canada to preach missions in 20 parishes throughout the Archdiocese. The Archbishop, Gerry Pettipas, is a Redemptorist from our Edmonton-Toronto Province.
The theme of the Mission was “The Sower Sows the Word”
This mission developed from meetings of the North American Superiors. In an effort to take some first steps in forming a common apostolic project among the units of North America, the superiors decided to approach Archbishop Pettipas about an Archdiocesan-wide mission.
The Archbishop enthusiastically embraced this idea and planning began. Father John Murray was a key man in organizing and planning this mission. He will be very missed on this mission because of the accident he suffered that has left him a paraplegic. The mission was preached in Spanish, French, English, and Ukrainian. It will be preached in the city of Grand Prairie, and in towns and villages throughout this rural area of Canadian North America.
The mission began with a common retreat day for all the missionaries led by Archbishop Pettipas and included a videotaped message of solidarity from Superior General Michael Brehl.
Previously, there have been some outstanding mission projects in Staten Island and Brooklyn New York and in the state of Maine in the United States and St. Lucia in the Caribbean. These missions involved confreres from different units of North America. This Alberta mission is another step in apostolic solidarity among the Conference of North America.
