Happy Canada Day

In the shadows of red coloured Rockies, near Estes Park, Colorado (famous for Jack Nicholson’s The Shining), I miss the kickoff of Canadian Football Season.  Attending a 30 day “vows retreat”, it’s time to react to my surroundings.

Canada Day –what is that? Is that your “Independence Day”?  

Canada, or Confederation, Day is hardly a celebration of independence: liberty, equality, private property.  These values and my American confreres will have their turn on the 4^th of July; not part of my history.   Interdependence, mutuality, cooperation and compassion are words that come to mind when I reflect on Canada.  The closest we came to a war of independence involved fending off American Imperialists in 1812. We won that battle, and have been afraid of our own shadow ever since.  

In these parts, Canadians are known for their humility and ability to compromise.   In a global context, there is little about which we can boast.  We are a threat to none and dependent on many.

Canada Day celebrates how people have come together.  The brainchild of two European nations, our country is diverse if not plural.  What we have is a flawed and far from homogenous communion, but it seems to work.  We stake no claim of superiority; with God’s help we witness to the gift of minority.

My prayer for Canada today is that we follow in the footprints of Jesus Christ, and persevere in the vision of our founders:  multicultural, multilingual, multi-faith, etc.  May we be always be hospitable, receptive and kind –a refuge for strangers on the road.  

Automobile Diaries

God is Good

May 21/10

Highway 11 north to Saskatoon invites reflection . The prairie is flat and green; the Franciscan province of Christ the King, simple and zealous. I am on my way back to Edmonton from Lumsden and my first mid-term chapter experience.
5 days ago thirty something friars surrounded our most aged household in western Canada. I visited Lumsden once before, I had been to a Franciscan Chapter once before, neither experience offered me much hope for the future. This time, things were different.
I could list factors that led to this chapter experience as positive, but science is futile. More obvious in this moment is the incredibly abundant presence of God in my life and my Franciscan fraternity. Something happened this week; something beautifully beyond cause and effect. I need not explain it; I cannot explain it.
Memories of love, respect, sincerity, truth, and reconciliation giving way to hope, peace and stronger fraternity go home with us today. To my brothers young and old, thank you for your passion. May God never cease to inflame us.

30th Annual Edmonton Outdoor Way of the Cross

Me and my friends. No, I'm kidding! May we not lose our sense of ha ha this Christmas.

Merry Christmas

I awoke this morning poised to write an annual letter come blog recalling my year and sending out tidings for the feast of the Incarnation (see title). This I will do, but before so I must discharge my momentary angst.

This morning’s (December 19th) news is depressing. Coming out of a global financial crisis, which made many of us realize the need for stronger international ties –even governance- (I owe my conversion to Benedict XVI, Caritas in Veritate) the global community showed her incompetence in the form of a sketchy 11th hour deal on climate change. While I appreciate the fact that a deal was made, this one will do nothing to slow the polar thaw. Hardest for me to accept is the lack of enthusiasm for change demonstrated by my own country, as well as the giant directly to our south. Alberta’s tar sands have brought prosperity, but, surely, we will pay for it.

Reflection on consequence leads me to a question: Is Armageddon imminent? I try to believe that the Second Coming will be to a completed kingdom of peace and harmony, but it seems the world is racing toward total self-destruction. Perhaps we will soon identify with St. Paul and the early church who anticipated, and readied themselves, for a judgement day they believed near at hand.

As Advent people we are journeying toward presence –that is “presence” not “presents”. And presence was something I learned a lot about this year. The Clinical Pastoral Education program, endangered as the polar bear, was the most formative ministerial experience of my life to date. I spent three months at the University of Alberta hospital learning how to connect with self, others and God (and better do I see the connectedness of these three). Of cherished memory are laughs with my hospital colleagues, as well as the reality checks found in ministry and group reflection. The truth may hurt lest it also liberate.

Speaking of freedom, I said goodbye to Newman Theological College in 2009 -they even gave me a degree. Warm thoughts go out to the few friends I made through studies. Formally or informally, I consider all partners in ministry and companions on the road of life.

No longer a student, ministry, it seems, became my energy and stress this year. So fortunate was I to get out and meet new people in places such as Victoria, Calgary, and St. Albert. As anyone who has traveled knows, western Canada is a large and sparsely populated region. For that reason we experience cultural nuances from one city to the next. In every part, however, I have discovered spirits of inquiry, openness, and dedication. Resting on our basic drive to survive, which includes the urge to compete, gain and consume, is a want for inner peace and tranquility. It is the latter that keeps me employed. Thank you God for creating people in your own image!

2009 was not all work and no play. On Labour Day weekend, I attended just the fourth Dupuis Family reunion in about 20 years (Dupuis is the maiden name of my Grandma Ducharme). Always fun is it to be in the Okanagan Valley with aunts, uncles, cousins and their kin, not to mention my immediate family whom I see more often. So revealing at family reunions are the affects of nature. People get older. They get wiser. They get stronger, and they get weaker. They get faster, and they get slower. They stay up later, and they go to bed earlier. They party harder, and they party less. Praise God people change! I quote a rhetorical old friend: “If all people were the same, and stayed the same, life would be boring”.

Before signing off I must acknowledge the people who teach me who I am on a daily basis. To my dearest friends, loved ones, and especially my Franciscan community: God Bless! The Spirit of the Lord shows herself to me through you.

May the peace of the Incarnate Word be with you always!

Discovering the Other Poor

Given all that is stimulating in the universe these days, it can be hard to pick a one blog topic. One could compare this struggle with that of choosing a vocation. Having decided on (or at least parameters for) the ladder (me being a Franciscan) the single most pressing blog topic continues to allude this aspiring child of God. So, in the news….

On October 3rd and 4th we Franciscans celebrated our annual feast. A scaled down event from the 1000 plus guest affair at the Northlands Agricom last fall, 40 or so friends of the Edmonton Franciscan community gathered at the friary on Saturday evening. If Billy has not blogged about it, he should –his Vodka laced Oysters are earning he and the Franciscans a reputation. Justifiable only by faith in Jesus Christ, “Love covers a multitude of sins” (1 Peter 4:8), pleasure, pleasure, pleasurable is his cuisine.

From Hedonism to Narcissism, and speaking of food, I watched “Julie and Julia” last evening. Meryl Streep’s near perfect Julia Child impersonation tested my endurance, but the film must be credited for something –it inspires me to write. Like St. Francis was inspired to doff possessions, power, and status, I am presently inspired to write. For those who have not seen the movie, I will try not to ruin it for you by building it up as some sort of masterpiece; I will say that I identify with aspiring writer/cook Julie Powel. At thirty, the young wife (not mother) realises that she, an expert at nothing, still struggles to prove herself to the world. I am not an expert at anything, nor can I claim to be an authority on very much, and I too would like to save the world. What a coincidence!

Speaking of coincidences, I delved into one of our Minister General’s writings this week and gained a new insight on gospel poverty. In a letter to “young Friars”, our Jose, OFM addresses the question: “How to be poor today?” His answer: “give priority to human relations. Do not just give things to the poor…place the person at the centre and goods at the service of your relationships with others and with God.” Need I exegete? Rhetorical question, and the answer is no.

To those who know me, and even more so to those who do not know me, I can be flippant, narcissistic, and annoyingly opinionated. Beyond other lacking abilities, my tendency to self-disclose alone will save me from ever being named a bishop in the Catholic Church. Yet I, like Julie Powel, know that something good can come from my need to be needed. As I am now (filled with faith in Jesus Christ), I am justified. From people, may l learn to love lady poverty.

And the Lord Gave Me Brothers

All summer long people were asking me why my blog was so out of date. Well, frankly, I was busy! I engaged in and completed the three month Clinical Pastoral Education program at the University of Alberta Hospital. This, for me, was a nice segue from theological studies to my next career as blogger. Do not be afraid, that was a joke. All will learn of my upcoming (and real) adventures in future blogs.

Even though there is much to tell, I would, for now, like to put aside the storied months of May, June, and July, to focus on recent history. Last weekend my good friends and brothers Daniel Gurnick and Armand Mercier made their Solemn Profession as Friars Minor (and to the western Canadian Church, God, and world) -I must throw that in there, as we are proudly a western Canadian province. The profession, as an event, was noticeably priding for friars and friends, and no doubt the families of Armand and Dan. For myself, and a number of my confreres, it capped off an inspiring retreat by our American brother Roch Niemeyer. Throughout the week, Niemeyer spoke of God, above all else, as St. Francis’s inspiration to live the gospel in humility, poverty and with love. Deep within Francis was a desire for solidarity with creation. Desire, explains Niemeyer, comes from the heart –the dwelling place of faith.

As Franciscans we are often referred to as a montly crew. No two friars are the same; no two friaries are the same. What brings us together is our shared desire to live the gospel as brothers. This life is not about fronts or practices, it is about faith. So, with this in mind I would like to share with you some photos from recent history. If you are interested in liturgical symbols (which are all good and wonderful), check out the webpage: franciscanfriars.ca. In this particular collection I have reserved space only for photos of friars celebrating, even priding in, their brotherhood.

A common desire connects us all. May a community of peace and joy be the fruit of the faith we share.