Our Lady of Grace

Bishop Henry gives the Sacrament of Confirmation

Our Lady of Grace — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:57:16 +0000

On Saturday, April 28, 2012 Bishop Henry attended Our Lady of Grace to give the Sacrament of Confirmation to a group of our young people and adults! His message resonates “You are Special” …Please pray for all those who received the fullness of the Holy Spirit so that they may be witnesses to the love of God in our community. CONGRATULATIONS TO ALL THE CONFIRMANTS AND THEIR FAMILIES.

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Festa di San Francesco di Paola

Our Lady of Grace — Sun, 22 Apr 2012 20:21:05 +0000

On Sunday, April 22nd, our Italian community celebrated the Feast of St. Francis of Paola. Everyone, not just Calabresi, came out to honour this great saint who touched the hearts of many people. We celebrated a solemn mass which was followed by a procession outside with the statue of the saint. Afterward we met in the downstairs to celebrate the feast day!

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WELCOME FATHER SHIBIL!

Our Lady of Grace — Tue, 17 Apr 2012 23:40:35 +0000

In the past several months we have seen good growth here at Our Lady of Grace and as a result, Fr. Ugo, Fr. Jimmy and Deacon Dante (and even Deacon Anthony!) have been kept extremely busy! Fr. Ugo also remains very busy with his work and travels as the North American Delegate Superior of the Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception. While it is exciting to witness God move in our midst, we want to ensure our church continues to run smoothly, so Fr. Shibil has been invited to join us here to lend a helping hand!

Fr. Shibil, who returned to Calgary with Fr. Ugo this week, was born on May 1, 1974, in Malakkallu, India; and speaks four languages; Malayalam, Hindi, English & Italian! A member of a large family, he has 2 brothers and 4 sisters and belonged to the parish of “Our Lady of Lourdes Church Malakkallu”.

Fr. Shibil joined the religious congregation The Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception in June 1991 and since October 2007 has been working in St. Joseph’s School Puthanangadi as the Principal. Established by the Congregation, the aim of the school is not only academic excellence but also character formation leaning towards charity. His most valued role to date however was fulfilling his responsibility as the Superior of the Luigi Bhavan Community where he directed persons pursuing vocation.

We know that Fr. Shibil will be a wonderful blessing to our church family. We welcome and pray for Fr. Shibil and the religious community of the Congregation of the Sons of the Immaculate Conception of which he is proud to be a part of.

Sights and Sounds of Easter Sunday!

Our Lady of Grace — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 04:21:30 +0000

Enjoy the sights and sounds of Easter Sunday at Our Lady of Grace! It was a great day of celebration during both Easter Sunday Masses as choirs and parishioners joined in to sing “Alleluia” in English and Italian! Pay close attention to our Italian Choir. Italy is all about culture and our Italian Choir brings that culture home by donning choir robes this Easter season! Also on hand at our 11am mass was the addition of a band accompaniment! A big thank you to our music ministries who help to bring the liturgy to life for all in attendance!

An Easter Vigil to remember

Our Lady of Grace — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:02:11 +0000

On Holy Saturday, Easter Vigil, as we prepared to celebrate the great mystery of the Lord’s Resurrection on Easter Sunday, we were given a gift: a time for silent reflection and prayer, a moment to ask forgiveness and to hope in the joy that only Christ can bring. Our Easter Vigil began in darkness with the blessing of the Easter Candle and was later highlighted with some very special baptisms and Professions of Faith!

Behind the Via Crucis (The Stations of the Cross)

Our Lady of Grace — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 03:18:00 +0000

Welcome to an inside look at the Via Crucis! Walk with us through Good Friday mass and then take a sneak peak at those who performed the re-enactment. Thank you to all the actors, and especially members of our youth who so exceptionally brought The Passion to us so vividly. And a big thank you to Adele Marcucci for providing the costumes! It is through these demonstrations and presentations throughout Holy Week that we are able to commemorate Jesus’s last days. We reflect on His life, suffering and death, …. His Passion. … Due to its artistic nature, video is best viewed in full screen ….

Messiah in the Passover – Demonstration Seder Banquet

Our Lady of Grace — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:22:53 +0000

On April 4th, we deepened our understanding of the Jewish practice that takes place during Passover – the Jewish Passover Seder Meal. Following a time of prayer and reflection in the church, we moved to the hall where a demonstration of the traditional SEDER MEAL with its customs and prayers was shared. A very special thank you to the City View Society for providing the necessary tools for those in attendance to fully appreciate the beautiful symbolism of the elements of a Seder. For your efforts we can now enter more deeply into the Passion of Christ. Click on the thumbnails below to view full images. (Please take your time before starting in order for all photos to load properly.)

Palm Sunday at Our Lady of Grace

Our Lady of Grace — Tue, 03 Apr 2012 03:31:52 +0000

On Palm Sunday, April 1, 2012, parishioners at Our Lady of Grace celebrated the triumphal entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem. The gospels record the arrival of Jesus riding into the city on a donkey, while the crowds spread their cloaks and palm branches on the street and shouted “Hosanna to the Son of David” and “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord” to honor him as their long-awaited Messiah and King. During Palm Sunday masses began with the blessing of the palms followed by the children forming a procession around the church. During Mass, the Passion was read. Join us as we prepared our hearts during all three masses for the agony of His Passion and the joy of His Resurrection. Video photo slideshow and individual photos are posted.

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Out of the mouths of Babes: Jesus’s baptism portrayed

Our Lady of Grace — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 19:50:12 +0000

Last year, youth parishioner/Altar Server Alessandra Paolucci shared her drawing of Jesus’s baptism. Today we would like to share it with you!

“This picture is the way I pictured when Jesus was being baptized and the Holy Spirit opened up to him. I pictured it as the sunrise being brighter so that it would look like the heavens were opening up to him. I drew John the Baptists and Jesus in the river. John is pointing to the heavens and Jesus is raising his hand because of his gratefulness. I drew the dove over Jesus because in the gospel it says that John saw the Holy Spirit descending from heaven like a dove over Jesus.” – Alessandra Paolucci

Thank you Alessandra – it is such a pleasure to see God’s gifts used in such a wonderful way.

The CFC (Couples for Christ) Filipino Choir performs for us!

Our Lady of Grace — Sun, 11 Mar 2012 14:09:55 +0000

Now joining us for our Saturday afternoon masses (4:30pm) is the Couples for Christ Filipino Choir from St. Thomas More. This talented group performs in churches throughout the city, most notably during SIMBANG GABI. SIMBANG GABI is one of the longest and most popular among the Filipino traditions. Please join us! Be inspired to worship through their passion exuded by their music and singing during mass. We welcome the group to Our Lady of Grace!