Catholic Alberta Archives

Catholic Alberta

Summer dreams dashed as Our Lady of Victory Camp reopening postponed

April 3, 2020

Young people and parents who had planned to attend Our Lady of Victory summer camp will have to wait another year, after the camp closed as a precaution against the spread of COVID-19 coronavirus. The Archdiocese operates two camps, Our Lady of Victory Camp at Gull Lake, northwest of Red Deer, and Camp Encounter at Lac La Nonne, about

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Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage cancelled for first time in century

April 3, 2020

The Lac Ste Anne pilgrimage, an annual tradition that attracts thousands of people and dates back more than a century, has been cancelled this year as a precaution against the spread of the COVD-19 coronavirus. “For the first time in living memory the pilgrimage is cancelled,” Edmonton Archbishop Richard Smith said in a video message

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Priests get creative as they find new ways to reach faithful

April 1, 2020

Rev. Adaikala Raja dons his purple vestments, takes hold of his rosary, presses record on his smartphone and begins to preach. His church is empty, but he has a virtual congregation in the hundreds. It’s the new reality for Father Raja, the pastor of St. John Bosco Parish in northeast Edmonton. He is one of

Catholic Alberta

Livestreamed Masses

April 1, 2020

Livestreamed masses for the Archdiocese of Edmonton during the COVID-19 pandemic

Catholic Alberta

Anxious nurse on the frontline vows ‘We’re not giving up. We hope people trust us.’

March 26, 2020

Chelsy Vanderberg’s anxieties are heightened each time she prepares for another night shift at the Grey Nuns Community Hospital, on the frontlines in the fight against COVID-19 coronavirus. “We pride ourselves on being able to help the sick, but now there’s always that ‘What if’ in the back of our minds,” Vanderberg said. “In Italy

Catholic Alberta

Thousands find inspiration, comfort and community in online Mass

March 24, 2020

When Sarah Willette watched her first livestreamed Mass, it became a family reunion. All public masses have been suspended indefinitely in the Edmonton Archdiocese in an effort to contain the spread of the COVID-19 coronavirus. Masses will be livestreamed with no congregation present. Instead of being disappointed, Willette gathered a group of 22 family members

Catholic Alberta

Pandemic puts a squeeze on those serving homeless and poor in Edmonton

March 20, 2020

As coronavirus restrictions deepen for everyone, so does the strain on those providing for the poor. Catholic agencies and churches that provide hot meals and clothing those in need are having to make changes to what they can provide and how they do it while they practise social distancing to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

Summer dreams dashed as Our Lady of Victory Camp reopening postponed

Lac Ste Anne Pilgrimage cancelled for first time in century

Priests get creative as they find new ways to reach faithful

Livestreamed Masses

Anxious nurse on the frontline vows ‘We’re not giving up. We hope people trust us.’

Thousands find inspiration, comfort and community in online Mass

Pandemic puts a squeeze on those serving homeless and poor in Edmonton

Faith camps, conferences and events in limbo, leaders told in call with province

Outdoor Way of the Cross will be a virtual one this Good Friday

St. Joseph seminarians sent home as a precaution against coronavirus

‘God has our back,’ Archbishop Smith tells the fearful faithful

Bishops take action to help contain coronavirus threat