St. Francis and St. Andre's Parish 2024 Goal: $32,589 | Donations to Date: $2,828

To donate for TIA, use the envelope at the back of the church, or drop off or mail donations to St. Joseph's Parish. Find more information about Together in Action

Together in Action (TIA) is the Diocese of Calgary annual campaign to support key ministries, partner organization and agencies. 

Embracing God’s plan allows us to enrich lives and support those in need. This year's "Together in Action" campaign aims to raise $2 million for crucial causes such as caring for retired priests, hospital chaplaincy, pastoral care, diocesan ministries, and the Indigenous Reconciliation Fund. 

Together we enrich lives and support those in need, embodying the spirit of Philippians 4:19, which reminds us that God will meet all our needs according to the riches of His glory in Christ Jesus. The 2024 TIA supports the following ministries: ​

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Greetings of peace. 

​In the spirit of our Diocesan Renewal, I wish to promote the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations in the Diocese of Calgary.  This Devotion is a longstanding tradition of forty hours of continuous prayer before the solemn Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament in a succession of churches for special intentions.  In the Diocese of Calgary, the special intention will be for vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.  

In the Gospel, Jesus tells us to pray for vocations: “The harvest is plentiful, but the labourers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out labourers into his harvest” (Matt. 9:37-38).  Through this initiative of the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations, we will in time see the fruits of our prayer as the Lord sends out labourers into his harvest, including into the local church of the Diocese of Calgary.            
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Pope St. John Paul II said: “The entire People of God is responsible for promoting vocations, and does so chiefly by persistent and humble prayer for vocations” (Ecclesia in America, n. 40).  Pope Francis spoke of the fruits we receive in spending time with the Lord in Eucharistic Adoration.  In his homily on the World Day of Prayer for Consecrated Life in 2022, he said: “[W]e have to embrace Jesus in adoration and ask for eyes capable of seeing the goodness and discerning the ways of God. If we embrace Christ with open arms, we will also embrace others with trust and humility.”

The 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations in the Diocese of Calgary will be launched on Friday, March 1 at St. Mary’s Cathedral.  It is my hope that every parish in the Diocese will participate in the Devotion, taking turns holding it on the successive weekends throughout the year, so that it becomes a perpetual tradition in our Diocese.

Let us ask Mary, the Patron of our Diocese and Mother and Model of Vocations, to pray for us as we undertake this initiative and to intercede with her Son for an increase in our Diocese of vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life.

Sincerely yours in Christ, 
​
+William T. McGrattan
Bishop of Calgary

As part of the Diocesan Renewal, the Office of Vocations is excited to launch the 40 Hours Devotion for Vocations in the Diocese of Calgary - catholicyyc.ca/40hours. This initiative invites us to pray continuously for forty hours before the Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, with a focus on increasing vocations to the priesthood and consecrated life. 

Ordinary Time is the longest season in the Church’s year. Comprising thirty-three weeks, it is divided into two sections; one short and the other very long. The weeks between the Christmas and Lenten seasons are the shorter part of Ordinary Time while the weeks between Pentecost and the Advent season form the long stretch. The word ‘ordinary’ comes from the word ordinal which means ‘counted’. Each week is known by a number, e.g. the 20th Sunday in Ordinary Time. The use of the term Ordinary Time in our liturgical calendar distinguishes it from the other seasons—Advent, Christmas, Lent and Easter—which focus on particular aspects of Christ’s life: his birth, suffering, death and resurrection. Ordinary Time celebrates Jesus’ teaching and ministry. It gives us time to reflect on how we live as Christians. We have thirty-three weeks to examine and ‘order’ our lives while we focus on a particular Gospel, in a three-year cycle, and to enter it deeply. We are presently in Year A, the year of Matthew.

Year A – The Gospel of Matthew
Year B – The Gospel of Mark
Year C – The Gospel of Luke

The weekday Masses are organised in a two-year cycle: Year I (odd years) and Year II (even years). The first readings and the gospels of weekdays are read in continuity, so that one day’s readings follows the next. In this way we are enabled, over time, to enter deeply into the spirit of the readings.

GREEN, the colour of Ordinary Time, tells us much about its significance in the Church’s life. It is the rich colour of growth and new life. Ordinary Time deserves to be lived extraordinarily—in the depths of our own hearts, in our families and in the worshipping community. It is important for us to immerse ourselves deeply in the spirituality of Ordinary Time because it contains the essence of who we are in the ‘everydayness’ of our Christian lives.