October 5–8

Every year, the active priests of the Diocese of Calgary gather for Priests’ Study Days—a few days to learn, reflect, pray, and, of course, remind ourselves that priests can also sit in a classroom! 😊

This year, our Study Days will take place in Canmore from Monday, October 5, through Thursday, October 8. This means that I will be away from the parish during these days together with the other priests of our diocese.

Because of this, there will be no daily Mass on Tuesday, Wednesday, or Thursday.

However, we will still have the opportunity to spend time with Our Lord in the Eucharist.

Thursday, October 8

Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament will begin at 9:00 AM and continue as scheduled.

Even when the priest is away, Jesus is not on vacation! 😊 The Blessed Sacrament will be exposed, giving us the beautiful opportunity to come, pray, adore, and spend some quiet time with the Lord.

Please keep all the priests of our diocese in your prayers during these Study Days—that we may return refreshed, renewed, and perhaps even remembering what we were supposed to learn!

Thank you for your understanding and prayers.

Fr.Marius Sztuk, SDS

Pray the Rosary — Every Day Before Mass

October is traditionally dedicated in the Catholic Church to the Holy Rosary. It is a beautiful opportunity for us to rediscover this simple but powerful prayer and to allow Mary to lead us closer to her Son, Jesus.

The Rosary is sometimes misunderstood as simply repeating the same prayers over and over. But when we pray the Rosary well, we are not simply saying prayers—we are meditating on the life of Jesus.

With Mary, we walk through the great mysteries of our faith: the joy of Christ's birth, His ministry, His Passion and Death, His Resurrection, and His glory. Mary teaches us to look at Jesus with a mother's love and to treasure the mysteries of His life in our hearts.

📿 The Rosary Before Mass

Here at St. Francis de Sales Parish, we have a beautiful tradition of praying the Rosary every day before Mass.

This is something worth protecting and encouraging.

Before we come to Mass, the Rosary gives us a few moments to slow down, quiet our minds, and prepare our hearts. We live in a world where our attention is constantly being pulled in a hundred different directions. We come to church carrying our work, family responsibilities, worries, plans, phones, and sometimes even the argument we had five minutes earlier!

The Rosary helps us put some of that aside and say:

“Lord, I am here. I want to be with You.”

And Mary helps us do exactly that.

The Rosary is not a replacement for the Mass. Rather, it can help us prepare for the Mass. In the Eucharist, we encounter Christ truly present among us. The Rosary helps us place our hearts in the right disposition to receive Him.

A Parish Prayer

Perhaps this October we can make a renewed commitment to this beautiful parish practice.

Come a little earlier before Mass. Pick up your Rosary. Join your fellow parishioners. Pray together.

You don't have to be an expert. You don't have to know every mystery by heart. You don't even have to own a fancy Rosary. A simple Rosary and a willing heart are enough.

And if you arrive late and hear everyone already praying, don't worry—just quietly join in. Mary will understand!

Most importantly, don't let the Rosary become something we do only in October. Let October remind us of a prayer that can become part of our everyday Catholic life.

Our Lady of the Rosary, Pray for Us!

As we celebrate Our Lady of the Rosary on October 7, let us entrust our parish, our families, our children and youth, our sick and elderly, and all those who have asked for our prayers to the intercession of Mary.

May the Rosary become not simply something we say, but something that helps us live closer to Christ.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

And remember: the Rosary is prayed every day before Mass at our parish. Come early, bring your Rosary, and let's pray together.

Fr.Marius Sztuk, SDS

The month includes several beautiful celebrations:

• October 1 – St. Thérèse of Lisieux — Virgin and Doctor of the Church
• October 2 – The Holy Guardian Angels
• October 4 – St. Francis of Assisi
• October 5 - St. Faustina Kowalska
• October 7 – Our Lady of the Rosary — the central Marian celebration of the month
• October 15 – St. Teresa of Jesus (Teresa of Ávila) — Virgin and Doctor of the Church
• October 18 – St. Luke the Evangelist
• October 22 – St. John Paul II
• October 28 – Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

October 7

On Wednesday, October 7, we celebrate the Memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary—a beautiful reminder that the Rosary is not simply a string of prayers we repeat, but a school of prayer where we learn to walk with Jesus alongside His Mother, Mary.

There is something wonderfully practical about the Rosary. You can pray it almost anywhere. I once heard someone say, “Father, I pray the Rosary in the car because it is the only place where nobody interrupts me.” I smiled and thought, You obviously don't have children in the car!

Anyone who has tried praying the Rosary as a family knows what I mean. You begin with great enthusiasm: “In the name of the Father…” Then someone cannot find their Rosary. Someone else wants a drink. Another person starts the next Hail Mary too early. And just when everyone finally gets quiet, the dog decides it is time to participate!

And yet, we keep praying.

That is one of the beautiful things about the Rosary. It does not require perfect conditions. Mary does not ask us to have a perfectly quiet house, a perfectly focused mind, or a perfectly organized life. She simply invites us to come and pray.

The Rosary has a long history in the life of the Church. Tradition especially connects its spread with St. Dominic and the Dominican tradition. Over the centuries, countless Christians have turned to the Rosary in times of joy, sorrow, uncertainty, and thanksgiving.

Why does the Rosary remain so popular?

Because it is simple enough for a child to pray, yet deep enough to occupy a lifetime.

As we pray the Our Father, Hail Mary, and Glory Be, we meditate on the mysteries of Christ's life: His Incarnation, His ministry, His Passion and Death, His Resurrection, and His glory. Mary does not take our attention away from Jesus. Quite the opposite—she teaches us to look at Jesus with her eyes and to treasure Him in our hearts.

The Rosary can become a wonderful family prayer. It can also become a personal prayer: in the car, while walking, before going to bed, or during a quiet moment in the church.

Perhaps October is a good time to begin again.

Pray one decade when you have only a few minutes. Pray a full Rosary when you can. Pray it in the car, with your family, or before the Blessed Sacrament. Most importantly, pray it consistently.

And if the children get distracted, don't give up. If you lose your place, start again. If you fall asleep during the fourth decade, you're probably not the first Catholic to do so!

The Rosary is not about perfection. It is about being with Jesus and allowing Mary to lead us closer to Him.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us.
Lead us closer to your Son, Jesus, and teach us to treasure His life, His Cross, and His Resurrection in our hearts.

Our Lady of the Rosary, pray for us!

Fr.Marius Sztuk, SDS