Daniel 7:9 - 10, 13-14

2 Peter 1:16 - 19

Matthew 17:1 - 9

The Book of Daniel, from which our First Reading is drawn, was written some two centuries before the birth of Christ.  This is only significant in that many of the prophets (Daniel is considered one of the major prophets) lived as many as six centuries before Christ.  However, regardless the timeline, we need to be moved by and appreciative of the prophecies we find in the Old Testament.  In the passage in today’s reading it states, “The one like a Son of Man received dominion, glory, and kingship.”
 
Today, of course, is the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, and this reading very much parallels what is portrayed in the Transfiguration.  The interesting point within this reading from Daniel, however, is that it refers to the “Son of Man,” which is the term Jesus Himself used most often to describe Himself.
 
We have referenced this fact previously.  In fact, the term “Son of Man” occurs 85 times in the Gospels, and in 83 of them it is Jesus who uses the term. (It appears 32 times in Matthew; 15 times in Mark; 26 times in Luke; and 12 times in John, and it is in John where it is used twice by someone other than Jesus.)
 
The important point for us is that Jesus calling Himself the Son of Man explains that He was born of a woman, and He shares in our earthly conditions and sufferings.  That fact should make us want to embrace Him as our Savior, our Friend, and our Shepherd even more.

Tue, Aug 8 @ 9:00 am           Patrick Honish (INT)

Tue, Aug 8 @ 11:00 pm          Angela Stewart (INT) - Senior Care Centre

Tue, Aug 8 @ 6:30 pm            Alice Rosairio (RIP)
Wed, Aug 9 @ 9:00 am          Norbert Lorenz (RIP)
Wed, Aug 9 @ 6:30 pm          Jose Perez (RIP)

Thu, Aug 10 @ 9:00 am          Karl Kellner (RIP)

Thu, Aug 10 @ 6:30 pm          Armando Marenco (RIP)

Fri, Aug 11 @ 9:00 am            Bob & Lois Martell (INT)
Fri, Aug 11 @ 6:30 pm            Leonora Liscano (RIP)
Sat, Aug 12 @ 9:00 am           Sharon van der Sloot (INT)

Sat, Aug 12 @ 5:00 pm           Annie Cayetano (RIP)
Sun, Aug 13 @ 9:00 am          Anyikla Chinwe Cynthia  (RIP)

Sun, Aug 13 @ 11:00 am        St. Albert the Great Community (INT)

Sun, Aug 13 @ 5:00 pm          Modesto & Cesaria Peralta  (RIP)

Alberta Health Services (AHS) has been made aware of 1 case of pertussis (Whooping Cough) that was in attendance at St. Albert the Great Parish while infectious.  In order to prevent spread of disease to others and to protect yourself and your family, please review the  following letter  that was sent to the parish office.

Please note that the parish office will be closed on Monday August 7, 2023 in observance of Heritage Day.  The office will re-open on Tuesday August 8, 2023.  Remember that Office Summer Hours are Monday through Friday 9:30 am – 12:30 pm. 

ELECTRONIC FUNDS TRANSFERS – when making donations by Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) please put your full name in the memo line, and your address if it is the first time you are sending an EFT donation.  We are receiving donations that only come in from the bank with a first name, and we do not know who it belongs to, or what it is for; donation, sacrament fee payment, etc.  Also, you may have the same first and last name as another parishioner, and the address helps us correctly record the donation.  Your full name and address ensures that we are recording the donation to the correct person for tax receipts at the end of the year.

DONATION ENVELOPES – we are encouraging parishioners to make donations electronically, however we can provide you with a box of donation envelopes and a sheet of labels to put on them, as the envelopes are not numbered.  Please come to the parish office Monday through Friday 9:30 am to 12:30 pm, and we can provide you with the box of envelopes and labels. If you do not want the labels, when using envelopes, please PRINT your full name and address on the envelope.  If you only put your first name “John”, or your last name “Doe Family”, we do not know who to record the donation to and it gets recorded as loose.

St. Albert the Great Parish is celebrating the 25^th Anniversary of the Parish and the 20^th Anniversary of the Consecration of the Church.  

You can find 25th Anniversary merchandise for purchase at this link .

The items are rounded either to the nearest $1, or $5 increment to fundraise for the parish (with the exception on the coffee mugs), with a donation to the parish adder at the checkout page.  The first order will be placed on August 16.  After August 16^th, additional orders will be taken on the next run until October 20^th with that next run delivered by November 10^th so people can have a chance to have it for the Feast Day celebration on November 15^th.

St. Albert the Great Parish

CGS is a Montessori based Catholic faith formation program where children can joyfully fall deeply in love with God through contemplation of Scripture and Liturgy.   St. Albert the Great is happy to announce that we are going to be running 5 week programs starting in September until May on Saturday mornings depending on the interest and support of the community.  The program is open to children from the ages of 3 to 6 years old.

To get this program going, we do need a few things.  Some help we need would be:

If you are interested to volunteer or to register, please email: larainne.friesen@gmail.com or schndersa@hotmail.com.  Registration will start in the summer as space is limited to only 12 students maximum.  Thank you for your support and we look forward to growing in faith with you and your child.

A small group of the faithful from St. Albert the Great Parish have taken on the mission to put together some recollections and archives going back to the very beginnings of our parish.  Our history got away from us and we think that while we’re still able, we need to gather up our memories.  We are reaching out to anyone who has been a part of our journey for the past 25 years to help document our past.

We’re not exactly sure of what this is all going to look like, but all stories and memories are important.  Can you help us?

Your participation wouldn’t involve a huge time commitment.  If you do like meetings and such, we’ve decided to gather once a month to add past events to a giant timeline.  But, another way that you might participate is to write down your recollections…events that stick out in your memory or that were really important to your family.  You might want to look through your boxes of photos and contribute those or a scan of those.  There are many ways that your participation might be celebrated.  Whether you walked in the front doors of our church when they first opened 20 years ago, or for the first time a few months ago, you are an important part of our history and we thank you for anything you might do.  If you have something to share, please contact us at  archives@stalbertthegreat.ca  .

To have a name added to the Prayer Board, please email secretary@stalbertthegreat.ca  and provide the name of the person you would like to add.

Join St. Gabriel's Parish (Chestermere) for a refreshing hike at Boom Trail on Saturday, August 26.  Meeting point: Parking lot of Boom Trail at 9:30 am.  The destination point is the lake.  Remember to bring your lunch - the boulders all around the side of the lake make it a great spot to enjoy lunch and the view. No group camping this year.  Registrations for the hike are coming up soon at saintgabrielparish.ca.  Donations are welcome in support of St. Gabriel's Church building fund. More info

In September 2023, the CCCB Office for Evangelization and Catechesis will host a webinar series, titled "The Way of Beauty" inviting leaders of catechesis and evangelization to reflect on the way of beauty and its powerful witness in the life of the Church.

The three sessions of "The Way of Beauty" webinar series will be:

All webinar sessions will be recorded and packaged with a reflection guide for later release. If you wish to attend any of the webinar session or to be notified when session recordings are made available, please register now.

You are invited to visit the Eucharistic Miracles of the World Exhibition at Sacred Heart Parish, from Thu, Sep 28 to Sun, Oct 1, 2023.  

The Eucharistic Miracles of the World is a collection of Miracles that are recognized by the Church which occurred through the centuries in various countries. Through these photo panels you can “virtually visit” the places where the miracles happened. There are 158 Vatican approved Eucharistic Miracles which would be displayed on panels. They will be displayed in the Upper Room and the Narthex. 

Today’s liturgy invites us to celebrate the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord. This feast calls to our attention the importance of this event in Jesus’ life, further affirmed by its report in each of the Synoptic Gospels: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. 

In Cycle A, the reading for this feast is taken from the Gospel of Matthew.  The Transfiguration occurs after Peter confesses his belief that Jesus is the Messiah and after Jesus predicts his Passion.  In each of these Gospels, a discussion of the cost of discipleship precedes the Transfiguration.

In each Gospel, Jesus takes three of his disciples—Peter, James, and John—to a high mountain.  While they are there, Elijah and Moses appear and converse with Jesus.  Elijah and Moses are both significant figures in the history of Israel. Moses led the Israelites out of slavery in Egypt and received from Yahweh the Ten Commandments.  Moses represents the Law, which guides the lives of the Jewish people.  Elijah is one of the most important prophets of Israel who helped the Israelites stay faithful to Yahweh, and some believed that Elijah’s return would signal the coming of the Messiah for the Jewish people.  The appearance of these two figures from Israel’s history indicated Jesus’ continuity with the Law and the prophets.  They also reveal that Jesus is the fulfillment of all that was promised to the people of Israel.

Upon witnessing Jesus’ Transfiguration and seeing Jesus with Elijah and Moses, an awestruck Peter offered to construct three tents for them when a voice from Heaven affirms that Jesus is "my beloved Son" and commands the disciples to listen to him.
In each of the reports of the Transfiguration, Jesus instructed the disciples to keep secret what they had seen until after "the Son of Man has been raised from the dead."  Until they witnessed Jesus’ Passion and Death, the disciples could not possibly understand what he meant by being "raised from the dead."  We, however, have the benefit of hindsight.  In our hearing of the Transfiguration Gospel, we see an anticipation of Jesus’ Resurrection, a foreshadowing of Christ’s glory in Heaven, and the promise of our own resurrection.

 

Reflecting on the apostolic visit, CCCB President Bishop Raymond Poisson emphasized its significance.  He noted Pope Francis' great personal effort during his time in Canada and how his interactions with Indigenous Peoples symbolize a joint endeavour with the Canadian Church to foster hope and 'walk together' within our communities.  Read the full article
  

In July 2022, Pope Francis visited Indigenous communities, celebrated Mass in Edmonton's Commonwealth Stadium and at the National Shrine of Sainte-Anne-de-Beaupré and, most importantly, apologized for the Church’s role in the country’s Residential School System.  Walking Together: Into One Beat features interviews with members of the First Nations, Métis, and Inuit in Alberta, Quebec, and Nunavut, who share their heartfelt stories as they prepare for the Holy Father’s arrival.  After the visit, they offer their reactions, impressions, and hopes for this country of many nations moving forward, as one, on the journey of reconciliation.  Watch it here. 
  

Groundbreaking ceremony for the Sacred Heart Parish church took place today (Tue, Aug 1).  The church will be built on the site of the old Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) building in downtown Strathmore.  Read more
   

Join St. Gabriel's Parish (Chestermere) for a refreshing hike at Boom Trail on Saturday, August 26.  Meeting point: Parking lot of Boom Trail at 9:30 am. The destination point is the lake.  No group camping this year.  Registrations for the hike are coming up soon at saintgabrielparish.ca.  Donations are welcome in support of St. Gabriel's Church building fund.  To register, contact the Parish Office at 403-455-0196.

  

Elizabeth House is a life skills program and family-oriented home which welcomes at-risk pregnant and parenting women who need a safe place to live.  Help Elizabeth House as volunteers in the following positions: Child care team; Cleaning Crew; and Facility Maintenance (carpentry, handyfolks, renovation). More information at elizabethhousecalgary.ca  | Help Elizabeth House build a Second Kitchen

"Our Lord is hidden there, waiting for us to come and visit Him, and make our requests to Him.  See how good He is!  He accommodates Himself to our weakness.  He is present in the Sacrament of His love, sighing and interceding unceasingly with His Father for sinners." ~ St. John Vianney

The Divine Mercy Sisters invite you to celebrate the Feast of Assumption of Mary with Eucharistic Adoration (5 pm) and Holy Mass (6 pm), followed by Marian Rosary and BBQ hot dogs!  When: Tue, Aug 15, from 5 pm to 6 pm - Divine Mercy Centre.  All are welcome!

You are invited to celebrate the Holy Mass and healing adoration service with Fr. Jilito George CMI. When: Aug 15, 16, 17, 22 & 23 from 6 pm to 9 pm, in participating parishes in the Diocese: Holy Spirit, Calgary (Aug 15), St. Cecilia, Calgary (Aug 16), St. Albert the Great, Calgary (Aug 17), Canadian Martyrs, Calgary (Aug 22), and St. Thomas More, Calgary (Aug 23).

Come for a day of healing, renewal, and spiritual growth, led by Fr. Joseph Edattu, VC (Divine Retreat Center, UK). Participating parishes: Mary Mother of the Redeemer, St. Mary's Cathedral, St. Luke's, and St. James' in Okotoks. When: Aug 15 - 19. See schedule here

A camping retreat entitled: “Always Our Children" for parents, friends or anyone journeying with children or someone they know, experiencing their sexuality as same gender attraction.  When: Fri, Aug. 18 to 20 - Aspen Ranch Outdoor Education Centre.  More info or register

Bishop McGrattan will celebrate Masses for the souls of the deceased buried at our Catholic cemeteries in Calgary and area. All are welcome! 

Four-day, half-day Vacation Bible School for ages 7-11 with the theme "Great Big Beautiful World: Creation Care Kids - Living Laudato Si'."  Through five Bible stories, children will be led on an awesome adventure through the Bible, from Genesis to Revelation.  Each day starts with relationship-building, joint worship, music, prayer, and a dramatic presentation of the Bible story.  This program is enthusiastically Catholic and grounded in the Catholic teachings on creation and the Holy Father's encyclical.  When: Aug 22-25, 2023 at FCJ Centre.  Register here

Retrouvaille is a retreat designed to infuse hope and facilitate healing for married couples in need.  When: Sep 8 - 10, Calgary Area retreat | Contact 403-901-9582 or visit helpourmarriage.org
  

You are invited to the 14th annual "Breakfast with the Bishop" with Bishop McGrattan on Saturday, Sep 9 at 8:30 am at Mary, Mother of the Redeer Parish, Calgary. Tickets can be obtained at franciscanandfriends.ca

 

Please visit  catholicyyc.ca/careers  for more information and application details. 

If you haven't already, please subscribe to the  Diocesan publication Faithfully  - to keep you updated with what's happening in our Diocese.  Get a snapshot of faith at work in the lives of everyday people in our Diocese and find opportunities to spread the Good News of Christ beyond the walls of our churches.  Subscribe at catholicyyc.ca/faithfully