Just back from Yellowknife. I made a quick trip there yesterday in the company of Deacon Pat Hessel and Roger Plouffe, who are working with me on the furtherance of the covenant partnership that now exists between the Archdiocese of Edmonton and the Diocese of Mackenzie-Fort Smith. While there we met through the day with Bishop Mark Hagemoen, Fr Joe Daly and Gerri Fletcher. This gave us an opportunity to consider aspects of the partnership and how we might work together for the furtherance of the new evangelization to which the Church is called.
This partnering initiative grew out of the invitation given by St John Paul II to the Church in America (i.e. Western Hemisphere) to look for opportunities for dioceses to work together in support of our common mission in Christ. Last evening, at the end of Mass, we sealed our partnership through a formal signing ceremony of a covenant statement, and an exchange of drums, each so painted as to represent facets of our respective Dioceses.
Each features a depiction of Saint Kateri Tekakwitha, to whose intercession we are entrusting our new relationship. It was a joyful encounter and we all look forward to discerning together where the Holy Spirit is leading us in this endeavour.
The covenant statement is as follows:
Please keep this in your prayers. Thanks.
I will be on holidays next week and the following. I will get back to "blogging" toward the end of July. I hope you have a restful summer! God bless.
