Mass Times
REGULAR WEEKEND MASSES Location of the Following Masses Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy Gym 3100A Stewart Creek Drive Saturday Mass 7:00 pm Sunday Mass 10:00 am WEEKDAY MASSES Location of the Following Masses Office: Unit 108, 104 Kananaskis Way (Same building as the Canmore Registry) Monday No Mass Tuesday 6:30 pm Wednesday 12:15 pm Thursday 12:15 pm Friday 8:30 am The Sacrament of Reconciliation is available from 6:00pm-6:45pm on Saturdays, from 5:30pm-6:15pm on Tuesdays and by appointment with Fr. Nathan |
Contact UsOFFICE LOCATION Unit 108, 104 Kananaskis Way (Same building as the Canmore Registry) OFFICE MAILING ADDRESS 2 Silvertip Trail Canmore, AB T1W 2Z7 OFFICE HOURS Monday - CLOSED Tuesday 9:00am - 3:30 pm Wednesday 9:00am - 3:30 pm Thursday 9:00am - 3:30 pm Friday 9:00am - 1:00 pm Phone 403-678-5022 Fax 403-678-1834 Emergency 403-675-5044 Pastor: Fr. Nathan Siray frnsiray@gmail.com Parish Secretary: Ada Veronneau rockiesparish@shaw.ca Deacon: Deacon Brian West bgwest@shaw.ca Donations: Richard Veronneau olrdonations@outlook.com 
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Spiritual Reflections From a Priest in the Rockies
A wealthy man once gifted St Teresa of Calcutta a brilliant red ruby. He expected that Mother Teresa would sell the ruby to assist the poor and dying. But Mother Teresa decided that the red ruby was to be given to one of the convents of the Missionaries of Charity and placed on top of the tabernacle in that convent's chapel.
The wealthy man who gave Mother Teresa the red ruby was furious at her decision, complaining about how it was wasted and how much the red ruby could have been sold for to feed the poor. In response, Mother Teresa said that the reason she wanted the red ruby placed on top of a tabernacle was to show that if the sisters did not first and foremost love Jesus and show Him signs of affection, then they would never be able to love the poor in which Christ choose to reside.
Mother Teresa, like the widow who gave everything she owned for the upkeep of the Jerusalem Temple, was willing to give everything to God, even if it meant forgoing money she could use for good works and at the price of incurring harsh criticisms of those who did not understand her actions. She was a woman who relied totally of Divine Providence and who trusted that God spoke deeply to her heart, inspiring her to make decisions that were misunderstood by those who had an all too worldly perspective on life.
She was willing to give her best to her Lord and King, trusting that He would provide for her and those she cared for in the ways that God knew to be for the best. Do we trust God in the same way?
In Jesus through Mary,
Fr. Nathan
"In order to be an image of God, the spirit must turn to what is eternal, hold it in spirit, keep it in memory, and by loving it, embrace it in the will." St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
A wealthy man once gifted St Teresa of Calcutta a brilliant red ruby. He expected that Mother Teresa would sell the ruby to assist the poor and dying. But Mother Teresa decided that the red ruby was to be given to one of the convents of the Missionaries of Charity and placed on top of the tabernacle in that convent's chapel.
The wealthy man who gave Mother Teresa the red ruby was furious at her decision, complaining about how it was wasted and how much the red ruby could have been sold for to feed the poor. In response, Mother Teresa said that the reason she wanted the red ruby placed on top of a tabernacle was to show that if the sisters did not first and foremost love Jesus and show Him signs of affection, then they would never be able to love the poor in which Christ choose to reside.
Mother Teresa, like the widow who gave everything she owned for the upkeep of the Jerusalem Temple, was willing to give everything to God, even if it meant forgoing money she could use for good works and at the price of incurring harsh criticisms of those who did not understand her actions. She was a woman who relied totally of Divine Providence and who trusted that God spoke deeply to her heart, inspiring her to make decisions that were misunderstood by those who had an all too worldly perspective on life.
She was willing to give her best to her Lord and King, trusting that He would provide for her and those she cared for in the ways that God knew to be for the best. Do we trust God in the same way?
In Jesus through Mary,
Fr. Nathan
"In order to be an image of God, the spirit must turn to what is eternal, hold it in spirit, keep it in memory, and by loving it, embrace it in the will." St Teresa Benedicta of the Cross
The Marble Statuary and Restoration Presentation given on August 4/5, 2018 at Our Lady of the Snows Academy, Canmore
PHOTOS FROM THE FINAL MASS IN SACRED HEART CHURCH
PHOTOS FROM THE FINAL MASS IN SACRED HEART CHURCH
On the First Sunday of Advent, the Bishop announced his desire and intention to designate Our Lady of the Rockies Parish as a Marian Diocesan Shrine on the day of the consecration of the new church.
As we move forward towards the Shrine, I am reminded of the nature of our Christian life here on earth as being on a pilgrimage… from this earthly life to heaven as God beckons us, from immaturity to the maturity of faith, from death to life…
On Sunday, January 28, 2018 at the 11 am Mass, we will have Bishop William McGrattan celebrate our last Mass here in Sacred Heart Church. This, for sure, will bring about great sadness as we let go of our current church building. This will bring about feelings of being without a home as we will be celebrating Sunday Masses in the gym of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy. This will bring feelings of uncertainty as we become truly vulnerable to elements over which we have no direct control. But are not these the common experiences of human life?
In fact, when we think of our ancestors, the Israelites, being pushed out of Egypt, they too grumbled when they found themselves living in the desert. They constantly reminisced about the past, as though it was better than their present state.
I suspect that we too will feel this when we move out of this church and experience the inconveniences, the unfamiliar spaces, the awkwardness, being around different people, and not having our special spot or favourite pew. However, just like the Israelites, we are called to see the big picture of God. We are not closing down as a parish. We are not shrinking. Instead, we are being called to a greater participation in the work of the New Evangelization!
Sometimes we may feel that tourism is hurting us as a parish, as many people come and go. We know the ups and downs, the slow seasons and the peak seasons, the half-filled church and the overly packed Masses.
Becoming a shrine parish, we have been given this special role in our diocese to celebrate tourism and not curse it. We are called to bring out the spiritual elements of that trek towards the Rockies, teaching others the path of pilgrimage. Ours is not just a pilgrimage towards the new church building, but also, ultimately, towards God in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies will become the gateway to spiritually experiencing the special presence of God, on the way to the Rockies, and on the way back to our ordinary lives.
We pray the Shrine will become a humble beacon of Christ through His Church, a testament of the discipleship of Mary and of the faithfulness of God.
Just as the Rockies feel like the crowning glory of God in the magnificent beauty of His creation, we hope that through the dedication of the Shrine to Our Lady, we can honour her as the crowning glory of God in all of creation.
May we all be graced on this pilgrimage, as we leave this church towards the Shrine Church. May we not curse the way even when inconvenienced. Let us instead, find in our journey the blessings of God and the lessons of love that we are to learn. May we be the best of teachers to others on how to make a pilgrimage to God.
To those of you who are visitors, I urge you to join us on this pilgrimage to the Shrine Church. Join us at our Sunday Masses in the gym of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy. Join us for weekday Masses at our temporary parish office. While we are without a church building, we never stop being Church.
Hopefully, when the Shrine Church is completed, we can truly offer you greater hospitality here in the Rockies.
God bless you.
Our Lady of the Rockies, pray for us!
In Christ,
Fr. Wilbert Chin Jon
Former Pastor
As we move forward towards the Shrine, I am reminded of the nature of our Christian life here on earth as being on a pilgrimage… from this earthly life to heaven as God beckons us, from immaturity to the maturity of faith, from death to life…
On Sunday, January 28, 2018 at the 11 am Mass, we will have Bishop William McGrattan celebrate our last Mass here in Sacred Heart Church. This, for sure, will bring about great sadness as we let go of our current church building. This will bring about feelings of being without a home as we will be celebrating Sunday Masses in the gym of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy. This will bring feelings of uncertainty as we become truly vulnerable to elements over which we have no direct control. But are not these the common experiences of human life?
In fact, when we think of our ancestors, the Israelites, being pushed out of Egypt, they too grumbled when they found themselves living in the desert. They constantly reminisced about the past, as though it was better than their present state.
I suspect that we too will feel this when we move out of this church and experience the inconveniences, the unfamiliar spaces, the awkwardness, being around different people, and not having our special spot or favourite pew. However, just like the Israelites, we are called to see the big picture of God. We are not closing down as a parish. We are not shrinking. Instead, we are being called to a greater participation in the work of the New Evangelization!
Sometimes we may feel that tourism is hurting us as a parish, as many people come and go. We know the ups and downs, the slow seasons and the peak seasons, the half-filled church and the overly packed Masses.
Becoming a shrine parish, we have been given this special role in our diocese to celebrate tourism and not curse it. We are called to bring out the spiritual elements of that trek towards the Rockies, teaching others the path of pilgrimage. Ours is not just a pilgrimage towards the new church building, but also, ultimately, towards God in the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies will become the gateway to spiritually experiencing the special presence of God, on the way to the Rockies, and on the way back to our ordinary lives.
We pray the Shrine will become a humble beacon of Christ through His Church, a testament of the discipleship of Mary and of the faithfulness of God.
Just as the Rockies feel like the crowning glory of God in the magnificent beauty of His creation, we hope that through the dedication of the Shrine to Our Lady, we can honour her as the crowning glory of God in all of creation.
May we all be graced on this pilgrimage, as we leave this church towards the Shrine Church. May we not curse the way even when inconvenienced. Let us instead, find in our journey the blessings of God and the lessons of love that we are to learn. May we be the best of teachers to others on how to make a pilgrimage to God.
To those of you who are visitors, I urge you to join us on this pilgrimage to the Shrine Church. Join us at our Sunday Masses in the gym of Our Lady of the Snows Catholic Academy. Join us for weekday Masses at our temporary parish office. While we are without a church building, we never stop being Church.
Hopefully, when the Shrine Church is completed, we can truly offer you greater hospitality here in the Rockies.
God bless you.
Our Lady of the Rockies, pray for us!
In Christ,
Fr. Wilbert Chin Jon
Former Pastor
BUILDING THE NEW CHURCH
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ST. JOSEPH
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Things you may want to know
Our LogoAs a Marian parish, we entrust ourselves to her maternal protection.
Our Lady of the Rockies, Pray for us. 
Booking for 2020We will be moving out of the current church in February 2018. We are not able to make bookings in 2018 or 2019.
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Welcome to your parish in Canmore.
Our Lady of the Rockies Parish now only covers the Town of Canmore, Alberta. The pastor is Fr. Nathan Siray. St. Mary's Church in Banff is its own parish under the pastorship of Fr. Dan Stevenot. You may access their new website here. 
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