VOLUME 15 NUMBER 4 SUMMER 2015 Ricardo Escalante Lector and Acolyte SARA CELEBRATES YEAR OF CONSECRATED LIFE A full day of celebration, discussion, speakers and sharing stories celebrated 2015 the Year of Consecrated Life announced by Pope Francis November 2013.”It was a really positive experience,” said Marian Grady a member of the secular institute Oblate Missionaries of Mary Immaculate and one of the organizers of It’s a long way from Trinidad Tobago to Vancouver to Rome to the event. The Sisters Association of the Regina Archdiocese the Regina Archdiocese but that’s the route taken by Ricardo (SARA) organized the day. Escalante on his journey to the priesthood and he’s not quite It was an open event that included both secular and those there yet. Archbishop Daniel Bohan on May 8, the last day of living a consecrated life. It included talks and a presentation the Priest’s retreat at St. Michael’s Retreat, Lumsden instituted by David and Faye Helmson, retirees who volunteer at Escalante as Lector and Acolyte, the first two steps on the hospitals and the Marian Centre, a soup kitchen operated road to ordination. by members of the Madonna Apostolate. Escalante said he knew in his late teens that he wanted to There are 17 Congregations of Women Religious working in serve the Church but he wasn’t sure in what capacity until his the Regina Archdiocese and almost all were represented at early 20s when he decided being a priest is how he wanted to the event held July 13 at Holy Child Parish. serve. Prior to that however, he became a lawyer and served in that profession for about 10 years. “I needed to pay the bills,” Sr. Teresita Kambeitz, o.s.u. from Saskatoon, gave a history he said, “and law was a good place for that.” He practiced for of the Sisters arrival in Saskatchewan establishing schools, a short time in Trinidad Tobago then became a legal aid with hospitals and other programs. Eric Hanna, on a journey to a firm in Vancouver where he had family. ordination in the Jesuit Order, gave a presentation of Jesuit life. Carmelite Solitary, Sr. Benedicta of the Cross, spoke on He entered the seminary in Vancouver and, with the permission her life as a solitary; Members of Madonna House described of the Vancouver Archbishop, he journeyed to Rome to study their vocation operating soup kitchens and prayer houses; philosophy. On his visit to Rome Regina Archbishop Daniel Myriam Family of the Prairies told of their work with churches Bohan met Escalante through a colleague. Escalante told the and children. Archbishop he wanted to complete his doctorate in Philosophy before ordination and Bohan agreed. “By that time I had lost Sr. Yvette Plessis, (s.c.s.l.) chair of the event said “Smaller contact with Vancouver,” said Escalante. individualized not institutionalized personal ministries I think is going to be the new normal.” Working in partnership with other He did come to Regina for a visit and liked what he saw. “A committed lay men and women and consecrated persons is lot of scholars believe that it’s much easier for the life of the also the new shape of consecrated men and women today. Spirit to take root when one is close to nature because of the experiences of the cycle of life and then death and that puts The event also saw a change in SARA executive with Sister one up to the transcendent.” Escalante explained that the Theresa Frey, (IBVM) as the new President and Sister people of Saskatchewan are seen as being close to the land Bernadette Feist ending her term. which would make it easier than a bustling metropolis for the Spirit to take root. “God works in silence and not in activity.” Escalante will complete his doctorate this summer and will return to Regina in September to begin his pastoral year. Bohan expects that Escalante will be ordained sometime next fall. Escalante is one of nine Regina Archdiocesan seminarians but the only one studying in Rome. PAGE 2 - THE ARCH, SUMMER 2015 Peace Be With.... SR. FILLION, RNDM Sister Anastasia CELEBRATES 75 YEARS Sister Agnes Sr. Anastasia Young s.s.s., a Sister Fillion (Aggie) of Social Service in her 71st year was born in of life, peacefully returned to God Viscount, SK on May 1, 2015. Sister Anastasia September 10, will be lovingly remembered by 1911. When her religious community and her Aggie was family; Doreen, Richard (Linda), still in primary Clarence (Evelyn), Ken (Nancy), school the Geri (Bruce) and Phyllis (Mike) family moved as well as her aunts and uncles, to Regina. numerous nieces and nephews, She went to friends and colleagues. Sister Holy Rosary Anastasia was the former Spiritual School and Program Director of the Archdiocese Sacred Heart of Regina. A position she held for Academy. At nine years. Her other ministries included Retreat Director for the Academy, Holy Spirit Center, Pastoral Assistant at St. Teresa’s Parish Aggie and her in Toronto, and Retreat Associate at Villa Madonna Retreat friend, Irene Centre. She also was involved in Christian Meditation and Oliver, would participated on numerous committees. She loved music and go to the Chapel to pray during the noon hour. It was there liturgy and could play a variety of instruments. She lived out that they both became aware of their call to religious life. her motto: “Forever I will sing of your steadfast love, O Lord”. In the Chapel, they often heard the laughter of the Sisters coming from the dining room. The joy they heard and saw Sister Louise in the Sisters, their teachers, encouraged them to ask for Sr. Louise Oberhoffner, RNDM admission to the novitiate of the Sisters of Our Lady of the died peacefully at Santa Maria Missions. Senior Citizens' Home on Friday, After their novitiate the two friends parted company. Aggie May 29, 2015. Born in Regina was sent to Manitoba and served for a few years as boarders' in 1928 to Angela (Simon) and mistress and cook in various communities before going to Joseph Oberhoffner, She is Teachers' College in Brandon, Manitoba. survived by her sister Angela Unfortunately Aggie's time in the classroom was cut short Terrett; her brother David; sisters- due to several years of illness. However, as soon as she in-law Frankie, Frances and was better, she became a volunteer at the hospital and was Doreen, and numerous beloved able to help patients who were suffering from experiences nieces and nephews and their similar to hers. children. Louise attended Regina Separate Schools and Sacred In the early seventies, a whole new and wonderful ministry Heart Academy where she met the Sisters of Our Lady of awaited Aggie. She was asked to help with the teaching of the Missions, whom she joined in 1947, receiving the name mentally challenged children and later to be a member of Sister Mary Angela. Sister went on for professional training the community of Garritty Home where she was invaluable and taught elementary and high school in Wolseley, Regina, with her gifts of compassion, understanding and a wonderful Lebret and Fort Qu'Appelle. After a successful battle with sense of humour. TB at the sanatorium in Fort Qu'Appelle, Louise again took After twenty-fife years in that ministry, the time came for her to up her studies, including theology, and spent some years leave, with great sorrow, her "beloved children" as she called in Rome helping Sisters in the Tertianship program there. the residents of Garritty Home. The Congregation asked her Subsequently Louise returned to teaching in Canada, served to move to the community of Santa Maria where she was in several houses as local superior, did parish work, and well known for her daily visits to the Residents-in-care . was Diocesan correspondent for the Prairie Messenger. She eventually had to seek nursing care in Santa Maria For seventy-five years Aggie has shared generously her joy Home where she lived for over eight years. The Sisters are and laugher, love and compassion, devotion and humour most grateful for the loving care Louise received there. We with the Sisters of Our Lady of the Missions, the people she remember Sister especially for her warm concern for others, ministered to and her many friends. We rejoice with her and her love of travel, her rousing laughter and generosity without thank God for her. measure. May she rest in peace. PAGE 3 - THE ARCH, SUMMER 2015 REV. ED HENGEN CELEBRATES 50 YEARS OF VOCATION Graduation from Campion College was Gerard Parish, Yorkton, gravitated to first pastor of Regina’s Holy Family coming up and a young Ed Hengen Consecrated Life. Church. St. Jerome and St. Bernadette elementary schools were part of his decided it was time to do something The family was friendly with their parish. “The CBC had a program called about his feeling that he wanted to be parish priests but it was a Dutch Meeting Place and they televised our a priest. “I made an appointment to see priest who served at Windthorst that mass from St. Bernadette’s gym on the the Bishop (Michael C. O’Neill) and supported and encouraged his early second Sunday of Easter. That was told him I wanted to be a priest. They thinking about being a priest. “As a kind of a highlight.” took it from there. They encouraged matter of fact when I celebrated my me and with the support of my family I 50th anniversary, the chalice I used He said if he hadn’t been a priest he entered the seminary that fall.” He was was the chalice he gave me before probably would have gone into farming.