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The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John (the "Diocese") is recruiting a Director of Finance and Administration, located in Saint John, NB. This a rewarding and meaningful permanent full-time position at the Diocesan office and we are seeking a highly motivated, organized and detail-oriented individual who has their CPA designation and is interested in working in a faith-based Roman Catholic organization. For more details or to apply, please see the job advertisement.

My dearest brothers and sisters, with this letter I desire to reach you all – after having written already only to the bishops after the publication of the Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes – and I write to share with you some reflections on the liturgy, a dimension fundamental for the life of the Church. The theme is vast and always deserves an attentive consideration in every one of its aspects. Even so, with this letter I do not intend to treat the question in an exhaustive way. I simply desire to offer some prompts or cues for reflections that can aid in the contemplation of the beauty and truth of Christian celebration.

Très chers frères et sœurs, par cette lettre, je désire vous rejoindre tous - après avoir déjà écrit uniquement aux évêques après la publication du Motu Proprio Traditionis custodes - et je vous écris pour partager avec vous quelques réflexions sur la liturgie, dimension fondamentale pour la vie de l’Église. Le sujet est vaste et mérite d’être examiné attentivement sous tous ses aspects : toutefois, dans cette lettre, je n’ai pas l’intention de traiter la question de manière exhaustive. Je souhaite plutôt offrir quelques pistes de réflexion qui puissent aider à la contemplation de la beauté et de la vérité de la célébration chrétienne.

Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC continues confirming young Catholics in their Christian faith, with the Sacrament of Confirmation celebrated recently at Saint Raphael’s Church of the Good Shepherd Parish in Blackville. The Saint John High School choir returned to public performance at Saint Rose of Lima Church, Holy Spirit Parish, West Saint John. Three local Catholic groups issued a joint bid to save Saint John the Baptist Cathedral Basilica as a Catholic church in the Archdiocese of St. John’s, NL. Basilians make their bicentennial pilgrimage to Rome and pray for Pope Francis’ knee, before his Canadian visit.

During his homily on June 19, 2022, the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ, Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC, of the Diocese of Saint John, began by reflecting on St. Francis of Assisi and the invitation, three times, from the crucifix to repair the church, which was falling into ruins. People have a responsibility to care for the elderly and cherish their wisdom rather than regard them as a burden on society, Pope Francis said. When Sister Nancy Brown began serving as pastoral counsellor at Covenant House Vancouver in 1998, her eyes were opened to the sex-trafficking crisis happening right under the nose of everyday Canadians. Involved in legal advocacy work today, she says to end this scourge, people need to become more aware of the signs.

New Brunswick State Council of the Knights of Columbus wives fundraise for the Indigenous Solidarity Fund. Former lieutenant governor Graydon Nicholas delivers a workshop on healing and reconciliation to Saint Croix Parish. The Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception community continues to work toward physical and spiritual restoration. Canadian artist Timothy Schmalz installs a pro-life sculpture of Jesus in the womb, in a Roman church to be seen by countless tourists. African Catholics in Canada are praying for peace in the wake of the Pentecost Sunday massacre in a Nigerian Catholic church.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John, located at 1 Bayard Dr. in Saint John, NB, is seeking a full-time Director of Finance and Administration. For more information and to apply please visit https://www.careerbeacon.com/en/job/1801606/239463/director-of-finance-and-administration/saint-john-nb . Applications will be accepted until Friday, June 17, 2022.

To aid in this Cathedral restoration effort, an annual collection will be taken up in the parishes on the weekend of the Solemnity of the Body and Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi), this year on June 18-19, 2022. I am asking you to prayerfully consider a generous personal donation towards this campaign. Gifts of either a one-time donation, multi-year pledge, securities, bequests or life insurance are a tremendous blessing and will aid significantly in the success of this campaign. This will be a multi-year process but God-willing, the good fruits of this effort will bless our diocese for generations to come.

Pour appuyer le projet de restauration de la Cathédrale, une collecte annuelle aura lieu dans les paroisses, le 18 et 19 juin cette année, à l’occasion de la Solennité du Saint-Sacrement du Corps et du Sang du Christ (la Fête-Dieu). Je vous demande de songer, dans un esprit de prière, à faire un don généreux à cette campagne. Que ce soit un don unique ou un engagement pour plusieurs années, un don de valeurs mobilières, sous la forme de legs, ou de prestations d'assurance-vie, tous ces dons seraient une immense bénédiction et contribueraient considérablement au succès de cette campagne. Ce projet s’étendra sur plusieurs années mais, si Dieu le veut, les bons fruits de cet effort béniront notre diocèse pour des générations à venir.

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITY - The Roman Catholic Diocese of Saint John, located at 1 Bayard Dr. in Saint John, NB, is seeking a full-time Director of Finance and Administration. For more information and to apply please visit https://www.careerbeacon.com/en/job/1801606/239463/director-of-finance-and-administration/saint-john-nb . Applications will be accepted until Friday, June 17, 2022.

The next World Meeting of Families will be multi-centered and spread out throughout dioceses all over the world. The limits dictated by the pandemic are proving to be, in this sense, an opportunity so that families may truly participate and offer their contribution to diocesan meetings. Each particular Church will be able to live an ecclesial experience, on the one hand, by maximizing local resources, and on the other, being able to listen to and follow the Meeting in Rome with the Holy Father via live streaming. Among other things, the World Meeting is part of the current synodal journey of the Church and can prove to be a valuable experience of "participation, communion and mission" of families. This Vademecum is designed to support the particular Churches that are responsible for organizing local meetings. Each diocese/parish can gather inspiration from the indications offered in this pastoral kit, while remaining free to adapt the initiatives to the local cultural context and their own pastoral needs. The ecclesial goal is to realize a global event, which bears the particular features of each community.

La prochaine Rencontre Mondiale des Familles aura un caractère multicentrique et sera répartie dans tous les diocèses du monde. Les limitations imposées par la pandémie se révèlent, en ce sens, être une opportunité pour les familles de participer et de contribuer réellement aux rencontres diocésaines. Chaque Église particulière pourra vivre une expérience ecclésiale, d'une part en mettant à profit ses ressources locales, d'autre part en ayant la possibilité d'écouter et de regarder en streaming la Rencontre à Rome avec le Saint-Père. La Rencontre mondiale s'inscrit, entre autres, dans l'actuel parcours synodal de l'Église et peut se révéler une précieuse expérience de « participation, communion et mission » des familles. Ce vade-mecum est conçu pour être utile aux Églises particulières qui sont responsables de l'organisation des rencontres locales. Chaque diocèse/paroisse peut s'inspirer des indications proposées dans ce kit pastoral, tout en restant libre d'adapter les initiatives au contexte culturel local et à ses propres besoins pastoraux.

Old age, frailty and vulnerabilities should not be hidden, Pope Francis said. "Do not hide old age, do not hide the fragility of old age," he said, because society needs to be taught and reformed to respect all seasons of life. Evidence is mounting that assisted suicide’s introduction into the Canadian medical system is not only undermining governments’ oft-stated plans to improve palliative care but is actively damaging the country’s already inadequate palliative-care system. Worse yet, patients are choosing to die rather than to continue to live without adequate palliative care. A five-year study by a non-partisan think tank is complicating the narrative of Canadian religious decline while highlighting the shifting and sometimes complicated nature of Canadian religious identity.

Divine Mercy Catholic School in Saint John surprised Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC of the diocese by co-honouring him, and the Redemptorist Province of Canada, with the school’s Spiritus Award. As the outcry from those who say the life of a loved one was wrongfully extinguished due to blind spots in Medical Assistance in Dying (MAiD) legislation has grown louder, many are worried that their concerns are falling on deaf ears. The evidence piling up before a special joint committee on Medical Assistance in Dying includes a disability rights advocate calling Canadian senators and MPs racist and ableist to their faces.

The Most Reverend Christian Riesbeck, CC, Bishop of Saint John, announces the following clergy assignments effective July 4, 2022, unless otherwise noted. Those priests who have been appointed Pastors will be dispensed from the requirement of Canon 527 that they be placed into canonical possession of their parishes and will automatically become Pastor on July 4, 2022, unless otherwise noted. Later, Bishop Riesbeck will come to each parish to celebrate a Mass of Installation for the new pastors.

Les familles de partout au Canada sont invitées à un « Chapelet pour la famille » virtuel. Le Comité permanent de la CECC pour la famille et de la vie organise cet événement national en vue de la Xe Rencontre mondiale des familles (RFM) qui aura lieu à Rome et dans tous les diocèse du monde entier (22-26 juin 2022). L'événement virtuel en direct « Chapelet pour la famille » aura lieu le jour de la fête des Pères, le dimanche 19 juin 2022, à 16 h. Avec la participation de différentes familles de tout le pays, c'est l'occasion de se réunir dans la prière avec d'autres familles croyantes. Tout le monde est le bienvenu !

In preparation for the 10th World Meeting of Families, the CCCB Committee for Family and Life is hosting a live and nationwide Rosary for the Family via Zoom Webinar. The virtual event will take place on Sunday, 19 June 2022 at 3:00 p.m. (DST) and will be facilitated by several families from across the country.

Father Ron Rolheiser asks: Where does our present moment belong vis-à-vis our faith in God and the relevance of our churches? Are we post-Christian? Are we witnessing the death of God and our churches? Or, is our faith being purified by the very criticisms levelled against it and, despite a massive decline in church attendance, aren’t the churches making genuine moral progress on issues like racism, sexism, and social justice in general? Are we dying or maturing? How do we name our present moment? For more than 20 years, world religion teachers and interfaith leaders around the world have been using the Golden Rule poster as an entry point for discussions on faith and unity. Wanting to go back to the way things were in the past is not Christian, Pope Francis said. There is a difference between wanting to go back in time and drawing inspiration from one's roots in order to move forward with Christ, he said.

Pentecost Mission from Monday, May 30, to Wednesday, June 1. Talks are provided by Fr. Allan MacDonald, CC (Do we need a new Pentecost?), Bishop Christian Riesbeck, CC (Who is the Holy Spirit?), and Fr. Mark Goring, CC (How do I get the Holy Spirit?) from 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm each evening. This Mission will be hosted virtually on YouTube. Register today at companionscross.org/pentecost to receive the YouTube links. Come experience the Church explosively alive!

Earlier today, the Vatican formally announced that Pope Francis will travel to Canada from July 24-29, 2022. The historic visit, focused on Indigenous healing and reconciliation, will be the fourth papal journey to Canada and the first since Saint John Paul II’s visit in 2002.