From the Pastor
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Pastor's Message
I was born in Saskatoon, SK on November 20, 1967 and baptized a couple weeks later on December 3. I did not always want to become a priest, and actually went through a couple atheistic phases in grades 5-6 and 11-12. However, there were always stars lighting my way. My mother dragged me to church despite my objections. My grandmothers prayed for me and all my cousins, and exemplified Catholic life. A high school friend persevered in the faith despite the ribbing that she received, and her example inspired me. My moment of conversion was after my grandfather died. He had been laid up with a stroke all my young life and spent his days in a chair in their living room. We said the Rosary the night before the funeral. I cried and cried. Only later did I realize that I was grieving not just my grandfather, but morality itself combined with my own lack of faith. Mary was leading me back to Jesus through a baptism of tears. That night I had a powerful dream: a vision that I remember clearly to this day. I went into my grandparent's living room, and saw that his chair was empty. My mom and my grandmother where standing there, and I said, "Where's grandpa?" They looked embarrassed that I had forgotten that he had died. But I was insistent. "Where's grandpa?" I felt a tap on my shoulder, and turned around. There he was, bopping up and down, full of life and vitality, grinning from ear to ear with a face no longer twisted from the stroke. I said, "Grandpa!" and he gestured "Shh!" so the others wouldn't think I was crazy. "Grandpa, you're here!" I cannot say that I began an unwavering commitment to the practice of the faith at that time, but from that point on, I believed.Fr. Rick Lorenz
To read more about Fr. Rick's story you will find the next episode in the parish bulletin...
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