Past Events 2025
OUR LIFE: In Mary, after Christ, we live and move and have our being. She is our spiritual mother in the order of grace. She's the New Eve, the Mother of All the Living in the New Covenant. We recognize and are grateful we came to life in Christ because of Mary's "yes" at the Annunciation. We all owe our spiritual lives to our mother. Christ gave us His Mother as our mother; she is "our life."
OUR SWEETNESS: When we love someone, we use endearing terms to refer to them. When you spend time with Mary and talk to her, pray to her, she has a way of bringing us joy, hope and sweetness. When we fall, Mary comes as "our sweetness," our loving mother.
OUR HOPE: In the eyes of the world, everything fell apart 2,000 years ago on Good Friday. All hope seemed lost. The disciples ran away. There was one person still standing there whose heart was filled with hope. Even going through a torturous agony in her maternal heart she was not despairing or lacking trust, but was an anchor of hope for St. John and for the Church, even to the present day. When we go through agony and all hope seems lost, she reminds us it is not. As our spiritual Mother, she continues to be hope for us in difficult times, in times of darkness, or when we have trouble seeing what God's plan or purpose is for us. "Hail, Holy Queen, Mother of Mercy. Our Life, Our Sweetness, and Our Hope."
Speakers
We were encouraged by Donna-Marie's faith as she persevered in prayer in the face of many tragedies and trials in her life. She spoke of the hope and help she received from Mary, Our Life, Our Sweetness and Our Hope, her dear friend, St. Teresa of Calcutta, and teachings of the Divine Mercy given through Saint Faustina. Donna-Marie feels called to help others through sharing her own story and offering prayers of support to those her shared their own difficulties with her. She listened with empathy and responded as Saint Mother Teresa often told her - with love. Every soul needs to know the love of Jesus and we are called to show them, and we must see Jesus in each soul and love Him through them.
Jean helped us understand that struggles in marriage are to be expected and read the quote below, after first challenging the women in the audience to tell her where the quote was from. Sadly, NONE of us knew the answer. It was from the Catechism of the Catholic Church 1606.
"Every man experiences evil around him and within himself. This experience makes itself felt in the relationships between man and woman. Their union has always been threatened by discord, a spirit of domination, infidelity, jealousy, and conflicts that can escalate into hatred and separation. This disorder can manifest itself more or less acutely, and can be more or less overcome according to the circumstances of cultures, eras, and individuals, but it does seem to have a universal character."
The Church tells us this is the reality of marriage. But this is not the final answer. She read CCC 1615:
"This unequivocal insistence on the indissolubility of the marriage bond may have left some perplexed and could seem to be a demand impossible to realize. However, Jesus has not placed on spouses a burden impossible to bear, or too heavy - heavier than the Law of Moses. [Cf. Mk 8:34; Mt 11:29-30] By coming to restore the original order of creation disturbed by sin, he himself gives the strength and grace to live marriage in the new dimension of the Reign of God. It is by following Christ, renouncing themselves, and taking up their crosses that spouses will be able to "receive" the original meaning of marriage and live it with the help of Christ. [Cf. Mt 19:11] This grace of Christian marriage is a fruit of Christ's cross, the source of all Christian life. [2364, 1642]
Jean followed this with some excellent tools and suggestions that can be used, not only within marriage, but in all the varied relationships of our lives. This was followed by some lively interactions within the audience, ignited hope going forward that through Grace and following the MAP, we will achieve our M: Mission on earth which is Heaven. A: align our words, actions and deeds with that mission, and
P: begin with and follow up with Prayer.
Lastly, she reminded us that WE ARE NOT ALONE in our battles or in the success of our Mission and to seek, and be mentors for, one another. Everyone appreciated these tools and concrete examples of how to use them which was a source of great hope in our confused world.
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Adult Speakers: Click the desired button for more info.
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2025 FAMILY LIFE CONFERENCE OVERVIEW
This was an amazing conference. Like every year, it was 'fun, faith-filled, family life'. It was our largest gathering of campers and commuters to date with close to 3000 people, from newborns to seniors. The weather cooperated, no fire bans, bugs were few, and children abounded with voices that filled the air with laughter, song, and joyful play. This is not to say there were no fussy, crying, children and frayed parents on occasion, but hey, that is part and parcel of family life also.
Reconciliation throughout. Our Authentic Catholic Families are ready for it all, and when we fall, faithful Catholic priests wait in the confessional to catch us, challenge us onwards, and offer Christ's absolution. Oh, our beautiful, merciful, grace-filled faith. We are incredibly blessed every year by the shepherds tending the flock with such great love and care all weekend at this conference. Thank you!
The Masses were inspirational. The main celebrant for our Friday Mass was Bishop Gary Franken from the St. Paul Diocese who definitely began the conference on the right foot. Saturday Mass was Bishop William McGrattan from Calgary. Both Bishops were on point with their messages; their prayer and preparation certainly inspired by the Holy Spirit. That was followed by Fr. Paul Moret on Sunday, who, by the way, has NEVER missed one of these conferences. His annual Eucharistic Benediction is a beautiful time of healing for attendees as we touch the humeral veil. The humeral veil is worn by Father Moret and in recent years also by Deacon Ken Noster for additional support for this 2+ hour time of adoration. The humeral veil signifies that it is not the priest who is blessing the people, but Jesus Christ, truly present under the appearance of bread. They "conceal themselves" with the veil, which directs everyone's attention to Jesus, making him visibly front and center. The tradition of the humeral veil is a beautiful one and is a great reminder of Jesus' presence in the Eucharist and that is is He who blesses and heals us at Benediction. We closed the conference on Monday with a Divine Liturgy celebrated by the Edmonton Eparchy and choir. This was a beautiful celebration for our Ukrainian brothers and sisters, plus the many participants who experienced a Divine Liturgy for the first time.
Music: Full Expression of Faith. We were blessed all weekend by the Reinhart Family who continually strive in their musical gifts to be perfect as the Heavenly Father is perfect. Liturgical music at Mass is important, very important! It is not simply a performance by a soloist or choir, a background to accompany our prayer, a means to create a mood, or an incentive to shout and clap our hands. Music is integral to our liturgical worship. It serves a purpose that cannot be replaced by any other means of human expression. Liturgical music elevates worship, deepens our connection with God, and strengthens our sense of community.
The Reinhart Family spent countless hours in prayer and practice in order to lead us in our worship of God as both body and soul. Prayer rises from the depths of our hearts. Words alone do not suffice to express all that we wish to say. But music has the power to communicate the messages and emotions that words cannot capture. The selection of liturgical music beautifully enhanced the liturgical celebration as well as our time in adoration and Eucharistic Benediction. The subtle guitar accompaniment that matched the melody of the choir's voices and the participation of the congregation, helped us move beyond ourselves, allowing us to raise our hearts to God in praise and adoration and more full participation in the liturgy.
Pope Francis clearly defined the purpose of music at Mass. He said that it is "first of all a matter of participating intensely in the mystery of God, in the 'theophany' that takes place in every Eucharistic celebration, in which the Lord makes himself present among his people, who are called truly to participate in the salvation realized by the crucified and risen Christ" (Homily at Santa Marta, December 12, 2013).
In the words of the Letter to the Ephesians, we should "be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with your heart…" (Ephesians 5:18-19). This is the task of our musicians at Holy Mass.
When musicians are as proficient as the Reinhart's, there can be the temptation to applaud their professionalism following Mass, but to do so, is to negate their prayerful gift of ministry that helps us forget ourselves and focus on God in the praise and worship due only to Him.
However, we will take the opportunity here to say thank you to the Reinhart family for not only their worship during Mass but also their uplifting praise and prayer before the talks in the Shrine.
SPEAKERS
Dave DiNuzzo Sr., Dave DiNuzzo Sr. is a Catholic, Husband, Father of 4, International Speaker, Author, and Deacon-Candidate (pursuing the Sacrament of Holy Orders to the Order of Deacon in 2025 for the Roman Catholic Diocese of Salina in Kansas, USA.) He recently published his first solo book project, “The Steep Upward Climb - Practical Knowledge about Virtue and Becoming a Saint.” Despite recently becoming disabled due to severe lung damage contracted during a month-long stay in the ICU, Dave believes that the Lord is using his daily suffering to help others and dares to say, as St. John the Baptist once did about Our Lord Jesus Christ, “He must increase. I must decrease.”
Dave's talks were engaging and challenging and we are grateful for his participation at this conference for his first trip to Canada. Due the great response he received, it certainly won't be his last.
For more information or to book Dave to speak at your next event, visit TrueManhood.com. “Blessed be Jesus Christ, True God and True Man.” Want to know more: truemanhood.com _________________
Sean Lynn is the President and founder of God Squad Canada; Catholic Men’s Leadership Alliance Canadian National Director; and cradle catholic retired after 34 years of service as a Calgary Police Officer. God Squad Canada was started by four police officers in the Diocese of Calgary who saw the effects of the lack of loving fathers in the family through their work on the streets. They began with an annual men’s conference to invite men to follow in the footsteps of St. Joseph. Soon men from every walk of life were joining in the mission. Why did we name ourselves “God Squad”? Because we are a small organized tactical unit in the service of God that is sent in the spiritual battlefield to minister to men, inspiring them to embrace God’s vocation in their lives.
It was encouraging to hear how invested Sean is in the battle for men to embrace God's vocation in their lives to build a brotherhood that could change the face of our families, churches, and culture where no man was alone. God Squad Canada is a remarkable ministry dedicated to fostering spiritual growth and camaraderie among men, all under the benevolent patronage of St. Joseph. This unique initiative aims to empower men to deepen their faith, uphold their roles as husbands, fathers, and community leaders, and forge meaningful connections with fellow believers.
Rooted in the teachings of the Catholic Church, God Squad Canada recognizes St. Joseph as a powerful example of humility, strength, and devotion, providing a solid foundation for its members to emulate. Want to learn more. godsquad.ca
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Fr. Peter Babej is the Pastor of Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God Parish and
District of The Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Edmonton. The Edmonton Eparchy serves 25,000+ faithful in 81 parishes and missions throughout Alberta, providing spiritual, catechetical, counselling, and sacramental care for families and individuals, as well as outreach programs for the needy and marginalized. Fr. Babej is a knowledgeable and gifted speaker who provided the men at the conference with some great insights on what it means to to put on the armour of God.
HOMILISTS
Fr. Antony Cruz Michael, SAC is a Pallottine priest who celebrated his 15th Anniversary to the priesthood this year. He is pastor of Holy Family Parish, St. Albert, and spoke with such conviction on the importance of being authentic Catholic men.
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Fr. Dean Dowle was born in Edmonton, AB, received his education in Catholic Schools in Fort Saskatchewan and was ordained a priest for the Archdiocese of Edmonton in 2010. He was grateful to be a part of this conference by celebrating Mass and the Sacrament of Reconciliation with the men and we were grateful to have him. He encouraged everyone to consider visiting him on occasion at St. John the Evangelist Parish, Edmonton where he currently resides and loves to serve.
MUSIC MINISTRY
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THANK YOU Mike Landry, for leading the men in song this weekend, joined by Chris Davies. It has been awhile and was so great to have you back, and we received so many comments of appreciation.