All Saints Parish Homilies and News

Echo report published in Aleteia  by Phillip Kosloski: Non-Catholics are welcome to receive ashes on their forehead during Ash Wednesday liturgies. A shes are a "sacramental". For Catholics, this often seen as an evangelization opportunity, as not all Christians use ashes on Ash Wednesday. At the same time, what's interesting is that receiving ashes is one tradition in the Roman and Eastern Catholic Churches that do not require any previous sacrament. In fact, someone who is not even baptized can receive ashes on Ash Wednesday.  Ashes are what's called a "sacramental" in the Catholic Church. Simply put, sacramentals are anything set apart or blessed by the Church for the purpose of sanctifying our lives and leading us to the sacraments. They are sacred signs and provide for us grace (spiritual help) through the intercession of the Church. Furthermore, the blessing over the individual who is receiving the ashes is very general: "Repent, and believe in th...

Minneapolis bishop encourages flock to be “instruments of peace”.  Rest in peace and God Bless Renee Good (died January 7, 2026) and Mr. Alex Jeffrey Pretti (died January 24, 2026), in Minneapolis. Aleteia link here:   The archbishop of Minneapolis-St. Paul released a statement as did the leader of the US bishops' conference.   Update: The statement from the US bishops' president was added to this article after original publication. Archbishop Bernard Hebda called everyone to "ask what we can do to restore the Lord’s peace" and insisted that everyone must see each other "as brothers and sisters created in the image and likeness of God." That is as true for our undocumented neighbors as it is for our elected officials and for the men and women who have the unenviable responsibility of enforcing our laws. They all need our humble prayers.  The archbishop noted times of Eucharistic Adoration as well as a Mass for the victim, Mr. Alex Pretti, R.N. (died January...

𝐉𝐮𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐞 𝐘𝐞𝐚𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐒𝐚𝐢𝐧𝐭 𝐅𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐬 In 2026, the Catholic Church is celebrating an extraordinary Franciscan Jubilee Year to commemorate the 800th anniversary of the death (the Transitus * ) of Saint Francis of Assisi, who passed away on October 3, 1226. Saint Francis of Assisi, (b. 1181- d. 1216 AD) The Jubilee Year officially runs from January 10, 2026, to January 10, 2027. It was established by decree of the Vatican's Apostolic Penitentiary at the request of Pope Leo XIV, following the conclusion of the Ordinary Jubilee of 2025. The year focuses on spiritual renewal, peace, and evangelical poverty, inviting the faithful to follow Francis' example of living the Gospel "without evasion". For the first time in history, the mortal remains of Saint Francis will be publicly displayed for veneration from February 22 to March 26, 2026, at the Basilica of Saint Francis in Assisi. A special plenary indulgence is granted to the faithful during this Jubilee Y...

https://www.stalbertgazette.com/local-news/former-sturgeon-county-man-on-road-to-sainthood-11619809 Published in the St. Albert Gazette (by Kevin Ma) and in Columbia Magazine Blessed Father LOUIS DOUMAIN 1920–1944 — Louis Doumain, shown here, was born in Cardiff, Alberta, and baptised in Morinville. He was beatified Dec. 13, 2025, as a martyr after dying in a Nazi disciplinary camp for his faith. PHOTO COURTESY TRINI PINCA Former Sturgeon County man on road to sainthood Rev. Louis Doumain died in Nazi camp for his faith. Father Louis Doumain was featured as the Catholic Man of the Month in the December 2025, issue of Columbia Magazine (the Knights of Columbus publication) because he was recently beatified as a martyr, recognized for dying for his faith under the Nazis during WWII, despite being born in Canada and living most of his life in France.  His story highlights radical love and holiness, with Columbia celebrating his journey to sainthood, especially following his December ...

Vatican: Pope Leo XIV at the Angelus on January 4, 2026: “With great concern, I am following the developments in Venezuela.  The well-being of the beloved Venezuelan people must prevail over every other consideration and lead to overcoming violence and embarking on paths of justice and peace, guaranteeing the sovereignty of the Country, ensuring the rule of law enshrined in the Constitution, respecting the human and civil rights of each and every one. And working to build together a serene future of collaboration, stability, and harmony, with special attention to the poorest who suffer because of the difficult economic situation.”

  Challenges and blessings at the globe’s most northern parish. A Polis h pri est shares the beauty of ministering in Norway, a country where Catholics are a small but diverse fraction of the population and the weather can be a trial. "For me, the synonym for prayer is presence." Published in Aleteia by  Katarzyna Matusz-Braniecka -   published on 12/27/25 Father Rafał Ochojski MSF, a Polish missionary of the Holy Family, has been working in Norway for six years. He’s currently the parish priest of St. Michael the Archangel Parish in Hammerfest, the northernmost Catholic parish in the world. Previously, as he emphasizes, he was a satisfied youth minister, and before that, an equally happy vicar of the Parish of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Złotów, Poland . “You’re alone and far away, it’s dark and cold, there are few people… Why did you choose Norway?,” his friends ask him. He replies: “Twenty years ago, I came to Norway as a deacon. Fr. Wojciech (the ...