By: Lisa Polk
After 4 years as the Director of Pastoral Services, Bob Kowalchuk retired from his work with the Archdiocese of Regina in August. These are the words he offered at the end of his executive summary of the 2017 Parish Annual Pastoral Reports:
“It has been a pleasure to serve as Director of Pastoral Services for the past four years. During my short tenure I have had the pleasure to work with two Archbishops. Archbishop Dan provided me an opportunity to work for the archdiocese and grow in faith. I am eternally grateful for his confidence.
Archbishop Don believes in and practices a vision of church where the shepherd reaches out and gathers his flock. Archbishop Don is committed to a vision of Church that grows through dialogue and investment in people. He has introduced and challenged us to work with and develop new structures to engage each other in growing stronger, healthier, more vibrant communities.
Hope is contagious. We are a hope filled church. We also need to be more proactive in addressing the challenges, not out of fear or hopelessness but with the pragmatic realities of living on the prairies. Prairie people are a hardy bunch. Our ancestors worked, built and shaped our province, our diocese and our parishes with their sweat and prayers. Our diocese will continue to survive and hopefully thrive. We will face challenges going forward but hopefully will do so with the same gusto as our ancestors. Their legacy will not be lost.”
As I took on the role of Director of Pastoral Services for the Archdiocese of Regina in August, I was grateful for the time Bob spent with me during the role transition, bringing me up to speed on the many things happening in the department and around the Archdiocese. There truly is much to be hopeful about!
Other changes that took place in 2018 in the Pastoral Services Department: we welcomed Tashia Toupin as our Social Justice Coordinator, Joan Rink as the Lay Chaplain for Wascana Rehabilitation Centre, Maria Martinez as our Archbishop’s Appeal Coordinator, and Amanda Trainor as an addition to our administrative staff.
We said farewell to Bert Pitzel, Frank Flegel, Bobbi Yanko, Karen Zeigler, Denise Walsh, and Bob Kowalchuk and wished them well as they continue their journey into retirement, and also to Sr. Rufina Dubao as she moved into other ministry in our archdiocese. Deacon Eric Gurash (who was ordained as a permanent Deacon in June 2018), took on the role of Director of Communications, in addition to his role as Director of Lay Formation.
Although I was not yet employed by the archdiocese at the time, I was part of the team that coordinated the local visit of the St. Francis Xavier relic in January. The relic tour was organized by CCO (Catholic Christian Outreach) and the Jesuits of Canada. Over 3000 people had the chance to venerate the arm of St. Francis, with which, it is believed, he would have baptized over 100,000 people. There were many blessings and graces received by people throughout our archdiocese through the intercession of St. Francis Xavier.
In September 2018, we held the first of what we plan to be the annual Archdiocese of Regina Congress. This gathering brought together clergy and lay leaders from all over the archdiocese, who serve in various ways. We kicked off the Archbishop’s Annual Appeal, heard inspiring words from Archbishop Don and Leah Perrault, participated in a wonderful time of praise and worship, and had various breakout sessions, all surrounded by the opportunity for fellowship.
I am very blessed to have the opportunity to serve in the Archdiocese of Regina. I look forward to connecting with many more people in 2019, and I remain joyful in hope!
Read the full AGM Report HERE
