Reaching Out: Our Women, Men and Children of Diversity

Two Organizations that Made a Difference

The Saskatoon Division of the Knights of Columbus was formed in 1910, and the first Catholic Women's League meeting in Saskatoon was held in 1924. It would be impossible to describe the far-reaching impact that the CWL and the Knights of Columbus have had on Saskatoon. Since their inception, they have taken on fund-raising initiatives and leadership roles in war relief efforts, education, spiritual development, social justice, women’s rights issues, human rights causes, youth initiatives and care for the elderly. (Both the Knights and the CWL have Ukrainian affiliate organizations in the city of Saskatoon). Perhaps the one thing that most consistently characterizes the CWL is its welcome to immigrants in Saskatoon. In the early years, when so many families were arriving from other countries, CWL members would welcome them and help them to establish themselves in their new land. In the 1940s, the CWL formed an affiliation with the Sisters of Service who had begun the Catholic Welfare Council out of concern for new immigrants. (This council turned into Catholic Family Services, with Sister Ann O’Brien as its directress for 30 years).

Entertaining Angels

Hospitality has become a trademark of the Catholic Women’s League. They have begun many new initiatives that reach out to the people of Saskatoon. The CWL runs a clothing depot in the basement of the Friendship Inn. This depot helps well over 2,000 families a month. In the early 1970s, a Chinese lady who was a regular customer of the depot came in and told the CWL workers about five young women who had come into Saskatoon without sponsors. The young ladies were boat people from Vietnam and they and their husbands had been in refugee camps for several months before coming to Canada. They were very young, they couldn’t speak English, they missed their moms, they owned absolutely nothing and they were pregnant! The CWL ladies immediately set to work to help these girls. They rented a garage and filled it with cribs, layettes and clothes for the babies and their parents: enough to last each family for more than a year. And it didn’t stop there! They visited the girls, accompanied them to the hospital and kept in touch with them afterwards. Even years later, the CWL planned Christmas parties for these and other immigrant families and arranged for gifts to be given to all of the children.

Alberta Bound: A Visit to the Pope

The Knights of Columbus in Saskatoon have proven to be a Visible Presence of Carrying the Cross in the community . . . literally! In 1984, when Pope John Paul II came to Canada, he stopped in Alberta, but he did not stop in Saskatchewan. The Saskatoon Knights decided that if the Pope wasn’t going to come to them, they would go to the Pope and they organized a walk from Saskatoon to Edmonton. Four thousand Knights took turns walking, while carefully carrying a cross from one province to the other; the Pope blessed that cross and it now rests in the chapel of St. Paul’s Hospital. That story sums up what the Knights in Saskatoon are all about. It would be impossible to list all of the projects that the Saskatoon Knights have been involved with, but a few that provide opportunities for youth and are most well-known are as follows: They began the Knights of Columbus Carol Festival in the mid-1950s. They bought the first police safety patrol car in 1964. They set up Blackstrap Youth Camp in 1969 and that same year they established the Knights of Columbus Foundation, to help children faced with difficult circumstances. And in the 1970s they began the Special Olympics and the Saskatoon Indoor Games, a track meet that involves more than 1,000 youth each year. All of these initiatives begun by the Knights have continued to this day.

Recurring Dreams: The Story of Guadaloupe House

The story of Guadaloupe House is a fascinating one. In the 1970s Monsignor Len Morand was the Pastor at St. Paul’s Cathedral, and he developed a special affinity for the growing number of First Nations people who were attending his masses. In the '70s, a large number of aboriginal young people had moved to Saskatoon from the North and Father Morand noticed that many of them felt lost without their grandparents and the traditions they had grown up with. He approached Bishop Mahoney and said,  “We have to do something for these young people!” Not long after that, one of the older First Nations men, who was a very faithful parishioner, approached the Bishop and said, “Bishop Mahoney, I have had vivid, recurring dreams for the past three nights in a row. They have been urging me to come to you and ask for a place where our young people can practice their own traditions, and worship with sweetgrass and drums in the way of their grandfathers.” Bishop Mahoney, believing in the power of dreams, sent that man to Father Morand. Father Morand approached the Knights of Columbus and Walter Podiluk, the director of the Catholic School Board, and among the three of them, they found a way to establish Guadaloupe House. In 1979, Joe Duquette school was founded on the same philosophy, and today, First Nations youth have the opportunity to practice their traditions at school, at Guadaloupe House and at Church. A First Nations Mass is celebrated every Sunday afternoon at St. Mary’s Parish, where smudging and praying with drums is a regular occurrence.

Catholic School Board Initiatives in Diversity

Catholic education in Saskatoon and area continues to play an essential role in the faith development of the young Catholic population, especially as Church attendance has declined. Daily prayer, liturgical celebrations and sacramental preparation are key components in all Catholic schools in Saskatoon, Humboldt, Biggar and Viscount. A lay chaplaincy program led by Father Beechinor has recently been implemented, and retreats are offered to staff and to grade 9 and 12 students. In addition, members of the Catholic School Board have certainly attempted to “reach out” to the entire Catholic population with programs such as the following:

The French Immersion Program: Today, six elementary schools are designated French Immersion schools, and all four main-stream high schools offer French Immersion classes. L’Education Chretienne en francais is offered to all French Immersion students.

Bishop Filevich Ukrainian Bilingual School:  In 1979, the Ukrainian Bilingual program was begun at St. Goretti School as an initiative of the Saskatoon Catholic School Board. In September 2006 it became the province's first Ukrainian Bilingual elementary school. It exists to pass on to Ukrainian children the culture, the language, the music and the tradition so intricately tied into to the Byzantine Rite of the Catholic Church. It  has  a close affiliation with St. George’s Cathedral, Saints Peter and Paul Church, and with the Sheptysky student residence at the University of Saskatchewan.

Cyber School: An on-line high school begun in 1999, Cyber School has expanded into the elementary schools. Special Catholic features include online Christian Ethics, and an online Chapel and priest Chaplain. A lively discussion board exists in Cyber School.

SchoolPlus, Community Schools and Alternative Education: Catholic schools in Saskatoon and area pride themselves on their inclusive framework and integrated services at all grades and levels of instruction. A complete list of programs is listed on this website.

A Multicultural Catholic Church

The Saskatoon Diocese has embraced multiculturalism and has made every attempt to provide Catholics of various cultures opportunities to worship with their own traditions, music and language. The following cultures have the opportunity to celebrate  Mass in Saskatoon: French, Polish, Ukrainian, First Nations, Spanish, Portuguese, Philippino, Iraqi-Chaldean and Vietnamese.