President's Report

Dear Brother Priests and Bishops,
Since March 2020, our world has changed.  We are living in a new reality. As I read in an article: “Everything is different now,” said Father Titus Augustine, pastor of St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Nashville. “It’s a new world.” (“COVID-19 is a ‘new world’ for priests, and ministers caring for the sick and dying” Catholic News Service, September 8, 2020, Andy Telli)
We, as priests, were not trained to deal with this kind of pandemic.  Everything was closed, including the churches, and we were to stay inside, isolating ourselves from others.  What were we priests to do?  The people still needed us.
I was lucky as I had a Facebook account for a long time.  Also, I knew what livestream was about, but I had never used it myself.  The churches closed on March 18^th and I tried my first livestream on the 19^th, on the feast of St. Joseph.  Although I was successful in celebrating Mass, my livestream flopped.  The Wi-Fi in the church was poor and therefore the video and the sound were poor.  My cellphone shuts off with no activity, so there was no livestream after 10 minutes.  We can laugh about it now, but there were embarrassing moments in trying livestream, like the picture was upside down or sideways, and we did not know about it until we finished the Mass and previewed it.  I figured out my cellphone so it would not shut off, and I decided to use our weekday chapel, which has a stronger Wi-Fi signal, and on the 20^th of March I was able to have my first complete livestream Mass. 
We must never be afraid of failure, as St Pope John Paul II said, “Have no fear of moving into the unknown.”  When I fail at something, I learn from my failure and try again.  I would rather try and fail than not try at all.  I believe Jesus wants us to try.  He can laugh at our failures and He is proud of us in our successes. 
It was Lent when the churches were closed.  I had the opportunity to watch an online church mission.  The retreat master was Fr Allan MacDonald, a member of the Companions of the Cross.  It was a great church mission, and through this I was introduced to Zoom. 
Zoom was very helpful for me. First, I used it for my Masses. I set it up that my Facebook was where I would livestream, and I used Zoom for my readers.  This way I did not have to read all the readings of the Mass.  I also used Zoom to have a musician for Masses on Sundays.  I learned that we needed copyright licence when music is livestreamed.  At every Mass during the closure of the churches, I was the only one in the chapel, and my reader and musician were in their houses.
A second way that Zoom facilitated faith sharing was Alpha Online in our parish.   It was tricky at first as the Alpha videos were choppy, and everyone looked like they had Parkinson’s disease in the video.  It took me a good week to figure out how I was going to successfully show the videos. I bought a webcam, and with it, I was able to get a smooth-running video, but the picture was so pale that it was hard to see, so I built a miniature dark theatre.  For the final touch, to make sure everyone had a perfect picture of the video, I put my sunglasses in front of camera.  It worked!
    
 Zoom further helped my ministry, as it was used for deanery meetings, and diocesan youth events.
I also tried, “Meet Father Louis on Zoom” once.  It was fun, and I wish I did more of it.  This idea was not an original idea from me.  I learned this from St Ignatius of Loyola Parish in the Archdiocese of Montreal.  Fr Michael Leclerc, and seminarian Kevin Burgess, created, after the livestream Mass, “The Virtual Café”.  They were reaching out to their people, including interviews with people from their parish, and they made it fun to watch.   Fr. Robert Arsenault, CC & Fr. John Likozar, CC from Annunciation of the Lord Parish from the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall, have “The Sunday Chat.”  These people used their technology to reach out to their people.
I also was able to hear confessions during the pandemic.  I started having drive-by confessions in the parish’s parking lot.  I heard confessions Tuesday and Friday of Holy Week, and I heard about 50 confessions those two days.  Once the churches were opened with restrictions, I continued to hear confessions in the parking lot.  I was able to hear confessions for the students of two schools. In one school, confessions were held in a large room, where I sat down, and the student stood in front of me, with more than 6ft between us.  For my other school, I parked my car in the school parking lot, and the students came outside to go to confession, again making sure they were more than 6ft away from me.
When we were able to open the churches in June, there were new restrictions and new procedure that had to be established to make sure our churches were safe.  I was fortunate enough to have good volunteers to help me with this task.  As priests we do not have to do everything, but we need to be there to see what needs to be done, and we should support the people who are helping us.  Even though our churches reopened, I continued livestreaming my Masses for my compromised parishioners who couldn’t attend Mass in person, for one reason or another.
Not all my new activities in this new environment needed computers or cellphones.  Drive-by events have been very successful for me.  On June 14, Corpus Christi Sunday, I had a Drive-by Corpus Christi Procession, and I blessed the people in the 70 cars that came, and 2 cyclists.
   
I also had a Christmas Drive-by Blessing (73 cars), and a New Year’s Day Drive-by Blessing (56 cars).
We are in lock down again in Ontario, from December 26, 2020, for at least 28 days, and we need to keep working to make sure the Good News is spread about Jesus. 
The new restriction allows only 10 people in religious services, but “Virtual and drive-in events and religious services, rites or ceremonies permitted” (Directives from the Ontario government).  There are places where priests here in Ontario are doing parking lot Masses.  My next project in this new situation, is to have parking lot Masses.  I just purchased an FM Transmitter, and a mixer, with two wireless mics.  Weather permitting, I will have my first parking lot Mass on January 10, 2021. (Pictures below)

As priests, we must always try to do more not to be content, for there always is more to do. Luke 17:10 “So you also, when you have done all that you were ordered to do, say, ‘We are worthless slaves; we have done only what we ought to have done!’”  In the passage of Luke 17:7-10, Jesus is telling us that we must not be satisfied in what we ought to do, but keep on looking for more ways to spread the Good News.  This brings me to St.Philip Neri.  One of Neri’s followers was Caesar Baronius.  With the urging of Neri, Baronius wrote Annales ecclesiastici,  a 12 Volume series of books of the first 12 centuries of the Christian Church. One of the best Catholic historians in history.  Later he became a Cardinal and Librarian of the Vatican.  When Baronius published his first book, he received great reviews throughout Rome.  He presented it to Neri to receive Neri’s approval. What Neri did is exactly what Jesus said in Luke 17:7-10:
             There’s no doubt that Philip was proud of Baronius, who worked on his                     great project for thirty years, with the reliability and faithfulness of an ox.                 But Philip’s concern was that Baronius not become proud in the midst of                   the loud praise that was pouring in from Europe. Each time Baronius                         brought out a new volume of the Annals, he received not a word of                           praise from Philip.  Instead, he was commanded to serve thirty Masses.                     (Philip Neri, The Fire of Joy (1995) by Paul Türks, pg. 53).

As priests we will be rewarded when we meet Jesus when our work is finished.
As Covid-19 will continue to linger for at least a few more months, let us see what we can do to bring Jesus to as many people as we can.  Let us praise God always.
God Bless
Father Louis Groetelaars
President of the Canadian Federation of Presbyteral Councils
https://nfpccanada.ca/
cfpc-president@hotmail.com

Dear brother priests and bishops,

My name is Father Louis Groetelaars and I am the new president of the Canadian Federation of Presbyteral Councils (CFPC).  I have been involved with CFPC for three years now. Over that time I have seen the importance of our work; we have published three booklets which are all available to you.  About fifteen years ago, the young priests in my diocese started to meet about once a month.  In the beginning, we used the first two booklets published from the CFPC, namely,  “A Practical Guide to Priestly Wellness”  and “The Priest as Servant Leader: Developing Values for Priestly Ministry.”   It was great to share our experiences with these booklets.

In 2017, I was named Alexandria-Cornwall’s representative for the CFPC and went to my first assembly in Victoria, BC. It was a great experience for me as the speakers were excellent and I enjoyed talking to my brother priests from across the country.  I was also named Vice-President of the Central Region at that assembly.
There were three of us that were new to the executive: Fr. Michael Kwiatkowski as President, Fr. Gregory Smith-Windsor as Vice-President of the Western Region, and myself for the Central Region.  We had Fr. Ed Terry who had been Vice-President of the Atlantic Region; he was the veteran in our new executive.  The executive first met in Ottawa with Fr. Douglas McNeill, President Emeritus, to hand over keys to Fr. Michael and also to plan our next assembly in Charlottetown, PEI.

As VP, I have been involved with the last three assemblies: Charlottetown (2018), Montreal (2019) and Zoom (2020) (which was supposed to be in Edmonton). Each of them were very good.  One person I met that made a difference to me at the Charlottetown assembly was Msgr. Stephen Rossetti; I recommend all his books on the priesthood.

Ever since I was named President of the CFPC in October 2020, I have been reading many books and writings on the priesthood. I read “Presbyterorum Ordinis” (1965), Pope St. John-Paul II’s first letter to the priests on Holy Thursday (1979), and I recently finished reading “Letters to My Brothers: Words of Hope and Challenge for Priests” (2013) by Msgr. Stephen Rossetti.  I wish all priests and bishops would read this book! It is both hopeful and challenging but it also builds up our priesthood.  I also wish it was translated into French, but at this time it is only available in English.  To the Bishops: I would like you to give this book to your priests as a gift, perhaps for Christmas or even at the Chrism Mass.

Now, a little bit about myself. As a priest, I have three favourite saints. St. Peter, the first Pope- I like him because before the Resurrection, he was just an ordinary man who tried to follow Jesus but at times, he failed.  Similarly, as a priest I try to follow Jesus but I have also failed at times.  On Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit came upon the Apostles, it was St. Peter who was speaking to the crowds.  I pray that the Holy Spirit will help me as I continue to serve God and His people and that I may be as strong as St. Peter was after Pentecost. St. Jean-Marie Vianney, the Cure of Ars- the patron saint of priests. St. Jean Vianney is the reason that I am a priest.  He had a difficult time in the seminary with his studies and there were a lot of people who thought he could not be a priest, but with fortitude he was able to persevere.  I read his life story while I was also struggling in seminary with my studies and people were telling me that they thought I could not be a priest. But like St Jean Vianney I never gave up.  After his ordination, he went to Ars, France – a town on the periphery of the diocese with little happening in the church. And while the people were disinterested with the faith, St. Jean Vianney was able to bring them back to the church. He had a great love for the sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Reconciliation.  He spent over 14 hours a day hearing confessions and people came from all over France, and in fact, the whole world to go to confession to him.  I pray that I could be as dedicated to the Sacraments as he was. St. Philip Neri- the patron saint of laugher and joy, and the second Apostle of Rome.  When I learned that he was the patron saint of laughter, I knew that he was going to be my best friend because I love to laugh!  St. Philip was one of the saints that began the Counter-Reformation of the Church.  Like St. Jean Vianney, St Philip went back to basics in that he considered the sacraments to be very important. He too spent many hours hearing confessions.  Thus, my three favourite saints are all good for promoting vocations and the priesthood.  Thank you St. Peter, St. Jean-Marie Vianney and St Philip Neri for helping me in my priesthood!

Above all, I would like to thank the Triune God: God the Father who created me; God the Son, Jesus Christ, who died and rose from the dead for me and constantly offers me an example on how I must live my priesthood; and God the Holy Spirit who watches over me and gives me the fire to continue on as a priest.

Finally, the following are some of my goals as president of the CFPC. I would like to write some reflections upon my own experiences as a priest, and some writings on the priesthood. I also want to inform you on the CFPC website when there are any new documents or books coming out on the priesthood, and to create a list of books about the priesthood.  Finally, I want to develop the website (https://nfpccanada.ca/) by celebrating the priesthood: celebrating when a priest becomes a bishop; celebrating priests’ milestones in ordination - 25, 50, 60 and 75 year anniversaries; celebrating those who are newly ordained as priests, and other accomplishments such as MA’s and PHD’s, but also to pray for priests and family members who have died.

I hope you are as happy with your priestly life as I am. Let us celebrate our love for God and grow closer towards His Heavenly Kingdom with the Saints and Angels!

God Bless
Father Louis Groetelaars
President of the Canadian Federation of Presbyteral Councils
https://nfpccanada.ca/
 

Chers frères prêtres et évêques,

Je suis l’abbé Louis Groetelaars, le nouveau Président de la Fédération Canadienne des Conseils Presbytéraux (FCCP). Depuis mes trois ans comme membre de la FCCP. j’ai certainement constaté le bon travail que nous faisions. Nos trois livrets – qui vous sont disponible – font preuve de cela. Même avant que je devienne membre de la Fédération, j’ai compris l’importance de notre travail. Par exemple dans mon diocèse, nous les jeunes prêtres avions l’habitude de se rencontrer à chaque mois pour discuter et partager entre nous-mêmes. Au début, quand nous avons commencé cette pratique il y a 15 ans, nous avions utilisé « A Practical Guide to Priestly Wellness » et « The Priest as Servant Leader : Developing Values for Priestly Ministry », deux livrets publiés par la FCCP. Quels merveilleux partages!

En 2017, j’ai été nommé le représentant pour mon diocèse d’Alexendria-Cornwall. C’est à ce temps que j’ai assisté à ma première assemblée nationale, qui fut à Victoria. Les conférenciers furent excellents et j’ai bien aimé les discussions avec mes frères prêtres d’à travers le pays. De plus, ils m’ont élu Vice-Président de la Région Centrale.

Nous fûmes trois nouveaux membres du cadre exécutif: l’abbé Michael Kwiatkowski, le nouveau Président de la Fédération, l’abbé Gregory Smith-Windsor, le Vice-Président de la région de l’Ouest, et moi-même. Nous étions chanceux d’avoir l’abbé Ed Terry comme vétéran de l’exécutif, qui resta comme Vice-Président de la Région Atlantique. Nous nous sommes rencontrés pour la première fois en Ottawa avec l’abbé Douglas McNeill, le Président Émérite, pour le transfert de mandat à l’abbé Michael et pour planifier notre prochaine assemblée à Charlottetown.

En tant que Vice-Président j’ai participé aux trois dernières assemblées : à Charlottetown (2018), à Montréal (2019) et par diffusion électronique en 2020 (elle était supposée d’être à Edmonton). Les assemblées étaient tous fantastiques, chaque avec leur propres forces. Un des points saillants de mon expérience fut ma rencontre avec le Monseigneur Stephen Rossetti. Je recommande fortement tous ses livres sur la prêtrise.

Depuis que j’ai été nommé Président de la FCCP en Octobre 2020, j’ai lu plusieurs livres et écrits sur le sacerdoce. Entre autre, j’ai lu « Presbyterium Ordinis » (1965) et la lettre du Pape St. Jean-Paul II adressée au prêtres au Jeudi Saint 1979. De plus, je viens de lire « Letters to my Brothers : Words of Hope and Challenge to Priests » (2013) par Mgr. Rossetti. J’aimerais que tous les prêtres et les évêques lisent ce livre. Il est à a fois plein d’espoir et de défis, mais il renforce également notre sacerdoce. J’aurais voulu qu’il soit traduit en français, mais en ce moment il n’est disponible qu’en anglais. Chers évêques: j’aimerais que vous donniez ce livre à vos prêtres! Soit comme cadeau de Noël, soit à la prochaine Messe Chrismale.

Maintenant, une petite note personnelle. En tant que prêtre, j’ai trois saints préférés. D’abord, St. Pierre, le premier Pape. Je l’aime bien car avant la résurrection de Jésus, son humanité (et ses faiblesses!) étaient bien évidents. Il essaya de suivre le Christ, mais de temps en temps il échoua. Moi aussi, en tant que prêtre j’essaye de suivre Jésus, mais j’échoue. À la Pentecôte, quand l’Esprit Saint descendit sur les Apôtres, c’était St. Pierre qui prit la charge de parler à la foule. Je prie que l’Esprit Saint continue de m’aider à servir le Seigneur et Son Peuple et que je devienne fort comme fut St. Pierre après la Pentecôte.

Ensuite St. Jean-Marie Vianney, le curé d’Ars et le saint patron des prêtres. Il est la raison pour laquelle je suis prêtre. Il a eu des difficultés dans le séminaire avec ses études et beaucoup de gens doutaient s’il deviendra prêtre, mais il a réussi grâce à Dieu et à sa force d’âme. J’ai lu l’histoire de sa vie quand j’étais au séminaire et j’éprouvais des difficultés avec mes études. Moi aussi, les gens doutaient si j’étais capable de devenir prêtre, mais comme St. Jean Vianney je n’ai jamais abandonné. Après son ordination, St. Jean fut envoyé à Ars, un village aux périphéries de son diocèse. Les citoyens étaient certainement désintéressés de l’église et la vie spirituelle était presque absente. Mais St. Jean Vianney a réussi à ramener les gens à l’église puisqu’il avait une grande dévotion aux Sacrements, particulièrement à l’Eucharistie et à la Réconciliation. Des fois, il passait plus de 14 heures par jour dans le confessionnel! Les gens venaient de toute la France, et en effet, du monde entier, pour se confesser à lui. J’espère être aussi dévoué aux Sacrements que lui.

Finalement St. Philippe Néri, le deuxième apôtre de Rome et le saint patron du rire et de la joie. Quand j’ai vu qu’il était le saint patron du rire, je savais que nous allions devenir meilleurs amis, car j’aime rire moi aussi. St. Philippe et l’un des saints qui a commencé la Contre-Réforme dans l’église. Comme St. Jean Vianney, St. Philippe retourna à l’essentiel et considéra les sacrements comme étant très importants. Lui aussi a passé de nombreuses heures à entendre des confessions. En bref, mes trois saints préférés sont magnifiques pour les vocations et le sacerdoce. Merci, St. Pierre, St. Jean-Marie Vianney et St. Philippe Néri de m’avoir aidé dans mon sacerdoce!

J’aimerais aussi remercier notre Dieu: Dieu le Père pour m’avoir créer; Dieu le Fils Jésus Christ, qui est mort, a ressuscité pour moi et me donne constamment l’exemple idéal du prêtre; et Dieu le Saint Esprit qui veille sur moi et me donne le feu pour continuer comme prêtre.

Finalement, voici quelques buts que j’ai en tant que Président de la FCCP. D’abord, j’aimerais écrire quelques réflexions à partir de mes lectures sur le sacerdoce et mes expériences personnelles. J’aimerais aussi vous informer sur le site web de la sortie de nouveaux documents sur la prêtrise et de créer une liste de tels livres. Finalement j’aimerais développer notre site web (https://nfpcanada.ca) en célébrant notre prêtrise: en célébrant quand des prêtres deviennent des évêques; quand nous fêtons 25, 50, 60 et 75 ans de sacerdoce; les prêtres récemment ordonnés; quand les prêtres accomplissent leurs études supérieures, mais aussi en priant pour les prêtres et leurs membres de familles qui sont décédés.

J’espère que vous êtes aussi content que moi dans votre vie en tant que prêtres! Célébrons ensemble notre amour pour Dieu et aidons-nous les uns les autres à se rapprocher de Son Royaume Céleste avec tous les Saints et les Anges.

Que le Seigneur vous bénisse,

L’abbé Louis Groetelaars,
Président de la Fédération Canadienne des Conseils Présbytéraux  
https://nfpccanada.ca/