Rejoice and Be Glad! Rediscovering the Joy of Christ

Sometimes, life is hard. Rediscover the joy that Christ wants for each and every one of us!

The personal encounter with Jesus Christ should be marked by the experience of an abiding peace and a deep joy. In a time of challenge and confusion in life, it is very important for us to rediscover the joy of believing.

Come and join us for reflections how to encounter Christ and rediscover joy in our vocations, in our daily life, and in our call to be missionary disciples. 

CONFERENCE SPEAKERS

Fr. Michael Lund was born into a military family, who lived all over the country before coming to settle in Killaloe, ON, in 2003. He is the third of seven children.
After taking classes part-time at Our Lady Seat of Wisdom (Barry’s Bay, ON), Michael attended St. Therese Institute (Bruno, SK) as a full-time student in 2009-10. He went on to study philosophy for three years at St. Philip’s Seminary (Toronto, ON), and did three years of theological studies at the Pontifical University of St. Thomas (Rome, Italy). He was ordained a priest in 2017, and returned to Rome to complete a licentiate at the University of the Holy Cross. Fr. Michael now serves in the Diocese of Pembroke, ON, as the Parochial Vicar (Assistant Pastor) at St. John Chrysostom Parish in Arnprior, ON.

Chris O’Hara grew up in Halifax, NS, where he fell in love with God through his parish youth ministry before becoming a part of CCO in University and attending St. Therese Institute as a student in 2009. After studying at St. Therese, Chris returned to Dalhousie University (Halifax, NS) to complete a Bachelor of Music degree (primary instrument: saxophone). In 2012, he found himself back in Bruno as the Coordinator of Program Promotion  for St. Therese Institute, where he “traveled on every dirt road in Western Canada” promoting the institute. Chris moved back to Halifax in 2017 to take on the position of Coordinator of Faith Formation with the Archdiocese of Halifax-Yarmouth. He holds a Master’s Degree in Theology from Augustine Institute (Denver, CO) — but his best memories of Colorado are spending time with his wife-to-be Becca Arend, who lived there at the time.

Becca Arend grew up running around the woods of Minnesota with her sister and brothers. She was raised Catholic and fell in love with Jesus more deeply while studying and working at Franciscan University of Steubenville in Ohio (BA in Theology & Catechetics) and the Augustine Institute in Colorado (MA in Leadership for the New Evangelization). She met her fiancé Chris O’Hara while working for the Steubenville conferences and moved to his home town of Halifax, NS, last summer to work as a pastoral associate at St. Thomas More Parish in Dartmouth, NS. Becca and Chris will get married in June 2019. She loves coffee, the mountains, and learning fun facts about Canada.   

Bishop Mark Hagemoen (Friday night opening address): Born and raised in Vancouver, after completing a Bachelor of Arts (University of British Columbia, Vancouver) and a year of travel throughout Southeast Asia, the Middle East and Europe, Mark Hagemoen entered St. Peter’s Seminary (London, ON), completing his Masters of Divinity degree in 1990. He was ordained to the priesthood in Vancouver in May 1990; His pastoral assignments included ten years as the Director of the Office of Youth Ministry, and several pastorships. In 2007, he earned a Doctor of Ministry (Trinity Western University, Langley, BC), and later that year, was honoured by Pope Benedict XVI with the title of “Prelate of Honour” for his work in the Archdiocese of Vancouver.

In 2013, Pope Francis named Most Rev. Mark Hagemoen as the sixth Bishop of the Diocese of Mackenzie -Fort Smith, and in 2017 as the eighth Bishop of the Diocese of Saskatoon. Bishop Hagemoen currently serves on several committees of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB), as well as on other local boards.

SCHEDULE & COST

POSTERS, ANNOUNCEMENTS, ETC.