Trail Closure
From May 15 to June 30, 2025, the Sister Moon Trail on Southlands at The Mount will be closed off due to the G7 Summit in Kananaskis. We appreciate your cooperation in remaining off this trail during this time.
The Brother Sun Trail remains open.
During these sacred days we pray with St. Francis of Assisi:
Most High, Glorious, Good God
to you alone belong praise and glory,
all honour and blessing.
Praise and bless God and give God thanks;
and serve God with great humility.
Peace and All Good
during these Holy Days and the Easter Season.
Easter Blessings and Greetings
from the Friars and Staff at Mount St. Francis
The trails for the Way of Cross are open all weekend.
Limited access to washrooms Good Friday and Holy Saturday 9am-5pm.
A Prayer for Easter
Risen Lord
You are life,
You are new life,
You are fullness of life.
Risen Lord
You are hope,
You are renewing hope,
You are our journey of hope.
Risen Lord
You are here,
You are here among us,
You are here raising us up.
Risen Lord
On this pilgrimage of life,
we rejoice in your resurrection
for it reminds us hope is always here
because you dwell among us.
May we be witnesses
of your resurrection in all we do,
in the ways we build community,
in how we gather at table
and recognize you in the breaking of the bread.
May we journey with hope,
May we raise our voices with hope,
May we allow our hearts to be transformed
by the hope which is your new life in us.
Amen. Alleluia!
Br. Michael,
Photo Credits: Heino Eisner
Kelly Sikkema
– Br. Michael, ofm
“When the hour came…then the criminal said, “Jesus remember me when you come into your kingdom.” Jesus said to him, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.”
– Luke 22.14-23.56
Lord Jesus,
As we enter this sacred week with you
Remember us.
As we pay attention to your words
Remember us.
As we take note of your actions
Remember us.
As we journey on the way
Remember us.
As we wave palms in praise
Remember us.
As we gather at table with you
Remember us.
As we pray with you in the garden
Remember us.
As we stand before the cross
Remember us.
As we see the stone across the tomb
Remember us.
As we come with our fears
Remember us.
As we sit in uncertainty
Remember us.
As we rejoice in your resurrection
Remember us
as you come into your kingdom.
Amen.
Photo Credit: Cristiano de Assunção
HOLY WEEK SCHEDULE AT
MOUNT ST FRANCIS
Good Friday – Holy Saturday our Doors are open for washroom use only 9 am to 5 pm
The Retreat Centre itself does not offer any liturgies for the Easter Triduum, please refer to local church websites or www.catholicyyc.ca for times of Triduum celebrations.
– Br. Michael, ofm
For my entire life I have traveled up and down Highway 48 East of Regina. It is a simple highway to drive; nothing complicated. There are a few curves, lots of straight-a-ways, the occasional dip, usually not too many potholes and plenty of beautiful farmland to see. This highway is part of my holy ground as it always leads me home. In leading me home it also has markers along the way which anchor and remind me hope lives here.
Like the burning bush Moses encountered which caused him to remove the sandals from his feet (Exodus 3.1-8), I too have had encounters of the living God along this highway. Whether it has been visiting with my Goddaughters and their families, or enjoying a visit to the family homesteads or connecting with family I have removed my shoes many a time encountering God the great I AM. I have prayed in nearly every Catholic church on this highway, wept at funerals, rejoiced at weddings and delighted in baptisms. I have made pilgrimages to the Calvary Memorial Shrine Site at Candiac, to the cemeteries along this highway, and I have stood before many a nativity scene in front of churches and homes. These holy ground moments remind me God, the great I AM, is with us in all the moments of life. I have been guided home by streetlights, farm lights, the Candiac cross lights and the front lights of my parent’s home. Each time I make this pilgrimage of hope I am reminded God, the great I Am is gracious and abounding in steadfast love (Psalm 103).
No matter which season I am traveling Highway 48 there is always one marker I look for on the journey. It’s not a burning bush per se but always captures my attention. It’s not a fig tree needing tending too, but it has been left alone for one year more and this always makes me glad. When driving East on the 48 just past Kendal on a little bluff stands a lone tree. It stretches its branches to the west in an uneven manner. It’s not a very big tree but remains sturdy. Sometimes cattle are grazing around it, other times it seems to shudder in the cold Saskatchewan wind, but still it remains. I have the buds in spring and have seen years of full green leaves. It stands out against the harvest sky and is majestic when adorned by frost; it really is a tree for all seasons.
As a child when we were traveling West on the highway this tree was the beacon of hope indicating we would soon be at our Grandparents. When traveling East it was the reminder I was coming from the holy ground of time spent with one set of Grandparents and would soon be embraced by my other Grandparents.
I’ve been thinking about this lone prairie tree as we enter this Third Week of Lent. Both the burning bush encounter of Moses and the fig tree of the vineyard in the parable of Jesus (Luke 13.1-9) we hear this Lenten Sunday called it to mind. This tree has been a sign of hope for me my whole life and I bet it has for countless others who have passed by it; for my mom tells me it has been there for her whole life. I’m so grateful it has been left “alone for one more year” by the farmers of the field in which it stands. This tree speaks to me the message of hope which is the undertone of the parable shared by Jesus.
The gardener begging for one more year to tend the tree is the reminder of how God gives us time to grow, for conversion of heart, to mend relationships and to bear fruit. As we step further into Lent let us be attentive to the tending we need to do in our lives and in our relationships. You never know when a burning bush may appear. As we continue in this Jubilee Year let us be attentive to the beacons of hope along the highway of life. Let us be attentive to the holy ground on which we tread. Let us be brave enough to say again, “Here I am” as we pilgrimage onward.
– Br. Michael, ofm
If today you hear the voice of God,
harden not your hearts. – Psalm 95.8
Christ my Savior,
In this season of Lent
guide my steps
from their destructive patterns
I masquerade as good,
from the words spoken
I masquerade as truth,
from the judgmental thoughts
I masquerade as protection,
from the little lies
I masquerade as healthy,
from the false images
I masquerade as who I am.
Guide my heart
and restore it.
Guide my living
and transform it.
Guide my all
and renew it,
so, when Easter dawns
I may be a new creation
filled with new life.
Amen.
Photo Credit: Lucas van Oort
Lent at The Mount
March 12- Day Away
8:45 am – 3:00 pm
OR
Twilight
6:00 pm – 9:00pm
Cost: $35
Register @ 403-932-2012 – mtfrancis@shaw.ca
Charity of the Cross:
Our Being In Christ
Evening Twilight – Day Away
Tuesday, April 15 – 6:00 pm – 9:00 pm. Includes supper.
Wednesday, April 16 – 9:00am – 3:00 pm. Includes lunch.
– same presentation on each day –
Cost: $35
Register: mtfrancis@shaw.ca – 403-932-2012
July 15-17
Soul Care Women
– Accompanied on the Journey
With music of the soul, meditative art images,
and prayer practices that open the heart,
this retreat will be a time of solace and renewal.
Facilitated by: Cathy AJ Hardy and Claire Ziprick
Tuesday 4pm – Thursday 2pm
$385
July 18 – Friday
Brother Sun Sister Moon – Walking in Hope
Walking Pilgrimage Retreat
9am – 6pm
$60
July 20-27
Living Hope: The Pilgrim’s Way
7 Day Directed Retreat
Sunday 4pm – Sunday 11am
$700
August 15-17
Women’s Summer Retreat
Friday 4pm – Sunday 1 pm
$230
August 19-24
Hope: A Whisper in a World that Shouts
During this Jubilee Year set some time aside
for prayer, reflection and being anchored in hope.
5 day Preached Retreat with Anne Walsh
Anne Walsh is a native Newfoundlander.
She is a Lay Missionary of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists).
Anne is a teacher and has worked in youth ministry and university chaplaincy.
She holds a Bachelor of Arts (Education), Master of Religious Education and
Doctor of Ministry degree.
Tuesday 4 pm – Sunday 11am
$650
September 4 – Thursday
Season of Creation:
Half Day Retreat in Nature
9am to 1 pm
$25
To Register: 403-932-2012 or mtfrancis@shaw.ca
– Br. Michael, ofm
Jesus said… “Ephphatha, Be opened.” Mark 7.31-37
Be opened my heart
to love like Jesus.
Be opened my eyes
to see like Jesus.
Be opened my ears
to hear like Jesus.
Be opened my mouth
to speak like Jesus.
Be opened my hands
to serve like Jesus.
Be opened my life
to know Jesus is at work in me.
Be opened my life
to trust Jesus is my all.
Be opened my life
to be guided by faith hope and love.
Be opened. Ephphatha.
My daily prayer.
Be opened.
Amen.
Photo Credit: Cyrus Gomez
Over the past 75 years countless retreatants have sat in the chairs gazing out the windows of The Mount. In the stillness of a weekend, in the silence of time shared the heart is opened and we hear differently. Often, one tries to find ways to express it. The following is a reflection written by a recent retreatant.
It is early morning,
the rays of light illuminates
the tips of the Rockies.
I reflect on those around me
that have made a lasting impact to me.
It brings me to a point of why me…
why have I been graced with so much love?
I have pondered this question many times in my life
and keep coming back to it… why me?
It is at the heart of my view on relationships
and the compassion that can exist
if we only open ourselves to allow love to grow and be shared.
When people love one another,
their kindness and compassion
transform the world around them…
It has the power
to heal wounds,
bridge divides,
and inspire true acts
of generosity and selflessness.
Where love is shared freely,
even the smallest gestures
can make a profound impact,
often reminding us of the beauty
in human connection
and the strength we find in one another.
May we embrace our differences
and treasure each others’ gifts …
by loving one another today and always.
During this weekend,
I hope that I can reflect on what I been given today,
those who have entered into my life
and also, to remember those in my heart.
It is my own uniqueness and affection
that contributes to a world
that can be a wonderful place to live in.
Know this … you have been given a gift to love
and if not shared, it is wasted.
Always remember, you are loved.
– Bill M.
