*NEWLY UPDATED
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NEWS AND UPDATES:
CCCB Statement on the Legalization of Cannabis
On 19 June 2018, the Senate passed Bill C-45, the Cannabis Act. On 21 June 2018, the Bill received Royal Assent, thereby legalizing marijuana for recreational use in Canada. In response, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) has issued a “Statement on the Legalization of Cannabis/Marijuana for Recreational Use.” This statement, provided in English and French, was approved by The Most Reverend Lionel Gendron, P.S.S., Bishop of Saint-Jean-Longueuil and CCCB President. It comments on what the CCCB worries will be the effects of using and promoting the use of marijuana for recreational purposes, reiterating the information and insights already expressed in its prior “Statement on Canada’s Opioid Crisis and Drug Addiction”, as well as highlighting the important evidence-based concerns raised by a number of community professionals and the Holy See. Please click on the links below to view the statements. Life in Christ Seminar
You are welcome to join in this seminar being held at the CYO Hall (Sacred Heart Cathedral) in Whitehorse on July 7th & 8th, 2018. Click here to register online through the Sacred Heart Parish website or to contact the organizers for more information. 
Diocese of Whitehorse 50th Anniversary Closing Celebrations
National Week for Life and the Family (May 13-20) –
“Love: Encountering the Other”. Pope Francis tells us that “in the family, we learn closeness, care and respect for others. We break out of our fatal self-absorption and come to realize that we are living with and alongside others who are worthy of our concern, our kindness and our affection” (Amoris Laetitia, 276). In the words of St. Paul, “Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others” (Phil 2:4). The Holy Father reminds us that “the Bible makes it clear that generously serving others is far more noble than loving ourselves” (Amoris Laetitia, 101). CCCB Suggested Events & Activities CECC Activités et événements suggérés Prayer before meals for children/Prière pour enfants avant le repas COLF - The Joy of Love OCVF - La joie de l'amour Heartfelt Condolences and Prayers
Please join our Christian Brothers and Sisters in prayer for those members of the Humboldt minor hockey team who were killed or injured in this past week's highway accident in Saskatchewan. Also keep their family and friends in your prayers as they struggle with this sudden loss and suffering. Bishop Vila said a special mass on Tuesday evening, April 10th, for all the victims of this accident. You may click on the links below to read a letter of condolence regarding the accident from the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) to The Most Rev. Mark Hagemoen, Bishop of Saskatoon.
The Diocese of Whitehorse gratefully acknowledges and gives thanks to God for a generous grant received from the Ex Corde Foundation of the Diocese of Hamilton. The Ex Corde Foundation was established by Bishop Douglas Crosby, O.M.I. in 2012. The Foundation focuses on finding ways to help parishes, organizations and communities prosper through financial support of a range of initiatives.
The grant of $20,000 which the Diocese of Whitehorse received will be used towards constructing a modest dovetail/chink style log Catholic church in Dease Lake, BC. This project was initiated in response to the needs of the community of St. Mary Magdalene Catholic Mission in Dease Lake. Currently, an old trailer serves as the rectory and church, and Mass and other sacramental celebrations are held in the small living room in the trailer. The construction of this mission Church in Dease Lake will be a powerful symbol of the committed presence of the Catholic Church in this isolated community. This will also facilitate the constant presence of a priest who will, at the same time, be able to serve two other missions in Iskut and Telegraph Creek, BC. We extend our gratitude to the Board members of the Ex Corde Foundation who are helping us bring this project to fruition. Let us keep them in our prayers as they continue their work. You can read more about the foundation on their website at www.excordefoundation.com. Development and Peace Donations
Letter to the Faithful of the Diocese of Whitehorse Click here to download a letter from Most Rev. Héctor Vila to the Faithful of the Diocese of Whitehorse regarding Development and Peace donations from the 2018 Together For Peace Share Lent campaign.
Diocesan Staff Retreat
Diocese of Whitehorse staff and volunteers gathered together from February 20th to 23rd, 2018 for their annual Lenten Staff Retreat. They were blessed to have as their presenter, Padre John Braganza, OSB, who has been the Abbot of Westminster Abbey in Mission, BC since 2005. 
Message from CCCB for 50th anniversary of Charismatic Renewal in Canada
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Charismatic Renewal in Canada which is being celebrated during 2018, the Episcopal Commission for Doctrine of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) released a message, dated 25 January 2018, Feast of the Conversion of Saint Paul, Apostle. The message expresses “thanks to the Lord for the blessings of God which Catholic charismatics have brought our dioceses and parishes.” It also recalls how the “faithfully-attended prayer groups, the careful study of the word of God, catechesis, times of praise, prayers of intercession, the blessings and constructive challenges of life in community – all these have marked the life of Charismatic communities across Canada and have contributed to the building up of the Church in our land.” The Bishops on the Commission reiterate as well the importance for Charismatic Renewal groups to provide catechesis and formation in Catholic theology, as well as witnessing to communion by being fully integrated into the pastoral life of the local diocese and parish. The five-page message is divided into five sections, and also makes reference to the pastoral letter published in 2003 by what was then the CCCB Theology Commission on the 35th anniversary of Charismatic Renewal in Canada. (Cliquez ici pour la version française de ce texte) Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops Annual Retreat
This year's Assembly of Western Catholic Bishops (AWCB) Annual Retreat took place in January at Westminster Abbey in Mission BC. The AWCB gathers the Bishops of the Roman Catholic and Eastern Catholic Churches of the four Western Canadian provinces, the Northwest Territories, Yukon and Nunavut. In total, it serves eighteen Roman Catholic dioceses and four Ukrainian Catholic eparchies (Roman Catholic: Calgary, Churchill-Hudson Bay, Edmonton, Grouard-McLennan, Kamloops, Keewatin-Le Pas, MacKenzie-Fort Smith, Nelson, Prince Albert, Prince George, Regina, Saint-Boniface, Saint-Paul, Saskatoon, Vancouver, Victoria, Whitehorse, and Winnipeg; Ukrainian Catholic: Edmonton, New Westminster, Saskatoon, and Winnipeg). The Most Rev. Richard Gagnon, Archbishop of Winnipeg, is the current President. 
Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia
Amoris laetitia (English: The Joy of Love; En français: La joie de l'amour) is a post-synodal apostolic exhortation by Pope Francis addressing the pastoral care of families. ... Amoris laetitia also includes an extended reflection on the meaning of love in the day-to-day reality of family life.
We invite you to view these nine 7-8 minute web-based videos developed by the CCCB Office for Evangelization and Catechesis (OEC) and the Catholic Organization for Life and Family (COLF) to assist with the study of Pope Francis’ Apostolic Exhortation Amoris Laetitia. They are available in both English and French (see buttons below). The videos and associated discussion guides are designed to be used by individuals in their homes or in groups gathered in diocesan, parish or school settings. Pope Francis invites us to study the document carefully when he says, “…I do not recommend a rushed reading of the text. The greatest benefit, for families themselves and for those engaged in the family apostolate, will come if each part is read patiently and carefully, or if attention is paid to the parts dealing with their specific needs” (AL, n. 7). |
ONLINE DONATIONS
NOW AVAILABLE The Diocese of Whitehorse is now accepting online donations via our partner Canada Helps, which is equipped to issue instantaneous tax receipts. Your generosity enables us to serve our communities, care for those in need and accomplish the mission entrusted to us by the Lord. Click on the button below to donate online.  
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Map of the Diocese
The diocese of Whitehorse is vast! It comprises the top northern quarter of the province of British Columbia and the entire Yukon Territory. In this 723,515 square-kilometer area, the total population is approximately 40,000.
Our Catholic population is 7,500, which is served in 23 parishes and missions.
The seat of the diocese is Whitehorse, the capital city of Yukon Territory. Sacred Heart Cathedral, Our Lady of Victory Parish, and three Roman Catholic schools serve the Whitehorse area. The vastness of the diocese is matched by the grandeur and beauty of God's creation. The St. Elias mountains with the highest peaks in Canada and massive glaciers, are something to behold. The diocese is geographically situated in the great river watersheds of both the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The Yukon, Liard, Dease, Fort Nelson, Stikine, Nass and Skeena rivers and their tributaries are the historical highways of this land.
The all-season Alaska, Klondike, and Cassiar Highways connect the diocesan missions year round; and provide connections to our neighboring dioceses of Prince George (BC), Mackenzie-Fort Smith (NWT), Grouard-McLennan (Alberta), Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks (Alaska). Air travel connects the people up here nationally and internationally.
To live up here and travel to the small Catholic communities is to experience why "God so loved the World that He gave His only Son" Jn.3:16. It is something beautiful!
The diocese of Whitehorse is vast! It comprises the top northern quarter of the province of British Columbia and the entire Yukon Territory. In this 723,515 square-kilometer area, the total population is approximately 40,000.
Our Catholic population is 7,500, which is served in 23 parishes and missions.
The seat of the diocese is Whitehorse, the capital city of Yukon Territory. Sacred Heart Cathedral, Our Lady of Victory Parish, and three Roman Catholic schools serve the Whitehorse area. The vastness of the diocese is matched by the grandeur and beauty of God's creation. The St. Elias mountains with the highest peaks in Canada and massive glaciers, are something to behold. The diocese is geographically situated in the great river watersheds of both the Arctic and Pacific oceans. The Yukon, Liard, Dease, Fort Nelson, Stikine, Nass and Skeena rivers and their tributaries are the historical highways of this land.
The all-season Alaska, Klondike, and Cassiar Highways connect the diocesan missions year round; and provide connections to our neighboring dioceses of Prince George (BC), Mackenzie-Fort Smith (NWT), Grouard-McLennan (Alberta), Anchorage, Juneau and Fairbanks (Alaska). Air travel connects the people up here nationally and internationally.
To live up here and travel to the small Catholic communities is to experience why "God so loved the World that He gave His only Son" Jn.3:16. It is something beautiful!