Pastoral Care

1415 - 4th Ave West
Prince Albert, SK S6V 5H1
306-922-4747 ext 227
pastoralcare@padiocese.ca
“The elderly, by virtue of their weakness, can teach those who are living in other stages of life that we all need to abandon ourselves to the Lord, to invoke his help. In this sense, we must all learn from old age: yes, there is a gift in being elderly, understood as abandoning oneself to the care of others, starting with God himself.”
Pope Francis said at his June 1, 2022 general audience.
[For the World Day of the Sick,] the Holy Father’s message is entitled: “Take care of him” – Compassion as a synodal exercise of healing. In light of the Church’s synodal journey, Pope Francis invites “all of us to reflect on the fact that it is especially through the experience of vulnerability and illness that we can learn to walk together according to the style of God, which is closeness, compassion, and tenderness.”
Pope Francis tells us in his Encyclical Letter Fratelli Tutti that “we cannot be indifferent to suffering” (68), and he proposes that we read anew the parable of the Good Samaritan (Luke 10:25-37). The condition of loneliness and abandonment of the sick in today’s world only “takes a moment of our attention, of being moved to compassion within us, in order to eliminate it.” In seeking the help of another to care for the sick man, the Samaritan asks the innkeeper to “take care of him.” Only with the help, courage, and innovation of others in a “face-to-face encounter” can we organize care for the sick in a spirit of fraternity and resilience. Many healthcare workers, family members, and community volunteers are daily witnesses of this accompaniment and caring compassion.
The World Day of the Sick is an occasion to pray for individuals who are suffering, and to find concrete ways to draw nearer to them. ... Pope Francis reiterates that we are called to learn “how to be a community that truly walks together, capable of resisting the throwaway culture.”(Excerpt from CCCB announcement January 12, 2023)
Ideas on how to promote
the World Day for the Sick
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Read and share Pope Francis’ message
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Watch and share the video on this page
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Visit a loved one who is shut in, lonely or sick
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Offer gratitude to a healthcare professional or volunteer
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Organize the Horizons of Hope program in your parish
The World Day of the Sick resonates well with the recent CCCB publication on palliative care entitled Horizons of Hope which highlights the Compassionate Community approach. It may be a good opportunity to encourage the faithful to discover this program at the local level.

Deanery 5 began working on this material in the Spring of 2022. Training parish leaders and visitors.
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Deanery 2 and 4 will be offering sessions in the spring of 2023. Dates, times and location of sessions TBA. Please watch this page and your bulletin for more information.
“Horizons of Hope: A Toolkit for Catholic Parishes on Palliative Care” seeks to:
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Empower and educate parishioners by addressing questions surrounding palliative care, dying, death, suffering, accompaniment, and bereavement in a holistic fashion.
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Present high-quality content that explores how palliative care is understood from a perspective of Catholic moral and pastoral theology, medical expertise and the Compassionate Community model.
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Facilitate meaningful conversations together so that our parishes and families become Compassionate Communities, grounded in the mercy and tenderness of the living Christ.
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To learn more about these training webinars produced by the CCCB click on the following link HORIZONS OF HOPE.
Protect Sask Medical Professionals​

Saskatchewan medical professionals are vulnerable to legal prosecution if they do not bend to coercion and intimidation to participate in medical assistance in dying (MAiD). There needs to be legal protection for the medical professionals who object to the participation of MAiD, or the pressures of offering it to their patients.
We would like to see the Saskatchewan Legislative Assembly pass conscience protection legislation similar to that passed in Manitoba in 2017. The legislation passed was effective in aiding those who conscientiously refused and it also protected them from a regulatory body of nurses or doctors requiring participation as well. Manitoba´s legislation could act as an example for other provinces to follow.
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Sask Pro-Life Association would encourage Saskatchewan residents who support our mission to click on the link below which will take you to the website and sign the petition. Conscience Rights in Saskatchewan, a group of volunteers plan to meet with Saskatchewan MLAs to discuss the importance of conscience rights legislation for medical professionals and present them with petitions.
Canadians for Conscience
This video from Canadians for Conscience presents short clips from health care professionals who speak about why they need conscience protection.
You can also retweet and tag us on social media.
Twitter: @Cdns4Conscience
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/canadiansforconscience/
Instagram: cdns4conscience
We Can and Must Do Better
Religious Leaders in Canada oppose Bill C-7
“An Act to amend the Criminal Code”
(medical assistance in dying)



September 10th is World Suicide Prevention Day
Below are websites with information on Suicide Prevention and Resources.
Websites:
Government of Canada
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Suicide in Canada, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/suicide-prevention/suicide-canada.html
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Suicide Prevention, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/suicide-prevention.html
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Suicide in Canada: infographic, https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/publications/healthy-living/suicide-canada-infographic.html
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Indigenous Services Canada (2019), "Suicide prevention in Indigenous communities", https://www.sac-isc.gc.ca/eng/1576089685593/1576089741803
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Statistics Canada (2017), "Suicide rates: An overview", https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/82-624-x/2012001/article/11696-eng.htm
The Centre for Suicide Prevention has some excellent resources, including statistics, multimedia, and more infographics
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"Resources", https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resources/
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"Suicide stats for Canada, provinces and territories", https://www.suicideinfo.ca/resource/suicide-stats-canada-provinces/
Other sites
Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention, https://suicideprevention.ca
Interfaith Statement on Suicide Prevention