Christmas is all about surprise. When the angel Gabriel told Mary that she would conceive and bear a son, and he would be the Savior of the world, Mary was surprised. “How can this be?” she asked the messenger. When Joseph was told his fiancée was pregnant, he was both shocked and angry, until the angel told him the rest of the story in a dream. Elizabeth and Zechariah were astonished when Elizabeth got pregnant as an elderly woman. Then the angel announced that their child would usher in news of the Messiah, for whom the Jews had waited for a thousand years.

The Christmas story continues with the surprise and astonishment of the shepherds. 

There they were on another night – somewhere in the fields near Bethlehem – maybe they had finished eating their meager evening meal and they were settling down to another ordinary night of tedium and boredom. Another day another dollar. Nothing ever changes. Then an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. Surprised? They were surprised and shocked, confused and terrified – probably the same reaction as Zechariah when the angel appeared to him in the temple, probably, as with Mary when she finds out she is to bear Jesus – But how can this be? Probably the same surprise, and confusion as Joseph when he finds out the news about Mary!

Our Christmas cards and pictures do not do justice to the sense of surprise and shock that accompanies God’s encounter with all the people of the Christmas story! In a couple of weeks, we will celebrate the feast of the Epiphany, the visit of the wise men from the East. Can you imagine their surprise – they travel for months and months perhaps, expecting to see a boy king – they have bought the most expensive gifts - gold, frankincense and myrrh – and what do they find? – Not a king, but peasant parents and a newborn boy – Is this a joke? Have we made a colossal mistake? Perhaps that is their immediate reaction. 

God’s surprises are all about exceeding our ordinary expectations. So often our lives can be like those of the shepherds, another day another dollar – routine, predictable. Christmas is that reminder that God is present in this ordinary routine mix of our lives and that occasionally we will be surprised. 

However, when we are dealing with the surprises in our lives, they are not so straightforward. Like the people of our Christmas story, we can be confused and saddened – maybe we do not understand why something is happening. Some of us may also at this time of the year be dealing with some unfortunate events in our lives, a sickness, loss of loved one, changes in our lives. 

God’s surprises are not the equivalent of winning the lotto. After all, the shepherds went with haste to see the newborn baby but then they went back we presume to their ordinary job, to their hard life. The visit to Bethlehem did not increase their wages, nor give them a promotion, nor lift them out of poverty. What did it do? We don’t know…that part of the story is not written – except they returned glorifying and praising God. Their lives had not changed substantially, they had not changed outwardly but  something indeed had changed – a little spark of hope perhaps inside. When they returned to the fields, maybe the ground did not seem so rough, maybe the night air did not seem as cold, maybe the sheep did not seem so bothersome, perhaps that visit to Bethlehem was just what they needed at the time. 

Christmas is perhaps, just that - a renewal of hope. This grace filled time of year we can  reflect on God’s surprise visit to humanity in the Christmas story. We can look back on the year and reflect on God’s surprises in our own lives which may encourage us to continue our pilgrimage of hope in this world.

(Fr. Paul McAuley, CSSp)

“Pilgrims of Hope” is the theme of the Jubilee of 2025, a theme reflected in the opening words of Pope Francis’s Bull of Indiction, entitled “Spes non confundit. Hope does not disappoint.”

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On October 2 every year, the Spiritans remember a young seminarian, Claude-François Poullart des Places (1679-1709). Claude was not yet an ordained priest when he founded the Spiritans on Pentecost Sunday, 1703 but he had a deep calling to form a community of young men who would be dedicated to the Holy Spirit and who would minister to the poor and be willing go to where ever they were most needed by the Church.. Soon this little community flourished as more people were attracted to the simple lifestyle and the dedication of the Spiritans. By 1732, the first Spiritan was sent to Canada. The Spiritans invite you to join us in our novena of prayer from September 23 to October 1 as we prepare for Des Places Day. Novena to Claude Poullart des Places: English French Portuguese

From July 8th to 12th, the Spiritans of the TransCanada Province gathered at Queen of Apostles Retreat Centre in Mississauga, Ontario for a meeting known as a “Chapter.” Over 30 Spiritan confreres and Lay Spiritans attended, including our Superior General and his 1st Assistant from Rome (Fr. Alain Mayama, CSSp & Fr. Jeff Duaime, CSSp). Also in attendance, as observers, were the Provincial Superiors from both the USA & Quebec. The Chapter moderator was Fr. Michael Onwuemelie, CSSp, one of our Nigerian confreres working in California. This assembly takes place every four years and is a time of prayer, information sharing, discussion and discernment of our ministries. We try our best to listen to the prompting of the Holy Spirit and see what changes we need to make to best respond to the needs of the people here in Canada. Are there ministries we are doing now that are no longer necessary or relevant? Are there new ministries to which we are being called? How will we best be able to carry out any new commitments? How will we make the most use of our resources, both material and personnel? These were among the questions we discussed during this important week of renewal. During the week, we also re-elected our present Provincial Superior, Fr. Oliver Iwuchukwu, CSSp and suggested appointments for our Provincial  Council. As we departed on the Friday afternoon, the mood and the spirit of the confreres and our Lay Spiritans was positive and we felt affirmed to go forward in the mission of our congregation. “Cor Unum et Anima Una” - One Heart & One Soul, the motto of our congregation. 

The Spiritans around the world celebrate with thanksgiving the life of the venerable Fr. Francis Libermann, CSSp, (1802-1852) who is considered to be “The Second Founder of the Spiritans.” By merging his missionary Society of the Holy Heart of Mary with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost, he gave new life to the Spiritans and opened the way for a new wave of missionary evangelization.

Novena for Libermann Day (From Jan. 24 - Feb. 1, 2024)

For the first time since COVID, the TransCanada Spiritan confreres & Lay Spiritans were able to be together for our Advent retreat held at the Jesuit Manresa Retreat Centre in Pickering, ON. Later in the evening, the confreres and Lay Spiritans gathered with some of our staff, friends, and supporters at our annual Advent appreciation dinner held at St. Joseph’s church in Highland Creek, ON.

On Friday July 28th, 2023, the Spiritans were blessed with a visit by Archbishop Francis Leo, fairly recently appointed as Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. The visit was warm and informal as we gathered for a social followed by dinner. During his time at the Laval House community where we gathered, he got to meet each of us personally and he spoke of the wonderful contributions the Spiritans have made to the Archdiocese over the years. He highlighted the importance of having both missionary and Religious life represented in the Archdiocese and the witness we give drawn from our mission experience. He expressed gratitude and hope for a growth of the Spiritans here and in Canada. We are very grateful to Archbishop Francis for taking time from what must be a hectic schedule to spend the evening with us. We look forward to ongoing collaboration with the Archdiocese to bear witness to the Gospel. Our door is open and welcoming and we hope Archbishop Francis will visit us again and always feel at home.