Having to say goodbye to people we love is one of the hardships of our northern life. People come here for the amazing opportunities that are offered. They bring their energy, they bring their gifts, they bring their families all of which are so appreciated. But, for many, the opportunities they seek are short-term, they’re steppingstones and, just as it seems we are getting to know them, they go away again.

I was only three years as a pastor in the arctic when I received the surprising and overwhelming news that Pope Francis had chosen me to become the next Bishop of the Mackenzie-Fort Smith diocese. Knowing this would mean having to relocate, one of my first thoughts and concerns was how I was going to break the news to my parishioners that I was going to be moving away from them after such a short time.

I was sure there was going to be tears and maybe some anger or, at the very least, disappointment. Wasn’t I then surprised at the reaction I received and now consider it as one more lesson learned about the people of the North. They welcome with open arms and just as easily say farewell, letting go with open hands.

Across the board the reaction was joy, pure self-less joy, at what God was doing with their pastor. Each person congratulated me and said that they knew God had something good in store. It seemed that the goodness that came from the honour of becoming bishop was not just for me, but they claimed it also for themselves, after all, they were the ones who had trained me to be a pastor in the North. It was only after the first reaction of joy that they then would pause and say, “we are going to miss you”, but the look in their eye let me know that they were going to be alright without me and that they would be ready and willing to train the next priest who came along.

The people of the northern Church are highly capable and they manage alright for long periods of time without a priest. Not because they do not desire the Eucharist but simply because they are used to being on their own. In urban centers families generally have the luxury of deciding which Mass time to go to on the weekend, even which Church they might visit. But in our many small, isolated communities, people are happy that they might see a priest come for Mass once a month or perhaps even less frequently.

I am reminded of a story told to me by one of our Missionary priests who served a community that was so isolated he was usually only able to get there twice a year. Finding some time, he managed to pay an extra visit one year. When he was picked up at the airport, his host said that they were surprised to see him and inquired about the reason for the unexpected call. The priest just said that he felt bad that he saw them so seldom and thought it would be good come more often. The response was characteristically blunt as the man said, “Father you don’t have to worry about us, after all, we’re Catholics, we’re not fanatics”.

Sure enough, when the priest can’t be there, the people continue to gather, and the church continues, relying on the good hearts and perseverance of faithful lay leaders who keep the spark of faith alive.

In my diocese, we turn to lay pastoral leaders, men and women, to help us look after the churches in our communities. Many of these leaders are local residents who have been trained and mandated to serve their communities and have been doing so for many years.

Others are single people or families who come from across Canada to spend a year or two in the missions as part of their own faith journey. Perhaps you or someone you know might have a calling to spend some time in a Canadian Mission. I would sure be glad to have your help.

People ask, “what are the biggest problems you face?” Well, to be honest I don’t see problems but rather challenges and opportunities. I am always grateful for my vocation, my call to be a missionary priest in Canada’s North. I have no complaints.

Others will say that they can’t imagine what it must be like to live in such an isolated place. They figure it must be very lonely. And to that I respond, “Well, Jesus told his disciples to bring the Gospel to the ends of the earth. But truly I don’t really see where I am as the end of the earth. I see it as the center of the world for the people who live here. At this center, where God is present and always has been, how can one ever really feel alone?”

I have been privileged to work with good couples like Hank and Marlene Wolki in Paulatuk. While Marlene prepares families for baptism and couples for marriage Hank is making sure the heat stays on in the Church and repairs of the facility are looked after. And when the priest does arrive, they provide amazing hospitality, including giving up space in their house so the priest has a place to sleep.

In Tuktoyaktuk local leaders Jean Gruben and Dorothy Loreen work alongside Sr. Fay Tremblay keeping the Church going, despite not seeing a priest for weeks at a time. This involves not only gathering people on Sundays and leading communion services but also putting in countless hours of work bagging food and folding clothes as they reach out to those in need in the community through the Saint Vincent de Paul Ministry.

In Tsiigehtchic, Grace Blake is a constant supporter of the Church despite being busy with so many other community activities. Even when Church services are not well attended, she is of the mind that somebody needs to be praying for the community on Sunday, so she remains steadfast in her vocation of service for the Gospel, ringing the church bell, praying with her granddaughter and anyone else who might happen to show up.

One might think that with such a sense of independence, the presence of a priest and the Sacraments might lose their sense of importance over time, but I have come to see the opposite is true. Because of their service in the Lord’s name, the people become thirsty, hungry for the Eucharist. They do not take for granted the opportunity when it is finally offered.

So, as the Bishop of the diocese, it falls to me to do my best to find priests to come and serve these communities, but it is not an easy task. Priests who are available are hard to find. Young energetic priests who are able to stay more than a short while, and who can withstand the difficult conditions of the North, are even more scarce. So, we continue to rely on those willing to help and labour in the fields of the Lord and we have been blessed by the response of the laity.

Should that come as any great surprise? When God wanted to put his plan for salvation of humanity into action, he did not turn to a priest but to Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help. It was only with Mary’s “Yes”, that our Redeemer was born into this world.

Mary is an excellent model for us of Lay leadership in the North. Though she was at first unsure of what she was getting into when the angel told her that she was favoured by God and that she was going to give birth to the Son of God, Mary quickly decided to trust that God would give her the strength and the courage that she would need to serve God’s plan.

Though Mary found herself in the privileged position of being the first disciple, she offered herself as a servant to others, welcoming those who came into her life and giving them a chance to know her son and to learn the gift of who Jesus was. 

She welcomed the shepherds and wise men who came to pay homage at the time of his birth. She spent time with her cousin Elizabeth pregnant with John the Baptist at the same time that she also was carrying her son Jesus. 

At the wedding feast of Cana, where Jesus performed his first miracle, Mary said to the wedding guests, “Do as he tells you”, telling all of us for the ages, “follow his teachings”. At the foot of the cross, Mary was present as Jesus proclaimed that she would be mother of the church. And she was there with the apostles and disciples when the Holy Spirit arrived in their midst at the time of Pentecost.

Mary knew the story. She lived the story. Her virtues of awareness as she pondered what she saw around her, her resilience and humility were the key virtues that St. Alphonsus and the early Redemptorist missionaries emulated as they went into the hillsides around Naples and began to share the Good News with the farmers and the shepherds they encountered. 

Humility, resilience and awareness: these are virtues I seek to develop in myself as a missionary bishop, and they are the marks of a vocation for all who come here to work with us.

It is not easy to stand in front of your community, the people you grew up with and who know all your weaknesses and shortcomings, and to read from the scriptures and share a reflection on what God has done in your life and that you want to share what you have received with others. 

Yet that is what our lay pastoral leaders volunteer to do and they do so with great joy. So, we encourage them. We make sure they have opportunities to grow and develop their faith and to let them know that they are not alone.

As Jesus sent the 72, two by two, ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his field.”  I am immensely grateful for the many faithful people that God has sent to serve in our Northern vineyard. I pray that more people may hear the call and respond so that the Gospel can be shared anew.

And may Almighty God bless you: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.