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As we discover the lives of the saints, it seems they endured quite a bit of suffering before receiving their eternal reward. It begs the question, is it worth it? 

Fr. Mike reminds us that in this life, we will have suffering. The question is not, can you avoid suffering by avoiding Jesus? The question is, can your suffering be transformed by embracing Jesus?

In this episode, we talk about what it means to weather the storms of life well. Everyone experiences difficult moments throughout their lives and these storms come in all shapes and sizes. In each one, we have the opportunity to respond from a place of truth and peace instead of fear. We share practical ways we’ve learned to weather the storms in our own lives, from simplifying life to immersing ourselves in Scripture. We also explore how pain, though difficult, can lead us into deeper healing and communion with God. No matter what you’re facing, you are not alone—He is near, and so are we.

The divine drama of the Toronto Blue Jays’ postseason run isn’t lost on Father Terrence “Terry” McKenna, who continues to support his favourite team and find spiritual echoes hidden on baseball’s grandest stage.

The retired pastor of St. Mary Immaculate Parish in Richmond Hill, Ont., Father McKenna has long been a notable fan of the sport of baseball and the hometown Toronto Blue Jays. Just days after the team’s 5–2 win over the New York Yankees to advance to the American League Championship Series (ALCS), he shared his thoughts on the Jays’ remarkable charge — one that has now carried them all the way to the World Series against the Los Angeles Dodgers, following their victory over the Seattle Mariners.

“It’s great to see how a lot of no-names, at least to the average public, have accomplished this athletic feat. These young men have chosen to believe in teamwork instead of being lone rangers, and they’re looking to make a name for themselves,” he said.

After ending the Yankees’ season with an exciting Game 4 win on Oct. 8 in the American League Division Series, Jays infielder Ernie Clement was caught rushing to join a team photo while in the midst of a post-game interview — a now-viral moment that Father McKenna points to as an example of the passion the 2025 team holds.

“When he left that interview and readied himself to get in the photo with his teammates, it was too late, and they had to start over, but it shows that everyone wants to be there. When you add up everyone doing their best, it’s a winning staff,” he said.

The Blue Jays’ current run marks their first appearance in the World Series since their back-to-back championships in 1992 and 1993. Father McKenna said he still vividly remembers where he was when those titles were won.

“I can remember what I was doing the day they won in ’92 or ’93,” he said. “I was in Richmond Hill at St. Mary Immaculate, and I’ll never forget it.”

Father McKenna served at St. Mary’s for many years, with it holding the distinction of being the last parish he called home before being appointed to the Pearson Airport chaplaincy and retiring officially in 2021.

Now, with a little more time on his hands, the priest still keeps up with the team the old-fashioned way, preferring to follow the Jays in the sports reports on the radio rather than watching television broadcasts.

The 79-year-old said he continues to view the Blue Jays — and the sport of baseball itself — as a much-needed source of unity in a divided world.

“We need something that’s not about partisan politics, good versus evil, even Catholic versus Protestant or something like that.

Over 500 Chinese Catholics from St. Francis Xavier Church gathered at the Gardens of Gethsemani on September 7 for the Chung Yeung Festival, honouring their ancestors. 

Parish Pastoral Council secretary Karina Lai explained the significance of the festival in an email to The B.C. Catholic.

“In Chinese culture, it is customary to honour ancestors by visiting their tombs during the spring (Qingming Festival 清明節) and autumn (Chung Yeung Festival 重陽節), a practice known as Chun Chau Yi Jai (春秋二祭),” she wrote.

“At St. Francis Xavier Parish, Msgr. Peter Chow (周若漁蒙席), with his pastoral vision, established a tradition of celebrating Mass twice a year at the Catholic cemetery—uniting cultural reverence for ancestors with the Church’s prayer for the faithful departed, and reminding each generation to pray for them with Christian hope.”

As part of this tradition, a Chinese gloriette (永光亭) was built on the cemetery grounds. Lai noted that its plaque, bearing the name Wing Kwong Ting, was handwritten by Rev. Aloysius Lou (盧湛明神父), symbolizing “both cultural heritage and faith.”

Lai reported that the celebration has grown and this year the parish’s community life was on full display. “Since the pandemic, many new families from Hong Kong have joined our parish. This autumn, more young families joined the Autumn Tomb Festival (秋祭), with some children serving as Altar Server,” she wrote. “On the eve of the Mass, volunteers cleaned the gloriette and the tombs of Chinese priests and sisters. Sacristans and sisters prepared vestments and sacred vessels, while parishioners and AV technicians set up tents, instruments, and sound equipment.”

On the day of the Mass, parishioners brought flowers to honour loved ones and past priests. “One parishioner family even came from Bellingham, Washington—despite serious illness—a moving witness to the deep bonds of faith and family,” wrote Lai.

Reflecting on the celebration, she concluded: “Through this festival, we experienced love, prayer, and unity. It was more than a cultural observance—it was an act of evangelization. By weaving Chinese tradition with Catholic faith, we pass on to our children that honouring ancestors is not only about remembering the past, but also about placing our hope in Christ, who promises eternal life.”

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In the spiritual life, the battle is fought not with swords or shields but with the heart and mind. Dom Lorenzo Scupoli’s The Spiritual Combat offers timeless wisdom on this inner warfare. Chapters 5 and 6 focus on cultivating a profound distrust of self and engaging in spiritual exercises.

In Chapter 5, Scupoli noted that many mistake the anxiety and agitation felt after sinning for true repentance, when it stems from hidden pride and self-reliance. St. Therese of Lisieux said, “Every morning I make a resolution to practice humility and in the evening I recognize that I have committed again many faults of pride. At this I am tempted to become discouraged but I know that discouragement is also pride.” Scupoli added that the humble person, trusting only in God, feels sorrow but not turmoil or surprise when he falls, knowing his weakness and need for grace.

St. Therese wrote, “If I fall, I shall pick myself up quickly and continue on my way; for little children are always falling, but they are too small to hurt themselves much.” She also wrote, “It is confidence and nothing but confidence that must lead us to Love … . What pleases Him is to see me love my littleness and my poverty, the blind hope that I have in His mercy … . This is my only treasure.” When dying, Therese taught her sister how to respond to one’s faults: “I hasten to say to God: My God, I know I have merited this feeling of sadness, but let me offer it up to You just the same as a trial that You sent me through love. I’m sorry for my sin, but I’m happy to have this suffering to offer to You.”

St. Francis de Sales said, “Be patient with all, but especially with yourself. Do not be disheartened by your imperfections, but always rise up with fresh courage.” He added, “When you have committed a fault, do not be troubled, but humble yourself quietly before God. Ask His pardon, and with peace and confidence, begin again.” The saint prefers a gentle approach to correct oneself: “For myself … I would prefer to correct it quietly, and in a compassionate way … saying: ‘Come now, my poor heart, here we are fallen again … Let us have recourse to the mercy of God … . Courage! let us rise above ourselves … .’”

From St. Therese and St. Francis de Sales, we learn that the saints are not those who never fall, but those who rise again and again, without losing peace, because they trust in the mercy of God.

In Chapter 6, Scupoli noted that spiritual strength comes from trusting God, not oneself.

Brett’s low this week leads to an extended conversation about the internal critic, a diminishing voice that tends to show up when we least want it: during a work meeting, right before an important exam or in an important conversation with a loved one. Where does the diminisher come from and how can we tell the voice of the enemy from the voice of God? Brett and Jake share their reflections and offer suggestions about how we can react maturely in ways that draw us back to reality and our sonship in the Father.

Listen Now

Guiding Quote

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. – 1 John 4:18

Key Points

• Brett’s low leads into a discussion about the diminisher voice

• How self-awareness helps us identify the diminisher voice 

• Unhelpful behaviors that we might have in reaction to the voice of the diminisher

• Brett’s shares about fog in Saskatchewan and why this is a great analogy for the inner critic

• Jake and Brett share their definitions of the inner critic or diminisher

• The diminisher viciously attacks our sonship and identity in Father

• The diminisher voice feels so real in the moment, how can we tell what’s from God and what’s not?

• Helpful practices for working against the diminisher in the moment

• How vulnerability with trusted brothers can help you through the fog 

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?

2. What’s an experience you can recall when you felt the impact of the diminisher voice? What allowed you to recognize it for what it was, either in the moment or later?

3. How long does it take for the effects of the fog to pass? 

4. The next time you feel yourself in ‘the fog,’ what’s a method you can use to prevent you from spiraling? Ideas from the episode are: talk to a trusted brother or friend, affirm someone else, journal the feelings and bring it to the Lord. 

In this episode of the Way of the Heart, we host special guest Bishop Scott McCaig, CC. We dialogue about discerning the internal critic and what voices belong to the enemy, the self, and the Holy Spirit. We discuss how the enemy and the self often condemn us, whereas the Holy Spirit lovingly convicts us of the truth that brings about good fruit in our lives. We distinguish that condemnation leads to shame, but conviction leads to repentance and hope. We also focus on the need to experience the deep love that the Father has for us and His desire for us to lead us into our glory.

Listen Now

Guiding Quote

“We have to be rooted deeply in a place of sonship, in a place of understanding the father’s love for me. Then I can understand and receive both his affirming voice and his voice of discipline.” – Bishop Scott McCaig

Discussion Questions

1. What stood out to you in this episode?

2. What types of things does the voice of condemnation (whether from yourself or the enemy) say to you personally?

3. Share a moment where you felt that God gave you loving correction.

In this episode, we explore: 1) How anger at God is far more common and intense that you realize; 2) Why you need to work through your anger at God; 3) Your hidden reasons for your anger at God; 4) Why your anger at God is so frequently banished to your unconscious; 5) 16 defense mechanisms that drive your anger at God outside of your awareness; 6) How your anger at God is so often overpowered by your fear of God; and 7) The signs and symptoms of your unacknowledged anger at God.

Six months after its centennial celebration, St. Joseph’s Parish in Squamish still glows with gratitude — literally.

The parish’s Gratitude Tree, unveiled during its 100-year anniversary Mass in March 2025, now stands on the side of the church — relocated from the foyer to allow more space — as a bronze sculpture with an antique finish, a lasting monument to faith, generosity, and the families who have worshipped there for a century.

Long-time parishioners say the tree is only the latest expression of what their church has always been.

In an interview with The Squamish Chief, Clem Wippich called St. Joseph’s “a lifeline” for the community. “As Catholics, we believe in the presence of God, the Holy Eucharist — it’s the real thing,” he said. “Without it, we’re in bad shape.”

Wippich arrived in Squamish in 1975, when most parishioners were still “railroad people,” mill workers, or miners from Britannia. He said the faith community gave people a sense of belonging when the town’s fortunes rose and fell. “What hurt us the most financially was when the railroads shut down. The pulp mill shut down. The lumber mill shut down. It was a mass exodus,” Wippich told The Chief.

Paul Schilling, who came to Squamish in 1970, remembered helping repair the old church on Fourth Avenue and watching the congregation ebb and flow with the economy. “Community is the main part of the church,” he said. “If there is no church, there’s no community.”

Vida Giroux, a member since 1991, described the centennial as “a once-in-a-lifetime event … so much joy to be together with the community of God-loving people.”

She said parish organizations such as the Catholic Women’s League, founded in 1956, and the Knights of Columbus, chartered in 1985, have sustained that community spirit through decades of charitable work. The CWL’s thrift shop, opened in 1969, still supports parish and civic causes, while the Knights continue to provide scholarships for graduating students.

Each leaf on the parish’s Gratitude Tree bears a name, prayer, or Scripture verse chosen by parishioners to express thanksgiving. Families were invited to “purchase a leaf for $100” to help cover centennial expenses and support parish needs. Together, the engraved leaves form a visible record of gratitude that continues to grow.

“The Gratitude Tree continues to be a beautiful and meaningful symbol of thankfulness within our parish community,” said Doris Suarez, who helped coordinate the project. “Since the start of this project, parishioners willingly contributed and over 95 leaves have been purchased. Even non-parishioners joined, representing their families with messages of gratitude, remembrance, and celebration.”

Suffering can be agony, heartbreak, loneliness, grief, or loss. It can take us to depths of darkness we never thought possible and leave us feeling that the only option in life is to give up.

Those who know suffering might have scars. Scars are permanent stories that remind us of the pain we have endured. I received a few scars a few months ago when I went into surgery to remove three benign lumps from my arm.

I marvelled at how simple the surgery was and how quickly the recovery went. I thought of the other people lined up on gurneys that day and wondered what procedures they might be getting. I opted for anaesthetic and was wheeled into the surgical room. The anaesthetist made a joke about my name being close to Elvis’s daughter’s: “Are your parents Elvis fans?” It was a short nap, a few incisions to heal, and then it was over.

What isn’t over is the suffering I experienced after giving birth. The postpartum depression, mania, and psychosis that come with having bipolar disorder were not part of my birthing plan. Many women suffer from postpartum depression and need support after the birth of their child.

In my case I was hospitalised, locked away from my newborn and husband. It was a time of incredible pain to be separated from my new family. Thankfully, during that time I received visiting passes to be with my daughter and husband at home.

What kept me going then was a photo of my daughter that I kept close and the hope I clung to in Jesus. I wasn’t sleeping well, I was physically recovering from the birth, and I was anxious that I couldn’t breastfeed my daughter. The medicine tanked my milk supply. I had given her a little of the colostrum I had, but it wasn’t enough.

I felt I had failed to be her mother, and I felt I had let down my husband, who depended on me too.

Healing takes time from an episode like that. But with a lot of love, support, and hope in God, I believed I could be well again.

“In difficult moments, I will fix my gaze upon the silent heart of Jesus, stretched upon the cross, and from the exploding flames of his merciful heart will flow down upon me power and strength to keep fighting.” — St. Faustina Kowalska

I can’t get back the time I lost with my daughter, and it’s needless to dwell on it. It’s time to make the most of each moment I do have with her, because that is all I get. Story time, bath time, and swimming lessons are now precious gifts.