Blessing and Commissioning Mass with Bishop Dabrowski: Gallery and Reflection
Our community was honoured to welcome Bishop Joseph Dabrowski at Canadian Martyrs for a special Blessing and Commissioning Mass on Sunday 12 April. Parishioners, students, and guests gathered in great numbers for this joyful occasion.
During the liturgy, Bishop Dabrowski delivered a thoughtful and inspiring homily that was warmly received and deeply appreciated by all in attendance. His words resonated especially with our students and young adults, offering practical advice for staying grounded in faith as life changes. The Bishop also took time to listen to testimonies from members of the Chaplaincy executive team, recognizing their leadership and service to the community.
A particularly meaningful moment of the Mass was the special blessing offered to our graduating university students. As they prepare to begin a new chapter in their lives, the community joined in prayer for their continued growth, success, and faith.
Following Mass, parishioners gathered for a special Coffee Sunday, our first such gathering with Bishop Dabrowski. The community greatly enjoyed the opportunity to meet him personally, share conversation, and spend time together in a relaxed atmosphere. The Bishop’s presence and openness were sincerely appreciated by all.
The accompanying photographs capture many highlights of the day: Bishop Dabrowski preaching during Mass, listening to the testimonies of Chaplaincy executive members, blessing graduating students, posing for group photos with students and parishioners, and enjoying fellowship with the community during the reception afterwards.
We are grateful to Bishop Dabrowski for his pastoral visit and for the encouragement he brought to our parish community.
Eddy’s Testimony
Hello, I’m Eddy Manning, I’m a student graduating from the faculty of engineering here at McMaster and my journey at the Chaplaincy began 4 years ago when I was in RCIA. It was a time of change in my life, I was becoming Catholic and I had no real reference for how the faith is to be lived out in day-to-day life.
About three or four weeks into my RCIA meetings and Fr. Greg’s continued insistence, I finally came to my first student dinner, and this is where I met students, just like myself, at the same school, same walk of life, living out their calling as disciples of Christ every day.
This was exactly the guidance and support I needed, and over the next four years, leading up to this moment right now, I am blessed to say that I never missed a single student dinner, I became a frequent member of men’s ministry, and I am very grateful to have been given the opportunity to lead morning prayer over this past year.
This support and guidance grew to be much more than that, it became for me a haven with like-minded friends, friends who experience the same struggles as I do at school and in the world at large, it be came a community. Without this community and the leadership of Fr. Greg and Jason and the whole Senior Leadership Team, I don’t know where I’d be today, I don’t know what my faith would look like, and I wouldn’t know just how much good I would have missed out on.
This chaplaincy has truly helped, I believe with the help of the Holy Spirit, to make me the man who I am today. I was invited into this community when I was a lost outsider, it formed me when I was weak and malleable, and I am blessed to say that today being sent from here as a disciple of Christ ready and hoping to pass on the blessings that I have so generously been given here.
Melissa’s Testimony
Thank you, Father Greg. Hello everyone and thank you for being here today to welcome the new exec team and to support us graduates as we close this chapter in the McMaster Chaplaincy. For those who don’t know me, my name is Melissa McPhee, and I’ve just finished my fourth year in kinesiology at McMaster.
My story in the Chaplaincy began almost three years ago, when I actually found out about Tuesday dinners from my roommate’s mom all the way in Mississauga — so shout out to the social media team for getting that info to moms across the GTA. Who knew that what started as just free food on Tuesday nights would quickly become years of spiritual and personal growth?
During my time in the Chaplaincy, I have grown in my faith in ways that I would never have imagined. Last year, after joining a faith study group, I took a huge step in my faith and shared my personal testimony in front of over sixty students. And this year, I had the opportunity to lead my own faith group turning everything I had learned into action as I mentored others. These opportunities to grow in boldness and appreciation of my faith would never have been possible without the Chaplaincy.
But this community has given me much more than spiritual growth; it’s taught me a lot about life. About what it means to build lasting friendships, to trust mentors, to be a leader, and what it means to stand in front of a crowd and share something meaningful — a passion which I hope to carry forward into future roles.
A quote from one of my favorite movies says this: “If someone prays for patience, do you think God gives them patience? Or does He give them the opportunity to be patient? If they pray for courage, does God give them courage, or does He give them opportunities to be courageous?” I feel like when I started university four years ago, I was quietly praying for so many things — friendship, leadership, boldness, and purpose. And four years later, I can stand here and say that God didn’t jest give me those things, but He gave me opportunities to grow into them through this incredible community. And as all of us graduates are commissioned today, I know that the lessons and opportunities we found here in the McMaster Chaplaincy are only the beginning. Thank you!