Edmonton: St. Matthew Parish Celebrates Volunteers

By Fr. Sathiaseelan Kulandaisamy, SDB

(Edmonton, AB – September 27) – The impact of Covid-19 spared no one in the world for the past two years, especially the regular churchgoers. St. Matthew Parish is one such parish where most seniors of the community enjoyed being active members in all the liturgical and sacramental celebrations. The pandemic had not so much deflected their focus and commitment of the volunteers of different ministries at the parish.

Hence, on Saturday, September 17, after the 5:00 pm MDT Mass, St. Matthew Parish sponsored a catered dinner for their volunteers over the past two years. One hundred fifty nine people—including 96 volunteers, plus their spouses and families, a retired pastor, and four Salesian community pastors—were invited to the event. Due to illness or other commitments, 120 people were able to attend and enjoy the evening.

The evening opened with a prayer, after which a scrumptious meal of salad, turkey, potatoes, dinner buns, vegetables, fruit, and deserts followed. The Parish Council Chairperson introduced our special guests and welcomed everyone to the event. I opened with words of appreciation, having advised them to "Never, ever underestimate the power of the Volunteers, because; Noah’s ark was built by volunteers and Titanic was built by professionals." The presence of Salesian community priests with Fr. Mario as rector, Fr. Saga, and Fr. Raja added color and enthusiasm to the celebration.

The event had lot of door prizes simply to appreciate each and everyone for their joyful service. There were spontaneous joyous moments every now and then, and each renewed their commitment to their ministries in the coming year with lot more zeal and energy. It was also a dinner hosted for the celebration of the feast of St. Matthew on Wednesday, September 21, the parish's patron saint.