On August 9 2014, 18 brave souls from St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish hiked the Centennial Ridge, the highest maintained trail in Canada, in an effort to build a Catholic church in Chestermere. As a part of the parish’s Angels on High (AOH) fundraising campaign, this group of dedicated individuals completed the grueling 22km scramble that took them to the summit of two Kananaskis peaks over a 12.5 hour journey.
The big day began under the stars with Mass at 5:00a.m. in the heart of beautiful Kananaskis. The climbing group spent the weekend with over 70 friends and family at the Stony Creek Group Campground where they celebrated with potluck meals, laughter and adventure.
In preparation for Centennial Ridge, the climbers spent the spring and summer training on 6 different mountain trails and a few grueling sessions on the Prince’s Island stairs. Thanks to the help of Tamara Gutierrez from ‘Fit on the Lake’ and her group fitness classes, the climbers were successfully able to complete this journey.
The second annual AOH began with a sold-out fundraising dinner on June 14, 2014 held at the Chestermere Rec Centre. With donations from generous individuals and corporate sponsors, this year’s initiative of Angels on High has raised nearly $75,000 with the 18 climbers collecting $20,000 in pledges. This total far surpasses the parish’s goal of $50,000, which speaks volumes for how much this church group yearns for a building of their own.
Fr. John Nemanic, pastor of St Gabriel Parish and one of the climbers, sees the efforts in the climb as the attitude it will take to build a new church. “The Centennial Ridge Trail is a very challenging scramble, but people do it because of the beautiful landscapes the trail encompasses. My hope is that the future St Gabriel church will add beauty to Chestermere and the surrounding areas – both through its architecture and also that those who worship there will in turn beautify the world by loving and serving their neighbour. Building a church is a daunting challenge, yet the Centennial Ridge experience makes me to believe that if 18 could complete it by finding strength from God and each other, then we can do it.”
Johanne Hachez, a returning climber to AOH, feels it is truly exciting to see the snowball effect that this fundraiser is creating on the community. “Even though we are taking baby steps to build a church, we as a Catholic community are growing fast and strong.” Hachez adds that although her group got lost near the end of the hike and took the scenic route, they can proudly say “we went the extra mile”.
This year, the group of climbers was quite varied; there were 6 women and 12 men. The oldest climber, Sal Ficaccio is 68 years old, while the youngest, Keeley Laing, is only 17.
“The exhilaration of the summit was so rewarding and so fulfilling especially when I pushed myself just enough to reach the top,” commented Laing. “I soon realized that there were more mountaintops in the distance and this was only the beginning.”
Once Ficaccio received permission from his doctor to participate, he wasted no time training for the big event even though many of his family and friends were quite concerned for his well-being. “I had never undertaken a challenge like this in my life,” says Ficaccio. “I participated in the Angels on High hike mainly to support and help out in the building of our new church in Chestermere”.
Ginette Aubin heard about AOH through one of the fundraisers corporate sponsors, Mountain View Funeral Services, and decided to climb to support the efforts of the group. “I completely enjoyed every moment of this exciting and challenging journey. It was such a great way to meet incredible people within an incredible community and on a personal note, it was very empowering – beyond anything I ever expected and cannot wait to do again next year.”
St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish was officially formed in 2007. The parish has 2,200 registered parishioners, 3 weekend Masses, and 21 groups and ministries. While St. Gabriel Parish supports the spiritual needs of its congregation, it also supports the well-being of the wider community. It has supported many local groups such as the Chestermere Food Bank, Christmas with Dignity, Feed the Hungry, and the Youth Encouraging Lasting Leadership group, along with numerous other local, national and international charities.
Please join St Gabriel the Archangel Parish as it concludes Angels on High 2014 with wrap-up parties following the parish’s weekend Masses on Saturday, September 6 (5PM) & Sunday, September 7 (9AM and 10:30AM) at St Gabriel the Archangel School. Everyone is welcome! For other parish information please visit www.saintgabrielparish.ca.
St. Gabriel the Archangel Parish’s goal is to build a church by 2018 enabling the parish community to worship and serve so others can reach even greater heights. Anyone wishing to support Angels on High can visit www.angelsonhigh.ca, on Facebook by searching ‘Angels on High’, or by calling (403) 455-0196.
The 18 Angels on High were: Ginette Aubin, Fr. Cristino Bouvette, Jeral Christy, Gary Doran, Mike Doucette, Jeff Desrochers, Sal Ficaccio, Johanne Hachez, Ted Laing, Keeley Laing, Fr. John Nemanic, Kevin Papke, Gerald Ripley, Patrick Watson, Corinne Watson, Owen Wourms, Karen Wourms, and Kelly Zeeb.
