By Kiply. Lukan Yaworski, Catholic Saskatoon News

In a series of Zoom meetings this Advent, Bishop Mark Hagemoen has been speaking to various groups and individuals about the challenges and blessings we are facing this year during the worldwide COVID-19 pandemic.

Videos of these conversations are being shared on the diocesan website and through social media in the days before Christmas.

Bishop in conversation with Catholic youth

Videographer and host Jerome Montpetit of CatChat Ministries presents a videotaped Zoom conversation with Bishop Mark Hagemoen and four Catholic high school students from Saskatoon reflecting on the experience of COVID-19 and the impact of the pandemic on life, especially during this Christmas season.

Greater Saskatoon Catholic Schools students Obadiah, Julia, Samuel, and Sydney joined Jerome in conversation with Bishop Hagemoen in the days before Christmas.

Diocesan leaders in conversation

Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon speaks about this unusual year with Elder Dianne Anderson of Our Lady of Guadalupe Parish, coordinator of prison ministry in the diocese; Donna Rogal, who works in the Marriage Tribunal at the Catholic Pastoral Centre in Saskatoon; Garth McCutcheon, chair of the Parish Pastoral Council for Christ the King Parish in Foam Lake; and retired diocesan priest Fr. Ken Beck of Saskatoon.

Ways in which restrictions are affecting individuals, communities, the elderly, families, the bereaved, prisoners, and ministries in our diocese are explored in this hope-filled conversation.

NET Team – Keewatin-Le Pas reflects on impact of COVID-19

In a recent Zoom conversation, Bishop Mark Hagemoen of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Saskatoon discussed how the COVID-19 pandemic is impacting the Advent of four NET Ministries (www.netcanada.ca) missionaries presently serving in the Archdiocese of Keewatin-Le Pas, in Northern Saskatchewan/Northern Manitoba.

The NET team members speaking with Bishop Mark are: Maria Altamirano of Vancouver; Matthew Bentler of Saskatoon; Jacob Brown of Halifax, and Fernanda Cano of Bridgewater, Nova Scotia.

The team talks about how the pandemic has affected them personally, as well as how the restrictions on gathering have impacted their ministry this year, and what challenges and blessings they are experiencing in this Advent season.

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