2020 has been quite the year!
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One of my earliest memories of the year was when I realized how blessed I am to have a group of men to turn to for prayer and support. I lost two young men that I had worked with for years; one to a drug overdose on Christmas Eve whom I visited in the hospital before he passed. The other had been shot and I was planning on visiting him in the hospital only to hear on the news as I drove into work that he had passed, and it was too late. We were busy planning our 23rd Annual Conference and within seven days we went from planning a physical conference to creating a virtual conference; thanks to the intercession of St Joseph and the great team of guys that are part of God Squad. I’m sure, like many of you, it was very difficult not being able to go to Mass and being able to visit with fellow parishioners. It was hard to park the barbecue trailer and figure out what God wanted us to do. It was during this time as I was working from home and had to make it a more comfortable setting and our daughter was turning 18-years-old so we decided to finish our basement in a Pub theme that we had envisioned years earlier. Now our daughter was able to go to a pub for her 18th birthday in our basement.
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My son, who lives in Idaho, had suggested that I do a podcast which surprised me because it wasn’t something I had considered before. Since I had a new pub, I came up with the concept of, “A Dram With Friends, where we talk about faith, family, food, and fun”. To date, I have interviewed and shared a dram with 20 different guests, including two bishops, one priest, one deacon, one seminarian, and many other outstanding people of God. Around this time, I was also asked to be a Regional Director for the Catholic Men’s Leadership Alliance (CMLA) with the small task of finding Catholic leaders in every diocese in Canada. It was a short time later that I was invited to be on the Board of Directors with the CMLA. So much for a quiet summer of not doing any barbecues. Things didn’t stop there. Inspired by doing the Consecration to St. Joseph earlier in the year, I was visiting the new shrine in Canmore on the way out to BC, I had the inspiration to put the Litany of St. Joseph into song for the ages. After talking to the team and Carlos Foggin (2020 Lieutenant Governor of Alberta Emerging Artist Award), the team felt this was a worthy cause to pursue. We are trusting through the intercession of St. Brother Andre that this will come to fruition as a gift to the whole church.
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We had to cancel our annual motorcycle evangelization road trip 2020, but that did not stop me from riding several thousand kilometers, including some with our good friend Father Mariusz. Richard Beaulieu, a God Squad team member, bought a motorcycle and was given a God Squad patch to ride with us. The mission of evangelization has continued through the pandemic as we facilitated two group studies called,”Activated Disciple,” and, “The Search,” which were very well received in our zoom meetings. CMLA also launched Heroicmen.com as a great resource for men seeking a closer walk with God which offers inspiration to grow in faith and integrity.
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We are planning a major fundraiser for January 16th entitled, A Dram for St Joseph in hopes to raise the necessary funds to complete the project we have envisioned. We did not expect that Pope Francis would assist by declaring “A year of St. Joseph!” I know 2020 has been an extremely difficult year and some are struggling in many ways including financially, spiritually and mentally. With the government of Alberta announcing the new restrictions at the beginning of December caused me no little amount of frustration and sadness because we had plans to have our daughter and grandkids come and visit for Christmas. Being a Police Officer, I was trying to figure out a way around it. I was praying before Mass on the third Sunday of Advent and was given the thought that Jesus Mary and Joseph spent many Christmases in isolation during their time in Egypt, away from all that was familiar to them, including their family. I understood that I should use this opportunity to offer it up for the conversion of Souls and embrace what we have been given and blessed with. Please know that we are praying for you and your families as we walk together through these difficult times.
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I have to thank many of you who have been generous donors this year to keep God Squad going. Normally we do BBQ Outreach which is able to help us pay for many of the costs associated with running the charity. I also have to thank our dedicated God Squad team, Jonathan Gibson, Deacon Stephen Robinson, Richard Beaulieu, Lorand Szoka, Stephen Cross, Joey Paul, John Paul, and Stephen Kiap, for all they do to support the mission. I would like to especially thank Tim O’Connor for his countless years of service as a director!
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I do not know what 2021 will look like but I am excited given that it is a year of Saint Joseph, who has always been part of the God Squad team. He has looked after us and provided for us and I am so excited to partake in a year in honouring him. Our 24th Annual Conference is looking like it might be a virtual one, but it may be an opportunity for us to extend across Canada due to our new partnership with the CMLA (we will figure out a way to get you your Spolumbos). We will continue to do what is needed to continue our mission to men; encouraging them, praying for them, and reaching them wherever they are.
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“Finally be strong in the Lord and in the strength of his might put on the whole armour of God that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil …… therefore take the armour of God that you may be able to withstand the evil day.” (Ephesians 6:10-13)
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“For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven on Earth is named, that according to the riches of his glory he may grant you to be strengthened with the might through his Spirit in the Inner man, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you being rooted and grounded in love, may have the power to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge, that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to do far more abundantly than all we ask or think, to him be glory in the Church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:14-21)
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May you and your family have a blessed and Merry Christmas!
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~Sean Lynn
