Seven days of welcome and worship in the city
St. Philip Neri Parish in Saskatoon has completed the second annual Festival of Faith, holding a week of worship, learning, and community gatherings from July 8 to 14. Organizers built the program around the theme, “You Did It To Me – The Call to Mission Animated by Hospitality,” with volunteers emphasizing a warm welcome through shared food, conversation and time together. The parish first launched the initiative in 2025, continuing a summertime tradition of spiritual renewal once offered locally by the now-closed Queen’s House of Retreat and Renewal.
The festival opened on the evening of July 8 with Mass presided by pastor Fr. Edward Gibney, followed by a social. The parish reported steady participation across the week as attendees returned for daily Mass, prayer and music, as well as sessions led by local presenters. Between sessions, volunteers served home-baked muffins, fruit and other treats, underlining the event’s central message of welcome.
“Hospitality is grounded in our relationship with God,” Fr. Gibney said in his homily. “It is in following Jesus that we are led into hospitality.”
Scripture, learning and the practice of welcome
On July 9, speaker Deb Rolfes—who holds graduate degrees in English literature and in Hebrew scriptures—explored hospitality in the Bible, beginning with the admonition from Hebrews 13:2, and reflecting on Abraham’s reception of three visitors before turning to the Gospel accounts of Jesus visiting Bethany, home of Martha and Mary. Her presentation formed part of a series of keynote sessions that threaded scriptural reflection with the festival’s practical emphasis on extending welcome to neighbours and strangers alike.
Music remained a visible feature of the opening liturgy, with Norman Lipinski leading the Psalm. Across the week, prayer and song punctuated learning sessions, which aimed to provide spiritual refreshment while anchoring discussion in the festival’s central theme. Parish volunteers supported logistics, hospitality and transitions between events, helping to maintain a consistent pace for attendees who dipped in for specific sessions or stayed for multiple days.
Carrying forward a local tradition
The festival is intended to offer summer-time renewal within city limits, reducing travel barriers while maintaining a retreat-like rhythm of prayer, learning and fellowship. By organizing a sustained, seven-day schedule, the parish has sought to keep alive a local tradition once connected to a dedicated retreat centre that is no longer operating. For participants, the format provided a familiar pattern: daily worship, structured talks, and unhurried time for conversation over refreshments.
While organized by St. Philip Neri Parish, the festival drew help from beyond the congregation, according to the parish, with volunteers and visitors contributing to the sense of community. Organizers framed hospitality not as an add-on but as a core practice—visible in the schedule, the shared food and the emphasis on making space for conversation between sessions. That approach matched the theme that animated the week and shaped liturgies, keynote reflections and informal gatherings.
At a glance
| Date | Highlight |
|---|---|
| July 8 | Opening Mass presided by Fr. Edward Gibney; social gathering followed |
| July 9 | Keynote by Deb Rolfes on biblical hospitality, from Abraham to Bethany |
| July 8–14 | Daily Mass, prayer, music and learning sessions centred on hospitality |
Faith-based gatherings of this kind function as neighbourhood anchors, offering consistent, low-cost opportunities for reflection and connection. In Saskatoon, where a wide network of congregations and community groups supports social ties across the city, the Festival of Faith adds a summer option for residents seeking structured time for prayer and learning without leaving town. By highlighting hospitality, this year’s edition placed equal weight on formation and the daily practice of welcome—reflected in scripture, liturgy and the simple act of sharing food and time.
- Theme: “You Did It To Me – The Call to Mission Animated by Hospitality”
- When: July 8–14
- Where: St. Philip Neri Parish, Saskatoon
As the parish reflects on a second year of the festival, the week’s emphasis on hospitality—framed in preaching, teaching and shared table—signals an ongoing effort to keep community at the centre of summer spiritual life in Saskatoon.
