Holy Eucharist Parish

We will move the start of all Vespers services to 6:00 pm beginning on October 25, 2006 - the Vespers service for the Great-Martyr Demetrius.

Adam Lowe was born in Liverpool, England on October 18, 1975 and adopted by his parents Barbara (“B”) and David Lowe of the town of Wigan, a short distance away.  A few years later, they also adopted a baby girl, Beth (now his little sister of 24!)

Musical from an early age, Adam began playing the piano at the age of 3, and has served as organist and worship leader in several settings and churches throughout his life. Raised in the Methodist Church, Adam had a conversion experience at age 15 and felt the Lord calling him to join the Catholic Church, which with his parents blessing, he finally did at age 18 on the Feast of All Saints 1993.

Since that time and even before, Adam has felt called to serve the Lord as a priest, but as a new convert was advised to wait before beginning at Seminary. So Adam returned to his birthplace of Liverpool where he explored a deep-seated interest in history and archaeology, completing an honours degree in Oriental Studies (Egyptology) in June 1997. His research thesis was written on funerary material excavated from the tombs of the Pharaohs, and the University awarded Adam funding for the trip “of a lifetime” to complete his own fieldwork in the Cairo Museum and in the Valley of the Kings itself.

Returning from Egypt, Adam was invited to continue his Egyptological studies at doctoral level, but decided instead to do work more directly related to his future vocation and began studies for a qualification in Counselling which he completed in 1999. In the meantime, Adam worked in community mental health support and as also a volunteer counsellor for a suicide prevention and crisis line. He then undertook a missionary year with the Diocese of Hexham and Newcastle working in youth outreach and evangelism, before returning to Liverpool where he helped to found a similar outreach program for the Archdiocese.

During this time Adam was employed by the British Government Child Support Agency as a counsellor and advisor, a job he enjoyed immensely, but which heightened his sense of vocation to the priesthood even more. So Adam took a months retreat back in Egypt, staying with the Coptic Franciscans and spending time in one of the ancient desert monasteries, and then returned to England to enter seminary for the archdiocese of Liverpool in 2000.

Adam thoroughly enjoyed his time at the seminary, which was located in the beautiful medieval town of Durham in the North East of England, and especially enjoyed being organist of the cathedral-size pipe organ there. As one of his pastoral assignments, Adam was sent to a local parish to run an RCIA class for converts to the Catholic Church, something that as a convert to the faith himself, he found especially rewarding.

As Adam was completing his second year of theology, his superiors noted that Adam retained a deep interest in Eastern Christianity and suggested that he use some vacation time to explore this interest further. Initially sceptical of their suggestion that his interest could be more than just an interest and actually part of his vocation, Adam nevertheless visited the Byzantine Catholic Seminary of SS Cyril and Methodius in Pittsburgh that Easter.

“It was like coming home”, he said. “I was familiar with the Divine Liturgy from the Greek Church in Liverpool, but never had I seen the liturgy celebrated so well, or in English, within the Catholic Church. I think I felt something like the first Kievan emissaries to the Church in Constantinople must have done… I didn’t know whether I was on Earth or in Heaven!”

At the end of that academic year, the Archbishop of Liverpool offered to send Adam to Pittsburgh to continue his studies there, and so he graduated from the University of Durham with a Certificate in Theology and Pastoral Ministry which he gained with distinction.

That summer, with the co-operation of the Eparchy of Van Nuys, Adam spent three months serving on pastoral assignment at the Byzantine Catholic parish of St Gabriel in Las Vegas NV, returning to Pittsburgh in the fall to continue theology. During his time at Pittsburgh, Adam spent two years serving as an emergency on call chaplain at Allegheny General Hospital, and was assigned to the Eparchial Cathedral in Phoenix AZ for summer. The following year, Adam officially became a candidate for the priesthood with the Archeparchy of Winnipeg, and as well as serving at St George Ukrainian Catholic Parish in Pittsburgh, Adam spent the year working with inmates at the county jail, leading a group for converts, and also running a small prayer group for students at Duquesne University.

Adam was elected as head of the student body at SS Cyril & Methodius in 2005 and there completed the course of pastoral and theological studies for the priesthood, graduating with his Masters of Divinity earlier this year, which he obtained Magna cum Laude.

Adam met his girlfriend of over two years, Amanda Pettit, (from Albuquerque NM) whilst on assignment in Phoenix, and she has now moved to Winnipeg along with Adam. Herself an accomplished musician and life long Greek-Catholic, Amanda has just completed her Bachelor’s degree in Music, and is currently doing a post graduate degree in education here at the University of Winnipeg. Amanda has one brother and sister back in Albuquerque, and although Adam’s sister is still in Wigan (now with a family of her own) his parents moved to the island of Menorca, Spain a few years ago, where they currently spend most of their time.

Before moving to the States, Adam managed to trace his “birth mother” Pam, who continues to live in Liverpool. They now enjoy a “deep and colourful” relationship, and on meeting him she told Adam she wasn’t at all surprised he was training for the priesthood, as her own father had been a preacher as well as a gifted organist!

Adam therefore looks forward to continuing the family tradition in his ministry with us here in Winnipeg! He presently serves as Pastoral Intern at Holy Eucharist Parish, East Kildonan, alongside the pastor, Fr Michael Winn …and expects to find out soon just why this city is known throughout Canada as Winter-peg!

Please keep Adam and Amanda in your prayers this winter.

All donations of food, warm clothing and cash are gratefully appreciated!!!!

Although the weather outside was somewhat cool, it was really cooking inside the Parish Centre last Sunday! The Ukrainian Catholic Women’s League, Holy Eucharist Branch, fed over 600 people in just under 2 hours at the annual Fall Supper. Incredibly, that turns out to be approximately one person every 12 seconds (makes you think about some restaurants that pride themselves over their short serving times). The cheerful working spirit of the women (and the men and youth that assisted them) only made the delicious food taste even better. Truly, this was not just a fund-raising effort but an opportunity to allow others see how our parish family works together, how we love one another. May our Lord bless all those who gave of time, talent and treasure to this worthy endeavour, and may He bless the fruit of our labours.

On Thursday evening, October 19 at 7:00 pm, our Pastoral Intern, Adam Lowe, will give a presentation on the prayers known as the Office of Thanksgiving after Holy Communion (See pp 80-89 of the small liturgy book).

This multimedia presentation will help us reflect on these ancient prayers, which we have begun to use after our weekday liturgies, and explore some of the rich themes of what they teach us about God, about ourselves, and about the many graces we receive in Holy Communion.

Come along… and learn more about the Holy Eucharist after which our parish is named!