Calgary Bishop William McGrattan can be counted among the tens of millions who have been captivated by the Canadian Rockies over time.

He was first awed by “the vastness and majestic experience” of this natural wonder as a skiing enthusiast. After assuming his current mantle of diocesan spiritual shepherd in 2017, he has come to cherish the rugged mountain system as a “sanctuary of peace.”

“You have these monumental mountains, and then at the same time the vistas and the ability to sort of appreciate the gift of God's creation and nature,” said McGrattan. “It always strikes me any time I drive out to the Rockies. You immediately enter into them and you have this calming experience.”

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It is a spiritual asset on the doorstep of this burgeoning bishopric, one being increasingly championed during the unfolding pastoral renewal that launched on Oct. 4, 2023.

For the second straight year, the diocese hosted a Marian Week in the Rockies celebration at the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies in Canmore and St. Mary’s Parish in Banff. Mass was celebrated at both churches throughout the week of Aug. 15-22, and the former also hosted a slate of guest speakers and an Aug. 16 “The Sun, the Stars and the Queen of Heaven” concert that saw scriptural and Marian hymns performed by a chamber choir and instrumentalists.

McGrattan presided over the Solemnity of the Assumption Mass on Aug. 15 and 16 and will close the sacred week with a Feast of Queenship of Mary Mass on Aug. 22.

Individuals and parish groups were empowered to embark on a day, weekend or week-long pilgrimage in the mountains at their own pace. Participants picked up a Pilgrimage Passport and were encouraged to visit the Shrine Church, St. Mary's and the Mount St. Francis Retreat Centre in Cochrane to collect a stamp.

McGrattan told The Catholic Register that this emerging annual tradition gets at the heart of what the diocesan renewal is aspiring to achieve.

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“I do think the Holy Spirit and what has unfolded through our renewal has been a deeper commitment to prayer,” said McGrattan. “Not only has Eucharistic devotion increased, but also Marian devotion. This is an opportunity to experience the fruits of what our renewal is trying to establish. Many parishes have begun to rediscover pilgrimages, and this is something that the Church has continually offered as ways for us to deepen and to encounter Christ and others in a way that is contemplative, a way that allows us to be drawn in new and different ways.”

In addition to the Rockies providing an ideal backdrop for attunement with Christ, the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, McGrattan suggested that it can draw them into other celebrations of the Church.

From Jan. 10, 2026, to Jan. 10, 2027, for example, the Universal Catholic Community is called to partake in the Special Jubilee Year of St. Francis of Assisi 800 years after this extraordinary servant passed away on Oct. 3, 1226. The Calgary diocese intentionally launched the diocesan renewal on Oct. 4 to align with the Memorial of St. Francis of Assisi. McGrattan encouraged his flock on that occasion to “share in the zeal and passion of St. Francis in following Christ.”

McGrattan encouraged any pilgrim visiting the Rockies to contemplate how St. Francis venerated Mary, Mother of God, during their life.

“St. Francis had a certain perspective in his own relationship and his own recognition of the role of Mary in his life and also in the Franciscans,” said McGrattan. “Sometimes each religious community has a certain character or charism that is uniquely Marian. I think the Franciscan approach to our Blessed Mother is truly scriptural and also one that sees her as the bearer or the one who brings forth this unique experience of Christ throughout life. We encounter Christ as children, young adults as Mary did, and we encounter Christ in even very difficult times.

“St. Francis had a keen sense that Mary spanned the whole life of Christ and wasn't necessarily separated from Him. That devotion, I think, is important.”

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He added that the “simplicity of Mary and of St. Francis echo.”

Looking ahead, McGrattan would like to see the several identified pilgrimage routes to the Shrine Church of Our Lady of the Rockies “become formalized in the future” and, in essence, serve as “an extension of the Church.” Visitors to the Canmore area can walk these designated spiritual paths and head toward the Shrine Church to experience Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and the Sacrament of Reconciliation.