F2F Blog

It was truly an honour to be able to serve at the Parish Mission in at St. Francis de Sales church in High River.  It was a beautiful weekly that was experienced by people of all ages.  All ages came to a greater understanding of the beauty of Christ through his loving presence and the teachings of the Catholic Church.

What Truly blessed me on this weekend was the children who attended.  Children singing, dancing, and laughing all for the Glory of God can be immense joy to the hardest of hearts.  In my search in this life for the infinite love, beauty and joy of God this is a sight the can bring me to a glimpse of that desire.

When the F2F team arrived in Brooks for the F2F youth retreat we found ourselves in a very familiar environment.  Throughout the past seven years we have facilitated several youth retreats in this very same school.  I might add they have all been fantastic and the staff and students of St. Joseph’s Collegiate have always been warm and welcoming.  They have also demonstrated an intense passion for youth and through example have lead many to a closer relationship with Christ.

As we entered this friendly school we noticed some differences in the front entrance of the school.  Spread out through the entire front foyer were several displays all formed around the same word; ‘Stand.’  Stand for the truth,  Stand for your faith and stand up for expressing yourself were just of the few messages communicated by these displays.  As we entered into the youth retreat I think this word lingered as a theme throughout the weekend.  “We stand with arms high and heart abandoned,” are lyrics from the song The Stand.  The emotioin of this song allowed the young people to truly abandon their hearts to the message of Jesus that Ken shared in every one of his talks.

We all learned this message of Jesus.  We are all created for a purpose.  We are all created to know God, love God, serve God and share in his eternal glory.  Our sin has separated us from what we are created for, yet God is openly, passionately and freely calling us back to him though the sacrament of Reconcilliation.     He created us as a masterpiece.  It was His love for us that held him to the cross and he wants us all to accept and experience that love.  All we have to do is say yes.  As we came before the presence of Jesus in adoration several young people stood up and said that ‘yes’ to the love of God.

16 year old retreatant Brendan Spiess summed up the entire weekend very well when he shared: “You know when you get that awesome feeling that you are just loved, it was awesome.”

Joel Willick

F2F Blog: Back in Action

I am pleased to announce that the F2F Blog is back for this upcoming year.  Surely this new year will bring many more stories of conversion, faith and the power of Christ.  Before we get too excited about the year to come we must look back on the summer that was in the world of Face to face Ministries.

This summer the ministry was able to facilitate several different events.   First, the ministry was able to send a bus full of 50 plus youth and chaperones to a Steubenville Conference in the USA.  It was a ten day long journey that comprised of opportunities of fellowship, service, spiritual growth, a trip to a theme park and all concluding with a three day Steubenville Conference.  I am sure that many lasting friendships were formed and strengthened on this trip.  Now a tradition in F2F the ministry held its annual Ignite summer camp, but this year the excitement came in two varieties.  One camp was in Saskatchewan and the other in Alberta.  I have already heard some incredible stories of renewal and growth coming from these events.  I hope to track down many of these stories to share with you through this blog; therefore, you must stay in touch.

Once again I am looking forward to another great year of Ministry and look forward to all of the stories that will unfold before us and speak wholeheartedly to the power of God’s love in our lives.

I urge you to continuously share this blog with as many people you can through Facebook and Twitter.

Joel Willick

I have, too often, attended mass with an unfortunate mind frame.  On numerous occasions I have seen my attendance at mass a necessary chore rather than a beautiful gift.  The main reason for this is simply a lack of understanding.  There is much symbolism, meaning, tradition, scripture, truth, and beauty in the mass that I constantly learn something new every time I invest in learning about the mass.

At Face to Face Parish Missions Ken reserves his Sunday morning sessions to speak about the mass.    Each time I hear him speak on the mass I find a deeper reverence and understanding.   It is truly God’s greatest gift to us.  I like many Catholics have a deep yearning to find a greater understanding of the mass.  That longing was clearly present during the Sunday morning session in Lake Lenore, Saskatchewan this past weekend.  Many people’s desire for a greater knowledge of the mass was enlightened.

“In all 60 years of my life I have never heard the mass explained that way.  I was happy to learn that by making the sign of the cross we are identifying ourselves as a part of God’s family.”  Shared Rosanne Schemenauer.

“I can honestly say that one of the things that inspired me the most was the exploration of the mass.  I don’t think I have ever heard it explained that way and it made going to mass feel like a different experience,” agreed Steve Patton.

I would love to share all of the points of Ken’s talk, but I fear I do not have the time and space to accomplish that in this blog.  I would, therefore, encourage you to grab a copy of Ken’s latest book The Fullness of Purpose, which has an entire chapter devoted to the mass or attend a Parish Mission near you.

Joel Willick

Ten years ago Face to Face Ministries had a retreat in Albertville, Saskatchewan.  To all of the participants and facilitators of that retreat it was clearly seen that the Spirit worked in the lives of many people on that weekend.  Many hearts experienced significant conversion and began spiritual journeys on the path to holiness.  This retreat was a turning point in the lives of many as well as a significant change in the ministry.

Ten years later Face to Face Ministries found itself in the same parish facilitating a parish mission.  Although the organization and layout of the ministry has drastically changed over this ten year period it is clear that the Lord had the same plans for the participants in both retreats.  He strongly desired to work drastically in the hearts of everyone there and call them into a deeper holiness and a stronger relationship with his Son.

As the weekend progressed it was clear that a theme of trust was rising amongst those present.  Simply believing in God was not enough.  He was calling us to surrender all to him and to trust his love for us.  Emphasis needs to be placed upon ALL.  We needed to surrender our hopes, plans, dreams, families, loved ones and everything else in our lives in order for Christ to fully work in our hearts.  This theme was reiterated through Ken’s talks, prayer requests during prayer ministry, the Gospel reading, Bishop Albert’s homily and the many people who shared how they came to a deeper understanding of the importance of trust in God.  Michele Jalbert shared how she was blessed by coming to the realization of the importance of surrendering each moment to God and to trust that God will work in each moment that you surrender to him.

As the weekend came to a close it was clear that Christ had worked in the lives of many.  Dave Yasinski shared how the spirit had worked on this weekend as it had ten years earlier.  “When God grabs a hold of you Jesus doesn’t let you go… I was blessed by the evidence that once Jesus loves you and touches you he won’t let go.”  As the people who were touched by the love of Christ ten years ago continue to be a witness for his love I pray that those touched by the love of Christ on this weekend will continue to be a witness to His love in the years to come.

Joel Willick

What is the purpose of your life?

Ken opened the parish mission in Balgonie, Saskatchewan this last weekend with that question.  Luckily for all of us, thanks to the revealing of God’s mystery through the Holy Spirit, we don’t have to guess.  According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church we are created to know God, love God and serve God and share in his eternal glory.  The parish mission gave all participants a chance to realize these answers in a personal way.

As the participants journeyed toward the purpose of their life a common theme arose among a few participants.  A surrender of control was needed to come to the fullness of our purpose.  This theme was prevalent as two young men shared their experience of the weekend.

“I can now see now areas in my life that I was controlling that I didn’t realize,” shared Justin Cooney a young man from Regina.  “I’ve been stopping God from doing his work in me.”

Travis Bolen, another young man from Regina, echoed this theme in his heart on the weekend.  “I have a hard time asking for help, but for the first time I was able to give my intention to God and let him take over, let him take care of me and let him hold me.”

It was clearly visible that many people were blessed by the grace of God through his son Jesus.

“It was such a blessing to see my home filled for the weekend, and the joy we can feel as family together,” said Fr. Ed the parish priest of St. Joseph’s parish in Balgonie.  The ministry hopes to resound this blessing in the future by continuing to discover the full purpose of our lives and come together more fully as the Body of Christ.

 Joel Willick

Every time I have travelled to Russell, Manitoba I am accompanied by the same feeling.  I am moved by a strong sense of warmth and hominess that fills this community and is even more present in the people who live here and in the surrounding area.  It reminds me of the feeling I get when I curl up next to a crackling fire with a nice tall mug of hot chocolate.  Russell clearly offered me a nice pleasant feeling of ‘home.’

“It is like coming home,” Ken stated during his opening remarks for the weekend.  The Face to Face Parish Mission in Russell has become a yearly tradition for the ministry and as the weekend got underway it was clear that the love of Christ was working in a deep way.  It was truly a blessing to see the openness of all who participated in the weekend and how ready they were to receive the love of Christ.

“It was the best weekend I have ever seen for participation,” remarked Glenda Stasiuk who organized the retreat and was a gracious hostess to the team along with her husband Mike.  People really did experience Christ in a new and special way this weekend because they came with an open heart and readiness to understand more fully how Christ has a unique love for all of us.  Glenda continued to share how Jesus worked personally in her heart on the weekend.  She shared how Jesus revealed himself as the third person in her marriage with Mike and they do not have to do it alone, which truly are uplifting words for anyone trying to commit to a loving and compassionate marriage.

“It was the most uplifting thing I have ever heard,” shared Diane Demontigny upon hearing for the first time that if she was the only person in the entire world Jesus still would have died for her.

When we turn to Jesus with an open and willing heart it is quite safe to say that He will work in these moments.  This truth was clearly seen in Russell this past weekend as many people were moved by the love of Christ through their own willingness to seek a greater intimacy with Him.  It was a witness to me to follow their example and continue to seek God with that willingness and enthusiasm in my day to day Faith journey.  I thank you all for that witness and I think it is safe to say that the entire Face to Face team looks forward to another parish mission in this area.

Joel Willick

Hello again!  This new F2F Blog will be an excellent opportunity for anyone who is either unacquainted with Ken Yasinski and the wonderful ministry he has founded or an experienced veteran of the ministry to find vital information about the current workings of the ministry as well as important discussion on general faith topics.

Myself and countless others have had their lives changed and their faith renewed by the love of Christ made available through Face to Face Ministries.  I hope to use this blog as a source to not only share these stories of hope and conversion as they will continue to arise in the future, but also create a median where different aspects of faith and Christianity can be explored.  I once again look forward to this venture with all of you.

Joel Willick

Ladies and gentleman