Pope Points to Francis Xavier's

Sends Message to Spanish Pilgrims

I thought this would be an interesting post in light of the seminary formation that I am currently undertaking with the fraternity of San Carlo Borromeo.

Benedict XVI is urging faithful going to the birthplace of St. Francis Xavier, patron of the missions, to make their pilgrimage a faith-filled event.

The Pope affirmed this in a message through Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, his secretary of state, addressed to Archbishop Francisco Pérez González of Pamplona. The text was published in the Spanish magazine Ecclesia.

He encouraged the participants of the "Javieradas," pilgrimages going to the saint's birthplace according to the tradition held every year in early March, to "imitate this great missionary, who went across the world spreading the Gospel."

The Pontiff noted that the pilgrimage must be lived "as an opportunity to strengthen the faith, to increase the commitment to be consistent with it at all times and to increase the generosity to proclaim it to others, as true witnesses of Christ before today's world."

Invoking the intercession of the Virgin, he said that, "with her maternal tenderness, she will prepare the hearts of all the participants to receive the grace of God with joy." At the end of the message, the Holy Father imparted his apostolic blessing on the pilgrims.

The "Javieradas" are two pilgrimages undertaken on two consecutive Sundays around the Novena of Grace dedicated to St. Francis Xavier. This year they will take place on March 8 and 14.

This year, the archbishop of Pamplona dedicated his traditional message to a comparison between the evangelizing work of St. Francis Xavier and St. Paul, given the Pauline Jubilee Year, and invited the faithful "to take seriously the new evangelization" proclaimed by the recent popes.

The motto for this year's pilgrimage is "Missionaries Like Paul and Xavier: Woe to Me If I Do Not Evangelize!"

X-Men clinch 1st place with double OT win over Capers

Boy do I ever love hearing news like this. I remember going to many of the games during my four years at X, and seeing Tylet Richards play his first two years.
Good Luck in the Playoffs!

The X-Men basketball team clinched first place Thursday night with a 93-84 double overtime win over the Cape Breton Capers in an action-packed game in front of a full house at the StFX Oland Centre.

The battle for top spot in the AUS began with a very close first half as the two teams were deadlocked at 17-17 after the first quarter and 32-32 at half-time. The Capers then went on a scoring run in the third quarter and led by as much as 14 points at one point, but the hometown X-Men clawed their way back and held the Capers scoreless in the final three minutes of the third quarter to pull to within a point after three quarters of play, with the score 54-53 for CBU.

The fourth quarter featured more close play with the lead no greater then 3 points for either team throughout the final 10 minutes. The game closed out with the two teams tied at 67-67, much to the excitement of the boisterous Oland Centre crowd which featured a mix of both blue and white X fans and orange Caper fans.

Fans were not disappointed with the first overtime period either as the two top teams in the AUS went end to end exchanging baskets. As the Capers came down court in the final seconds, Chris Noodle was fouled and went to the free throw line for 2 shots with a chance to win the game as the Capers were down by one point. He made good on his first shot but missed the second, sending the game into a second overtime period as the score remained tied at 76-76.

The X-Men got off to an early four-point lead in the second overtime and held the lead for the remainder of the five-minute frame. Chad Warren hit a key three-pointer to increase the X-Men lead to 6 points and the Capers could not catch up and were left trying to foul the X-Men to get the ball back. The final outcome was a 93-84 decision in favor of StFX.

X-Men Subway Player of the Game Terrence Taylor led all scorers with 27 points, and also posted 11 rebounds. Christian T-Bear Upshaw scored 18 points for X while Tyler Richards scored 17. Dwyane Johnson had 11 points and 6 rebounds.

Five different Capers hit the double scoring figures, including Philip Nkrumah who had a double-double with 18 points and a whooping 19 rebounds. Ryan Roper scored 14 points, Scott Jaspers-Fayer had 12, Chris Noodle scored 11 and Lasario Burrows contributed 10 for the Capers.

With the win, the X-Men clinch first spot overall in the AUS conference with a 17-3 record and 46 points. The Capers (15-5) wrap up second place and earn the other first round bye in the playoffs with 40 points. Third place is up for grabs between the Dalhousie Tigers and Saint Mary’s Huskies as they will play against each other Saturday in the final regular season game. UPEI and Acadia have locked up the final playoff spots.

The AUS championship is slated for March 5-7 at the Halifax Metro Centre.

A FUSION of Young Ideas

I spotted this article from the Telegraph Journal Website, written by Claire Ryan

From city planners to politicians to big industry to local businesses - everyone wants to know how to engage young Saint John.

About five years ago four Saint Johners came up with an idea. What if a network of young people were to come together to share ideas and action plans for becoming more involved in shaping the future of their city? From this, FUSION Saint John was born. FUSION is a network for people with new ideas and a motivation to work with fellow community leaders and members to make Saint John great. What better way to attract and retain young people to our region than to include them in the very plans aimed to keep them here? Municipally, provincially, federally and from a business and community perspective, the leaders of tomorrow needed a voice. And they got it.

Stephanie Bell, Shane Goguen, Mara Mallory and Shannon Merrifield were the founders. They knew they had a good idea, but they also knew they needed to engage the right people to make the FUSION concept a success. First they approached the Saint John Board of Trade - Bob McVicar, Darryl Goyetche, Imelda Gilman and Tim Curry - who quickly signed on to mentor and help this group establish its vision. With the support of the business community, they hosted a launch event.

No one was expecting what happened next. Although they had a feeling they were onto something special, FUSION's founding members soon realized they had created a demand beyond their expectation. Suddenly they had a membership of 400, and many organizations were reaching out to engage the new group members on community boards, municipal committees, and speaking engagements. Media wanted these new leaders' opinion on just about everything, from the new cruise terminal to skateboard parks, and municipal politics - they wanted a young perspective.

The idea took root in Saint John, but grew beyond our provincial boundaries to include a FUSION Bangor, FUSION Detroit and FUSION Halifax.

The network continues to thrive and evolve in our region, and the membership continues to grow in both quantity and quality. Now not only does the media want to ask the younger demographics' opinion on the happenings in Saint John, they want us to write about it from our perspective.

On Friday at O'Leary's Pub, FUSION Saint John, in partnership with the Telegraph-Journal, will celebrate the official launch of this column. The purpose of this column is to highlight the people , events and organizations who have a hand in creating a new face of Saint John. What you can expect? Positive and fresh ideas that are transforming our city, our community and our province.

After all, it all starts with an idea...

Claire Ryan works with MT&L Public Relations Ltd. and is a member of the FUSION Saint John board. Her column appears on Tuesdays.

St. Francis Xavier University Sports Teams Rippin' It Up Ol'School

X-Women defeat Laval, will play for CIS gold

November 1, 2008 (LETHBRIDGE, AB) - The StFX X-Women are heading for the CIS women's rugby championship game after a convincing 36-5 semi-final win over the Laval Rouge et Or Saturday afternoon in Lethbridge, AB.

"The girls played well today and we stuck in defensively for the full 80 minutes," commented X-Women head coach Mike Cavanagh. "Our offense started to play and our best players were our best players out there today."

Asya Bartley and Lisa Gauthier each scored two tries a piece as the X-Women established a 19-0 lead at half-time. CIS Player of the Year Ghislaine Landry opened the scoring in the game for X with a try 8 minutes in, and Courtnay Malcolm made good on the convert. Three minutes later Lisa Gauthier increased the StFX lead with a try and Malcolm scored the conversion, building up an early 14-0 first half lead.

Kim Armstrong scored another try for the X-Women just before the end of a first half which saw the blue and white creating most of the pressure and dominating the play.

Gauthier scored her second try of the game early into the second half to increase the StFX lead to 24-0. Asya Bartley was next to cross the touch line for the X-Women as they continued their dominating play throughout the second half.

Bartley scored her second try of the game at the 13 minute mark after the X-Women moved the ball well down the field. Malcolm scored on the conversion to increase the StFX lead to 36-0.

Catherine Carrier of Laval broke the shut out in the final minutes of the game and scored the only try for the Rouge et Or, who will now face the Guelph Gryphons in the bronze medal game.

The X-Women move on to face the host and Western conference champion Lethbridge Pronghorns in the championship game Sunday at 2:00 pm (5:00 pm AST). The Pronghorns defeated Guelph 39-3 to earn their spot in the gold medal match. The gold medal game will feature a live audio webcast on SSN Canada www.ssncanada.ca, with a webcast video tape delay of the game.

Looking ahead to tomorrow's game, Coach Cavanagh commented, "Lethbridge is a good team, they are talented and well-coached and will be difficult to beat but we are up for the challenge."

The Pronghorns are the defending CIS champions while the X-Women were national champions in 2006 and are looking to bring the Monilex trophy back home.

X-Men march over Mounties, advance to Loney Bowl

November 1, 2008 (ANTIGONISH, NS) - The StFX X-Men scored early and often on their way to a 52-12 victory over the Mount Allison Mounties in the Atlantic University Sport semifinal game in front of 1,850 fans at Oland Stadium.

Steve Snyder led StFX, completing 11-of-16 passes for 282 yards and three touchdowns. James Green also had 168 yards and touchdown on the ground for an X-Men offense that had 643 yards in total offense. Jeremy Marchand, Akeem Foster, Peter Giannikopolos and Pat Coristine added touchdowns for StFX.

The X-Men defense also shut down a potent Mount Allison offense by limiting them to 267 yards. Most importantly, game-breaker Gary Ross only had 102 all purpose yards and quarterback Kelly Hughes was limited to 156 yards passing.

Snyder was named the player of the game for StFX while Mounties safety Callan Exeter picked up that honour for Mount Allison with 10.5 tackles (nine solo, three assisted).

StFX now advances to the 2008 Loney Bowl to take on the first place Saint Mary's Huskies in Halifax next Saturday, November 8th. The Loney Bowl is scheduled for 1:00pm and will be broadcast live on EastLink Television.

St. Francis Xavier University gets Rocked by Steubenville Atlantic

Dear Friends,

I had a wonderful experience at the recent Steubenville Atlantic Conference held
at the picturesque St. Francis Xavier University Campus in early August. Please find an article below by a reporter for the Catholic Newspaper The New Freeman.

SAINT JOHN — Two young people from St. Rose of Lima Parish in Saint John, inspired by the Steubenville Atlantic Conference and a leadership program in Nova Scotia, told teens at their parish church in early August that “God is love” and to “trust” in Him.

Aric Pitre, 17, and Bernadette Dobbelsteyn, 16, said at the August 9 – 10 weekend masses in the church, they took part in a late July five-day Franciscan Leadership Evangelization and Discipleship (LEAD) program in Monastery, NS in Our Lady of Grace Monastery and attended the August 1 – 3 Steubenville Atlantic Conference at St. Francis Xavier University (St. FX) in nearby Antigonish.

Developed by Franciscan University of Steubenville, Ohio, LEAD is designed to equip and empower high schoolers to witness to their faith among their peers and get them ready for “ongoing service in evangelization” through training programs in scripture, the Catechism of the Catholic Church, and the lives of the saints. The week involves workshops on how to develop a prayer life, overcoming sin through the sacraments, and other ways of developing a deeper faith. LEAD also focuses on being an effective witness through sessions on how to share a personal testimony, servant leadership, how to answer difficult faith questions, and being an authentic witness.

WITNESS was the theme of the second annual three-day Steubenville Atlantic Conference attended by 1,000 teens of high school age and chaperones and group leaders mostly from New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador and sponsored by Franciscan University and the Archdiocese of Halifax. Thirty-three youth, volunteers and young adults from St. Rose, including parish youth minister Lita Dobbelsteyn, went to the conference. Also among the participants were Bishop Robert Harris of the Diocese of Saint John and Father Peter Osborne, administrator of St. John the Baptist and Stella Maris parishes in Saint John.

At the end of the 6 pm mass at St. Rose, Mr. Pitre admitted that while he and Ms. Dobbelsteyn weren’t sure what to expect from LEAD at Our Lady of Grace Monastery they were “really pumped and excited about it… but I knew that God wanted me there for a reason. I mean the signal couldn’t have been any more clear. Lita asked me to sign up for it while I was in adoration (of the Blessed Sacrament at St. John the Baptist Church in Saint John).”

“While I was there I met so many great people, but I didn’t know what kind of people were going to be there, but they were all like me in a way, they all loved Jesus so much. As the week went on I got to know them, and we helped each other through the week by learning new things. I learned so many different ways to pray, and evangelize. I have a whole new understanding and a lot more respect for scripture,” he added.

“Now that I’m back I feel so much more comfortable with what I believe in,” concluded Mr. Pitre. “I think I went there to deepen my faith but I know that’s not what happened at all. I believe I went there and became more comfortable with the faith I have now. I expanded upon my relationship with me and Jesus, and now I have a way better understanding of who I am with Him in my life. Now there is a huge opportunity to deepen my love for Jesus Christ, our God and Saviour. I thank Jesus so, so much for what he’s done to get me there, and make me who I am. So I just want to leave you with some advice, just trust in the Lord. Don’t be tempted by the devil, because you are all better than that. He knows exactly who you are and what he wants with you.”

He said later the monastery was a special place. “It was a beautiful spot, there are holy springs there and there have been miraculous healings there from the water.”
The high schooler, who is a member of the St. Rose Teen Life Teen Band and part of the EDGE crew assisting younger teens at the parish, added that it was an “amazing” conference at the university. “I had never been to Steubenville before. I loved the talks and the music. The music really caught my attention because I play in a couple of music ministries myself. I loved the adoration. It’s funny, I was telling one of the sisters there that I used to get chills when I watched Sister Act 2 because I used to love seeing the kids praise the Lord, and now I am a part of that, and the chills still run up my spine. I love the conference so much, and I could see a huge impact and change on some of my friends.”

‘Extraordinary’

Ms. Dobbelsteyn, who is also in the band and part of the crew, spoke at three of the four weekend masses about the LEAD program. She said they weren’t “sure what to expect and we (she and Mr. Pitre) were both a little nervous because we were the only ones that we knew. However through prayer, I realized that God was going to be doing great things that week…. The week started and it wasn’t awkward at all! People who had just met were talking as if they had been friends for years. I knew that this week was going to be tons of fun. On the second day, we started having daily prayer times where we would meditate on scripture and we started having adoration. That’s when I realized that not only was this going to be a fun week at ‘church camp’ but that I was going to grow in my relationship with Christ.”

“There was one night I remember at adoration. We were all sitting on the altar in front of the Blessed Sacrament. There were some youth that were bawling their eyes out as God was opening up their hearts. Others were in such deep meditation that it seemed as though they were in complete and total union with Him. That night, I was so filled with joy, true joy. Everything began making sense to me and things that I had heard for years finally ‘clicked.’ Things like ‘God is love’ truly made sense to me. I realized that not only does God love but that He is Love! That, that is his being. And the entire week was like that, filled with different spiritual experiences and touching moments. It was extraordinary.”

Ms. Dobbelsteyn remarked that during the LEAD program it didn’t take long to get to know the others involved. “From day one to day seven there was a world of a difference. Their faces had changed, their outlooks on life. Everything had changed for the better and I know it was because the Holy Spirit had touched them. The Holy Spirit was truly present in the week the entire way through. He never ceased to amaze us. I am glad to say that I am positive that God will continue to shape and mold the participants of Franciscan LEAD 2008 for the rest of our lives.”

The teen was just as positive about the conference. “From what I’ve seen and experienced, the Steubenville conferences are always filled with memorable moments that the Holy Spirit was a part of. He definitely did incredible things even if we don’t see or understand everything He did. We’re sure to understand at some point in our lives whether it be tomorrow or 30 years from now. God works. If you are open to it, He will give you things that you never could have even imagined.”

“These conferences are extremely effective! There are numerous stories that you hear of love and conversions all leading back to the weekend and how a seed was planted in people’s hearts…. I always find it difficult to encourage others to come to things like this. They have a hard time believing that a weekend filled with Christ could be fun. But if you come looking for good food, you’ll find it. If you come looking to meet good Christians, you’ll find them. If you come looking for a good time, you’ll definitely find it. And if you come looking for Christ, then get ready because He’ll blow your mind away,” said Ms. Dobbelsteyn.

Sharing the faith

Fr. Osborne celebrated the mass at St. Rose and in his homily mentioned that the Steubenville Atlantic Conference was a great spiritual experience where the young shared the faith with each other and reached out to the Eucharist. However, he offered his listeners a bit of a reality check after they’ve come down from the Steubenville “mountain” by reminding them it’s more difficult to share one’s faith with those who don’t have the same beliefs or whose faith isn’t as strong.

The priest referred to the Sunday Gospel, Matthew 14: 22-33, that reported Jesus’ walking on water in the midst of a storm toward the disciples’ fishing boat. St. Peter started to walk on the waves toward the Lord, but the storm buffeted his faith and he began to sink. Fearing that he’d drown he called out to Jesus and reached out to Him. The priest said the storm battering the fishermen was representative of the world.

Fr. Osborne suggested the “strong” are willing to reach out to the Lord, family or friends for help. He said it’s a sign of weakness to go it alone and give in to a particular type of “loneliness” that begs acceptance by others even if it means rejecting ones values or what is right. This is wanting, at great personal cost, to be part of a group that may be more accepting of the world than God.

“It was a great weekend,” said Lita Dobbelsteyn. “We grew closer as a group and much closer to God as we were encouraged by the speakers to make ourselves available to Him so that He could do what He wanted to do in our hearts and draw us near to Himself.”

After the mass seminarian Owen Burns addressed the teens in a session at the Monsignor W. J. Osborne Family Centre in the basement of St. Rose School on Manawagonish Road in the city. He has completed his second year of theology at the Irish College in Rome.

Mr. Burn’s presentation focused on Satan’s sword, the use and misuse of the tongue as a powerful weapon for good or bad. He said people can use it to “cut” or to praise and worship God, to build rather than bully and destroy. The harmful effects of bullying people, especially youngsters, he said, often stay with them.

Daily there were masses, prayer and fellowship, Eucharistic adoration, Sacrament of Reconciliation and talks with a courtroom theme such as Cross Examination, The Juror’s Box, Beneath the Surface, Court’s in Recess, Charged and Convicted, What’s Your Verdict? and Can I Get a Witness? Workshops focused on how to pray, discern vocations and witness to family, and on social justice, the value of marriage and how to share the Gospel.

Organizers of the annual Steubenville event stated, “Basically, it’s a weekend to get rocked by God, to get serious about life in Christ and his Church, and to learn the truth of the Gospel.”

St. Francis Xavier X-Men Basketball Preview

The 2008-09 edition of the StFX X-Men return a strong nucleus from a team that last season won 24 games and two tournaments but failed to win a playoff game for the second straight year.

Atlantic Conference first-team All-Star and league leading scorer (19.7 ppg) Tyler Richards, a 6’2” fifth year senior, will lead the way, joined by five juniors who formed the promising recruiting class of two years ago. They include mercurial 5’10” point guard Christian (T-Bear) Upshaw (14.7 ppg), versatile 6’3” swingman Dwayne Johnson (9.8 ppg), 6’6” athletic forward Terrence Taylor (7.0 ppg), 6’9” mobile center Alberto Rodriguez (3.0 ppg), and 5’9” sparkplug point Will Silver (4.3 ppg).

The X-Men will look to four players in their second year to provide depth: three-point threats Sean Nickel (46%) at 6’5” and 6’2” Blake Poritz (44%), along with 6’5” swingman Chad Warren and 5’10” backup point guard Rhett Thompson.

Forming this year’s recruiting class are four players from high schools from across the country. Close to home, 6’5”physical forward Jeremy Dunn comes from Horton HS in Wolfville, N.S., where he helped lead the Griffins to 64 straight victories and back to back Provincial titles. Coming from Citadel HS in Halifax, the provincial runners-up, is 6’2” combo guard Eamon Morrissy, co-MVP of the Metro high school league last season. From Notre Dame HS in Calgary, Alberta, comes 6’5” guard Jordan Hope, who brings athleticism and a fine shooting touch, while 6’1” Will Donkoh of Notre Dame in Ottawa combines defensive tenacity with some strong moves to the hoop.

Joining the veteran StFX coaching staff of Head Coach Steve Konchalski (34th year) and Associate Coach Doc Ryan is former X-Men standout Garry Gallimore, who played four summers with Canada’s National team program as well as playing professionally last season in Belgium.

St. Francis Xavier University Men's Basketball Site

http://www.xmenbasketball.com/

John, Brandon and Claire in Rome

Hey Friends,

I had a wonderful visit with Brandon and Claire a couple of weeks ago
following the Rimini Meeting.

I spent the day with Brandon and Claire -friends from STFX and CL. We began by meeting early Monday morning (August 26) near the Termini metro station and visited a couple of the surrounding churches, St. John Lateran, Our Lady of Perpetual Help (Redemptorist Church) and St. Prassade, and later visited Catacombs, and Spanish Steps, Villa Borghese -where there are beautiful panoramic views of the city, Santa Maria del Popolo -where two of Carravagio paintings are located (Crucifixion of St. Peter, and St. Paul Falling off the horse), the Fontana Trevi, and Mass at the Gesu where relics of St. Francis Xavier, and the body of St. Ignatius of Loyola.

We had supper with friends who we met at the Rimini meeting. They have a house and appartment across the street from Santa Maria Maggiore. Brandon and Claire stayed at their apartment. Brandon also ran into a couple of friends from Dubai, and they joined us for dinner. I have been invited back to dinner, and hope to take them up on the offer. The parents are both medical doctors, and they have two children.

1. Brandon and I in front of San Giovanni Laterano
2. Brandon and Claire at the Fontana Trevi
3. Brandon and I at the Fontana Trevi
4. Brandon and I above the Catacombs
5. Original icon of Our Lady of Perputual Help at the Basilica of Our Lady of Perpetual Help





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StFX wins nail-biter over Acadia in OT, 20-13

September 20, 2008 (ANTIGONISH, NS) - In Antigonish, NS, the StFX X-Men battled their way to a 20-13 win over the Acadia Axemen in double overtime in front of a crowd of 1,831 at Oland Stadium. It was the first overtime game in the CIS this season.

After a relatively uneventful game that saw both teams miss opportunities to score and punt 11 times each, Acadia kicker Mike Godfrey nailed a 51-yard field goal halfway through the fourth quarter to tie the game at 10.

Overtime is shootout style, with both teams getting equal possessions to score and starting at their opponent's 35-yard line. The teams would trade field goals in the first overtime session.

In the second OT, StFX got first possession and James Green ran for a well-earned 26-yard touchdown. Acadia was unable to answer, with quarterback Keith Lockwood getting intercepted by StFX's Nick Riva on third down to end the game.

StFX dominated in the running game, racking up 234 yards on the ground in comparison to Acadia's 36. Green had 169 of those yards and two touchdowns.

Both defenses wreaked havoc on the passing game with constant pressure on each quarterback. Acadia had four different players each record a sack, including Tom Labenski, who also had nine tackles for the Axemen.

Next Saturday, StFX (2-1) will travel to Mount Allison in hopes of spoiling the Mounties homecoming game, while Acadia (0-3) will look to get their first win of the season when they host the undefeated Saint Mary's Huskies.

Life Support -Christian Alternative Band plays UNBSJ

Life Support -A Christian Alternative Band played at University of New Brunswick's Saint John campus this past Saturday evening.

The band was formed while I was studying at Saint Francis Xavier University (2001-05), Antigonish -Nova Scotia, and has been touring for the past year around Canada and into the United States.

It was great to hear them play and learn that they are trying to bring about an encounter with Christ through their music.

Please check them out,

Below is a write -up from their website:

Life Support is a modern and original alternative rock/worship ensemble whose appearances have been inspiring hope and change in the lives of people across Canada. Comprised of six veteran musicians who met while studying at St. Francis Xavier University, Life Support showcases no compromise, passionate lyrics, and a message of hope to a desperate generation.

The band is comprised of Alex Stephen and Deanna Leil vocals, Rob Reid and Jordan Mattie guitars, Chris Lively bass, and Matt Stride drums. Life Support fuses a non restraint musical pallet with an open and honest heart of worship to produce an intense and dynamic worship event. Life Support came together out of a unified vision for their University campus; that students and friends would come to know Jesus. "There is a real need here and we felt a calling to hold our own services to reach out to other students and friends. There were so few believers here when we started and it has been amazing to watch the Lord work to change lives", says Reid. With an acoustic guitar at the helm of most of their songs, the band creates an organic wall of sound and texture ranging from intense drive to gentle refrain.

Life Support draws on the influences of United Live, Switchfoot, Fourth Avenue Jones, and a variety of musical styles to produce an interesting blend of musical dynamic. The band is a refreshing mix of the worship and rock/alternative format. They have just released a full length album of their own tunes, mixed and mastered at the Hive Studios in Toronto. The album has been nominated for a 2007 East Coast Music Award for "Gospel Recording of the Year", and also their original tune "Out of Order" was nominated for a 2006 Canadian Gospel Music Award in the category of "Rock Song of the Year."Life Support has been together now for four years, playing all over the East Coast and quickly expanding into Quebec and Ontario.

The band is planning on touring Canada this year with dates starting in Newfoundland.Matt Stride has joined the group in the absence of Michael Fredricks who has left the band to continue in the path that the Lord has chosen for him which is to be a Pastor."We're waiting on the Lord for His leading in all future endeavors," adds Reid. With a single unified goal in mind, Life Support is allowing God to use them to further His Kingdom. Come out and witness the life changing power of Jesus.

http://profile.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=user.viewprofile&friendid=12555322

In Friendship,

JR