For The City

We’ve been laying the groundwork—literally. The Junction on Common Ground is more than a vision; it’s becoming a tangible reality. Join us on April 24 for our 2025 Report to Community @ Vivo for Healthier Generations where we’ll share what’s next for the site, the vision behind the work, and how you can be part of it. More details in the post below!

It's almost time for our yearly Report to Community! Curious about what we've been up to in 2024? Come join us on April 24th at 5:30pm at Vivo for Healthier Generations, we'd love to see you. Register here https://bit.ly/4ix5aQ8

Stories Shared, Conversations Continued

On Thursday night, a group of us gathered at Sought & Found for the first-ever OurCity Calgary Storytelling Night. Over coffee and beers, we shared stories of what it looks like to be faithfully present in different corners of our city—whether in living rooms, local businesses, supported living facilities, or spaces of deep cultural and spiritual significance.

The stories that surfaced were raw, honest, and deeply rooted in place. We heard about neighbours coming together in Bowness for prayer, a long-standing presence of faith in Inglewood and Ramsay, and what it means to build relationships in Forest Lawn beyond assumptions and agendas. We listened to how a shared meal—whether bread baked in a tandoor or a simple home-cooked dinner—can become a sacred act of belonging. And we sat with the weight and beauty of walking alongside those carrying unseen burdens, from refugee families to those facing institutional roadblocks to faith expression.

Even as the evening officially wrapped, the conversations didn’t stop. People lingered, continuing to process what they had heard, making connections, and dreaming about what might be next. There was a tangible hunger for more—more space to gather, more stories to be shared, more ways to feel truly seen, safe, and heard.

This was just the beginning. If Thursday night was any indication, there’s a deep well of possibility in coming together like this. And we’re just getting started.

See you at the next one!

If it’s quiet here, it’s not because nothing is happening.

Some of the best work happens off the grid—around tables, in quiet conversations, and in the steady, unseen efforts of building something that lasts. At For The City, we don’t post for applause or recognition; we focus on the work itself.

Sometimes that means we’re deep in a project that requires discretion. Other times, we’re walking alongside a community in ways that don’t translate into a quick update. But rest assured, the work continues—thoughtful, intentional, and always in pursuit of lasting impact.

If you want to know more about what we do, reach out. We’d love to connect.

Listen…

Listen to the echoes of history,
Of children taken, of voices silenced.
Listen to the land that holds their stories,
Stories buried deep beneath the earth,
Tangled in roots of grief and sorrow,
Waiting to be heard.

We stand here,
Not to turn away or close our ears,
But to face the past with courage.
To open our eyes wide,
Unafraid to see our country at its worst,
Yet hopeful that we can make it better.

This was done in the name of education,
In the name of faith,
In the name of civilization.
But we know the truth,
We know the price that was paid,
The harm that was caused.

So, we wear orange today,
Not as a gesture,
But as a promise.
A promise that every child matters.
That their lives, their cultures,
Their voices will never be stripped away again.

Listen...
To the survivors, to their courage.
To the stories that demand to be told,
Not for shame, not for guilt,
But for healing, for justice.

For reconciliation is not just a word,
It is a ministry.
It is the work of restoration,
The work of repair.

Today, we stand with our Indigenous brothers and sisters,
In a sacred space of repentance,
In a moment of reflection.
Not to dwell in guilt or shame,
But to sow seeds of hope.

Hope for a future where every voice is heard,
Where every culture is honoured,
Where healing is more than a dream,
But a living reality.

Listen...
For reconciliation begins with listening.
It begins with humility,
It begins with us.

"Seeds of Reconciliation" by Zach Manntai

If there's no such thing as the "right thing", then let us do what we believe is good.

We want to believe in a world of kindness, so it is kindness we focus on and try to cultivate.

We want to believe in a world of connections, so it is connections we value and aim to build.

In our less-than-ideal world, let us focus on equipping ourselves and our future generations with an armour of unshakeable truth, faith, and goodness. Let us be understanding, cure hurt by spreading love where it is needed.

We can be good.
We will be good.

Thank you for reading, hope you find courage and strength to take it one day at a time ❤️



In photo: Espresso x Milk 4.5oz

"Make me an instrument of your peace,
Where there is hatred let me sow love.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
And where there is sadness, joy."
-Prayer of St. Francis, Sarah McLachlan