Friday, September 30, 2011

Call Your Mother!

The month of October is traditionally known as the month of the Holy Rosary.  To mark this special month we will pray the Rosary prior to our 10 AM Sunday Mass in place of the regular Divine Mercy Devotion.  Our theme for Children's Liturgy for the month will also be the Rosary. 

An excerpt from Pope John Paul II's 2002 letter on the Rosary:

"Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: 'She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Lk. 2:19).  The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side.  In a way those memories were to be the 'rosary' which whe recited uniterruptedly throughout her earthll life....
The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative parayer.  Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning, as Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: 'Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: 'In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard because of their many words' (Mt. 6:7).  By its nature, the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord.  In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are disclosed."  (#11-12).

"For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat..." (Matthew 25:35)

One paid team member is required for the St. Jude Breakfast Club with added duties of Lunch Supervisor.  Anyone interested in this position can contact Mr. Myron Karpiuk, Principal of St. Jude School, at 623-5989.  Someone is needed as soon as possible to provide this very important service.

"Sin, Punishment and Redemption in Dante's 'Divine Comedy'...

A Presentation by Dante scholar, Professor Elio Costa of York University, will take place on Thursday, October 13 at 10 AM at the Catholic Pastoral Centre meeting room.  All welcome! For more information, call Roy Piovesana at 343-9313.

Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Will you be the Missing Link?

Life Chain Weekend!!!!


Life Chain is an annual international event which is held to increase public awareness of the dignity of human life and to pray for an end to abortion.  
    
Locally, this year's Life Chain will take place twice: Saturday, October 1 and Sunday, October 2, from 2-3 PM each day. 
    
Participants are asked to meet at the corner of Central Avenue and Balmoral Avenue (in parking lot near Future Shop) and to come early in order to sign. 
    
"If a human being is no longer safe in his mother's womb, where in the world can he be safe?"
(Phil Bosmans, b. 1922, Belgian priest and writer)

Diocesan Patronal Feast of Our Lady of Charity....

A message from the Most Rev. Fred Colli, Bishop of Thunder Bay:

My dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Our celebration of Our Lady of Charity this year is held on the weekend of October 01-02, 2011.  We ask the Mother of the Lord and our mother, to pray for us as a diocesan family and to unite her prayers with ours for the building up of the Church in northwestern Ontario.  We thank God for the blessings our diocese has received over this past year, in particular for the journey taken by our young people who participated in World Youth Days in Spain.

We ask Mary to pray with us as we pray for vocations to the priesthood, permanent diaconate, religious life and marriage in our diocese.  And we look foward to sharing our prayers with the world at the International Eucharistic congress in Dublin, Ireland in June of 2012.

We ask Mary to pray for our families, especially those struggling with difficult economic and social situations.  United in worship as a diocesan family, may this weekend as we celebrate the feast of Our Lady of Charity, be a time for grace and renewal for all of us.

Sincerely in Christ,

+ Fred J. Colli

Our Lady of Charity, pray for us!

Friday, September 16, 2011

Welcoming the New Missal...

New Roman Missal for Canada
It won't be long now!  Here is an overview of some of the ways we will be preparing on the parish level for the long-awaited and much-anticipated New Roman Missal:

  • An October workshop will be offered for all parishioners focusing on the background, purpose and content of the new translation.  (Date to be determined). One of the resources for this workshop will be the DVD entitled “A New Translation for a New Roman Missal” produced by Midwest Theological Forum.
  • The new translation will perhaps affect us most on the level of liturgical music.  With the new Missal also comes the invitation to rediscover the beauty of the sung Mass by drawing from our rich heritage of sacred music.  Parishioners will be invited to join in music practice sessions which will focus on praying the texts of the Mass through sacred song.  Stay tuned for practice times!
  • Pew cards with the text of the new translation for the congregation will be placed in the pews for use during the time of transition.  (For those who purchase them, the Sunday Missals for the new liturgical year will also include the new translations).
  • A short service of de-commissioning of the Sacramentary will take place at the end of the 9 AM Mass on Saturday, November 26, to mark the last time this book will be used for the sacred liturgy.
  • The Masses of the weekend of November 26/27 will begin with a service of blessing for the New Roman Missal and the Advent Wreath. 
  • A great resource on the new translation is available for you in our religious goods cabinet.  An offering of $5 is being requested for the CD/Booklet package by Dr. Edward Sri, professor of scripture and theology.  The booklet includes a tear off reference card with the new text for the people.
  • Finally, over the next few weeks, the weekend homilies will begin to explore different parts of the Mass with special emphasis on why we say the things we say.
In the meantime, a thought to ponder:

"The liturgy is never a mere meeting of a group of people, who make up their own form of celebration.... Through our sharing in Jesus' appearing before the Father, we stand both as members of the worldwide community of the whole Church and also of the communion of saints.  Yes, in a certain sense this is the liturgy of heaven."
      - Pope Benedict XVI, God and the World


Thursday, September 15, 2011

Let you Souls do the Walking...


It's that time of year....

5th Annual Marian Walking Pilgrimage
Saturday, October 8th.   Mark your calendars! 
Beginning at St. Peter’s Church with Mass at 9 AM.  "Signing in" begins at 8:30 AM.

The pilgrimage will include visits to neighboring churches before reaching the final stop, St. Patrick Cathedral.  Prayer, song and fellowship will mark the journey.  All are welcome!  Lunch will be held in the Cathedral auditorium. 

Please register by signing up on the sheet provided on the vestibule bulletin board or by calling the rectory office at 623-8106 by Wednesday, October 5. 

Wednesday, September 14, 2011

Fall Fever...

After a short summer break, things are starting to kick in to high gear again!  Hopefully for all our blog visitors, this summer was an enjoyable one!

The next few posts will be related to some of the up and coming events happening on the parish and local level this fall.  To begin, here are a few details on this weekend's workshop:

Diocesan Liturgical Workshop (Preparing for the New Translation of the Mass)
St. Patrick’s Cathedral, this Friday, September 16, from 7-9:30 PM
and Saturday, September 17, from 9 AM to 4PM.  (Bring a bag lunch for Saturday). 

For anyone interested in learning about liturgy and the new translation of the Roman Missal.  Workshop Animators: Rev. Bill Burke (National Office of Liturgy) and Mr. Normand Blanchard (Ontario Liturgical Conference Music Commission).  Sponsored by the Diocesan Office of Worship. Free Admission.  Please register now by calling the Pastoral Centre (343-9313).