Not only is there better protection but the pigeons are gone too.

The bathroom in pastor’s suite has been finished. This was needed because of leaking pipes. Other than one plumber’s visit and materials, this was all done by the labour and skills of our volunteer St. Joseph’s Workers.

Sections of the pastor’s office were badly damaged by the leaks and the workers are repairing them over the next few weeks.

As well you will see painting and small repairs being done at the Church.

Father Charlie’s Farewell Party
Join us at 12:00pm on Sunday Feb. 19 to celebrate Father Charlie’s Retirement. Everyone is welcome.

CWL’s Annual General Meeting will be held on Sunday Feb. 26 at 12:00 noon. Join us for a light lunch, meet your new executive and participate in a short business meeting. All women of the parish are welcome.

Many members of the St. Vincent de Paul Society, other parishioners and friends spent countless hours to shop, organize gifts, pack food, and deliver with the kind help of the thoughtful EMS volunteers. $100 worth of food plus gifts went to the less fortunate people.

May God Bless you for sharing and caring. We certainly appreciate your continuing prayers and bountiful support.

Gratefully,
Noreen Brasier
Pres. of SSVP

Thank you to all who helped make Christmas a more joyful time for some less fortunate families.

More details will follow.

On behalf of Fr. Charlie, Fr. Theo, and Fr. Tom, we are very grateful.

We will keep you and your families in our prayers.

God Bless!

This holiday shindig will be held at the Knights of Columbus Hall, 317 Hunter Street W., Peterborough, beginning at 6:30 pm.

Potluck supper, live music, dancing, karaoke, games and fun for the whole family!

Formal attire is optional!

This is a great way to reconnect with people from past VEYO events, groups, thank our hard working volunteers and also the parents of our young people.

The Gospel is meant to be proclaimed not just read. This puts great responsibility on the priest and deacon to know thoroughly the Gospel but it also puts a responsibility on the people. The people must prepare themselves so they so the Word is not only heard by the ears but also received in the heart.

Often the Priest or Deacon elevates the Book so the people can see and proclaims the ending with “This is the Good News of the Lord”. We reply, “Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ” who is the living Word of God. The Priest then kisses the book as a sign of reverence saying quietly, “Through the words of the Gospel may our sin be wiped away.”

Reflection:
We process in with the Book of the Gospel. We incense the Book of the Gospel. We kiss the Book of the Gospel.
Do I elevate the Gospels in my life?

Questions for Reflection:
1. Do I make time in the week before Sunday Mass to reacquaint myself with the Gospel I want to hear?
2. Do I give myself time after I hear the Gospel to let it really take root in my heart?
3. What do I carry away from the Gospel?

Scripture: Jn. 1: 1-4, Nehemiah 8:8

Thank you to all the parishioners who helped decorate, clean the church, the choirs, lectors, Eucharist ministers, K of C, ushers, servers, youth group, and anyone we may have missed.

On behalf of Fr. Charlie, Fr. Theo, and Fr. Tom, we are very grateful.

We will keep you and your families in our prayers.

God Bless!

This year the Fourth Week of Advent is six days long with Friday evening being Christmas Eve and Saturday Christmas Day. Perhaps we can use these days to try to heighten our awareness of whatever is going on in our lives these days and how that can bring us to Christmas. Some examples may help.

So many of us experience the ironic reality that Christmas can be the most lonely time of our lives. Some of these ‘mixed feelings’ or ‘sad feelings’ are difficult to recognize or name.

For some of us, the Christmas we will celebrate this year pales in comparison to wonderful Christmases of our past for many reasons.  Some of our loved ones who were central to our living are not where I am. Perhaps I am dealing with an illness, which leaves me tired and unable to cope with the energetic joy of the day.

For some of us, Christmas will be just another day. Unable to let go of pressures, unable to go out to Church to be with a faith community and without family or friends to be with, Christmas will be a day we are tempted to ignore.

For some of us, Christmas challenges us with large financial burdens. Children today become victims of the gross commercial exploitation of the day. For those of us struggling to make ends meet on a day-to-day basis, feeling the cultural pressure of buying for our children things which we can’t afford can lead us to put more debt on the credit card in ways that simply push us further behind.

Some of us, might be really looking forward to Christmas, and not be aware of these struggles with Christmas, yet feel, that, in spite of our best efforts to make Advent different this year, there is still something missing and  we still feel un-ready for Christmas.

For all of us, the story behind these days can draw us in, and invite us to bring our lives to the mystery of how Jesus came into the mystery of how Jesus came into this world and why. Our best preparation for the Holy Night ahead and the Joyful Morning to follow is for us to reflect upon how he came. He came in the midst of scandal and conflict. He came in povery. He was rejected before he was born. He was born in a feed trough. He was hunted down and he grew up in obscurity.

Our Saviour did not shun our world and its poverty and conflict. He embraced it. Jesus desires to embrace us today, in this day right where we are, right where we are feeling most distant, right where we are feeling least “religious” and “ready”.

If we let him come into our hearts to be our Saviour these challenging days, we will find ourselves entering the sacred night and morning of Christmas “joyful and triumphant” as never before.

Come, Lord Jesus.  Come and visit your people.

We await your coming. Come , O Lord.