St. Mary's Parish Community

Posts Tagged ‘Parishioners’

 
Lent is the forty day period before Easter, excluding Sundays, which begins on Ash Wednesday and ends on Holy Saturday. It is a time for increasing prayer and fasting and almsgiving. From what will you fast? How will you deepen your prayer life? How will you reach out to the needy and poor?

We have a number of activities here. Ash Wednesday we will have 6 Masses so as to make the reception of the ashes and the beginning of Lent accessible to as many parishioners as possible. As you know we will have our Parish Renewal Mission preached by Fr. Dominic Borg, a Carmelite preacher from London, Ont., who will help us “On the Road to Easter”. He will preach on Feb. 20-21at the weekend Masses and on Feb 21, Sunday, Feb. 22, Monday and Feb. 23 Tuesday at 7:00 p.m.. Please make a real effort to attend all the sessions or as many as possible. It may take re-arranging of you schedules as this is for your children and young people as well. Rides can be arranged. Have you invited a friend or family member yet? Please re-double your prayers for a might outpouring of God’s grace!

As part of the Renewal Mission our Youth Ministry is having a Morning Watch which is an all night Eucharistic Adoration. It will begin after 6 pm. after the 5 pm Mass and finish at 8:30 am on Sunday. This is a great chance for young people who are invited to stay all night (Supervision is provided) and not-so-young people to spend time before the Blessed Sacrament and be the Prayer Warriors for the success of our Mission and the conversion of hearts. Please sign up to spend some time with our Eucharistic Lord. Please contact Brad – our youth coordinator.

Fr. Fitzpatrick will be giving a Lenten Series on Prayer staring February 27 each Saturday morning from 9:30 – 10:30 in the Chapel, ending on Saturday March 27. If you are interested in the many families of spiritualities within the Catholic Church, please feel welcome to attend.

At Fleming College the Fleming College Catholics group will be hosting Soul Food – Lenten Lunches at the College. With free soup and fresh bread followed Breaking Open the Word in Bible study, you are invited to make a journey through the examination of the Passion in Lent. Thursday Feb 18,25, March 11, 18, 25 from 12-1 pm in room 222.

Each Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. after the evening Mass various groups in the parish will lead the Stations of the Cross. This ancient and well known prayer is a chance to re-orient ourselves as to the way that we can walk with Christ in our daily lives. Accompany us in person or, if you cannot, please accompany us in your prayers.

You’ll see at the doors of the church handouts for Daily Meditations to consider throughout Lent. If we run out we’ll photocopy more. Other Lenten meditations can be accessed on websites like http://www.ewtn.com/faith/lent/ash_F17.htm

Please pray as well for a number of people who have been involved in the Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults who are looking to be received in to the church at Easter.

Canadian Food for Children will be collecting food at the doors of the church throughout Lent and this will be collected and sent to Dr. Andrew Simone’s warehouse in Toronto to be distributed.

Lastly, we have a number of Lenten activities being promoted by our Development and Peace. Dessert and movie St. Mary’s School Gym, February 28 at 2:00 p.m.. Bring your favourite dessert and watch an eye-opening expose of our modern food industry. It’s a must to see. Hosted by Canadian Catholic Organization for Development and Peace. Free will offering.On the Fifth Sunday of Lent there will be the collection for Development and Peace or other charities as you may wish.

In all that we do let us keep in mind the ultimate goal of preparing for the Great Feast of Easter with the Risen Lord!

As always, In Christ,
Fr. Tom Lynch