Welcome to The Roman Catholic Parish of Saint John the Evangelist | Archdiocese of Saint Boniface
Announcements and Upcoming Events
Update: August 13, 2022
Tomorrow, August 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady. Usually I celebrate Mass on Mondays sine populo (without the people). But, since it is such an important feast and many of you might be desiring to attend Mass, I will be celebrating the Holy Eucharist at 8 o’clock in the morning before I leave town to enjoy a day off........... The dogma of the Assumption was formally declared by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Of course, the belief that the Blessed Mother after her life on earth was taken up to heaven body and soul can be traced back to the first century disciples and handed down through the centuries by Sacred Tradition. The dogma of the Assumption does not define how, when or where the Assumption took place, only the fact that Our Lady was taken up to the glory of heaven, body and soul........... I think it is remarkable that the solemnity of the Assumption falls at this time of summer when the gardens and fields are almost ripe for harvesting. It directs our eyes to the harvest at the end of the world wherein we hope to be gathered together into the kingdom of God. The writer Pius Parsch comments, “[T]he Church celebrates the most glorious ‘harvest festival’ in the Communion of Saints. Mary, the supremely blessed one among women, Mary, the most precious fruit which has ripened in the fields of God's kingdom, is today taken into the granary of heaven.”..........
REPRINT / IMPORTANT: At the prompting of our Religious Education Coordinator, Patti Rothenburger, I would like to exhort parents to enrol your children for catechism class and sacramental preparation. Registration forms may be downloaded through the parish website and parish Facebook group. The filled-up forms should all be submitted on or before August 30 through the parish email or by leaving them in the box at the foyer. The registration fee, which may be paid later, is $40 per child to cover the purchase of textbooks and activity books. We will be using the books from Faith & Life series as main material for catechism.
Update: August 6, 2022
Children’s Rosary is on Tuesday evening (August 9) at 7 PM. Parents, bring your children to the Blessed Mother through this devotion. She will bring their prayers for your families before her Son our Lord Jesus......... . IMPORTANT: At the prompting of our Religious Education Coordinator, Patti Rothenburger, I would like to exhort parents to enrol your children for catechism class and sacramental preparation. Registration forms may be downloaded through the parish website and parish Facebook group (2022-2023 Catechism Registration Form). The filled-up forms should all be submitted on or before August 30 through the parish email or by leaving them in the box at the foyer. The registration fee, which may be paid later, is $40 per child to cover the purchase of text- books and activity books. We will be using the books from Faith & Life series as main material for catechism.......... Furthermore, parents are highly encouraged to assist in the religious education of the children. The more volunteers, the lighter the task will become. Besides, as the parents of this year’s First Communicants can attest, guiding the children in their catechism is deepening also their [the parents’] knowledge of the faith. One may volunteer as a catechist or substitute catechist or assisting catechist. So, volunteering to simply help distribute learning materials and keeping the children in line would still be awesome.......... Today, August 7, at 2 PM – 4 PM, one of our own, Marilyn Skubovius, will be awarded the 2020 Citizen of Distinction by the Morden Area Foundation. The award is a recognition given to local citizens who have a strong commitment to making the city a better place to live and visit due to their long-term commitment of service and excellence in leadership. The awarding will be held at the Confederation Park by the Main Street. Congratulations, Marilyn!.......... We recall that the 2019 Citizen of Distinction was awarded to another member of our community, Clare Agnew, for her volunteer work and involvement in organizing sporting events not just in the city but in the region. We are so proud of you, Marilyn & Clare for the back-to-back honour to our parish!
Update: July 30, 2022
As of writing, I am still on a holiday, but I cannot let this weekend pass without expressing gratitude to everyone who participated in the Parish Family Day. It indeed was a lot of fun. We thank God for favouring us with a perfect weather for the celebration which also coincided with the World Day for Grandparents & Elderly. For everyone who were not able to attend, do check the parish Facebook group for pictures and videos of the event............. Our heartfelt thanks to all those who helped in the planning, preparation and clean-up for the Family Day - the Parish Commission on Worship, the CWL, the Couples for Christ. Thanks also to the K of C for letting us use their supplies of disposable plates and utensils. Our greatest admiration and appreciation for the Youth for Christ in facilitating the program and the games! God bless all of you.......... Due to the holiday which I am enjoying a lot, I was not able to follow the pope’s visit. Though I was able to read transcripts of his messages at Maskwacis and at Sacred Heart Church in Edmonton. They are so beautiful! I hope I can make some personal observations next time. For now, I want to end with a quote from his address at Sacred Heart: “The indigenous peoples attribute a powerful cosmic significance to the cardinal points, seen not only as geographical reference points but also as dimensions that embrace all reality and indicate the way to heal it, as embodied by the so-called ‘medicine wheel’. This Church appropriates that symbolism of the cardinal points and gives it a Christological meaning. Jesus, through the four extremities of his cross, has embraced the four cardinal points and has brought together the most distant peoples; Jesus has brought heaing and peace to all things (cf. Eph 2:14). On the cross, he accomplished God’s plan: ‘to reconcile all things’ (cf. Col 1:20).”
Update: July 23, 2022
Holiday cycle for priests starts in August. Meaning, priests in the archdiocese may go on a holiday for a month (or 6 weeks since the pandemic) from August to July. Before the new cycle begins, I’d like to use some of my unused vacation days. Therefore, there will be no weekday Mass in the parish from July 25 to 29.......... Greetings to all grandparents and seniors in our community on this World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly! Here are some inspiring words for you from Pope Francis on this occasion: “In old age they will still bear fruit (Ps 92:15). These words of the Psalmist are glad tidings, a true “gospel” that we can proclaim to all on this second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. They run counter to what the world thinks about this stage of life, but also to the attitude of grim resignation shown by some of us elderly people, who harbour few expectations for the future. [The] same psalm urges us to persevere in hope. Along with old age and white hairs, God continues to give us the gift of life and to keep us from being overcome by evil. If we trust in him, we will find the strength to praise him still (cf. vv. 14-20). We will come to see that growing old is not a condemnation, but a blessing! Old age is no time to give up and lower the sails, but a season of enduring fruitfulness: a new mission awaits us and bids us look to the future. [W]e are called to be artisans of the revolution of tenderness in our world! Let us do so by learning to make ever more frequent and better use of the most valuable instrument at our disposal and, indeed, the one best suited to our age: prayer. Let us too become, as it were, poets of prayer: let us develop a taste for finding our own words, let us once again take up those taught by the word of God. Our trustful prayer can do a great deal: it can accompany the cry of pain of those who suffer, and it can help change hearts. Let us ask Our Lady, Mother of Tender Love, to make all of us artisans of the revolution of tenderness, so that together we can set the world free from the spectre of loneliness and the demon of war.” This is just an ex- cerpt. Find the entire beautiful papal message online.............
We pray for the success of Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to Canada from today until the 29th. The visit focuses on Indigenous Healing and Reconciliation.
Update: July 16, 2022
I would like to reiterate my request for volunteers to become par- ish Catechists. There are no special qualifications, just the avail- ability, the fondness for young people, and the eagerness to share the faith. The good thing, I observed in the Church here in the Canada, is that there is no lack of resources – manuals, books, digital media - with regards to imparting the faith. So, it’s just a matter of putting these resources to use............ Also, I would like to repeat the invitation to participate in our Parish Family Day celebration next Sunday, July 24. It’s a three-phase celebra- tion starting with the 11 AM outdoor Mass (weather permitting). Agape lunch follows. You may bring potluck to share, but there will be hamburgers and hotdogs for everyone. Kindly sign-up so that we can estimate how much stuff to buy............. July 24 is also the 2nd World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly. So, in- deed our parish celebration is very coincidental. Pope Francis established the universal celebration last year and to be celebrat- ed every closest Sunday to the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne (July 26). The theme for this year is: IN OLD AGE THEY WILL STILL BEAR FRUIT. The theme “intends to emphasize how grandparents and the elderly are a value and a gift both for soci- ety and for ecclesial communities,” said the communique from the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life............. Very im- portantly, I would like to call your attention to the plenary indul- gence is available to everyone who attends Mass or other prayer services on the occasion of World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly. The indulgence can also be applied as a suffrage for the souls in purgatory. To receive the plenary indulgence, which is a full remission of the temporal punishment due for one’s sins, a person must: (a) show detachment from sin, (b) go to confession, (c) receive the Eucharist and (d) pray for the intentions of the pope. The indulgence also is available to “the elderly sick and all those who, unable to leave their homes for a serious reason, spiri- tually join” the celebrations, particularly by watching on television or the internet or listening on the radio, and “offer to the merciful God their prayers, sorrows and suf- ferings,” the Vatican said........... In this connection, I would like to remind you that the regular schedule for Confession in our parish is every Saturday (4-5 PM) and Sunday (6-7 PM). Outside of these times, you may call for an appointment.
Update: July 9, 2022
I would like to reiterate the invitation to all families in our parish, especially those who have not yet experienced it in the past years, to watch the Passion Play at Oak Valley Theatre in
La Rivier. I assure you that it is a very wholesome entertainment which all the members of family can enjoy. It’s an outdoor theatre, so bring your picnic chairs, a sweater or blanket in case it gets cold and bug spray. You may bring your own snack, but food is available for sale at the site. Next set of shows will be on July 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 PM. See posters and website (www.passionplay.ca) for ticket prices and other details.......... Those who are going to watch the play on July 10 may opt to attend the Holy Mass at the site at 4 PM to be presided by yours truly with the Filipino Choir headed by Dennis Cosio. After the Mass you may tour the site following the Stations of the Cross or just visit your friends until the show begins........... Our heartfelt congratulations to all the young people from our parish who have graduated this school year! We pray that your success will inspire you all to strive for the best of what you can be. Do not forget to pray always, and God will bless all your endeavours! Sail on!........... On June 29 which was the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter titled, Desiderio Desideravi. The title is taken from the words of Jesus during the Last Supper: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The letter aims to enhance the “liturgical formation of the People of God” wherein the Holy Father calls for renewed liturgical “astonishment” and “wonder” with regards to the Holy Mass.
I encourage you all to read the letter. Here’s paragraph 10 of the letter to whet your appetite: “Here lies all the powerful beauty of the liturgy. If the resurrection were for us a concept, an idea, a thought; if the Risen One were for us the recollection of the recollection of others, however authoritative, as, for example, of the Apostles; if there were not given also to us the possibility of a true encounter with Him, that would be to declare the newness of the Word made flesh to have been all used up. Instead, the Incarnation, in addition to being the only always new event that history knows, is also the very method that the Holy Trinity has chosen to open to us the way of communion. Christian faith is either an encounter with Him alive, or it does not exist.”
Update: July 2, 2022
I would like to reiterate the invitation to all families in our parish, especially those who have not yet experienced it in the past years, to watch the Passion Play at Oak Valley Theatre in
La Rivier. I assure you that it is a very wholesome entertainment which all the members of family can enjoy. It’s an outdoor theatre, so bring your picnic chairs, a sweater or blanket in case it gets cold and bug spray. You may bring your own snack, but food is available for sale at the site. Next set of shows will be on July 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 PM. See posters and website (www.passionplay.ca) for ticket prices and other details.......... Those who are going to watch the play on July 10 may opt to attend the Holy Mass at the site at 4 PM to be presided by yours truly with the Filipino Choir headed by Dennis Cosio. After the Mass you may tour the site following the Stations of the Cross or just visit your friends until the show begins........... Our heartfelt congratulations to all the young people from our parish who have graduated this school year! We pray that your success will inspire you all to strive for the best of what you can be. Do not forget to pray always, and God will bless all your endeavours! Sail on!........... On June 29 which was the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter titled, Desiderio Desideravi. The title is taken from the words of Jesus during the Last Supper: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The letter aims to enhance the “liturgical formation of the People of God” wherein the Holy Father calls for renewed liturgical “astonishment” and “wonder” with regards to the Holy Mass.
I encourage you all to read the letter. Here’s paragraph 10 of the letter to whet your appetite: “Here lies all the powerful beauty of the liturgy.
If the resurrection were for us a concept, an idea, a thought; if the Risen One were for us the recollection of the recollection of others, however authoritative, as, for example, of the Apostles; if there were not given also to us the possibility of a true encounter with Him, that would be to declare the newness of the Word made flesh to have been all used up. Instead, the Incarnation, in addition to being the only always new event that history knows, is also the very method that the Holy Trinity has chosen to open to us the way of communion. Christian faith is either an encounter with Him alive, or it does not exist.”
Update: June 25, 2022
The First Communicants last Sunday were very impressive. They behaved so devoutly and reverently! In behalf of the community, I would like to express gratitude to Patti Rothenburger, our parish Religious Education coordinator, together with Susana Hawryshko for facilitating during the celebration. Patti also prepared the certificates for the kids........... The ever reliable St. John CWL furnished the flowers for the Corpus Christi celebration as well as the greeting cards for the First Communicants and the refreshments. Thank you a million times, St. John CWL!!!......... We thank also the fathers of the First Communicants who volunteered to be the canopy bearers during the procession of the Blessed Sacrament............. Finally, our gratitude to the Couples for Christ especially Cypher and Kitin Cayona for providing the sound system during the procession!
Update: June 18, 2022
Congratulations to the First Communicants of 2022!
Rowan Major Gabbie Hawryshko Mark Pascasio Rose Langill Susie Egbufor Kim Alyn Dohinog Ayden Nathen Sequeira Blake Gavigan Lucas Rothenburger Conor Gavigan Kier Anthony Cuevo Anjulia St. Jean Kirsten Ashlee Bautista Tochukwu Bolu-Ariyo Catharina Gaviria Jia Li Franz Javiero Samantha Sales Faith Althea Versoza
May your love for Jesus in the Eucharist continue to grow day by day! Let us congratulate too the parents of these children for accompanying and helping their children in the preparation. Some of them told me that helping their kids in the lessons and in the activities was a wonderful opportunity to review what they learned about the faith and grow in it........... I thank the members of the Commission on Worship for organizing the Corpus Christi procession. Special thanks to Irene Oliviero for securing us a loaned canopy from St. Claude parish for the Blessed Sacrament.
Update: June 11, 2022
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity, and next Sunday will be the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). On the occasion of the latter, I am very happy to announce that 19 children from our parish will receive their First Communion during the 11 AM Mass on that day. At the end of the Mass on that same Sunday, there will be a procession of the Blessed Sacrament starting from the church exiting through the north door traversing the Minnewasta School driveway to St. John St. going to church parking lot where the procession will end with a solemn Benediction........... There will be Children’s Rosary on June 14 (Tuesday) at 7 PM. I invite the parents to bring their children closer to our Lady through this activity.......... There was a little mix up in last Sunday’s bulletin and the Consecration of the Family to the Sacred was not posted. So here it is: CONSECRATION OF THE FAMILY TO THE SACRED HEART
O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thou didst reveal to the blessed Margaret Mary Thy desire to rule over Christian families; behold, in order to please Thee, we stand before Thee this day, to proclaim Thy full sovereignty over our family. We desire henceforth to live Thy life, we desire that the virtues, to which Thou hast promised peace on earth, may flower in the bosom of our family; we desire to keep far from us the spirit of the world, which Thou hast condemned. Thou art King of our hearts by our love of Thee alone, with which our hearts are on fire and whose flame we shall nourish by frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist. Be pleased, O Sacred Heart, to preside over our gathering together, to bless our spiritual and temporal affairs, to ward off all annoyance from us, to bless our joys and comfort our sorrows. If any of us has ever been so unhappy as to fall into the misery of displeasing Thee, grant that he may remember, O Heart of Jesus, that Thou art full of goodness and mercy toward the repentant sinner. And when the hour of separation strikes and death enters our family circle, whether we go or whether we stay, we shall all bow meekly before Thine eternal decrees. This shall be our consolation, to remember that the day will come, when our entire family, once more united in heaven, shall be able to sing of Thy glory and Thy goodness forever. May the immaculate Heart of Mary and the glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph vouchsafe to offer Thee this our act of consecration, and to keep the memory thereof alive in us all the days of our lives. Glory to the Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father! Amen
Update: June 4, 2022
We are in the month of June. June 19 is Fathers’ Day, and June 24 is the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! In fact, the whole month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. So, I encourage all fathers as spiritual leaders in the domestic Church to consecrate your families to the heart of Jesus. You may use the prayer found on the opposite page of this bulletin........... The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial concluded last June 1. I was not following it, but it is so trending in the news that it stirred my curiosity and was led to read a couple of articles about it. What can I say about it is that both Mr. Depp and Ms. Heard have everything the world can offer – wealth, fame and good looks, and yet they live in so much emptiness and in the darkness of hate and animosity towards each other. Indeed, the whole saga reminds us of the Gospel truth: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mat 16:26). Furthermore, it teaches us an important lesson that while most of us cannot make it big in this world, we can all be great in God’s eyes by drawing close to the heart of Jesus by prayer, good works, the sacraments especially Confession and Holy Eucharist...... Posted below is a report from the Office of the Archbishop regarding the Good Shepherd Campaign conducted in our parish for the last three years. As I have said, the fund raised in the campaign is for the formation of candidates for the priesthood as well us for the training of international priests working for the archdiocese such as myself. On behalf of His Grace the Archbishop, I thank everyone who contributed.
Update: May 28, 2022
I have posted this already in our parish Facebook group, but would like to repeat it here that the Retreat for First Communicants
is scheduled on June 11 (Saturday) at 10 AM to 3 PM. It will be a joint activity with St. Patrick Parish. So, it will be held at the church in Manitou at 532 Fuller St. Lunch will be provided for the kids. Kindly contact me if your kid has a food allergy or for any pertinent inquiry. Finally, I will be checking the workbook during the retreat. So, Parents, kindly take note:
ONLY KIDS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE WORKBOOK CAN JOIN THE RETREAT AND THE FIRST COMMUNION ON JUNE 19.
Those who are not able to meet the requirement may continue their preparation and we can schedule another First Communion in the Fall........... The First Communicants will receive the First Sacrament of Reconciliation on June 18 (Saturday) at 6:30 PM.......... Children’s Rosary is on May 31 at 7 PM. That’s also the Feast of the Visitation. I invite the parents to bring their kids and present them to Mama Mary..........On behalf of the entire parish community, I would like to express congratulations to Marilyn Skubovius for being the recipient of this year’s citizen of distinction award from the Morden Area Foundation. We are so proud of you!......... I would like to invite volunteers to lend a hand in our parish hamburger booth during the Corn & Apple Festival from August 25 to 28. The sign up sheets are on the parish bulletin board. There are no special skills needed, just joyful availability!
Update: May 21, 2022
This is the final installation of the highlights on the parish consultation on synodality. Question 4: Through the parish’s PPC, committees, and groups, how do we dialogue and learn from other sectors of society? (e.g., government and other religions) Answer: The parish dialogues and learns from other sectors of government mostly through tie-ups with other groups and organizations established by the parish CWL. It is observed that more can be done in this area like: (a) Outreach and getting involved in social programs outside of the church or activities of other churches (b) Get-togethers and open forums (c) Making use of social media
(d) Information dissemination by the PPC.......... Question 5: Since we are all missionary disciples, every baptized person is called to participate in the mission of the Church. What hinders the baptized from being active in mission? What areas of mission are we neglecting? Answer: Many of the respondents mentioned lack of time and concerns to earn a living as main hindrance in participating the Church’s mission. Other hindrances mentioned are: (a) pandemic (b) indifference and passivity (waiting for someone to lead), (c) lack of commitment (d) Cultural differences (e) personal health condition (f) Weather disturbances (g) Lack of knowledge about the faith and how to share it (h) Shyness, Fear and feeling of unworthiness (i) Secular humanism in a progressive society. Meanwhile, according to the respondents, the areas of mission that are neglected in the parish are: (a) Care for the needy (b) Spiritual education for children and young people (c) Promotion of peace (d) Care for the Elderly
Update: May 14, 2022
With abortion and MAiD grabbing so many headlines these days, it is more important than ever that the Christians fulfill their task as prophets and show support for a culture of life. Life Culture Canada is inviting everyone to join the WALK FOR LIFE on May 28 at 10 AM at K.R. Barkman Park in Steinbach.......... The Archdiocese will have two new priests! On Saturday, June 4, 2022, Rev. Deacon Paul Nguyen will be ordained at the St. Boniface Cathedral at 10:00 AM. On Friday, July 8, 2022, Rev. Deacon Serge Buissé will be ordained at the St. Boniface Cathedral at 7:00 PM. Everybody is invited to attend especially those who have yet to witness an ordination. Let us pray for the new priests and for more vocations!......... Now, the high- lights from the parish consultation on synodality - Question 3: In our parish, what hinders parishioners and those who suffer from speaking openly and being accompanied on their respective journeys? Answer: A majority of the respondents confided that fear of criticism, prejudice and bias is the primary hindrance for parishioners to speak openly and being accompanied on their respective journeys. Some mentioned lack of opportunities due to the pandemic. Others mentioned different ethnicities and languages in the parish as also a hindrance to openness. Other answers include: (a) Weather disturbances (b) Not comfortable with certain persons (c) Lack of information (d) No time to interact due to several jobs (e) People don’t know to whom to talk to (f) Lack of faith conviction / determination. At least one respondent expressed apprehension on the real purpose of synodality that it might result to watering down of the Gospel message.
Update: May 7, 2022
I had a wonderful retreat in Pinawa together with the Archbishop and other priests of the archdiocese. I surely felt the support of your prayers. Thank you so much........... The theme of the retreat was: Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet and a Light to My Path. It was facilitated by Sr. Jacqueline St-Yves, a Grey Nun from Montreal........... Summarized Answer to the questionnaire on synodality - Q2: In our parish, what enables us to listen to one another including the voices of those who suffer?
A2: A few of the respondents tended to answer this question through the lens of the pandemic, and so there were those who said that nothing is actually happening in the parish in this regard. However, several replied that fellowship among parishioners after the Mass was the avenue through which members of the parish community were able to listen to one another. There is a general impression that members of the community are open and compassionate towards each other, and the leaders are administering the parish with love and humility. Other answers with regards to ways that enabled parishioners to listen to one another are: (a) visiting new parishioners, the sick, the hospitalized, the house-bound, the lonely, etc. (b) involving in fundraising activities to help those in need (c) Sharing time and talent (d) joining in the initiatives of religious organizations like the CWL. Finally, somebody suggested that a box be put out for people to drop in their requests or needs and as avenue to voice out.
Update: April 30, 2022
Not very long ago, during the Holy Week, we were reminded how our Lord entrusted us to his mother through his beloved disciple. The account of the Lord’s first miracle at Cana, the apparitions of Our Lady throughout the world reveals the power of her intercession. However, by entrusting us her care and protection, we are also called to honour and revere her. That is why the Lord did not only say to his mother, “Beloved thy son,” he also said to the beloved disciple, “Behold thy mother.” Well, the month of May is the month of Mary. I encouraged you all to intensify your devotion to our Lady by praying the Rosary daily or any short Marian prayer (especially if the children are still small and you have just revived family prayer in your home).......... I have submitted the summarized answers to the questionnaire on synodality before I left for a short break this week. I will be posting here the answers by instalments............ Q1: In our parish, how is God speaking to us? A1: Most respondents to the questionnaire mentioned the Holy Scriptures being read at Mass as the way through which they were able to listen to God speaking. It is closely followed by the homily of the priest. Some respondents also mentioned personal and communal prayers and devotions. A few consider the kindness and especially the advices from other members of the parish community as directions given by God. Still others said that God speaks through the sacrament of Reconciliation, through the love and care experienced in the family, through the circumstances of daily life. A couple of respondents mentioned the internet and social media as way of listening to God speaking. Finally, one respondent remarked that God speaks through our thoughts, visions and dreams........... Again, I request for your prayers as I join the archbishop and the other priests of the archdiocese for a holy retreat at Wilderness Edge Retreat Centre in Pinawa from May 2 to 6. There will be no Mass at our church this week
Update: April 23, 2022
Happy Easter to all of you my dear parishioners! Here’s an excerpt from Pope Francis Urbi et Orbi message: “Today, more than ever, we hear echoing the Easter proclamation so dear to the Christian East: “Christ is risen! He is truly risen!” Today, more than ever, we need him, at the end of a Lent that has seemed endless. We emerged from two years of pandemic, which took a heavy toll. It was time to come out of the tunnel together, hand in hand, pooling our strengths and resources... Instead, we are showing that we do not yet have within us the spirit of Jesus but the spirit of Cain, who saw Abel not as a brother, but as a rival, and thought about how to eliminate him. We need the crucified and risen Lord so that we can believe in the victory of love, and hope for reconciliation. Today, more than ever, we need him to stand in our midst and repeat to us: ‘Peace be with you!’”..........
My gratitude to the newly constituted Commission on Worship in our parish! They helped me plan and organize the liturgical celebrations during the Holy Week:
Carole Schofield (Ministry of Lectors), Jewel White (Ministry on Music), Irene Oliviero (Ministry on Devotions & Popular Piety), Gregory Wall (Ministry of Altar Servers). I thank also all those who volunteered to do the Readings, the Altar servers, the cantors, the members of the choir and our parish musicians............ Special thanks to Denis Magotiaux, Esther Thiessen, Marilyn Skubovius, and Monique Rampton of Morden Nurseries & Garden Centre for the decorations and physical arrangement in our church........... There will be no weekday Mass this week (April 25-29) and also next week (May 2-6). I will be on a brief Easter break and then to the Clergy retreat in Pinawa. Do pray for me as I undergo the retreat.
Update: April 9, 2022
This week is Holy Week wherein the central celebration occurs during the Triduum. The word “triduum” comes from the Latin “tres dies” meaning “three days” referring to Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The liturgies in the church during these days are not separate from each other but rather comprise one big celebration. The Triduum after all is the peak of the liturgical year much bigger than Christmas or any other feast........... The Triduum begins with the commemoration of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday which recalls how Jesus, on the eve of his passion, established the Holy Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood. He offered his body and blood to the Father under the species of bread and wine and gave to the Apostles the command that they perpetuate the offering in his memory. We also recall Jesus washing the feet of his apostles giving them and us the example and commandment to love one another. This is why this day is also known as Maundy Thursday. “Maundy” is from the Latin “mandatum” meaning “commandment”. This reveals to us that receiving holy communion without being sincerely ready to love one another, we are not really recognizing the Lord in the Eucharist........... On Good Friday we shall meditate on the mystery of Christ’s death and adore the Cross. In the final moments of his life, before giving up his spirit to the Father, Jesus said: “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). What do these words mean, when Jesus says: “It is finished”? It means that the work of salvation is finished, that all of the Scriptures have found their total fulfillment in the love of Christ, the immolated Lamb. Jesus, by his Sacrifice, has transformed the greatest iniquity into the greatest love. We are called imitate it........... On Holy Saturday, the Church contemplates the “repose” of Christ in the sepulchre after the victorious battle of the Cross. But, in the evening the celebration of Easter begins with the great Easter Vigil in which fire is blessed symbolizing the light of faith conquering the darkness in creation due to sin. We listen to readings from the Old Testament vigil filled with hope in expectation of his coming return, when Easter will be fully manifest. Finally, the Alleluia re-sounds once more as we celebrate Christ Risen, the centre and the purpose of the cosmos and of history. Within the Mass, we renew our Baptismal promises professing our union with Christ and in his victory over sin and death.
Update: April 2, 2022
I understand that in the past, when the parish was still using the church at Stephen Street, the community used to do spring cleaning just in time for Holy Week. Unlike the maintenance cleaning that is done every week, this is a thorough cleaning of the church facilities and premises. The primary reason, of course, is practical – i.e., to make the church spic and span for the Holy Week festivities. However, it has also a communitarian aspect. It gives opportunity for members of the parish to meet, get to know each other and work together. Above all, the activity reminds us of a much superior cleaning that needs to be done in preparation for the festivities - the cleaning of another temple that is the body. To have a meaningful celebration of Easter, we must rid ourselves of spiritual filth………. Our 10-year old parish church is still relatively new. But, it certainly need some tender loving care. So, it would be nice to revive the spring cleaning tradition. Our brothers and sisters from the Ukrainian community volunteered to spearhead this year’s spring cleaning. I invite everyone to join on April 8 (Friday) from 5 PM onwards. This would be an opportunity to get to know our Ukrainian brothers and sisters and learn of the situation in their country beyond what’s portrayed in the news………. More importantly, do not forget the spiritual cleaning that needs to be done in your soul! In view of the Reconciliation Night on April 4 (Monday) 7 PM, let us consult what the saints think about the sacrament of Confession: “The beginning of good works is the confession of evil works”(St. Augustine). “Do you want to become saints? Here is the secret: confession is the lock; confidence in your confessor is the key. This is how you open heaven’s gates”(St. John Bosco). “Our Lord himself I saw in . . . this venerable sacrament. I felt as if my chains fell, as those of St. Peter, at the touch of the divine messenger” (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton). “Confess your sins and acknowledge them readily, repenting of them abundantly. And through this confession of the heart and contrition of the soul, you will find cleanliness” (St. Angela of Foligno). “If you have an ugly toad inside you, my son, let it out! As I have always advised you, the first thing you must mention is what you wouldn’t like anybody to know. Once the toad has been let out in confession, how well one feels” (St. Josemaria Escriva). “If there is a heavenly idea in the Catholic Church, surely, next after the Blessed Sacrament, Confession is such” (St. John Henry Newman).
Update: March 26, 2022
Last Friday, our parish joined Pope Francis and the entire Catholic world in consecrating humanity especially Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. After the usual Friday Lenten observances – Station of the Cross, Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Rosary – those who were present at church recited the prayer of consecration using the official text issued by the Vatican. The liturgy was capped with the singing of the Salve Regina ........... The parish Commission of Worship had a meeting last Thursday to plan for the Holy Week activities. Indeed, the thought of being able to celebrate Holy Week this year as one big community brings so much joy! The schedule of the activities will be posted soon. For the meantime, we need volunteers! So, kindly sign-up for the any of the following: (a) Guardians of the Blessed Sacrament who will take turns to do hourly-vigil at the altar of repose. The vigil will start after the liturgy on Holy Thursday up until Holy Saturday, (b) 12 people who will represent the Apostles during the washing of feet on Holy Thursday, and (c) Readers during the Triduum but especially during the Easter Vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday (April 16). The sign up sheets are on the bulletin board and on the table at the foyer........... But, before Holy Week arrives, let us go to Confession! Kindly mark on your calendar the schedule of the parish Reconciliation Evening. It will be on April 4 (Monday) at 7 PM. I have invited Fr. Mario Veloso of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Carman to come and assist me in hearing Confessions. So, do yourself a favour and receive God’s gift of mercy through the sacrament of Penance............The Reconciliation Night will start with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the liturgy of the Word, an Examination of Conscience and then Individual Confession and Absolution.
Update: March 19, 2022
Again, I thank everyone who participated in the parish consultation on synodality. I have received 27 answered questionnaires. Having heard from the other priests in the Mountain Deanery, I would say that we must have the highest turnout of respondents for the parish consultation. And considering that in some cases, one questionnaire is answered by a couple or one family or a group of individuals, then, it is possible that we may have the best participation throughout the entire archdiocese! I am so proud of you, my dear parishioners........... The hard work of collating all the answer begins. The collated answers will be sent to the office of the Archbishop on or before April 29. Be assured that the summary of all the answers will also be posted on the bulletin and online.......... IMPORTANT REMINDER: General dispensation from Sunday Mass is now lifted. What does this mean? It means that the obligation to participate in the Holy Mass every Sunday has resumed. Failure to fulfil the obligation incurs mortal sin. One must spiritually nourish oneself with the Eucharist weekly unless one has a serious reason to miss doing so........... Of course, we are not yet totally out of the woods. The pandemic is not yet over. So, being vulnerable due to old age or being immune compromised or having infants in the house or having to take care of the vulnerable is a just reason for not attending Mass on Sunday. But then you must not allow your soul to starve from the Body of Christ for much longer. If you can still risk going to the grocery to buy nourishment for your body, why not risk going to church to avail nourishment for your soul? You may come to Mass on a weekday when there’s just less than 10 people .......... There are some seniors who come to Friday devotion and Sunday Mass without fail even during the restrictions. I am not saying that everyone is called to do that. But, certainly their heroic witnessing has inspired me, and I am sincerely convinced that their piety has benefited the entire parish community.
Update: March 12, 2022
The Children’s Rosary last week was cancelled due to highway conditions. It’s transferred to this Tuesday, March 15, at 7 PM. I am inviting all parents with kids to participate. Hopefully the weather and highway conditions will be better this time.......... Kudos to the Crafts Group coordinated by Jeannette Warnock for the first one to hand in their answers to the questionnaire on Synodality!.......... For this weekend’s parish consultation after the Mass, take note of the following instructions: (a) You may choose to answer the questionnaire individually. (b) Much better still, you may answer the questionnaire as a family or you may group among yourselves and share answers noting them in a single questionnaire. (c) You may go to the parish hall or parish conference hall for the sharing. (d) Having completed the questionnaire, you may leave it (and the pen) in the box pro- vided on the table at the church foyer. I thank everyone for your participation........... Those who were not able to come to church this weekend may participate in the parish consultation by downloading the questionnaire from the diocesan website. On the right hand side of the website, click the banner that says Synod of Synods, then click the link that says Fillable PDF Form for Discussion Summaries, download, answer in your computer. When completed, send the questionnaire as email attachment to the parish email – stjohnparishmorden@gmail.com. All completed questionnaires must be in for compilation on or before March 20
Update: March 5, 2022
March 13 is the 2nd Sunday of Lent. Part of our Lenten penance, if we can call it that, is to go through the parish consultation on synodality. I will not be giving a homily during the Mass next weekend so that we can have more time for the activity.......... What do we mean by synodality? Well, the word “synod” comes from the Greek syn-odos, meaning “the same way” or “the same path”. In the Church, the term refers to the meeting of bishops from all over the world together with some experts to discuss topics like the Eucharist, the Scriptures, the new evangelization, the family, etc. In each case, the bishops vote on a Final Document, then the pope writes his own text called an “apostolic exhortation” – to explain what was discussed in the synod and to open new path- ways for the Church basing on the discussion........... So, in October of 2023, the bishops and theological experts and other delegates will convene in Rome for the Synod on Synods. The theme of the synod is -
CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION, MISSION.
However, Pope Francis is inviting Catholics everywhere to be part of the synodal process, thus the parish consultation. The Holy Father is asking us to re-learn the ways of being Church together by creating spaces of encounter and mutual listening that incorporate the gifts of all the baptized as we face the many challenges of renewing the life of the Church for our time........... Some people are apprehensive about this process. They fear that this would lead to the democratization in the Church. However, Pope Francis made it clear that the protagonist in the synodal process is the Holy Spirit, not the people. The point of a democratic assembly is to discern the will of the people. It is because in a democracy, the people is sovereign. But, in the synod, the point is discerning, not the will of the people, but the will of the Holy Spirit. In this context, the Spirit is sovereign. Through the synodal process, the Church is saying: the voice of everyone matters because God can talk through anyone, not only through the bishops and experts but all of us...........
Update: February 26, 2022
March 2 is the beginning of Lent. It is Ash Wednesday.
The Mass and imposition of ashes will be after the recitation of the Holy Rosary at 7 PM.......... Be reminded that Ash Wednesday is a day of Abstinence and Fasting. This means that Catholics who are 14 years old and above are obliged to abstain from eating flesh meat and meat products. Moreover, those who are 18 years old up to 59 years old, should not only abstain from meat but should also fast........... How should one fast? One may fast by consuming only bread and water. However, the minimum one can do in order to fast is to take one full meal on Wednesday plus two small meals that should not equal to one full meal........... All Fridays of Lent are days of Abstinence. You may substitute the obligation with a work of mercy. But, I exhort everyone to take seriously the Lenten observances in solidarity with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. The crisis in Ukraine will certainly create painful ripples around the world if it is not stopped. It will affect us in one way or another. We have barely come out of the worldwide pandemic, and now this! So, let us pray hard for peace in Ukraine. We have many brothers and sisters here in our area who have family and friends there.......... Pope Francis, in fact, has declared this Wednesday a day of fasting for peace. He said, “I would like to appeal to everyone, believers and non-believers alike. Jesus taught us that the diabolical evil of violence is answered with the weapons of God, with prayer and fasting. I invite everyone to make next March 2, Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting for peace. I encourage believers in a special way to devote themselves intensely to prayer and fasting on that day.
May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war.”
Update: February 19, 2022
My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for those who expressed get-well-soon wishes, brought food and offered prayers during my convalescence. Be assured that I did not waste any of my sufferings (no matter how minor they were), but rather offered them up for the Lord for your intentions and everyone in the parish. Indeed, the health breakdown was an opportunity for me to live up to what we believe about redemptive suffering………. I have been receiving queries about First Communion and Holy Confirmation for our children. We have not resumed yet the Sunday school and the sacramental preparation classes. However, children may receive First Communion on June 19 which is the Feast of the Corpus Christi if parents will take up the challenge of preparing the children themselves. As I have said before, maybe one of the goods that God wants to bring out from the evil of the pandemic is that parents take seriously their role as first catechists for their children and to really make the home the domestic church……….. Parents who want to prepare their children for First Communion should purchase Book Two of the Faith and Life Series titled Jesus Our Life. They must purchase both the text book and the work book which consist of 34 lessons. The parents may read and understand the lessons with their children and allow their children to answer the corresponding exercises on the workbook. The completed workbook will then be submitted to me in the first week of June. Only those who have completed all the lessons will be admitted for First Communion……….. The textbook and workbook may be purchased online at www.josephsinspirational.ca. If you need any clarification don’t hesitate to contact me……….. Due to unavoidable circumstances, we are not able to print this Sunday’s parish bulletin. Nonetheless, the Mass intentions for this week are the following:
February 19 (Saturday) 5 PM - the intentions of all parishioners
February 20 (Sunday)
11 AM – the eternal repose of Milagros Centino – req. Chester Centino
7 PM – the Healing & intentions of Jeff Sigurdson – req. Tara Beatty
February 23 (Wednesday) 7 PM - the healing of Jeff Sigurdson – req. Tara Beatty
February 25 (Friday) 10 AM - the healing of Jeff Sigurdson – req. Tara Beatty
https://www.josephsinspirational.ca/products/jesus-our-life-student-book-grade-2-3rd-edition?variant=28760393482305
Update: February 5, 2022
The donation receipts are ready for pick up at the church lobby........... In behalf of the Parish Finance Council,I would like to thank everyone for your gener- osity in supporting the parish. Be assured that even if most of you cannot come for the liturgy, you have been nourished spiritually by it through the bond of Baptism that we all share. That’s what the communion of saints is all about........... At this point, I would like also to encourage those who are relatively new in the parish - the Catholic immigrants - to step up in supporting the parish. The original members of the parish made great sacrifices to build a beautiful church building. We should try our best to own it by supporting for its upkeep by giving at least a minimum........... How can one determine the minimum to give to the church? Well, the easiest is to give 1 dollar a day for the Lord for each Catholic family. That means 365 dollars every year. 1 dollar for each day for each family, that’s even less than a cup of coffee at Tim Horton’s. Another way of determining the minimum is to add the ages of all the Catholic members in the household. For example, if the combined age of the parents is 80 and the children is 24, so the minimum donation for the year would be 104 dollars..........May I remind you that a percentage of your donation is re to you by way of tax refund........... You may request the parish office for donation envelopes or you may donate through e-transfer.
Update:January 30, 2022
The early Christians in Rome invented secret symbols – e.g. the ichthus or the sign of the fish – in order to identify each other and to whom the information about the celebration of the Mass may be passed. The risk of such information falling into the wrong hands was real as well as the threat of being rounded up during the Mass to be fed to wild beasts in the Colosseum. In the late 1550’s of Elizabethan England, attending a Catholic Mass was considered high treason against the monarchy punishable by hanging, drawing and burning. It was the same in 1920’s during the Cristero rebellion in Mexico. Priests woredisguises and celebrated Mass with the faithful in secret. Those who were caught were sentenced to die by firing squad. Today, underground Catholics in China celebrate the Holy Eucharist always with the threat of being captured and sent to re-education (a.k.a. concentration) camps……….. Why am I telling you this? It is because I sense a tendency within the community to demand that our church should be 100% safe and sanitized, and unless this is done you will not come to church. Have our faith grown so soft that we demand a risk-free worship? What would the martyrs and confessors say to us on the Last Judgement? This just shows we don’t quite understand what the Mass is! It is a re-presentation (being present once again) at the Lord’s sacrifice on Calvary. And the crucifixion was messy and deadly! During the Mass we honour Someone who died for us, and we expect to feel good about ourselves, to be safe and comfortable? No wonder we might stop coming to church simply because we find the pastor eccentric or our feelings were hurt by somebody in the church. I tell you, this attitude calls for repentance............ By all means, I am not suggesting that everybody should come to Sunday Mass at this time. The obligation to do so is still suspended. What I am exhorting everyone is to pray over your decisions. Allow God to be part of your every decision whether big or small. Present your circumstances before the Lord. Pray and ask for signal graces to guide you to a decision in accordance with His will. If you feel God is telling you to stay away from the liturgy temporarily for the sake of loved ones, follow his lead. Be confident of your decision as divinely willed, andtake advantage of your extended Eucharistic fast to enlarge your hunger for the Lord in the Eucharist. Take up a devotion or Bible reading. But, for the sake of your souls, do not indulge in self-pitying how much you miss coming to church because the presence of some people doesn’t make you feel it is safe enough. That is mere sentimentalism! .......... I have been urged to show leadership by pressing everybody to get vaccinated, thus every one can feel safe to come to church. I’m sorry to disappoint, but I would rather concern with spiritual health than physical health. Besides, there are authorities who are vouching for the vaccine. I exhort everyone to listen,evaluate, pray and discern before God what they say. Pray and discern not because we don’t believe God answers prayers through findings in medical science, but because it is naiveté to presume that politics and corporate profit does not factor also in our current situation. Regardless of each one’s prayerful decision on this matter, however, everybody is welcome to receive the sacraments in church. From my end, by word and example, I will strive to lead how we can use this crisis as opportunity for conversion that we may gain divine perspective – to think as He thinks, to see as He sees.
Update: January 22, 2022
This week I submitted to the Office of the Archbishop our parish statistics report. The archdiocese will then collate the reports from all the parishes and submit them to the Vatican. I would like to share with you the numbers from our parish………. For the year 2021: We have 10 infant Baptisms, 13 First Communicants, 0 Confirmations, 0 Weddings, and 3 Funerals……….. Isn’t this interesting? In the time of pandemic, we have more Baptisms than Funerals. And, they are not due to the virus! It’s the same for the year 2020: We had 8 infant Baptisms, 5 First Communicants, 1 Confirmation, 0 Weddings, and 1 Funeral. Contrast these figures with 2019 – i.e. before the pandemic – which was my first year here in the parish: We had 9 infant Baptisms and 6 Funerals……….. In short, we have more funerals the single year before the pandemic than the 2 years of pandemic combined. Yet none of these is due to the deadly virus. Moreover, I learned of only a couple of hospitalizations from among the members of the community and a handful of positives. What can we call this? Is it mere good fortune? Not at all! It’s a blessing!God is affirming our faith! He is reassuring us that he is not deaf to our pleas. I know that all of you are praying hard and are offering sacrifices for this chastisement to end. Keep it up. That is how our ancestors in the faith respond to crisis – by turning it into an opportunity for the deepening of the spiritual life: cultivating an intense prayer life, growing in faith and in the virtues especially fortitude and long-suffering……….. While each one is praying for the protection against illness and for the end of the pandemic, we have the Children’s Rosary who faithfully does their devotion in behalf of the community. I know also of parishioners who are doing beyond the call of duty by attending an extra Mass or two during the week, some spending time before the Blessed Sacrament, and others taking up novenas or Bible reading. They provide the spiritual powerhouse of our community which benefit all of us……….. For my part, since the first lockdown, I do daily holy hour for the protection of everyone in the parish and my loved ones. And if somebody is hospitalized, I rise up at dawn to prostrate before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. I do it every day until the person is released from the hospital. (Thankfully, I did not have to do this oftenbecause I really love a good sleep.) Early last year also I felt the call to do complete fasting once a week consuming only bread and water every Wednesday (day of St. Joseph)for the healing of marital and familial relationships that are strained because of the pandemic. I tell you this without any tinge of boastfulness, but to encourage you above all to hold on to hope and trust in God during these difficult times. Let go of fear. Do not be afraid. Of course, that is not to say we should act as if the virus does not exist or there is no pandemic. Divine grace works on nature. Besides, prudence and wisdom are virtues. So, informed by commonsense and prayerful discernment, let us do everything that may protect ourselves and our loved ones.
JOB POSTING
Department: Finance and Administration
Position Title: Church Secretary and Bookkeeper
Reports to: Finance and Administration Committee
Position Summary:
This position is responsible for carrying out bookkeeping, administrative and secretarial duties for St. John the Evangelist Parish and the residing Priest.
Job Description:
Bookkeeping:
1. Prepare basic accounting worksheets, ie balance sheets and budgets.
2. Record donation information in accounting software.
3. Payroll and government source deductions.
4. Accounts receivable/payable.
5. Prepares and send individual donation receipts.
6. Monthly Bank reconciliations.
7. Prepare GST refund collection to CRA.Administration:
8. Prepare weekly bulletin, including inserts and special announcements.
9. Return and follow up on inquiries received by the Parish.
10. Order office and church supplies as required and requested by the Finance & Administration Committee and the Parish Priest.
11. Coordinate Hall bookings including invoicing, receiving payments, communicating requests with maintenance staff and entry to the venue.
12. Coordinate Mass intentions with the Parish Priest and mentioning in the bulletin.
13. Order donation envelopes annually and for new parishioners.
14. Maintain the Parish Directory and email list.
15. Communicate with parishioners as directed by the Parish Priest and the Finance & Administration Committee.
16. Other administration duties as requested by the Parish Priest and the Finance and Administration Committee.Abilities:
• Ability to communicate effectively with telephone and email
• Knowledge of MS Office (Word, Outlook, Excel)
• Demonstrated administration and financial transaction accuracy
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality.Work Schedule: this position will require 10 hours of work per week. Two half days of scheduled office time per week with the flexibility to include time during the week/weekend depending on requests.
Renumeration
: The position will pay $14.00 per hour.
Tomorrow, August 15, is the Solemnity of the Assumption of Our Lady. Usually I celebrate Mass on Mondays sine populo (without the people). But, since it is such an important feast and many of you might be desiring to attend Mass, I will be celebrating the Holy Eucharist at 8 o’clock in the morning before I leave town to enjoy a day off........... The dogma of the Assumption was formally declared by Pope Pius XII in 1950. Of course, the belief that the Blessed Mother after her life on earth was taken up to heaven body and soul can be traced back to the first century disciples and handed down through the centuries by Sacred Tradition. The dogma of the Assumption does not define how, when or where the Assumption took place, only the fact that Our Lady was taken up to the glory of heaven, body and soul........... I think it is remarkable that the solemnity of the Assumption falls at this time of summer when the gardens and fields are almost ripe for harvesting. It directs our eyes to the harvest at the end of the world wherein we hope to be gathered together into the kingdom of God. The writer Pius Parsch comments, “[T]he Church celebrates the most glorious ‘harvest festival’ in the Communion of Saints. Mary, the supremely blessed one among women, Mary, the most precious fruit which has ripened in the fields of God's kingdom, is today taken into the granary of heaven.”..........
REPRINT / IMPORTANT: At the prompting of our Religious Education Coordinator, Patti Rothenburger, I would like to exhort parents to enrol your children for catechism class and sacramental preparation. Registration forms may be downloaded through the parish website and parish Facebook group. The filled-up forms should all be submitted on or before August 30 through the parish email or by leaving them in the box at the foyer. The registration fee, which may be paid later, is $40 per child to cover the purchase of textbooks and activity books. We will be using the books from Faith & Life series as main material for catechism.
Update: August 6, 2022
Children’s Rosary is on Tuesday evening (August 9) at 7 PM. Parents, bring your children to the Blessed Mother through this devotion. She will bring their prayers for your families before her Son our Lord Jesus......... . IMPORTANT: At the prompting of our Religious Education Coordinator, Patti Rothenburger, I would like to exhort parents to enrol your children for catechism class and sacramental preparation. Registration forms may be downloaded through the parish website and parish Facebook group (2022-2023 Catechism Registration Form). The filled-up forms should all be submitted on or before August 30 through the parish email or by leaving them in the box at the foyer. The registration fee, which may be paid later, is $40 per child to cover the purchase of text- books and activity books. We will be using the books from Faith & Life series as main material for catechism.......... Furthermore, parents are highly encouraged to assist in the religious education of the children. The more volunteers, the lighter the task will become. Besides, as the parents of this year’s First Communicants can attest, guiding the children in their catechism is deepening also their [the parents’] knowledge of the faith. One may volunteer as a catechist or substitute catechist or assisting catechist. So, volunteering to simply help distribute learning materials and keeping the children in line would still be awesome.......... Today, August 7, at 2 PM – 4 PM, one of our own, Marilyn Skubovius, will be awarded the 2020 Citizen of Distinction by the Morden Area Foundation. The award is a recognition given to local citizens who have a strong commitment to making the city a better place to live and visit due to their long-term commitment of service and excellence in leadership. The awarding will be held at the Confederation Park by the Main Street. Congratulations, Marilyn!.......... We recall that the 2019 Citizen of Distinction was awarded to another member of our community, Clare Agnew, for her volunteer work and involvement in organizing sporting events not just in the city but in the region. We are so proud of you, Marilyn & Clare for the back-to-back honour to our parish!
Update: July 30, 2022
As of writing, I am still on a holiday, but I cannot let this weekend pass without expressing gratitude to everyone who participated in the Parish Family Day. It indeed was a lot of fun. We thank God for favouring us with a perfect weather for the celebration which also coincided with the World Day for Grandparents & Elderly. For everyone who were not able to attend, do check the parish Facebook group for pictures and videos of the event............. Our heartfelt thanks to all those who helped in the planning, preparation and clean-up for the Family Day - the Parish Commission on Worship, the CWL, the Couples for Christ. Thanks also to the K of C for letting us use their supplies of disposable plates and utensils. Our greatest admiration and appreciation for the Youth for Christ in facilitating the program and the games! God bless all of you.......... Due to the holiday which I am enjoying a lot, I was not able to follow the pope’s visit. Though I was able to read transcripts of his messages at Maskwacis and at Sacred Heart Church in Edmonton. They are so beautiful! I hope I can make some personal observations next time. For now, I want to end with a quote from his address at Sacred Heart: “The indigenous peoples attribute a powerful cosmic significance to the cardinal points, seen not only as geographical reference points but also as dimensions that embrace all reality and indicate the way to heal it, as embodied by the so-called ‘medicine wheel’. This Church appropriates that symbolism of the cardinal points and gives it a Christological meaning. Jesus, through the four extremities of his cross, has embraced the four cardinal points and has brought together the most distant peoples; Jesus has brought heaing and peace to all things (cf. Eph 2:14). On the cross, he accomplished God’s plan: ‘to reconcile all things’ (cf. Col 1:20).”
Update: July 23, 2022
Holiday cycle for priests starts in August. Meaning, priests in the archdiocese may go on a holiday for a month (or 6 weeks since the pandemic) from August to July. Before the new cycle begins, I’d like to use some of my unused vacation days. Therefore, there will be no weekday Mass in the parish from July 25 to 29.......... Greetings to all grandparents and seniors in our community on this World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly! Here are some inspiring words for you from Pope Francis on this occasion: “In old age they will still bear fruit (Ps 92:15). These words of the Psalmist are glad tidings, a true “gospel” that we can proclaim to all on this second World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. They run counter to what the world thinks about this stage of life, but also to the attitude of grim resignation shown by some of us elderly people, who harbour few expectations for the future. [The] same psalm urges us to persevere in hope. Along with old age and white hairs, God continues to give us the gift of life and to keep us from being overcome by evil. If we trust in him, we will find the strength to praise him still (cf. vv. 14-20). We will come to see that growing old is not a condemnation, but a blessing! Old age is no time to give up and lower the sails, but a season of enduring fruitfulness: a new mission awaits us and bids us look to the future. [W]e are called to be artisans of the revolution of tenderness in our world! Let us do so by learning to make ever more frequent and better use of the most valuable instrument at our disposal and, indeed, the one best suited to our age: prayer. Let us too become, as it were, poets of prayer: let us develop a taste for finding our own words, let us once again take up those taught by the word of God. Our trustful prayer can do a great deal: it can accompany the cry of pain of those who suffer, and it can help change hearts. Let us ask Our Lady, Mother of Tender Love, to make all of us artisans of the revolution of tenderness, so that together we can set the world free from the spectre of loneliness and the demon of war.” This is just an ex- cerpt. Find the entire beautiful papal message online.............
We pray for the success of Pope Francis’ pastoral visit to Canada from today until the 29th. The visit focuses on Indigenous Healing and Reconciliation.
Update: July 16, 2022
I would like to reiterate my request for volunteers to become par- ish Catechists. There are no special qualifications, just the avail- ability, the fondness for young people, and the eagerness to share the faith. The good thing, I observed in the Church here in the Canada, is that there is no lack of resources – manuals, books, digital media - with regards to imparting the faith. So, it’s just a matter of putting these resources to use............ Also, I would like to repeat the invitation to participate in our Parish Family Day celebration next Sunday, July 24. It’s a three-phase celebra- tion starting with the 11 AM outdoor Mass (weather permitting). Agape lunch follows. You may bring potluck to share, but there will be hamburgers and hotdogs for everyone. Kindly sign-up so that we can estimate how much stuff to buy............. July 24 is also the 2nd World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly. So, in- deed our parish celebration is very coincidental. Pope Francis established the universal celebration last year and to be celebrat- ed every closest Sunday to the feast of Sts. Joachim and Anne (July 26). The theme for this year is: IN OLD AGE THEY WILL STILL BEAR FRUIT. The theme “intends to emphasize how grandparents and the elderly are a value and a gift both for soci- ety and for ecclesial communities,” said the communique from the Dicastery for Laity, the Family and Life............. Very im- portantly, I would like to call your attention to the plenary indul- gence is available to everyone who attends Mass or other prayer services on the occasion of World Day for Grandparents & the Elderly. The indulgence can also be applied as a suffrage for the souls in purgatory. To receive the plenary indulgence, which is a full remission of the temporal punishment due for one’s sins, a person must: (a) show detachment from sin, (b) go to confession, (c) receive the Eucharist and (d) pray for the intentions of the pope. The indulgence also is available to “the elderly sick and all those who, unable to leave their homes for a serious reason, spiri- tually join” the celebrations, particularly by watching on television or the internet or listening on the radio, and “offer to the merciful God their prayers, sorrows and suf- ferings,” the Vatican said........... In this connection, I would like to remind you that the regular schedule for Confession in our parish is every Saturday (4-5 PM) and Sunday (6-7 PM). Outside of these times, you may call for an appointment.
Update: July 9, 2022
I would like to reiterate the invitation to all families in our parish, especially those who have not yet experienced it in the past years, to watch the Passion Play at Oak Valley Theatre in
La Rivier. I assure you that it is a very wholesome entertainment which all the members of family can enjoy. It’s an outdoor theatre, so bring your picnic chairs, a sweater or blanket in case it gets cold and bug spray. You may bring your own snack, but food is available for sale at the site. Next set of shows will be on July 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 PM. See posters and website (www.passionplay.ca) for ticket prices and other details.......... Those who are going to watch the play on July 10 may opt to attend the Holy Mass at the site at 4 PM to be presided by yours truly with the Filipino Choir headed by Dennis Cosio. After the Mass you may tour the site following the Stations of the Cross or just visit your friends until the show begins........... Our heartfelt congratulations to all the young people from our parish who have graduated this school year! We pray that your success will inspire you all to strive for the best of what you can be. Do not forget to pray always, and God will bless all your endeavours! Sail on!........... On June 29 which was the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter titled, Desiderio Desideravi. The title is taken from the words of Jesus during the Last Supper: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The letter aims to enhance the “liturgical formation of the People of God” wherein the Holy Father calls for renewed liturgical “astonishment” and “wonder” with regards to the Holy Mass.
I encourage you all to read the letter. Here’s paragraph 10 of the letter to whet your appetite: “Here lies all the powerful beauty of the liturgy. If the resurrection were for us a concept, an idea, a thought; if the Risen One were for us the recollection of the recollection of others, however authoritative, as, for example, of the Apostles; if there were not given also to us the possibility of a true encounter with Him, that would be to declare the newness of the Word made flesh to have been all used up. Instead, the Incarnation, in addition to being the only always new event that history knows, is also the very method that the Holy Trinity has chosen to open to us the way of communion. Christian faith is either an encounter with Him alive, or it does not exist.”
Update: July 2, 2022
I would like to reiterate the invitation to all families in our parish, especially those who have not yet experienced it in the past years, to watch the Passion Play at Oak Valley Theatre in
La Rivier. I assure you that it is a very wholesome entertainment which all the members of family can enjoy. It’s an outdoor theatre, so bring your picnic chairs, a sweater or blanket in case it gets cold and bug spray. You may bring your own snack, but food is available for sale at the site. Next set of shows will be on July 8, 9 and 10 at 7:30 PM. See posters and website (www.passionplay.ca) for ticket prices and other details.......... Those who are going to watch the play on July 10 may opt to attend the Holy Mass at the site at 4 PM to be presided by yours truly with the Filipino Choir headed by Dennis Cosio. After the Mass you may tour the site following the Stations of the Cross or just visit your friends until the show begins........... Our heartfelt congratulations to all the young people from our parish who have graduated this school year! We pray that your success will inspire you all to strive for the best of what you can be. Do not forget to pray always, and God will bless all your endeavours! Sail on!........... On June 29 which was the Solemnity of Sts. Peter and Paul, Pope Francis issued an apostolic letter titled, Desiderio Desideravi. The title is taken from the words of Jesus during the Last Supper: “I have earnestly desired to eat this Passover with you before I suffer” (Luke 22:15). The letter aims to enhance the “liturgical formation of the People of God” wherein the Holy Father calls for renewed liturgical “astonishment” and “wonder” with regards to the Holy Mass.
I encourage you all to read the letter. Here’s paragraph 10 of the letter to whet your appetite: “Here lies all the powerful beauty of the liturgy.
If the resurrection were for us a concept, an idea, a thought; if the Risen One were for us the recollection of the recollection of others, however authoritative, as, for example, of the Apostles; if there were not given also to us the possibility of a true encounter with Him, that would be to declare the newness of the Word made flesh to have been all used up. Instead, the Incarnation, in addition to being the only always new event that history knows, is also the very method that the Holy Trinity has chosen to open to us the way of communion. Christian faith is either an encounter with Him alive, or it does not exist.”
Update: June 25, 2022
The First Communicants last Sunday were very impressive. They behaved so devoutly and reverently! In behalf of the community, I would like to express gratitude to Patti Rothenburger, our parish Religious Education coordinator, together with Susana Hawryshko for facilitating during the celebration. Patti also prepared the certificates for the kids........... The ever reliable St. John CWL furnished the flowers for the Corpus Christi celebration as well as the greeting cards for the First Communicants and the refreshments. Thank you a million times, St. John CWL!!!......... We thank also the fathers of the First Communicants who volunteered to be the canopy bearers during the procession of the Blessed Sacrament............. Finally, our gratitude to the Couples for Christ especially Cypher and Kitin Cayona for providing the sound system during the procession!
Update: June 18, 2022
Congratulations to the First Communicants of 2022!
Rowan Major Gabbie Hawryshko Mark Pascasio Rose Langill Susie Egbufor Kim Alyn Dohinog Ayden Nathen Sequeira Blake Gavigan Lucas Rothenburger Conor Gavigan Kier Anthony Cuevo Anjulia St. Jean Kirsten Ashlee Bautista Tochukwu Bolu-Ariyo Catharina Gaviria Jia Li Franz Javiero Samantha Sales Faith Althea Versoza
May your love for Jesus in the Eucharist continue to grow day by day! Let us congratulate too the parents of these children for accompanying and helping their children in the preparation. Some of them told me that helping their kids in the lessons and in the activities was a wonderful opportunity to review what they learned about the faith and grow in it........... I thank the members of the Commission on Worship for organizing the Corpus Christi procession. Special thanks to Irene Oliviero for securing us a loaned canopy from St. Claude parish for the Blessed Sacrament.
Update: June 11, 2022
Today is the Solemnity of the Most Blessed Trinity, and next Sunday will be the Solemnity of the Most Holy Body & Blood of Christ (Corpus Christi). On the occasion of the latter, I am very happy to announce that 19 children from our parish will receive their First Communion during the 11 AM Mass on that day. At the end of the Mass on that same Sunday, there will be a procession of the Blessed Sacrament starting from the church exiting through the north door traversing the Minnewasta School driveway to St. John St. going to church parking lot where the procession will end with a solemn Benediction........... There will be Children’s Rosary on June 14 (Tuesday) at 7 PM. I invite the parents to bring their children closer to our Lady through this activity.......... There was a little mix up in last Sunday’s bulletin and the Consecration of the Family to the Sacred was not posted. So here it is: CONSECRATION OF THE FAMILY TO THE SACRED HEART
O most Sacred Heart of Jesus, Thou didst reveal to the blessed Margaret Mary Thy desire to rule over Christian families; behold, in order to please Thee, we stand before Thee this day, to proclaim Thy full sovereignty over our family. We desire henceforth to live Thy life, we desire that the virtues, to which Thou hast promised peace on earth, may flower in the bosom of our family; we desire to keep far from us the spirit of the world, which Thou hast condemned. Thou art King of our hearts by our love of Thee alone, with which our hearts are on fire and whose flame we shall nourish by frequent reception of the Holy Eucharist. Be pleased, O Sacred Heart, to preside over our gathering together, to bless our spiritual and temporal affairs, to ward off all annoyance from us, to bless our joys and comfort our sorrows. If any of us has ever been so unhappy as to fall into the misery of displeasing Thee, grant that he may remember, O Heart of Jesus, that Thou art full of goodness and mercy toward the repentant sinner. And when the hour of separation strikes and death enters our family circle, whether we go or whether we stay, we shall all bow meekly before Thine eternal decrees. This shall be our consolation, to remember that the day will come, when our entire family, once more united in heaven, shall be able to sing of Thy glory and Thy goodness forever. May the immaculate Heart of Mary and the glorious Patriarch Saint Joseph vouchsafe to offer Thee this our act of consecration, and to keep the memory thereof alive in us all the days of our lives. Glory to the Heart of Jesus, our King and our Father! Amen
Update: June 4, 2022
We are in the month of June. June 19 is Fathers’ Day, and June 24 is the Feast of the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus! In fact, the whole month of June is dedicated to the Sacred Heart. So, I encourage all fathers as spiritual leaders in the domestic Church to consecrate your families to the heart of Jesus. You may use the prayer found on the opposite page of this bulletin........... The Johnny Depp/Amber Heard trial concluded last June 1. I was not following it, but it is so trending in the news that it stirred my curiosity and was led to read a couple of articles about it. What can I say about it is that both Mr. Depp and Ms. Heard have everything the world can offer – wealth, fame and good looks, and yet they live in so much emptiness and in the darkness of hate and animosity towards each other. Indeed, the whole saga reminds us of the Gospel truth: “What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?” (Mat 16:26). Furthermore, it teaches us an important lesson that while most of us cannot make it big in this world, we can all be great in God’s eyes by drawing close to the heart of Jesus by prayer, good works, the sacraments especially Confession and Holy Eucharist...... Posted below is a report from the Office of the Archbishop regarding the Good Shepherd Campaign conducted in our parish for the last three years. As I have said, the fund raised in the campaign is for the formation of candidates for the priesthood as well us for the training of international priests working for the archdiocese such as myself. On behalf of His Grace the Archbishop, I thank everyone who contributed.
Update: May 28, 2022
I have posted this already in our parish Facebook group, but would like to repeat it here that the Retreat for First Communicants
is scheduled on June 11 (Saturday) at 10 AM to 3 PM. It will be a joint activity with St. Patrick Parish. So, it will be held at the church in Manitou at 532 Fuller St. Lunch will be provided for the kids. Kindly contact me if your kid has a food allergy or for any pertinent inquiry. Finally, I will be checking the workbook during the retreat. So, Parents, kindly take note:
ONLY KIDS WHO HAVE COMPLETED THE WORKBOOK CAN JOIN THE RETREAT AND THE FIRST COMMUNION ON JUNE 19.
Those who are not able to meet the requirement may continue their preparation and we can schedule another First Communion in the Fall........... The First Communicants will receive the First Sacrament of Reconciliation on June 18 (Saturday) at 6:30 PM.......... Children’s Rosary is on May 31 at 7 PM. That’s also the Feast of the Visitation. I invite the parents to bring their kids and present them to Mama Mary..........On behalf of the entire parish community, I would like to express congratulations to Marilyn Skubovius for being the recipient of this year’s citizen of distinction award from the Morden Area Foundation. We are so proud of you!......... I would like to invite volunteers to lend a hand in our parish hamburger booth during the Corn & Apple Festival from August 25 to 28. The sign up sheets are on the parish bulletin board. There are no special skills needed, just joyful availability!
Update: May 21, 2022
This is the final installation of the highlights on the parish consultation on synodality. Question 4: Through the parish’s PPC, committees, and groups, how do we dialogue and learn from other sectors of society? (e.g., government and other religions) Answer: The parish dialogues and learns from other sectors of government mostly through tie-ups with other groups and organizations established by the parish CWL. It is observed that more can be done in this area like: (a) Outreach and getting involved in social programs outside of the church or activities of other churches (b) Get-togethers and open forums (c) Making use of social media
(d) Information dissemination by the PPC.......... Question 5: Since we are all missionary disciples, every baptized person is called to participate in the mission of the Church. What hinders the baptized from being active in mission? What areas of mission are we neglecting? Answer: Many of the respondents mentioned lack of time and concerns to earn a living as main hindrance in participating the Church’s mission. Other hindrances mentioned are: (a) pandemic (b) indifference and passivity (waiting for someone to lead), (c) lack of commitment (d) Cultural differences (e) personal health condition (f) Weather disturbances (g) Lack of knowledge about the faith and how to share it (h) Shyness, Fear and feeling of unworthiness (i) Secular humanism in a progressive society. Meanwhile, according to the respondents, the areas of mission that are neglected in the parish are: (a) Care for the needy (b) Spiritual education for children and young people (c) Promotion of peace (d) Care for the Elderly
Update: May 14, 2022
With abortion and MAiD grabbing so many headlines these days, it is more important than ever that the Christians fulfill their task as prophets and show support for a culture of life. Life Culture Canada is inviting everyone to join the WALK FOR LIFE on May 28 at 10 AM at K.R. Barkman Park in Steinbach.......... The Archdiocese will have two new priests! On Saturday, June 4, 2022, Rev. Deacon Paul Nguyen will be ordained at the St. Boniface Cathedral at 10:00 AM. On Friday, July 8, 2022, Rev. Deacon Serge Buissé will be ordained at the St. Boniface Cathedral at 7:00 PM. Everybody is invited to attend especially those who have yet to witness an ordination. Let us pray for the new priests and for more vocations!......... Now, the high- lights from the parish consultation on synodality - Question 3: In our parish, what hinders parishioners and those who suffer from speaking openly and being accompanied on their respective journeys? Answer: A majority of the respondents confided that fear of criticism, prejudice and bias is the primary hindrance for parishioners to speak openly and being accompanied on their respective journeys. Some mentioned lack of opportunities due to the pandemic. Others mentioned different ethnicities and languages in the parish as also a hindrance to openness. Other answers include: (a) Weather disturbances (b) Not comfortable with certain persons (c) Lack of information (d) No time to interact due to several jobs (e) People don’t know to whom to talk to (f) Lack of faith conviction / determination. At least one respondent expressed apprehension on the real purpose of synodality that it might result to watering down of the Gospel message.
Update: May 7, 2022
I had a wonderful retreat in Pinawa together with the Archbishop and other priests of the archdiocese. I surely felt the support of your prayers. Thank you so much........... The theme of the retreat was: Your Word is a Lamp to My Feet and a Light to My Path. It was facilitated by Sr. Jacqueline St-Yves, a Grey Nun from Montreal........... Summarized Answer to the questionnaire on synodality - Q2: In our parish, what enables us to listen to one another including the voices of those who suffer?
A2: A few of the respondents tended to answer this question through the lens of the pandemic, and so there were those who said that nothing is actually happening in the parish in this regard. However, several replied that fellowship among parishioners after the Mass was the avenue through which members of the parish community were able to listen to one another. There is a general impression that members of the community are open and compassionate towards each other, and the leaders are administering the parish with love and humility. Other answers with regards to ways that enabled parishioners to listen to one another are: (a) visiting new parishioners, the sick, the hospitalized, the house-bound, the lonely, etc. (b) involving in fundraising activities to help those in need (c) Sharing time and talent (d) joining in the initiatives of religious organizations like the CWL. Finally, somebody suggested that a box be put out for people to drop in their requests or needs and as avenue to voice out.
Update: April 30, 2022
Not very long ago, during the Holy Week, we were reminded how our Lord entrusted us to his mother through his beloved disciple. The account of the Lord’s first miracle at Cana, the apparitions of Our Lady throughout the world reveals the power of her intercession. However, by entrusting us her care and protection, we are also called to honour and revere her. That is why the Lord did not only say to his mother, “Beloved thy son,” he also said to the beloved disciple, “Behold thy mother.” Well, the month of May is the month of Mary. I encouraged you all to intensify your devotion to our Lady by praying the Rosary daily or any short Marian prayer (especially if the children are still small and you have just revived family prayer in your home).......... I have submitted the summarized answers to the questionnaire on synodality before I left for a short break this week. I will be posting here the answers by instalments............ Q1: In our parish, how is God speaking to us? A1: Most respondents to the questionnaire mentioned the Holy Scriptures being read at Mass as the way through which they were able to listen to God speaking. It is closely followed by the homily of the priest. Some respondents also mentioned personal and communal prayers and devotions. A few consider the kindness and especially the advices from other members of the parish community as directions given by God. Still others said that God speaks through the sacrament of Reconciliation, through the love and care experienced in the family, through the circumstances of daily life. A couple of respondents mentioned the internet and social media as way of listening to God speaking. Finally, one respondent remarked that God speaks through our thoughts, visions and dreams........... Again, I request for your prayers as I join the archbishop and the other priests of the archdiocese for a holy retreat at Wilderness Edge Retreat Centre in Pinawa from May 2 to 6. There will be no Mass at our church this week
Update: April 23, 2022
Happy Easter to all of you my dear parishioners! Here’s an excerpt from Pope Francis Urbi et Orbi message: “Today, more than ever, we hear echoing the Easter proclamation so dear to the Christian East: “Christ is risen! He is truly risen!” Today, more than ever, we need him, at the end of a Lent that has seemed endless. We emerged from two years of pandemic, which took a heavy toll. It was time to come out of the tunnel together, hand in hand, pooling our strengths and resources... Instead, we are showing that we do not yet have within us the spirit of Jesus but the spirit of Cain, who saw Abel not as a brother, but as a rival, and thought about how to eliminate him. We need the crucified and risen Lord so that we can believe in the victory of love, and hope for reconciliation. Today, more than ever, we need him to stand in our midst and repeat to us: ‘Peace be with you!’”..........
My gratitude to the newly constituted Commission on Worship in our parish! They helped me plan and organize the liturgical celebrations during the Holy Week:
Carole Schofield (Ministry of Lectors), Jewel White (Ministry on Music), Irene Oliviero (Ministry on Devotions & Popular Piety), Gregory Wall (Ministry of Altar Servers). I thank also all those who volunteered to do the Readings, the Altar servers, the cantors, the members of the choir and our parish musicians............ Special thanks to Denis Magotiaux, Esther Thiessen, Marilyn Skubovius, and Monique Rampton of Morden Nurseries & Garden Centre for the decorations and physical arrangement in our church........... There will be no weekday Mass this week (April 25-29) and also next week (May 2-6). I will be on a brief Easter break and then to the Clergy retreat in Pinawa. Do pray for me as I undergo the retreat.
Update: April 9, 2022
This week is Holy Week wherein the central celebration occurs during the Triduum. The word “triduum” comes from the Latin “tres dies” meaning “three days” referring to Holy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday. The liturgies in the church during these days are not separate from each other but rather comprise one big celebration. The Triduum after all is the peak of the liturgical year much bigger than Christmas or any other feast........... The Triduum begins with the commemoration of the Last Supper on Holy Thursday which recalls how Jesus, on the eve of his passion, established the Holy Eucharist and the ministerial priesthood. He offered his body and blood to the Father under the species of bread and wine and gave to the Apostles the command that they perpetuate the offering in his memory. We also recall Jesus washing the feet of his apostles giving them and us the example and commandment to love one another. This is why this day is also known as Maundy Thursday. “Maundy” is from the Latin “mandatum” meaning “commandment”. This reveals to us that receiving holy communion without being sincerely ready to love one another, we are not really recognizing the Lord in the Eucharist........... On Good Friday we shall meditate on the mystery of Christ’s death and adore the Cross. In the final moments of his life, before giving up his spirit to the Father, Jesus said: “It is finished” (Jn 19:30). What do these words mean, when Jesus says: “It is finished”? It means that the work of salvation is finished, that all of the Scriptures have found their total fulfillment in the love of Christ, the immolated Lamb. Jesus, by his Sacrifice, has transformed the greatest iniquity into the greatest love. We are called imitate it........... On Holy Saturday, the Church contemplates the “repose” of Christ in the sepulchre after the victorious battle of the Cross. But, in the evening the celebration of Easter begins with the great Easter Vigil in which fire is blessed symbolizing the light of faith conquering the darkness in creation due to sin. We listen to readings from the Old Testament vigil filled with hope in expectation of his coming return, when Easter will be fully manifest. Finally, the Alleluia re-sounds once more as we celebrate Christ Risen, the centre and the purpose of the cosmos and of history. Within the Mass, we renew our Baptismal promises professing our union with Christ and in his victory over sin and death.
Update: April 2, 2022
I understand that in the past, when the parish was still using the church at Stephen Street, the community used to do spring cleaning just in time for Holy Week. Unlike the maintenance cleaning that is done every week, this is a thorough cleaning of the church facilities and premises. The primary reason, of course, is practical – i.e., to make the church spic and span for the Holy Week festivities. However, it has also a communitarian aspect. It gives opportunity for members of the parish to meet, get to know each other and work together. Above all, the activity reminds us of a much superior cleaning that needs to be done in preparation for the festivities - the cleaning of another temple that is the body. To have a meaningful celebration of Easter, we must rid ourselves of spiritual filth………. Our 10-year old parish church is still relatively new. But, it certainly need some tender loving care. So, it would be nice to revive the spring cleaning tradition. Our brothers and sisters from the Ukrainian community volunteered to spearhead this year’s spring cleaning. I invite everyone to join on April 8 (Friday) from 5 PM onwards. This would be an opportunity to get to know our Ukrainian brothers and sisters and learn of the situation in their country beyond what’s portrayed in the news………. More importantly, do not forget the spiritual cleaning that needs to be done in your soul! In view of the Reconciliation Night on April 4 (Monday) 7 PM, let us consult what the saints think about the sacrament of Confession: “The beginning of good works is the confession of evil works”(St. Augustine). “Do you want to become saints? Here is the secret: confession is the lock; confidence in your confessor is the key. This is how you open heaven’s gates”(St. John Bosco). “Our Lord himself I saw in . . . this venerable sacrament. I felt as if my chains fell, as those of St. Peter, at the touch of the divine messenger” (St. Elizabeth Ann Seton). “Confess your sins and acknowledge them readily, repenting of them abundantly. And through this confession of the heart and contrition of the soul, you will find cleanliness” (St. Angela of Foligno). “If you have an ugly toad inside you, my son, let it out! As I have always advised you, the first thing you must mention is what you wouldn’t like anybody to know. Once the toad has been let out in confession, how well one feels” (St. Josemaria Escriva). “If there is a heavenly idea in the Catholic Church, surely, next after the Blessed Sacrament, Confession is such” (St. John Henry Newman).
Update: March 26, 2022
Last Friday, our parish joined Pope Francis and the entire Catholic world in consecrating humanity especially Ukraine and Russia to the Immaculate Heart of Mary. After the usual Friday Lenten observances – Station of the Cross, Holy Mass, Eucharistic Adoration and Holy Rosary – those who were present at church recited the prayer of consecration using the official text issued by the Vatican. The liturgy was capped with the singing of the Salve Regina ........... The parish Commission of Worship had a meeting last Thursday to plan for the Holy Week activities. Indeed, the thought of being able to celebrate Holy Week this year as one big community brings so much joy! The schedule of the activities will be posted soon. For the meantime, we need volunteers! So, kindly sign-up for the any of the following: (a) Guardians of the Blessed Sacrament who will take turns to do hourly-vigil at the altar of repose. The vigil will start after the liturgy on Holy Thursday up until Holy Saturday, (b) 12 people who will represent the Apostles during the washing of feet on Holy Thursday, and (c) Readers during the Triduum but especially during the Easter Vigil on the evening of Holy Saturday (April 16). The sign up sheets are on the bulletin board and on the table at the foyer........... But, before Holy Week arrives, let us go to Confession! Kindly mark on your calendar the schedule of the parish Reconciliation Evening. It will be on April 4 (Monday) at 7 PM. I have invited Fr. Mario Veloso of Our Lady of Mt. Carmel Parish in Carman to come and assist me in hearing Confessions. So, do yourself a favour and receive God’s gift of mercy through the sacrament of Penance............The Reconciliation Night will start with the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, followed by the liturgy of the Word, an Examination of Conscience and then Individual Confession and Absolution.
Update: March 19, 2022
Again, I thank everyone who participated in the parish consultation on synodality. I have received 27 answered questionnaires. Having heard from the other priests in the Mountain Deanery, I would say that we must have the highest turnout of respondents for the parish consultation. And considering that in some cases, one questionnaire is answered by a couple or one family or a group of individuals, then, it is possible that we may have the best participation throughout the entire archdiocese! I am so proud of you, my dear parishioners........... The hard work of collating all the answer begins. The collated answers will be sent to the office of the Archbishop on or before April 29. Be assured that the summary of all the answers will also be posted on the bulletin and online.......... IMPORTANT REMINDER: General dispensation from Sunday Mass is now lifted. What does this mean? It means that the obligation to participate in the Holy Mass every Sunday has resumed. Failure to fulfil the obligation incurs mortal sin. One must spiritually nourish oneself with the Eucharist weekly unless one has a serious reason to miss doing so........... Of course, we are not yet totally out of the woods. The pandemic is not yet over. So, being vulnerable due to old age or being immune compromised or having infants in the house or having to take care of the vulnerable is a just reason for not attending Mass on Sunday. But then you must not allow your soul to starve from the Body of Christ for much longer. If you can still risk going to the grocery to buy nourishment for your body, why not risk going to church to avail nourishment for your soul? You may come to Mass on a weekday when there’s just less than 10 people .......... There are some seniors who come to Friday devotion and Sunday Mass without fail even during the restrictions. I am not saying that everyone is called to do that. But, certainly their heroic witnessing has inspired me, and I am sincerely convinced that their piety has benefited the entire parish community.
Update: March 12, 2022
The Children’s Rosary last week was cancelled due to highway conditions. It’s transferred to this Tuesday, March 15, at 7 PM. I am inviting all parents with kids to participate. Hopefully the weather and highway conditions will be better this time.......... Kudos to the Crafts Group coordinated by Jeannette Warnock for the first one to hand in their answers to the questionnaire on Synodality!.......... For this weekend’s parish consultation after the Mass, take note of the following instructions: (a) You may choose to answer the questionnaire individually. (b) Much better still, you may answer the questionnaire as a family or you may group among yourselves and share answers noting them in a single questionnaire. (c) You may go to the parish hall or parish conference hall for the sharing. (d) Having completed the questionnaire, you may leave it (and the pen) in the box pro- vided on the table at the church foyer. I thank everyone for your participation........... Those who were not able to come to church this weekend may participate in the parish consultation by downloading the questionnaire from the diocesan website. On the right hand side of the website, click the banner that says Synod of Synods, then click the link that says Fillable PDF Form for Discussion Summaries, download, answer in your computer. When completed, send the questionnaire as email attachment to the parish email – stjohnparishmorden@gmail.com. All completed questionnaires must be in for compilation on or before March 20
Update: March 5, 2022
March 13 is the 2nd Sunday of Lent. Part of our Lenten penance, if we can call it that, is to go through the parish consultation on synodality. I will not be giving a homily during the Mass next weekend so that we can have more time for the activity.......... What do we mean by synodality? Well, the word “synod” comes from the Greek syn-odos, meaning “the same way” or “the same path”. In the Church, the term refers to the meeting of bishops from all over the world together with some experts to discuss topics like the Eucharist, the Scriptures, the new evangelization, the family, etc. In each case, the bishops vote on a Final Document, then the pope writes his own text called an “apostolic exhortation” – to explain what was discussed in the synod and to open new path- ways for the Church basing on the discussion........... So, in October of 2023, the bishops and theological experts and other delegates will convene in Rome for the Synod on Synods. The theme of the synod is -
CHURCH: COMMUNION, PARTICIPATION, MISSION.
However, Pope Francis is inviting Catholics everywhere to be part of the synodal process, thus the parish consultation. The Holy Father is asking us to re-learn the ways of being Church together by creating spaces of encounter and mutual listening that incorporate the gifts of all the baptized as we face the many challenges of renewing the life of the Church for our time........... Some people are apprehensive about this process. They fear that this would lead to the democratization in the Church. However, Pope Francis made it clear that the protagonist in the synodal process is the Holy Spirit, not the people. The point of a democratic assembly is to discern the will of the people. It is because in a democracy, the people is sovereign. But, in the synod, the point is discerning, not the will of the people, but the will of the Holy Spirit. In this context, the Spirit is sovereign. Through the synodal process, the Church is saying: the voice of everyone matters because God can talk through anyone, not only through the bishops and experts but all of us...........
Update: February 26, 2022
March 2 is the beginning of Lent. It is Ash Wednesday.
The Mass and imposition of ashes will be after the recitation of the Holy Rosary at 7 PM.......... Be reminded that Ash Wednesday is a day of Abstinence and Fasting. This means that Catholics who are 14 years old and above are obliged to abstain from eating flesh meat and meat products. Moreover, those who are 18 years old up to 59 years old, should not only abstain from meat but should also fast........... How should one fast? One may fast by consuming only bread and water. However, the minimum one can do in order to fast is to take one full meal on Wednesday plus two small meals that should not equal to one full meal........... All Fridays of Lent are days of Abstinence. You may substitute the obligation with a work of mercy. But, I exhort everyone to take seriously the Lenten observances in solidarity with our Ukrainian brothers and sisters. The crisis in Ukraine will certainly create painful ripples around the world if it is not stopped. It will affect us in one way or another. We have barely come out of the worldwide pandemic, and now this! So, let us pray hard for peace in Ukraine. We have many brothers and sisters here in our area who have family and friends there.......... Pope Francis, in fact, has declared this Wednesday a day of fasting for peace. He said, “I would like to appeal to everyone, believers and non-believers alike. Jesus taught us that the diabolical evil of violence is answered with the weapons of God, with prayer and fasting. I invite everyone to make next March 2, Ash Wednesday, a day of fasting for peace. I encourage believers in a special way to devote themselves intensely to prayer and fasting on that day.
May the Queen of Peace preserve the world from the madness of war.”
Update: February 19, 2022
My heart is overwhelmed with gratitude for those who expressed get-well-soon wishes, brought food and offered prayers during my convalescence. Be assured that I did not waste any of my sufferings (no matter how minor they were), but rather offered them up for the Lord for your intentions and everyone in the parish. Indeed, the health breakdown was an opportunity for me to live up to what we believe about redemptive suffering………. I have been receiving queries about First Communion and Holy Confirmation for our children. We have not resumed yet the Sunday school and the sacramental preparation classes. However, children may receive First Communion on June 19 which is the Feast of the Corpus Christi if parents will take up the challenge of preparing the children themselves. As I have said before, maybe one of the goods that God wants to bring out from the evil of the pandemic is that parents take seriously their role as first catechists for their children and to really make the home the domestic church……….. Parents who want to prepare their children for First Communion should purchase Book Two of the Faith and Life Series titled Jesus Our Life. They must purchase both the text book and the work book which consist of 34 lessons. The parents may read and understand the lessons with their children and allow their children to answer the corresponding exercises on the workbook. The completed workbook will then be submitted to me in the first week of June. Only those who have completed all the lessons will be admitted for First Communion……….. The textbook and workbook may be purchased online at www.josephsinspirational.ca. If you need any clarification don’t hesitate to contact me……….. Due to unavoidable circumstances, we are not able to print this Sunday’s parish bulletin. Nonetheless, the Mass intentions for this week are the following:
February 19 (Saturday) 5 PM - the intentions of all parishioners
February 20 (Sunday)
11 AM – the eternal repose of Milagros Centino – req. Chester Centino
7 PM – the Healing & intentions of Jeff Sigurdson – req. Tara Beatty
February 23 (Wednesday) 7 PM - the healing of Jeff Sigurdson – req. Tara Beatty
February 25 (Friday) 10 AM - the healing of Jeff Sigurdson – req. Tara Beatty
https://www.josephsinspirational.ca/products/jesus-our-life-student-book-grade-2-3rd-edition?variant=28760393482305
Update: February 5, 2022
The donation receipts are ready for pick up at the church lobby........... In behalf of the Parish Finance Council,I would like to thank everyone for your gener- osity in supporting the parish. Be assured that even if most of you cannot come for the liturgy, you have been nourished spiritually by it through the bond of Baptism that we all share. That’s what the communion of saints is all about........... At this point, I would like also to encourage those who are relatively new in the parish - the Catholic immigrants - to step up in supporting the parish. The original members of the parish made great sacrifices to build a beautiful church building. We should try our best to own it by supporting for its upkeep by giving at least a minimum........... How can one determine the minimum to give to the church? Well, the easiest is to give 1 dollar a day for the Lord for each Catholic family. That means 365 dollars every year. 1 dollar for each day for each family, that’s even less than a cup of coffee at Tim Horton’s. Another way of determining the minimum is to add the ages of all the Catholic members in the household. For example, if the combined age of the parents is 80 and the children is 24, so the minimum donation for the year would be 104 dollars..........May I remind you that a percentage of your donation is re to you by way of tax refund........... You may request the parish office for donation envelopes or you may donate through e-transfer.
Update:January 30, 2022
The early Christians in Rome invented secret symbols – e.g. the ichthus or the sign of the fish – in order to identify each other and to whom the information about the celebration of the Mass may be passed. The risk of such information falling into the wrong hands was real as well as the threat of being rounded up during the Mass to be fed to wild beasts in the Colosseum. In the late 1550’s of Elizabethan England, attending a Catholic Mass was considered high treason against the monarchy punishable by hanging, drawing and burning. It was the same in 1920’s during the Cristero rebellion in Mexico. Priests woredisguises and celebrated Mass with the faithful in secret. Those who were caught were sentenced to die by firing squad. Today, underground Catholics in China celebrate the Holy Eucharist always with the threat of being captured and sent to re-education (a.k.a. concentration) camps……….. Why am I telling you this? It is because I sense a tendency within the community to demand that our church should be 100% safe and sanitized, and unless this is done you will not come to church. Have our faith grown so soft that we demand a risk-free worship? What would the martyrs and confessors say to us on the Last Judgement? This just shows we don’t quite understand what the Mass is! It is a re-presentation (being present once again) at the Lord’s sacrifice on Calvary. And the crucifixion was messy and deadly! During the Mass we honour Someone who died for us, and we expect to feel good about ourselves, to be safe and comfortable? No wonder we might stop coming to church simply because we find the pastor eccentric or our feelings were hurt by somebody in the church. I tell you, this attitude calls for repentance............ By all means, I am not suggesting that everybody should come to Sunday Mass at this time. The obligation to do so is still suspended. What I am exhorting everyone is to pray over your decisions. Allow God to be part of your every decision whether big or small. Present your circumstances before the Lord. Pray and ask for signal graces to guide you to a decision in accordance with His will. If you feel God is telling you to stay away from the liturgy temporarily for the sake of loved ones, follow his lead. Be confident of your decision as divinely willed, andtake advantage of your extended Eucharistic fast to enlarge your hunger for the Lord in the Eucharist. Take up a devotion or Bible reading. But, for the sake of your souls, do not indulge in self-pitying how much you miss coming to church because the presence of some people doesn’t make you feel it is safe enough. That is mere sentimentalism! .......... I have been urged to show leadership by pressing everybody to get vaccinated, thus every one can feel safe to come to church. I’m sorry to disappoint, but I would rather concern with spiritual health than physical health. Besides, there are authorities who are vouching for the vaccine. I exhort everyone to listen,evaluate, pray and discern before God what they say. Pray and discern not because we don’t believe God answers prayers through findings in medical science, but because it is naiveté to presume that politics and corporate profit does not factor also in our current situation. Regardless of each one’s prayerful decision on this matter, however, everybody is welcome to receive the sacraments in church. From my end, by word and example, I will strive to lead how we can use this crisis as opportunity for conversion that we may gain divine perspective – to think as He thinks, to see as He sees.
Update: January 22, 2022
This week I submitted to the Office of the Archbishop our parish statistics report. The archdiocese will then collate the reports from all the parishes and submit them to the Vatican. I would like to share with you the numbers from our parish………. For the year 2021: We have 10 infant Baptisms, 13 First Communicants, 0 Confirmations, 0 Weddings, and 3 Funerals……….. Isn’t this interesting? In the time of pandemic, we have more Baptisms than Funerals. And, they are not due to the virus! It’s the same for the year 2020: We had 8 infant Baptisms, 5 First Communicants, 1 Confirmation, 0 Weddings, and 1 Funeral. Contrast these figures with 2019 – i.e. before the pandemic – which was my first year here in the parish: We had 9 infant Baptisms and 6 Funerals……….. In short, we have more funerals the single year before the pandemic than the 2 years of pandemic combined. Yet none of these is due to the deadly virus. Moreover, I learned of only a couple of hospitalizations from among the members of the community and a handful of positives. What can we call this? Is it mere good fortune? Not at all! It’s a blessing!God is affirming our faith! He is reassuring us that he is not deaf to our pleas. I know that all of you are praying hard and are offering sacrifices for this chastisement to end. Keep it up. That is how our ancestors in the faith respond to crisis – by turning it into an opportunity for the deepening of the spiritual life: cultivating an intense prayer life, growing in faith and in the virtues especially fortitude and long-suffering……….. While each one is praying for the protection against illness and for the end of the pandemic, we have the Children’s Rosary who faithfully does their devotion in behalf of the community. I know also of parishioners who are doing beyond the call of duty by attending an extra Mass or two during the week, some spending time before the Blessed Sacrament, and others taking up novenas or Bible reading. They provide the spiritual powerhouse of our community which benefit all of us……….. For my part, since the first lockdown, I do daily holy hour for the protection of everyone in the parish and my loved ones. And if somebody is hospitalized, I rise up at dawn to prostrate before the exposed Blessed Sacrament. I do it every day until the person is released from the hospital. (Thankfully, I did not have to do this oftenbecause I really love a good sleep.) Early last year also I felt the call to do complete fasting once a week consuming only bread and water every Wednesday (day of St. Joseph)for the healing of marital and familial relationships that are strained because of the pandemic. I tell you this without any tinge of boastfulness, but to encourage you above all to hold on to hope and trust in God during these difficult times. Let go of fear. Do not be afraid. Of course, that is not to say we should act as if the virus does not exist or there is no pandemic. Divine grace works on nature. Besides, prudence and wisdom are virtues. So, informed by commonsense and prayerful discernment, let us do everything that may protect ourselves and our loved ones.
JOB POSTING
Department: Finance and Administration
Position Title: Church Secretary and Bookkeeper
Reports to: Finance and Administration Committee
Position Summary:
This position is responsible for carrying out bookkeeping, administrative and secretarial duties for St. John the Evangelist Parish and the residing Priest.
Job Description:
Bookkeeping:
1. Prepare basic accounting worksheets, ie balance sheets and budgets.
2. Record donation information in accounting software.
3. Payroll and government source deductions.
4. Accounts receivable/payable.
5. Prepares and send individual donation receipts.
6. Monthly Bank reconciliations.
7. Prepare GST refund collection to CRA.Administration:
8. Prepare weekly bulletin, including inserts and special announcements.
9. Return and follow up on inquiries received by the Parish.
10. Order office and church supplies as required and requested by the Finance & Administration Committee and the Parish Priest.
11. Coordinate Hall bookings including invoicing, receiving payments, communicating requests with maintenance staff and entry to the venue.
12. Coordinate Mass intentions with the Parish Priest and mentioning in the bulletin.
13. Order donation envelopes annually and for new parishioners.
14. Maintain the Parish Directory and email list.
15. Communicate with parishioners as directed by the Parish Priest and the Finance & Administration Committee.
16. Other administration duties as requested by the Parish Priest and the Finance and Administration Committee.Abilities:
• Ability to communicate effectively with telephone and email
• Knowledge of MS Office (Word, Outlook, Excel)
• Demonstrated administration and financial transaction accuracy
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality.Work Schedule: this position will require 10 hours of work per week. Two half days of scheduled office time per week with the flexibility to include time during the week/weekend depending on requests.
Renumeration
: The position will pay $14.00 per hour.
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Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament Every Friday at 10:00 am Chaplet of the Divine Mercy
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Children's Rosary Prayer Group: Wednesday, September 8 at 7:00 pm
Note: The September date has been changed to coincide with the feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. We are excited to share that a Children’s rosary prayer group has formed at our Parish. Although the target ages are from 4-14 this prayer group allows participation of children of all ages. Younger children and siblings are encouraged to participate as well. This is a unique opportunity for the children of our parish to come together to pray and to lead us all into prayer. Adults are welcome and encouraged to come to the Children’s Rosary as the “guardian angels” of this movement. The rosary will be held monthly on the second Tuesday of each month at 7:00 pm during Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament. No prior knowledge of the Rosary is needed. Rosaries and prayer books will be provided. All are welcome! For more information about the details of the origin of the Children’s rosary visit this website: www.childrensrosary.org. If you have any questions please contact: Fabiola Titchkosky at (204) 822-1271 Parish Rosary Night Please consider this an invitation to all parishioners of St. John’s to join us in saying the Rosary, Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. |
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Regular Mass Times:
Saturday: 5:00 p.m.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 pm
For daily mass times, please refer to the weekly bulletin under the "Bulletin" tab.
Sunday: 11:00 a.m. and 7:00 pm
For daily mass times, please refer to the weekly bulletin under the "Bulletin" tab.
