Fr. Justin
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3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time
Seville, Spain Dear Friends in Christ,
Many people come to our parishes for the first time and fall in love with it and feel right at home. Others struggle to make it fit for them and their families. But sometimes people don’t always come away with the best impression of our parish family. Now, we all know that some people are just born complainers and you just can’t please everyone. At the same time, however, the stranger among us is Christ, and we must respond to the stranger as if to Christ Himself.
Many Catholics are used to just punching in their time clock by fulfilling their obligation to hear Holy Mass every Sunday and Holy Day. The reason we go to Mass, though, is so that we become better disciples of Christ, and if we can’t show that we are Christians by our love in our own parish family, then maybe we’re missing the boat. Protestant congregations can’t survive if they don’t court members and make them feel a part of the community. The Catholic Church can survive through anything, but shouldn’t we still make those who pass through our doors on Sunday feel like they are loved and treasured, not only by Jesus, but by the entire parish? We don’t have to turn the Sign of Peace into the Grope of Goodwill or stage theatrics of welcoming to do that.
What can we do? A smile and a nod of acknowledgment to the people in the pew with you. Courteous behaviour before, during and after Mass (like praying and not holding private conversations). Introduce yourself to people who are new to you after Mass. Hang out in the narthex and outside around the church and meet your brothers and sisters in Christ.
Remember that people see us in church on Sunday, but they also see us at restaurants, at work, in the grocery store, on vacation. Wherever we go, we are SHJ & SHM & St. B parishioners and, even if we don’t realize it, people will gain an impression of what our parish is like from us. For those of you who sneak out of church without ever saying hello to Father (LOL, I know who you are!), come over and help me put a face with a name (or an envelope number!). Each one of you counts. Not as numbers in the Archdiocesan Spiritual Report to show the Archbishop how many we can say are registered, but as souls precious in the eyes of the Lord and in the eyes of your priest and fellow parish family members.
See you next Sunday!Fr. JustinLinks, Random Thoughts & Recommendations
Nowhere to put the snow!- Thanks to all the men at both parishes who helped to dig us out of the massive amounts of snow that fell Sunday/Monday, esp. Dale Clemens, Gerrard Forestell, Larry Massey & Jacques Lambier. Truly impressive that the paths were clear in just a few days. Thank you men!
- Just want to thank everyone for wearing masks while at church (esp. in Marmora!). I know it's a drag, but apparently still necessary. Thanks for your compliance and ongoing cooperation. God-willing this is the beginning of the end. Ushers are doing a fantastic job.
- Please stop now and say an Ave for Clarita Zantua, a good and devout parishioner, who is in hospital fighting COVID. Her husband Rodel must be so worried.
- The hot water tank needed replacing at the rectory, so thanks to Bob Murphy & Gary Poirier for taking care of this and installing a new one. I'm not holy enough to take cold showers that often!
- Winter Weather: As you know, this time of year has unpredictable weather, especially in our area. All closings due to inclement weather will be announced through Flocknote emails/texts. If you do not receive the weekly Flocknote Fridays, please email Pauline at rcmarmoramadoc@gmail.com to have your information updated in Flocknote. If you give Pauline your cell phone number, then we can blast out texts on those rare instances when Mass/events are cancelled. Or you can do it yourself by signing up/in at Flocknote and creating a (free) account.
- On Wednesday we had a terrific First Communion/Reconciliation orientation meeting with candidates and parents. A really good bunch of eager students desiring to receive these two great sacraments of initiation. If you have not signed your child(ren) up for First Communion, you are asked to do so ASAP. Anyone who missed out on these sacraments last year are asked to especially register your child(ren). Letters have been sent home from our parish schools recently. If your child does not attend SH school, fill out form (below) and contact Pauline at the parish office (rcmarmoramadoc@gmail.com or 613.472.2220) early next week to register. We will find a way to bring you up to speed and get the resource books and worksheets to you.
2021 Tax Receipt Notice to Parishioners: Your tax receipts for donations made in 2021 are now available to be picked up at the back of the Church. Making them available for pick-up ahead of the Feb 28 deadline saves the parish the cost of mailing them, so we are grateful to those parishioners who can pick them up when they come to Mass. They are in alphabetical order. Please ensure to check the complete name, so you do no pick up someone else's receipt. We will mail out those that have not been picked up during the week of Feb 14th. (St. Bernadette's tax receipts will be mailed out. If the office does not have an address for you, you will find your receipt in the Box at SHM, Madoc).
Save the Date (and your Candles!) Candlemas, also known as the Feast of Light, is a day of purification, renewal, and hope. On this day, exactly 40 days after Christmas, we commemorate Mary’s obedience to Mosaic law by submitting herself to the temple for the ritual of purification, as commanded in Leviticus 12:2-8. Because of Simeon's bold statement of Christ as the light, the Church chooses this feast day to have a special yearly procession and blessing of candles. On Wed, Feb 2nd at the 9am SHM Mass, there will be a blessing of candles. You may either bring your own candles to be blessed or you can purchase Candlemas Candles (there are 2x8” candles in a box for $5).
Thanks to all those who are continuing to drop off non-perishable items to our food box. With the rising costs of groceries, more and more people are relying on the Food Bank.
SHJ Parishioners, as you know the CWL President, Dorothy Meehan is not well enough to continue on in this role. Ladies, the CWL is important to this parish and we would like to see this League continue. Your assistance in this matter is greatly needed. We would need someone to step in and organize the various committees, hold new elections and bring this League back to Sacred Heart of Jesus. Your help and support with a simple response is greatly appreciated. You can send your thoughts by email (rcmarmoramadoc@gmail.com) to the parish office. Thanks for your consideration.
Our former pastor, Fr. Louis DiRocco suffered a heart attack yesterday. Upon his arrival at KGH, he underwent surgery to have a stent put in. Fr. Price & I spoke to him last night - he's in good spirits and doing well, but is expected to remain in hospital for the next 3 days. He would ask for your prayers. Send him a text or call him @ 613.531.2511
More (free) rosaries are available near the confessional, courtesy of our Knights of Columbus. Try and pray the Rosary everyday if you can. A wonderful source of grace and peace and protection in our crazy world.
Wanna watch an awesome lecture?- We are in need of new choir members, especially in SHJ Marmora. If you can carry a tune and love signing, please considering joining. Our first choir practice of this new year will be on Wed, Feb 2nd @ 5pm at SHM.
- The new semester of This Man Is You commences in two weeks: Fri, Feb 4th @ 6:15am at O'Neill Parish Hall in Madoc. Even if you didn't do the first semester, it would be great to have new men start up this second one.
- The next Knights of Columbus meeting is Tues, Feb 8th @ 7pm at SHJ Hall.
It's a new year so I thought I'd re-mention our Flower Sponsor initiative to beautify the sanctuary and churches especially for the high holy days. A one time yearly donation of $40 will cover your week, and you'll also get a Mass intention included in that. So a great deal if you think about it! As you saw during this recent Christmas season, the churches were beautifully decorated in large part to your flower donations. So if you want to contribute, there will be Flower sponsor envelopes in your pews this weekend - just fill it out and drop it in the collection basket.
Fr. Eric Nicolai is a great friend of mine. He has a degree in fine art and is an interesting and engaging speaker. Although the year of St. Joseph has just past, his talk Saturday evening over Zoom would be a good way to enrich our understanding of his role in God’s plan of salvation and in the lives of the Christian people. I plan on registering and tuning in. A wonderful opportunity gain culture and also understanding of St. Joseph.
“God cannot give us a happiness and peace apart from Himself, because it is not there. There is no such thing.”
C.S. Lewis
Basilica of the National Shrine of the Blessed Virgin of Ta' Pinu, Malta -
