Service Saturday Weekend ..Amazing

This has been a totally amazing weekend at our parish. Our focus this weekend was the words of Matthew's Gospel when one approached Jesus and asked what is the greatest commandment; "love the Lord your God with all your heart, mind and soul and your neighbour as yourself" was the answer. Actually, it was more than an answer...it was a challenge, a challenge which our parish family took seriously as we embarked upon our Service Saturday Weekend. Let me tell you what went on as 35 sets of hands gave Hope, and hundreds of more brought warmth to those in need:


A total of 17 parishioners were part of preparing and serving a meal to over 70 homeless individuals at the Bridges Shelter (Out of the Cold Program).

An energetic group of 12 parishioners are dedicated to helping the Carmelite Sisters in various areas of repair on their property; a place dedicated to prayer.

Five teens dedicated themselves to going to the homes various shuts in who are a part of our community and raking leaves, cleaning up and just helping out.

One young adult gave several hours to doing light repairs at the Church itself, including a little yard work.

Our parish family also collected 114 blankets for the Out of the Cold Program as part of our first ever parish wide Blanket Brigade (our Kids Klub contributed 21 blankets just on their own)

I have to tell you that I am so proud of our Family of Faith. We took the time to be reminded of the love of God by sharing the love of God with others. It is said that if you want to see if a parish has life, check if it has compassion, well ...we have lots of both.

This Friday was also the graduation evening for our parish high school of St Benedict. I was pleased to be able to offer the opening prayer and also present two awards during the evening. It was a special time for many of our young people - certainly I was a proud Pastor as I saw many of our Sunday regulars receive their graduation certificate and several awards.

I was also very pleased to hear that 51 families came out for our first ever Family Night at the Gym on Friday. Amazing to hear of the reports of parents and children just spending time together; families being together. Thank you to all who came and especially to those who did a great job organizing it...we will do another one very soon.

Such exciting times at St Mary's.... such moments of loving God and neighbour...I feel so blessed to be your Pastor !

October was all about serving !

Well our young adults got right into it by being hands of hope during our parish wide Service Saturday today. We were well represented by Pete, Adrienne and Rhonda as we helped serve a meal to some 70 homeless people at the Out of the Cold Program in Cambridge. It was a great experience and we thank everyone involved.

Our next Catholic Café is set for November 2nd. It begins with Vespers at 6:00 p.m. and then our social after. We will be planning our Advent Outreach project so we hope to have new faces - consider joining us. Also we are getting ready for our first road trip - our Bowling Nite on November 29th. It will follow the 5:00 p.m. Mass that evening - why not bring a friend that evening.

Our Young Adult Group includes college and university age, as well as people in their 20's & 30's, married or single - come join us and get connected !

Serving a Meal at the Shelter

For a small cost of $186.00 along with some delicious donated deserts, a crew of 16 volunteers, consisting of young and older adults, we did as the Lord asks of us and fed 70-80 needy people at the Cambridge Bridges Shelter on Saturday, October 25th.

The 3 course meal consisted of:
Appetizer - Mixed Green salad with strawberries, cranraisens, mandarins
Main course – Chicken, smashed garlic potatoes, glazed carrots, peas and corn
Desert – combination of each donated desert topped with strawberries & a heaping scoop of ice cream.

The day was full of lots of work but also lots of fun! 4 different crews helped to make the day a success!

Crew 1: Preparation:
Kyla, Agnes, Pam, Lynn & Adrianne
- cleaning, cutting and preparing 35 lbs potatoes and 15 lbs carrots. We had a few ladies with orange hands, just in time for Halloween!

Ed & Pete
- cleaning & cutting 80 pieces of chicken – all that chicken we’re lucky none got away!


Crew 2 & 3: Cooking - Meal & Dessert Preparation:
Thanks to a big industrial stove with 9 burners and 2 large ovens the task of cooking and ensuring everything would be ready on time was accomplished!

Kyla, Ryan, Colleen helped with buttering buns and making place settings for 80 people.

Jennifer & Rhonda prepared the chicken with a *special* coating which they seemed to continuously run out off! Mmmm that chicken is going to taste great!

Ed giving the thumbs up after he, Ryan & Rhonda finished preparing the juice.

As the meal is cooking all hands busy on deck, or in this case in the kitchen, doing some other tasks.

In the dinning room tables being moved, salads being prepared and a rendezvous to discuss what to do with the deserts! Oh yes, figuring out what to do with the dessert was harder then preparing the main course …but leave it to the school kids to come together to prepare this special treat! 80 containers filed with a taste of each desert – awaiting its toppings, a little later!


5:15 - Kitchen filled with the aroma of chicken still baking, pots still boiling and panic in the air wondering if it was really possible to put everything together in 15 minutes as John (the weekend cook)assured us it would. Sure enough, calmed by his demeanor, John helped us to bring it all together, glazing the chicken was a fun task and back into the oven they went for another 10 minutes! Lots of time to spare!

Ryan, Jess, Karli & Rhonda all lend a hand in “smashing” the potatoes which were prepared with garlic, butter, sour cream, parmesan cheese and milk…mouth watering. As you can see the potato masher was just a little bigger then Jess!

Colleen draining mandarins; Ed/Ryan/Jennifer preparing to glaze carrots, while in the dining room Karli cleans tables and Nick, Rhonda & Jess top up the salads with strawberries and mandarins with Paula looking on.


Crew 4 – Serving

5:30 Enters the Clients - the dining room once vacant now filled with the bustle of 80 people sitting patiently waiting to be fed. Colleen, Kyla & Jennifer dish up the food while the school kids, Karli, Jess, Ryan, Paula & Nick, eager to do their part, requested that they be the ones to serve giving them the opportunity to meet the clients one on one!

Once the main course is served and eaten toppings are added to the dessert and the kids once again serve the clients (unfortunately with so much activity we forgot to take pictures of the desserts!)

We too, after a long day, are a little hungry so we dish up our own plates and join the clients, what better way to get to know the clients and really find out how the food tastes - and of course how can you resist that dessert and toppings!


Crew 4 – Cleaning Up:

Thanks to an industrial dishwasher and the domestic skills of Nick & Ed the clean up was a breeze. Actually with a lot of the crew staying around til the end the extra hands helped to lessen the load.

A little time to relax and then farewells!

All enjoyed the day and the opportunity to help, a request has already been voiced by the kids of doing this again very soon.

Nerve 2 Serve - Amazing

What an amazing weekend. That is the best way to describe the recent Nerve 2 Serve weekend held at Camp Brebeuf. On Friday evening 16 teens, along with Uncle Bruce, Auntie T and Father Freitas left for the three days, two nights of focusing on leadership and service. Our arrival was great as we got to meet our leaders; Scottie, Wes, Matt, Amanda, Sarah H, Brendan and Dana. They made us feel at home and led us in some great activities to get us going on service. But the best fun of the night was coming when we had a great game of Mission Impossible. Thanks to Matt A - who he saved the night and got us our breakfast guaranteed.

And what a breakfast to start our Saturday - bacon, eggs, bagels, toast, juice, cereal - wow - and we were going to need it - cause the day ahead of us was full - but awesome. We had the chance to look at what makes a good leader and what gifts we have - we designed our own CD's and then had the chance to put some of those leadership skills into play as we undertook some outdoor leadership activities - they are called ABC's - they were great and really brought us together.

Lunch followed, Chicken Burgers, and then it was time for us to fly - High Ropes here we came. What an amazing experience. Then we did a really great group building activity - it was called the Web. Totally made us work as a group. Supper followed and then the Flying Squirrel was the on the agenda.











Our evening was about faith, we went on a night hike and had some time to think about blessings which are around us and how we can become more aware of them; and how we can sometimes miss them. Our camp fire was a great place to just sit and think about all that was offered to us this weekend. We then had the chance to put some of that thought into practice as we celebrated the Sacrament of Reconciliation together.

Sunday morning came early, we did some clean up, had another great breakfast - thanks Sharon ! Then Uncle Bruce and Auntie T (who for some reason has been renamed Tara) led us in making Advent Wreathes - these will be used as a fundraiser to help us with the costs of coming on this great weekend. We then had Mass together as a group - powerful. Father Freitas reminded us of all we did this weekend and invited us to be Grounded in Faith and Rooted in Service. He talked about how the leaders at camp modeled for us the Nerve to Serve - now we were called to service and invited us all to have the Nerve to Serve as Da Crew. This service comes when we realize that we belong to Christ. Lunch helped us muse on all we had done. Each of us got a Da Crew T Shirt and a service pen to take with us. The camp staff saw us off and we all agreed next year is a for sure.

We returned Sunday afternoon with lots of smile, tons of memories, hundreds of stories and of course really tired. We are so grateful to Uncle Bruce and Auntie T, and all the staff at Camp Brebeuf for being there for us. This weekend was totally amazing - and that is because Da Crew is totally awesome.

Nerve to Serve Weekend

This weekend I had the chance to join 16 teens from our parish, along with some adult chaperons, for our annual Nerve to Serve parish youth weekend at Camp Brebeuf. I am so glad that I had the chance to do so; the young people I spend with weekend with were totally amazing in their dedication to learn about service, but so too were the great Young Adults from Camp who led the weekend and were amazing mentors and leaders. So many of the teens have been part of Da Crew (our high school youth groups) since its beginning two years ago. I am so thankful for these young people. Please check out their blog (link to the left) and see the highlights of the weekend.

These are exciting days at St Mary of the Visitation. At times when I check out my calendar I have to admit I get a little nervous, but what exciting times are ahead for us. We begin our Tuesday Night Together series this week. Our Service Saturday Weekend is around the corner, our Dinner for 8 Couples Evening is on the horizon, our Children Ministry and our Kids Klub are in full swing and continuing to grow. Our Sacramental year is about to launch with upcoming parents meetings. Our Grade 7students are in the midst of their Leadership Days and our Grade 5 students are learning about our Diocesan Church by going on tours of the Cathedral in Hamilton. Our adults Celebrating the Word groups are growing...we now have 4 active groups... our Wize Guys men's group is expanding. and our Mother's Group is thriving...and our RCIA has 12 committed individuals who wish to learn about becoming members of the Catholic faith....there is so much happening and it is great....

One last point and I hope to tell you about it next week; this Friday we are having Family Night at the Gym. It is a chance for families to get together and just spend time....time playing games, having fun and just being with each other. I am so excited about this event because there is so much that pulls families apart and here we have the chance to bring them together. Please pray for this activity this week.

Most of all...come join us at St Mary's...we really do have something for everyone.

A Thanksgiving Weekend

This weekend really has been Thanksgiving Weekend in our parish. It has seen the conclusion of our annual Food Drive which seeks to restock the parish Food Pantry. Our St Vincent de Paul Society aids some 30 families and individuals each month. Our food drive, in addition to our monthly door appeal, is the major way of restocking the pantry and permitting us to help those in need. To date, the food drive has been very successful. We are thankful to our parishioners, and also to our parish elementary schools who have aided us.

Thanksgiving Weekend also saw our Children step up. Our 9:30a.m. Mass was an opportunity not only for our Kids Khior to make its debute, but also to see a number of young people act as readers, greeters and gift bearers. Our Children’s Ministry also used thanksgiving as a time to help our little ones become aware of the less fortunate by donating toward their adopted child in Haiti, and also bringing forth a special craft to the altar.

Our 11:00 a.m. Mass saw a young man make his First Holy Communion. It gave us all a chance to remember what we are thankful for – the gift of the Eucharist. Thanksgiving is a holiday that brings people together – it’s a chance to give thanks, to celebrate our many blessings. When we look back at this Lord’s Day weekend at St Mary’s; our Family of Faith did exactly that.

Sunday Night Vespers

One of the focuses of our Family of Faith this year is on Being Connected. We are called to be connected to one another, gathered two or three in His name, seeking to see the Face of God and called to recognize Christ in and thru one another. Tonight we began a special way of being connected in our first celebration of Sunday Night Vespers - and it was a blessed time of prayer.

It was attended by approximately 100 people, of all ages, including members of our High School youth group and our young adults group. The atmosphere was solemn, the music was inviting, the tone reverent. It was time in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament which is always Grace filled. It might be good to share a little about what Vespers is and why we are celebrating it.

Vespers is, simply put, the evening prayer of the Church. It is a time of reflection upon scripture, in particular the Psalms, inner mixed with traditional and contemporary song, recited prayer, sung intercessions and a brief reflection; it is a moving and beautiful time together.

Sunday Night Vespers at St Mary's Parish will take place once per month. Why are we celebrating Vespers - well because

✢ Vespers is a beautiful way to end the Lord’s Day.
✢ Vespers is a form of prayer which permits us a little time to think about how God’s Word connects with our lives, to deal with the challenges and see the blessings.
✢ Vespers gives you a little extra “quiet time” before the start of the routines of a busy life.
✢ Vespers is time of seeking the Face of God, connected to one another, in Christ.

I am most grateful to those who came and I look forward to the continuation of this reflective and rewarding time of prayer for our parish family as we continue, two or three gathered in His name, being connected in seeking the face of God

Ultimate Frizbee

Da Crew gathered again for a mighty afternoon of fun...Frisbee fun in fact. We made our way to Forbes Park for an hour of what we thought would be Ultimate Frisbee, but then a few minutes into it ....something happened...our dollar store Frisbee showed why it was on sale...it broke. Unwavering in their pursuit of fun for Da Crew, Uncle Bruce and Auntie T improvised and Ultimate Frisbee became Ultimate Football. It turned out to be a great time. The rules kept changing, but the fun that everyone had didn't. Thanks to all who made it fun.

We then made our way back to the Parish Centre, had a bite of Pizza together and then some free time, including a piano performance by Michael B, a game of silent ball and just some time to hang out, after we talked about the Nerve to Serve weekend that is. We then made our way into the Church for Sunday Night Vespers with the parish, it was good to be there and to finish our time with prayer. Now we start the countdown til the Nerve to Serve weekend at Camp Brebeuf..only 13 more sleeps...til a weekend without sleep but lots and lots of fun. Da Crew continues

The fun continues

Kids Klub just gets better as the weeks roll on....we are going to let the pictures do most of the talking today...but just wanted to say thanks to the 50 kids who are making it out each week for our Kids Klub events. We have been having so much fun together with our Gym Riots, our Fabulous Football Frenzie and now with our on going Blanket Brigade helping the homeless and our Coin Can for Haiti. Kids Klub really is about fun, friends and faith. Thanks to everyone who is part of the Klub. Ok, now let's allow the pictures to speak