If you are like me the hours and days seem to be flooding into each other at a very rapid pace these days. Certainly while we are attempting during this Season of Advent to do some reflecting and refocusing; we are doing it in the midst of some busy days.
We welcomed this week Father Wayne Lobsinger and Father Frank Reutz. Father Lobsinger offered a wonderful presentation as part of our Tuesday Night Together series. His focus was on Advent: The Season of Mary, and led us to see the life of Mary in truly insightful new ways. Father Reutz led some 30 parishioners who are a part of our small group ministry (Celebrating the Word) in reflecting on their time together this past year as small groups. An Advent social for our small group ministry followed.
Our Red Stocking Campaign has been going on. Now in its 3rd year, every family in the parish is invited to pick up a Red Stocking and to return it filled with school supplies which are then in turn sent by Canadian Food for Children to mission schools in Africa. This gesture permits those schools to not only use these badly needed supplies, but also permits them to take the financial resources, they would have used to buy these supplies, and instead use them for a lunch program. We are partnering with our own three parish schools in this project and hope to collect over 400 Red Stockings by the end of Advent.
An exciting area of our parish life is the need we are experiencing for additional space to meet the needs of our growing community. We are beginning the process of looking into expanding our Parish Centre building. This renovated facility will be modernized to include ample storage, a larger more functional kitchen, expandable gathering space for larger functions (such as funeral receptions or parish socials) and will contain washroom facilities on the same level, accessible both during parish functions as well as Lord’s Day Masses. It will also serve a second purpose; with a video and audio link, it will become a place for accessible seating for families with small children, and others, during Lord’s Day Masses and seasonal celebrations, not to mention a safe passage for our children as they proceed to our Children’s Ministry without battling the elements. It will also contain two small votive shrines to St Anthony and St Joseph. Parishioner Response Forms and Town Hall meetings are on going during Advent to get input before we move forward. We will be entrusting this project to the loving care of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Our Advent Vespers tonight was attended by some 75 parishioners who came to hear our Youth Choir and Young Adults lead us in song, scripture and silent time before the Blessed Sacrament. We heard a message on Mary’s example of service, surrender and sacrifice given to us during Advent.
Advent has truly been busy - and the time is moving - but so is God's grace in the life of our parish ! Come Divine Messiah