Service Saturday

This past weekend our parish participated in our 4th Service Saturday weekend. This activity was begun during our 150th anniversary Year (2007) and is a wonderful opportunity for us to reach out into the community. The centre piece of Service Saturday is the opportunity to prepare and serve a meal to over 113 residents at the Bridges Shelter. In fact because of our generosity a meal was prepared for Saturday and Sunday! Another aspect is our Blanket Brigade. We were able to collect over 150 blankets for the Out of the Cold Program. I am told that it was 62 new blankets, 62 gentle used blankets from parishioners and then 24 blankets donated by our Kids Klub. I am pleased to share some pictures below.

Your generosity in helping the less fortunate is a wonderful sign of the goodness within this Family of Faith. Our next outreach project will be our annual Red Stocking Campaign - it is set to begin November 26th - Watch for details!

New Roman Missal - Gesutres

If you talk to someone who was a teenager in the 60's they can remember the exact place they were when John F Kennedy was shot.

If you talk to someone who was a teenager in the early 2000's they can remember the exact place they were when September 11th occurred.

If you talk to someone who is a teenager today they can remember the exact place they were then they heard Steve Jobbs had died.

There are certain - let us call them - Iconic Moments - in history and certain Iconic people.

What makes them iconic is not only their contributions, not only their accomplishments, not only their contributions to the fabric of society - but also - the gestures which they make that allows them to become known - seen - heard - recongnized - noticed.

Gestures are so important !They are the billboards of who we are and what we do. In the celebration of Mass we raise our hearts, minds and voices to God, but we are creatures composed of body as well as spirit and so our prayer is not confined to our minds, hearts and voices, but is expressed by our bodies as well.

When our bodies participate in our prayer we pray with our whole person,this engagement of our entire being in prayer helps us to pray with greater attention.

During Mass we assume different postures: standing, kneeling, sitting, and we are also invited to make a variety of gestures. These postures and gestures are not merely ceremonial. They have profound meaning, and when done with understanding, can enhance our personal participation in Mass.

Standing is a sign of respect and honor, so we stand as the priest who represents Christ enters and leaves the assembly.

When we stand for prayer we assume our full stature before God, not in pride, but in humble gratitude for the marvellous things God has done in creating and redeeming each one of us.

We stand for the Gospel, the pinnacle of revelation, the words and deeds of the Lord

Kneeling signified homage to the Lord, and more recently this posture has come to signify adoration. The Bishops have chosen the posture of kneeling for the entire Eucharistic Prayer.

Sitting is the posture of listening and meditation, so the congregation sits for the pre-Gospel readings and may also sit for the period of meditation following Communion.

Gestures too involve our bodies in prayer.

The most familiar of these is the Sign of the Cross with which we begin Mass and with which, in the form of a blessing, the Mass concludes. It was by his death on the cross that Christ redeemed humankind, we trace the sign of the cross on our foreheads, lips and hearts at the beginning of the Gospel.

But there are other gestures that intensify our prayer at Mass.

During the Confiteor the action of striking our breasts at the words through my own fault can strengthen my awareness that my sin is my fault.

In the Creed we are invited to bow at the words which commemorate the Incarnation: by the power of the Holy Spirit he was born of the Virgin Mary and became man. This gesture signifies our profound respect and gratitude to Christ who, through God, did not hesitate to come among us as a human being, sharing our human condition in order to save us from sin and restore us to friendship with God.

The Our Father is followed by the Exchange of Peace, the gesture which we express through a prayerful greeting of peace, that we are at peace, not enmity, with others. This exchange is symbolic. The persons near me with whom I share the peace signify for me - the peace of the Lord be with you always - its not a time of conversation or catching up

The new General Instruction, we are asked to make a sign of reverence, before receiving Communion standing. The bishops of this country have determined that the sign which we will give before Communion is to be a bow, a gesture through which we express our reverence and give honor to Christ who comes to us as our spiritual food.

In addition to serving as a vehicle for the prayer of beings composed of body and spirit, the postures and gestures in which we engage at Mass have another very important function.

The Church sees in these common postures and gestures both a symbol of the unity of those who have come together to worship and a means of fostering that unity.

We are not free to change these postures to suit our own individual piety, for the Church makes it clear that our unity of posture and gesture is an expression of our participation in the one Body formed by the baptized with Christ, our head

When we stand, kneel, sit, bow and sign ourselves in common action, we have given ambiguous witness that we are indeed the Body of Christ, united in heart, mind and spirit.

I think the church is at an Iconic Moment - the Liturgical Changes - the opportunity to Pray with New Words - is a wonderful chance for us to reflect upon not only what we say - but what we do -- during it all May Our Lady of the Visitation be our inspiration, model and guide.

New Roman Missal - Words

We are standing at a unique moment in the Life of the Church. On the First Sunday of Advent a new translation of the Mass, which represents the most significant liturgical development for English-speaking Catholics since Vatican II, will take place. For nearly forty years, Catholics have become quite familiar with the English translation of the Mass. Many of us have heard these words since childhood and know them by heart, simply out of routine. So ingrained in us are these responses that if someone were to say, "The Lord be with you," many of us would instinctively respond, "And also with you."

But what do these words mean? Sunday after Sunday we recite these prayers and perform certain rituals. But what is the meaning of all we say and do in the Mass? The revised translation, which take effect in all English Speaking Roman Catholic Churches, provides a unique occasion for Catholics to reflect on the meaning of the Mass.

We will need to learn new responses and new musical settings. It is my hope that this period of preparation and transition will not be merely mechanical-- simply about training people to say new responses-- but catechetical and spiritual. As we are taken out of our routine, we have an unique opportunity to ponder anew what we say and do in the Mass and rediscover the splendor of the liturgy, so that we might grow deeper in our communion with Jesus every time we go to Mass.

As we prepare to welcome the revised English translation of the Mass, we can be assured that the Eucharist we celebrate will stand in continuity with that first Eucharist instituted by Christ-- and that the new translation is intended to help enhance our worship of God and deepen our participation in the sacred mysteries of the liturgy.

This Sunday our parish has published a special edition of our Parish Newsletter, (a copy can be found on our parish website - www.stmaryhespeler.ca - under the Parish News section - "New Roman Missal". It seeks to explain why the new translation of the Mass is being issued and how it will affect the various parts of the Mass. It will also consider the meaning of some of the more noticeable changes and how they will assist our worship.

In addition, the final page outlines special evenings and resources which are upcoming which will help us as we seek to prepare. Please mark these down, plan on attending and plan on preparing.

It is my prayer that this newsletter will help you develop not only a greater awareness of the upcoming changes in the translation of the Mass, but also a deeper appreciation for the Liturgy itself and a deeper love for Jesus in the Eucharist.

May Our Lady of the Visitation be our inspiration, model and guide.

Together in the Lord's Service

Father F. Freitas
Pastor

Happy Thanksgiving

Let Us Give Thanks to The Lord


We thank thee, Lord,
For fields of grain
Gold and ripe from summer’s rain,
For hillsides bright
With scarlet trees
That rustle in the autumn breeze,
For friends so dear,
For those we love,
For all things sent
from heaven above...
We thank thee,
Lord.

The Way of the Cross Leads Home

For the journey of faith there's only one road you must follow. You may encounter detours, or face deep valleys, often being challenged by a difficult climbing also. Still, it's just one way; there is none other, and there's no turning back!

Such adventure can be satisfying in spite of inevitable difficulties along the way. Like any other trip, this one will lead to the destination only to the extent you periodically check the map, both to know what is ahead as well as to determine how to get there.

Christ has promised all His followers to be with them always, never leaving nor forsaking them at any point. What better company and guide could one ever ask for?

The trouble is that many pilgrims would rather do their own thing along the way, often preferring side trips into dangerous roads which may lead nowhere, or which may lead to disaster. Such distractions will simply retard one's progress, thus depriving the traveler from the full enjoyment and total satisfaction which are part of the journey.

However, if you are guided by Christ, don't expect His presence by your side if and when you deviate from His ways and disregard the directives He has already provided concerning this journey. The greatest distresses Christians will ever experience in this life, often come when they momentarily detach themselves from the guide, giving heed to allurements which would inevitably hinder their individual progress. Or they may become prematurely discouraged by unexpected barriers and other inevitable difficulties along the way.

Such journey is no different from the one already experienced by Christ, the Savior; it is the via crucis - the way of the cross. And such is the road leading to eternal life, the way that takes one home!