The Fourth Week of Advent, a times a forgotten celebration given its proximity to the Feast of the Christmas, send us an important message in question form - Are you Ready for Christmas ?
So are you ready for Christmas - it really does have to be the most asked question at this time of year. People are curious - is there anyone who is more behind than I am for Christmas ? People are interested - how did you get everything done so quickly ? People are intrigued - what have you been doing to get ready ?
Certainly this time of year is busy; the demands seem legion and the requirements long - but are you ready for Christmas ?
How do you know .......is it if he gifts are bought and wrapped, is it if the tree is up, lights working, well - actually no...it’s the Love Factor.... do you understand that this Season is about Love ?
★ That is why the Red Stocking Campaign was so important.
★ That is why Christmas Carolling at St Luke’s was so key.
★ That is why your high schoolers making Gifts for our shuts ins, or our Wize Guys collecting Canadian Tire Dollars, or our St Vincent de Paul helping families, or our Handling the Holidays evenings was so crucial.
★ That is why our reconciliation service was so life giving
They were all designed to remind us of Love: Gracious, Eternal: Sacrificial: Love by a Baby - a baby who changed everything. The baby changed everything.... His birth told us
■ all things pass away, all things
■ all things can be endured, all things
■ all things have a purpose and a plan, all things
■ all things - are not about the wrapped gift - but the gift of Love
If we remember that everything under a tree is about one who lay in a manger out of love- then my friends we are ready for Christmas !
Showing posts with label Advent 2008. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Advent 2008. Show all posts
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Advent: Week # 3
It is hard to believe that this Sunday we lite the Pink Candle, and are in the Third Week of Advent. This Third Week is when our Children’s Choir has its annual trip to St Luke’s Place in order to sing Christmas Carols for our seniors. It is a parish wide event, aided by our Confirmation students and the Catholic Women’s League all of who help with a reception which follows. For the third year now we had a full house and a truly successful evening. Thank you to all involved
Our Children’s Ministry is looking forward to its Christmas Pageant again this year. Our rehearsals have started - what a joy to have so many children signed up; we are looking forward to the rehearsals this week and its presentation on Christmas Eve.
Our St Vincent de Paul Society aids some 30 families and individuals each month who are in need. We recently held our annual Christmas collection to aid them and were able to collect some $7,123.10 in donations, including from the Knights of Columbus and our Wize Guys, to assist the needy at Christmas. We anticipate being able to help more families than ever before because of the generosity of our parish family. We also packed up our Red Stockings tonight to be shipped by Canadian Food for Children to Africa. I hope to have totals next week for you; but early signs say we may have surpassed last year's total. Thanks to our young adults group for gathering together to pack the stockings.
We are blessed in our parish with a wonderful Youth Ministry. Our Kids Klub concluded a great 2008 where service, as well as fun, was our focus; an average of 50kids turned out on Fridays. Our Activ8 program for Grade 8's just finished a great retreat at Camp Brebeuf with 65 young people looking at what it means to be a Disciple. Our High Schoolers (Da Crew) have been very active this year with a definite “Nerve to Serve” demonstrated, not only with their own weekend at Camp Brebeuf, but also their willingness to serve as Peer Ministers to our Grade 8's and by their recently-prepared gift bags for our Shut-Ins. I wish to thank all of the adult leaders who aid me in our Youth Ministry programs. We are blessed!
Thank you to 30 “Older Adults” who joined us for our Country Christmas Trip. A great time was enjoyed by all (not to mention a great meal). We look forward to a Spring excursion to the Drayton Festival.
This evening we had a wonderfully peaceful gathering called "Handling the Holidays". Led by Sister Mary McIntyre, a trained social worker and spiritual director, over a dozen individuals who are facing the Christmas season with the challenge of grieving the death of someone they loved, gathered together in a spirit of prayer to discuss ways to help us cope and prepare for Christmas with renewed hope. What a beautiful time.
The pink candle is the candle of Joy and Hope - this past week at St Mary's has certainly been filled with such.
Our Children’s Ministry is looking forward to its Christmas Pageant again this year. Our rehearsals have started - what a joy to have so many children signed up; we are looking forward to the rehearsals this week and its presentation on Christmas Eve.
Our St Vincent de Paul Society aids some 30 families and individuals each month who are in need. We recently held our annual Christmas collection to aid them and were able to collect some $7,123.10 in donations, including from the Knights of Columbus and our Wize Guys, to assist the needy at Christmas. We anticipate being able to help more families than ever before because of the generosity of our parish family. We also packed up our Red Stockings tonight to be shipped by Canadian Food for Children to Africa. I hope to have totals next week for you; but early signs say we may have surpassed last year's total. Thanks to our young adults group for gathering together to pack the stockings.
We are blessed in our parish with a wonderful Youth Ministry. Our Kids Klub concluded a great 2008 where service, as well as fun, was our focus; an average of 50kids turned out on Fridays. Our Activ8 program for Grade 8's just finished a great retreat at Camp Brebeuf with 65 young people looking at what it means to be a Disciple. Our High Schoolers (Da Crew) have been very active this year with a definite “Nerve to Serve” demonstrated, not only with their own weekend at Camp Brebeuf, but also their willingness to serve as Peer Ministers to our Grade 8's and by their recently-prepared gift bags for our Shut-Ins. I wish to thank all of the adult leaders who aid me in our Youth Ministry programs. We are blessed!
Thank you to 30 “Older Adults” who joined us for our Country Christmas Trip. A great time was enjoyed by all (not to mention a great meal). We look forward to a Spring excursion to the Drayton Festival.
This evening we had a wonderfully peaceful gathering called "Handling the Holidays". Led by Sister Mary McIntyre, a trained social worker and spiritual director, over a dozen individuals who are facing the Christmas season with the challenge of grieving the death of someone they loved, gathered together in a spirit of prayer to discuss ways to help us cope and prepare for Christmas with renewed hope. What a beautiful time.
The pink candle is the candle of Joy and Hope - this past week at St Mary's has certainly been filled with such.
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Advent - Week # 2
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
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
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Advent
This Sunday we begin the Season of Advent and a new Liturgical Year. This year our readings will come from the Gospel of Mark. Let's take a minute to look at both of these.
The Gospel of Mark is one of four gospels in the Holy Bible and is the second book in chronological order presented in the New Testament. Mark (John Mark was his full name) was an associate with Simon Peter, one of the 12 apostles that followed Jesus Christ throughout His public ministry on earth. Peter was the name given to Simon by Jesus Christ personally (Mark 3:16). He was very close to Jesus and after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, Peter was one of the founders of the early Christian church. Although the book was written by Mark, the facts contained in it are thought to be the accounts of Peter during his ministry with Jesus. The consensus among scholars is that the book of Mark was written between 50 and 60 A.D. The author is referenced several times in the New Testament starting in the book of Acts, chapters 12 and 13, in Colossians 4:10, and finally in 2 Timothy 4:11. The book of Mark was probably written in Italy, and perhaps even Rome. This book has 16 chapters and is the shortest book of the four gospels. However, the details of the events and miracles of Jesus in this book are consistent with the other three gospels; Matthew, Luke and John.
The Season of Advent has a two fold nature: it prepares us for Christmas when we recall Christ’s first coming among us, and it is also a time when we look forward to His second coming at the end of the ages. Advent is a season of joyful expectation.
Like many Church practices, the origin of Advent is clouded by the passage of time. However, most research indicates that it began as a penitential season in preparation for the Epiphany. The word “advent” comes from the Latin “adventus” which means “coming”. One old tradition states that there are four weeks in Advent because there are four comings of Christ - as a man at Bethlehem, in the human heart, at our death and at the Last Day.
Beginning and end, memory and hope, life is a continuing cycle. This is the message of Advent - the continuing possibility of renewal, of building our lives. Renewing and improving ourselves makes a tremendous Christmas present for loved one and ourselves.
May the start of this new Season and Liturgical Year be one of blessing for us all.
The Gospel of Mark is one of four gospels in the Holy Bible and is the second book in chronological order presented in the New Testament. Mark (John Mark was his full name) was an associate with Simon Peter, one of the 12 apostles that followed Jesus Christ throughout His public ministry on earth. Peter was the name given to Simon by Jesus Christ personally (Mark 3:16). He was very close to Jesus and after the crucifixion, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, Peter was one of the founders of the early Christian church. Although the book was written by Mark, the facts contained in it are thought to be the accounts of Peter during his ministry with Jesus. The consensus among scholars is that the book of Mark was written between 50 and 60 A.D. The author is referenced several times in the New Testament starting in the book of Acts, chapters 12 and 13, in Colossians 4:10, and finally in 2 Timothy 4:11. The book of Mark was probably written in Italy, and perhaps even Rome. This book has 16 chapters and is the shortest book of the four gospels. However, the details of the events and miracles of Jesus in this book are consistent with the other three gospels; Matthew, Luke and John.
The Season of Advent has a two fold nature: it prepares us for Christmas when we recall Christ’s first coming among us, and it is also a time when we look forward to His second coming at the end of the ages. Advent is a season of joyful expectation.
Like many Church practices, the origin of Advent is clouded by the passage of time. However, most research indicates that it began as a penitential season in preparation for the Epiphany. The word “advent” comes from the Latin “adventus” which means “coming”. One old tradition states that there are four weeks in Advent because there are four comings of Christ - as a man at Bethlehem, in the human heart, at our death and at the Last Day.
Beginning and end, memory and hope, life is a continuing cycle. This is the message of Advent - the continuing possibility of renewal, of building our lives. Renewing and improving ourselves makes a tremendous Christmas present for loved one and ourselves.
May the start of this new Season and Liturgical Year be one of blessing for us all.
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