E-NEWSLETTER NOVEMBER 3, 2021

From the Desk of Fr Tim…

Update Re: WorshipSafe Protocols and Restrictions

From the Archdiocese…In light of numerous inquiries, we would like to provide an update on current WorshipSafe practices based on the announcement by the Province of Ontario on Friday, October 22:

• Vaccination of clergy, staff and volunteers does not permit parishes to expand their capacity. To significantly expand capacity would require full vaccination of all attendees at parishes and, at this time, the Archdiocese of Toronto does not require vaccination for those attending spiritual services.
• At this time, we invite all those parishes who were offering seating in every third row to shift to every second row.

While we will maintain social distancing in each pew, we will be expanding our capacity by the permitted change in seating to every 2nd row beginning this weekend November 6/7. This new seating for us is consistent with what most parishes in Mississauga have been doing over the last number of months without incident. Thank you to our hospitality team for their continued ministry, and to all of you for your patience in waiting to be seated for each weekend mass!

Parish Secretary Carol Dewar is retiring!

On behalf of our parish community, I wish to thank Carol for her seven years of service as parish secretary/receptionist. She has been an invaluable member of our parish team and will be greatly missed by parish staff and parishioners alike. Carol will be with us until mid-January, and after her retirement will remain as a parishioner and as our capable co-ordinator of the Ministers of the Word. Blessings and best wishes on your retirement Carol!

We are looking for a new full-time parish secretary/receptionist to provide a welcoming environment for those who visit or contact our parish community, as well as being responsible for all administrative and confidential functions relating to the parish office. The job posting can be found here and the deadline for application is Monday November 22.

Eternal Rest Grant unto Them O Lord...

At each weekend mass throughout the month of November the Church’s tradition of praying for our deceased relatives and friends will be observed at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish by the offering of all Saturday evening and Sunday Masses for our beloved relatives and friends.

Once again, this year you are asked to record the names of those you wish us to remember at Mass in November on the envelopes provided for that purpose (available at the doors of the church) and to place your envelope in the basket near the altar where this Basket of Remembrance will remain throughout November.

If you are not currently attending mass, please send the names of your loved ones to the parish office and our staff will ensure that these names are also placed in the Basket of Remembrance. Please note that no offering is required - we are much more interested in recording the names of those you wish remembered at mass! However, any donations are received they will be used to support our Pakistani Christian Refugee family who are arriving in Canada soon.

2022 Offertory Envelopes/Pre-Authorized Giving

Thank you for your continued support of our parish during these challenging times, especially through your use of offertory envelopes and/or Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG). Offertory envelopes for 2022 are now available in the parish hall and have been pre-assigned and sorted alphabetically by last name. Please observe social distancing in picking up your envelopes before or after mass. Thank you for picking up your offertory envelopes as soon as possible!

If you are not currently registered in the parish and wish to use Offertory envelopes, please fill out the parish registration form on the table in the foyer and return it to the parish office and we will notify you when your new 2022 offertory envelopes are ready for pick up.

I thank those who are currently using the option of Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG) here at the parish and remind them to pick up a set of 2022 envelopes for the special collection envelopes are not part of PAG. To register for PAG please complete the forms located in each foyer of the church or the electronic version found here.

Sunday Missals 2022…in both the adult version and children’s version (suitable for children from Grades 1-6) are now both available through the parish office at a cost of $5 each.

Sacrament of Confirmation 2022

This week we circulated registration materials and information regarding the Sacrament of Confirmation 2022 to the Grade 7 students of St. Clare, St. Mark, and All Saints Schools. If you have a Grade 7 student in your family who did not receive this package (perhaps attending another school) please visit our parish website home page under the Sacramental Preparation tab for the registration materials as well as information about our afterschool RCIC program (for students not in our parish schools).

Confirmation Registration (for candidate and one parent only) will take place on either Wednesday December 8 or Thursday December 9 from 6:30 p.m. to 7 p.m. in the church foyer with Registration Meeting to follow in the church.

Any older youth or adults wishing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in May 2022 are asked to contact Fr. John as soon as possible.

ShareLife – Triple Your Donations until November 15, 2021

Thank you to all those who have supported ShareLife this year- we have collected $201,000 towards our parish goal of $237,000. As a special incentive to meet our goal we thank one of our parishioners who will match any new donations up to $9,000…these matched donations will in turn be matched by a generous benefactor at the Archdiocesan level…resulting in a tripling of each dollar of new donations… and the reaching of our parish goal shortfall of $36,000!

If you have yet to contribute to ShareLife or would like to make an additional donation, I invite you to do so before November 15 by placing your ShareLife envelope in the collection, or by donating online at https://www.sharelife.org. Together, we are living the Gospel by providing for those in need! Your support is appreciated.

The Shepherds’ Trust 25th Anniversary/November 13/14 Collection

Founded 25 years ago in 1997, the mission of The Shepherds’ Trust is to ensure retired priests are provided with sufficient financial resources to lead a dignified life after many years of ministry. Your generous gift on the weekend of November 13/14 will help our priests maintain a modest, but active and independent lifestyle in their retirement years. For priests who are ill or otherwise infirmed, the trust ensures they have access to nursing home facilities and medical care. Thank you for your support of this important work both this year, and for the past 25 years as we “Care for those who always cared for us”.

St. Vincent de Paul Society: Christmas Gift Cards/Annual Collection

Once again, our parish St. Vincent de Paul Society will be providing Christmas gift cards to families-in-need within our community. Awareness of maintaining each person’s dignity is always our priority and providing gift cards has allowed families to have more flexibility in what they offer as a Christmas meal, or what gift may be most suitable for their loved ones. Please consider assisting our neighbouring families-in-need this year by purchasing gift cards from Walmart exclusively, or by issuing a cheque payable to: Society of Saint Vincent de Paul noting that it is for a Christmas gift.

We also welcome your donations to the Annual Collection which helps with the entire upcoming year to our neighbours-in-need. For 2021 you can now also make both donations on-line through our SSVP link on the parish website under Outreach Ministries or at https://Canadahelps.org/en/dn/53987. Please provide name and address when donating more than $20 for purposes of tax receipting. Separate envelopes for both the Christmas Gift Card Collection and Annual Collection will be available before or after each mass on the weekends of Nov 20/21 and Nov 27/28 and a Vincentian volunteer will also be on hand to assist you. Envelopes may also be dropped into the collection basket when the church is open for weekday mass and prayer.

God bless you for your ongoing generosity and support during this especially challenging year through your poor-box donations and most especially during this Christmas season.

Catholic Christian Pakistani Refugee Family Arriving Soon!

Younas Gill, his wife Saleema, adult sons Adeeb and Shan, daughter Sunena and her husband have been living in a refugee camp in Thailand since 2015 following death threats in Pakistan for standing up for the rights of Pakistani Christians. Our parish has agreed to sponsor them, and I am delighted that they are in the final stages of medical and security clearances before arriving in Canada within the next few months. At present we need parishioners to join our Refugee Committee to assist with the planning and welcoming of this family, and their orientation and adjustment to life in Canada. If you can assist, please contact the parish office.

Livestream of Sunday 9:00 a.m. Mass

For those not comfortable or able to return to mass quite yet we continue to encourage you to view the livestream of our Sunday 9 a.m. Mass via OUR NEW PARISH WEBSITE https://stignatiusloyolami.archtoronto.org

Your Financial Support is Appreciated

Thank you once again for your generosity and support of our parish community and ShareLife as we return to church, especially by placing your envelope in the offertory basket before mass or mailing in your donations, or donating via Pre-Authorized Giving (PAG forms available through parish website) or by credit card, or single or monthly donations through the “Donate now” button (at www.archtoronto.org or through our parish website https://stignatiusloyolami.archtoronto.org