E-Newsletter - December 20, 2023

A warm welcome to all who celebrate Christmas with us here at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish this year!  We hope that you find our Christmas masses an opportunity to welcome the Christ child into your hearts for…

God’s sign is the baby in need of help and in poverty.

The same sign has been given to us…

God’s sign is simplicity…God’s sign is that he makes himself small for us. 

This is how he reigns.  He does not come with power and outward splendour.

 He comes as a baby, defenceless and in need of our help. 

He does not want to overwhelm us with his strength.

 He takes away our fear of his greatness.

God made himself small so that we could understand him, welcome him, and love him…

Christmas has become the Feast of gifts in imitation of God who has given himself to us.

Let us allow our heart, our soul, and our mind to be touched by this fact!

- Pope Benedict XVI

Merry Christmas to all of you and your families,

Fr. Tim, Fr. Alex, Deacon John, Deacon Rob, Caroline Borcsok, Olga Calderon, and all the Parish Staff.

Christmas Mass Schedule

Fourth Sunday of Advent

Saturday December 23/Sunday December 24

Regular weekend Mass schedule

Confessions Saturday December 23 from 3:30 p.m. to 4:30 pm.

Christmas Eve

Sunday December 24 at 4:00 p.m. (Children’s Mass with Dramatization of the Gospel)

6:00 p.m., 8:00 p.m., 10:00 p.m.

Christmas Day

 Monday December 25 at 9:00 a.m. (Livestreamed), 10:30 a.m. & 12:00 Noon

(no 7:45 a.m. Mass on Christmas Day)

Feast of the Holy Family (Individual Family blessings at each mass)

Saturday December 30/Sunday December 31 following the regular weekend Mass schedule.

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God, and the World Day of Peace

In the womb of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God, are met mercy and faithfulness, justice, and peace.  May the peace of God born in Jesus Christ be the future for which we hope and toward which we work, through Mary’s example and intercession.  Our mass schedule is as follows:

New Year’s Eve

 Sunday December 31 at 5:00 p.m.

New Year’s Day

 Monday January 1:  10:30 a.m. & 12:00 Noon

(Please note:  No 7:45 a.m. or 9:00 a.m. Mass on New Year’s Day)

Weekday Masses/Office Hours

Please note that there will be no 9:00 a.m. Mass on Tuesday December 26^, 2023.  Our parish office will be closed December 25, 26^, 2023 and January 1, 2024.

First Friday Mass and Holy Hour

Please join us for the First Friday Mass and Holy Hour on January 5 at 9:00 a.m.  All are welcome!

Christmas Poinsettia Thank You

A sincere Thank YOU to Longo’s at 3163 Winston Churchill Blvd. for their generous donations of beautiful red poinsettias for the sanctuary. Thanks too,to the parishioners who donated

Looking Ahead to 2024…

+ Confirmation Preparation Programme

…begins with the first Preparation Class on either Monday January 8 at 7:00 p.m. OR Tuesday January 9 at

7:00 p.m. Attendance mandatory for all candidates!

Those Grade 7 students who did not attend the Registration Meeting earlier this month are asked to bring their registration form, baptismal certificate copy and $50 offering to the church office as soon as possible and should plan to attend a special Registration Make-up Meeting with their parents and sponsor on Saturday January 6

at 3:00 p.m. in the church.  After this date, NO further registrations will be accepted for Confirmation in 2024.

Any older youth or adults wishing to receive the Sacrament of Confirmation in May 2024 are asked to contact

Fr. Alex as soon as possible.

+ Bible Study

After Masses on January 6 /7, we will be having our registration for our next 10-session Bible study from Ascension Press entitled “Jesus: The Way, the Truth and the Life.” in the parish hall. The marvelous treasures of the Catholic Faith—the Eucharist, Mary, the saints, and the Creed—are all centered on a single figure: Jesus Christ. Jesus is more than a historical or theological figure. He is our Savior, our Redeemer, our Lord, and our God. While many of us already know a lot about him, how well can we say we really know him? Filmed on location in the Holy Land, Jesus: The Way, the Truth, and the Life is a new and fresh look at Jesus—who he is, what he is really like, what he taught, and what he did for our salvation. This encounter with Christ will inspire and empower you to center your entire life on him as you come to know and love him in an ever deeper & more intimate way.

Registration is $40 per person and materials will be provided. This study will take place in the parish hall and will begin on Thursday January 18 and will end on Thursday May 2. 

Thank you in advance for your continued support of Bible Study here at St. Ignatius Loyola Parish, and please invite a fellow parishioner to participate in this fall’s bible study. 

+ Parish Family Pasta Dinner

This year’s Annual Parish Pasta Dinner (with our own Italian parishioners and their home-made sauces) is planned for Saturday February 3 at 6:00 p.m. (following the 5:00 p.m. mass) in the Parish Hall…further details to follow…hold the date in your calendar and plan to purchase tickets beginning on the weekend of January 13/14 from the parish office!