E-Newsletter - January 17, 2023

From the Desk of Fr. Tim...

Coffee Sunday

Please join us this weekend, January 20/21 after each mass in the parish hall for some hot beverages and cookies… We will also be selling Parish Family Pasta Dinner tickets based on ticket availability.

Parish Family Pasta Dinner, Saturday February 3

Thank you to six of our best Italian cooks in the parish who have again volunteered to make their home-made Italian sauce with penne pasta!  This popular parish event will be held on Saturday February 3 after the 5:00 p.m. Mass.  

In addition to the pasta there will be salad, fresh buns and dessert with coffee and tea.  Special guest entertainers will regale us with Italian songs and melodies.  Special thanks to the Catholic Women’s League and the Knights of Columbus who will serve the dinner and organize the clean up afterwards.  Tickets ($20 Adults, $8 Children) will be available through the parish office during the week or after each mass in the parish hall this weekend based on ticket availability.

Week of Prayer for Christian Unity 2024

January 18-25 marks the annual celebration of the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This year’s theme “You shall love the Lord your God ... and your neighbour as yourself.” (Luke 10:27) inspires all of us to pray and work together for the unity willed by Christ for the Church.

“Change of heart and holiness of life, along with public and private prayer for the unity of Christians, should be regarded as the soul of the whole ecumenical movement, and merits the name, ‘spiritual ecumenism’" (Unitatis redintegratio, 8).

Please join Archbishop Francis Leo and other Christian leaders for the Annual Week of Prayer for Christian Unity Prayer Service on Sunday, January 21 at 4:00 p.m. at St. Mark Coptic Orthodox Cathedral (455 Ferrier St., Markham, ON L3R 5Z2).

Marriage Sunday Mass with Archbishop Francis Leo       

As part of Marriage Sunday 2024 celebrations, Archbishop Francis Leo will preside at a special Mass to honour married couples, with special recognition for those celebrating 25^th, 40^th,

50^th, 60^th and 60+ wedding anniversaries in 2024. The Mass will take place at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, February 11 at St. Michael’s Cathedral Basilica (65 Bond St., Toronto).

All married couples will have an opportunity to renew their marriage commitment during the Mass and are welcome to attend. Reserved seating is available for couples celebrating a 25^th, 40^th, 50^th, 60^th or 60+ anniversary in 2024. Reserved seating is limited, so please register early. All other seating is on a first-come, first-served basis. Those who are unable to attend at the Cathedral are invited to join the celebration via livestream Mass. Registration and other important information can be found at www.archtoronto.org/marriage .

2024 Parish Envelopes/Pre-Authorized Giving

Thanks to all who have picked up your 2024 offertory envelopes and use them faithfully each Sunday- envelopes for pick up are now in the parish foyer.   Please remember to mark your name and address on the first few envelopes you use in this New Year…we appreciate your support!  If you did not use envelopes in 2023 but would like a box of envelopes for the new year please visit, call, or email the office to request envelopes for 2024.  

I invite each family to consider the option of Pre-Authorized Giving for the new year.  The PAG registration form can be found in the foyer of the church or on our website and can be returned (along with void cheque) to the office directly or by dropping it into next Sunday’s Offertory basket!

Finally, for those wishing to donate by credit card please visit the Donate Now button on our parish website…we thank you for considering a monthly recurring gift to your parish community.

Reflecting on Archbishop Leo’s Pastoral Letter

“As disciples of Christ, we experience and live out our Catholic faith, in our Toronto archdiocese, within the framework of a very extensive, diverse and complex ecclesial and societal reality, but one which offers us many opportunities to be mutually enriched and to witness with Gospel boldness to the truth that sets us free, namely Christ himself.” - Archbishop Francis Leo, Seeking the Kingdom of God Above and Beyond All Things, Page 2. Please access the entire pastoral letter via our parish website or the Archdiocesan website  www.archtoronto.org .

World Day of the Sick and the Mass for the Anointing of the Sick

The ministry of Jesus to the sick is central to the life of the Church. February 11 (Memorial of Our Lady of Lourdes) highlights the healing ministry of the Church and reminds us that service to the sick and suffering cannot be neglected. It recognizes the great efforts of doctors, nurses, health care institutions and pastoral care givers to restore health to those afflicted with illness and disease.

I take this opportunity to thank the many people involved in our Pastoral Care Team who minister to the sick by offering holy communion to them at home, at Sunrise and Parkland on the Glen.

On Saturday, February 10 at 9:00 a.m., we will celebrate a special Mass for the Anointing of the Sick.   Please extend an invitation to those Roman Catholics in your families whose health is seriously impaired by sickness or old age, as we would be happy to anoint them during the mass.

Finally, a reminder that if you have a loved one who is homebound, or seriously ill please call the parish office to arrange for one of our priests to come for an initial visit and possible Anointing of the Sick.  We would then be happy to offer them the option of receiving communion at home through our Pastoral Care Team. Please call or visit the parish office with the information and we will follow up with you.  

Cancer Patient and Caregivers Retreat Day at Queen of Apostles

Cancer patients and caregivers are invited to experience God’s healing love at a special retreat day on Saturday February 17. Registration begins at 8:30 am. The cost is $45 and includes snacks, lunch, and Mass. For more info or to register, please contact Jean, 905-278-5229 or office@qoa.ca .

DPCDSB Entry Planning and Transition Information Session for students with Differing Abilities

Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board’s (DPCDSB) Special Education and Learning Services Department will host an information session to support the entry planning and transition of students with differing abilities who will be new to the DPCDSB for September 2024. During this session, parents/guardians will have the opportunity to meet with board staff and learn about the entry planning process for students with differing abilities. Differing abilities may include but are not limited to the following areas: blind low vision, hearing, speech, autism, physical/medical and/or developmental delays in the cognitive and/or motor areas.

The information session will be held at St. Marcellinus Catholic Secondary School (730 Courtney Park Dr. West, Mississauga) from 7:00 – 8:30 p.m. Parents/guardians can register for this event. For more information, please contact Fara Miranda Fernandes, Resource Secretary, Special Education & Learning Services, 905-890-0708 Ext.24011 or fara.mirandafernandes@dpcdsb.org 

Event Flyer / Registration Link . Please see the posters on the bulletin board in the front foyer.

Are You Ticked?

To verify that you are an English Separate (Catholic) School supporter, please check the assessment section of your Tax Bill or Property Assessment Notice. To register as a Separate School Supporter or change your Direction of School Support, please contact the Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board by calling 905-890-0708 ext. 24512 or admissions@dpcdsb.org .