11th Sunday in Ordinary Time June 16, 2024

 
        
       Our Lady of Peace Parish
Also Serving Our Lady of the Smile Parish, Waterhen Lake and
St. Jude’s Parish, Green Lake

Office Hours: Closed Monday
Tuesday - Friday 1-4:00 pm
Office Phone:  306-236-5122 
Cell Phone: 306-304-7271

Parish Email: [email protected] Pastor Email: [email protected]
Facebook: Catholic Church Meadow Lake
Website: https://www.meadowlakecatholicchurch.com/
Address: 504-3rd Ave. East, Meadow Lake, SK S9X 1H5  
 
 Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.
Psalm 92 Refrain
  
Our Vision:
A Community of Disciples
Our Mission
We commit to form disciples
who joyfully and faithfully
live out the mission of
Jesus Christ
by enriching our relationship
with God and neighbour
through the intercession of
Our Lady of Peace.
Pastor: 
Fr. Uche Umechikelu, MSP
Parish Secretary:
Pat Bencharski
 
Masses
Intentions

When there is a funeral, the daily mass will normally be cancelled.  Check Facebook for the most up-to-date information.  On Tuesday to Friday and on Sunday, Our Lady of Peace masses will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Mon., June 17 – No mass
 
Tues., June 18 – Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., June 18 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Anonymous

Wed., June 19 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Anonymous

Thurs., June 20 – 8:30 am Adoration before mass
 
Thurs., June 20 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Anonymous

Fri., June 21 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +P.J. Augustine by Bijo & Swapna

Sat., June 22 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church) - People of God

Sun., June 23 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., June 23 – 11:30 am  Catechism before mass (Baptism, Communion, Confirmation)  (St. Jude’s Green Lake)
 Sun., June 23 - 12:30 pm Mass  (St. Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God
 
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1.  RCIA Classes – Classes available for Baptism, Communion, Confirmation, Marriage and for returnees. Classes will be held weekly on Wednesdays after evening mass.
2. Potluck brunch after mass today (Father’s Day).  Happy Father’s Day!

Sunday Collection – June 9:  Meadow Lake $4913.32   Green Lake $234.15  Children’s Collection $2.00
                                                           
Sunday Church Attendance – June 9- Adults 123  Children  11   Total  134
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for June – for migrants fleeing their homes – We pray that migrants fleeing from war or hunger, forced to undertake journeys full of danger and violence, find welcome and new opportunities in the countries that receive them.

Our Lady of Peace Graduation Scholarship – We are inviting Catholic graduating students from Meadow Lake, Green Lake or Waterhen Lake who are furthering their education to apply directly to the church for a $600 scholarship. Please phone the office to register your name for a chance to be drawn for this scholarship. The scholarship will be finalized once proof of payment of first semester tuition has been provided. A second scholarship is open to all students at Carpenter High School.
 
Saturday Evening Mass – We will be resuming Saturday evening mass (7:00 pm) at Our Lady of Peace starting June 22, 2024. Green Lake Mass has been moved back to Sundays. This Saturday evening mass is to encourage parishioners who have to work on Sundays to be able to participate in Sunday liturgy.
 
New Parish Secretary – The parish is beginning to look for a replacement for the parish secretary who is looking to retire. It is a part-time position, approximately 12 hours per week. For more details please contact the office. The secretary will work with and train anyone interested in this position.
 
Scripture Insights – 11th Sunday in Ordinary Time
Taken from Source Book for Sundays, Seasons and Weekdays 2024:  The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy, LTP Liturgy Training Publications Copyright 2023, 3949 South Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609, pg. 240.
 
 In Ezekiel 17:1 – 21, God tells Israel a parable about a shoot from a cedar tree and a seed that becomes a vine and then explains its meaning: while in exile in Babylon, Israel secretly sought help from Egypt, a deceitful move that provokes God’s wrath (Israel was in Babylon as God’s punishment for idolatry and unfaithfulness). But God promises to take a shoot from a cedar and plant it on Israel’s heights. In other words, Israel does not need Egypt, because God’s power will bring hone and restore Israel. The Lord brings low; the Lord lifts high.
The parable of the mustard seed borrows imagery from Ezekiel 17. There, without the assistance of humans, a tree will grow from a shoot and will become a place under which birds take shelter. In Ezekiel, the tree is a cedar, whereas in Mark, Jesus describes a mustard tree, perhaps to emphasize its humble beginnings (“the smallest of all the seeds”). From a tiny, insignificant thing, the kingdom begins. As the Apostle Paul wrote, we plant our small seeds and water them, but God is responsible for the growth (I Corinthians 3:6). The sower of the seed doesn’t even know how it grows; his only job was to scatter it on the earth.
In the second reading, we hear, “we would rather leave the body and go home to the Lord.” In 2 Corinthians 5, Paul tells us that we groan, longing to be clothed with our resurrection body (5:2; cf. Romans 8:22 – 23). Mark 4 calls us back to the truth that God gives the growth even to the seeds of these bodies and someday will flower them into resurrection trees. The Lord brings low; the Lord lifts high.
                    

• There is a popular prayer by Thomas Merton that comes to mind upon hearing today’s second reading. From a sincere and heartfelt expression of wonderment about whether we are doing God’s will comes this line: “I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in all that I am doing.” We are all walking by faith, not by sight. We humbly hope that our earnest desire to do God’s will will direct us in the right way – how can we nurture our humility to continue?

·         The parable of the mustard seed invites us to consider that even the tiniest idea has potential to grow big, to serve as nourishment and protection for all who come to know it. Where are the tiny seeds among your community? How can we care for the littlest ones so that they might realize their full potential?
Parables are used throughout the Gospels as a way that Christ preaches the Good News in words his followers can hear and understand, using imagery that ignites their imagination and creates a lasting impression that can be applied to a variety of situations. This may be a good time to acknowledge the work that catechists do each time they gather: they use words and images that best communicate the core message.