11th Sunday of Ordinary Time - June 18, 2023

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  

We are his people: the sheep of his pasture. Psalm 100 Refrain

June 18, 2023 - 11 th Sunday in Ordinary Time
 
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. Doug Jeffrey, OMI

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 19 – No mass
Tues., June 20 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
Tues., June 20 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) +Maurice Vandale and +Brittany McNab
by Edna Vandale
Wed., June 21 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) +Jeff smith by Eleonore & Gaylen Smith
Thurs., June 22 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) +Robert G. Morin by Florence Morin
Fri., June 23 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) Anonymous
Sat., June 24 – 5:00 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) People of God
Sun., June 25 – 10:00 am – (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) People of God
Sun., June 25 – 3:00 pm (Our Lady of the Smile, Waterhen) People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. Join us this Sunday after mass for burgers, salads and squares in honor of Father’s Day
2. On Thursday, June 22nd we will have a Baptismal Formation Session at 6:30 pm. Please make sure
to read and complete Lessons Eight and Nine. Fr. Doug will facilitate the conversations for this session.
3. The office will be closed Tuesday, June 20th.
4. Pastoral Council Meeting June 20th after the 6:30 pm mass.

Sunday Collection – June 11: Meadow Lake $966.55; Children’s Collection $9.60
Green Lake – $550.00 


The Pope’s Prayer Intention for June – For the abolition of torture – We pray that the international
community may commit in a concrete way to ensuring the abolition of torture and guarantee support to
victims and their families.

NEEDING A JANITOR OR JANITORS – The Finance Council is looking for one or two people who are willing to
clean the Parish Hall after our functions (payment to be negotiated). If you or someone you know is interested
in providing on demand cleaning, please call the Parish Office as soon as possible. We cannot rent the Parish
Hall without having someone to clean it. Thanks for your help in this matter.

Please Note – Both parish emails have been changed. The new email for the pastor is
[email protected]. The new email for the secretary is [email protected].
We will be checking the old emails for another week or so but please update our contact as
soon as possible. Thank you!

National Indigenous Day - For generations, many Indigenous groups and communities have celebrated their
culture and heritage on June 21 or around that time of year because of the significance of the summer solstice
as the longest day of the year.
National Aboriginal Day, now National Indigenous Peoples Day, was announced in 1996 by then Governor
General of Canada, Roméo LeBlanc, through the Proclamation Declaring June 21 of Each Year as National
Aboriginal Day. This was the result of consultations and statements of support for such a day made by various
Indigenous groups:
 in 1982, the National Indian Brotherhood, now the Assembly of First Nations, called for the creation of
National Aboriginal Solidarity Day
 in 1995, the Sacred Assembly, a national conference of Indigenous and non-Indigenous people chaired
by Elijah Harper, called for a national holiday to celebrate the contributions of Indigenous Peoples
 also in 1995, the Royal Commission on Aboriginal Peoples recommended the designation of a National
First Peoples Day
On June 21, 2017, the Prime Minister issued a statement announcing the intention to rename this day
National Indigenous Peoples Day.
National Indigenous Peoples Day is part of the Celebrate Canada program, which also includes Saint-Jean-
Baptiste Day on June 24, Canadian Multiculturalism Day on June 27 and Canada Day on July 1.
Taken from the following website: https://www.rcaanc-
cirnac.gc.ca/eng/1100100013718/1534874583157?wbdisable=true#:~:text=Indigenous%20Peoples%20Day
%3F-
,What%20is%20National%20Indigenous%20Peoples%20Day%3F,Nations%2C%20Inuit%20and%20M%C3%A
9tis%20peoples.

Carpenter High School, June 21 - On June 21, at noon, Fr. Doug along with a member of the Pastoral Council
will go to Carpenter High School. The names of students who are engaging in further studies and have
registered their name for the Our Lady of Peace Parish Scholarship will have their names entered in a draw.
Two names will be pulled from the basket for scholarships. They will receive their funds once their applications
are approved, and their enrolment ensured. Let us continue to pray for all our young people who are
graduating this year. May they know the presence of God in their lives!

Finance Council Report - On Wednesday, June 14, the Finance Council met. Some of the highlights of the
meeting include:
- Concern was expressed about our ability to hire janitors to clean the Parish Hall after events and functions.
Given that there has been no response from parishioners re: possible people to hire – the decision was made
to post the job in the local community.
- The dishwasher in the rectory has arrived and has been installed and is working great. Fr. Doug is happy and
making good use of it.
- Reviewed the Annual General Meeting – Finances, Buildings and Property. We were pleased with the
separation of the two themes: Pastoral Ministry and Finances. Appreciation was expressed for those who took
part in the meeting. Appreciated the clear presentation of information. Found that it was a good experience.
- Given our need to review the relationship of our parish to the three cemeteries (St. Cyr, Cabana and St.
Cyprian), Margaret and Pat will begin by talking to the RM and then discussing with people who have been
caring for the cemeteries. They will oversee these conversations in the coming months in conjunction with Fr.
Michael from the Diocese.
- Renewed our commitment to resolving the ‘sewer smell’ that seems to be present around the rectory. Folks
notice it on Sunday morning when coming to mass.
- We approved the purchase of a statue of Our Lady of Peace for our Parish
- Fundraising – we are considering a garage sale for September and a possible cash Bingo; we committed to
doing our Annual Fall Supper for the last Sunday in October.
- Pat provided us with an updated Financial Report. A review of our current financial situation shows that we
are on track with our Budget thanks to the generosity of our parishioners.
- We reviewed a proposal for a brochure to encourage parishioners to think about leaving a bequest to Our
Lady of Peace Parish.
- We will explore the idea of moving the stove from the Parish Office to the Parish Hall.
- We will look at changing the paper towel dispensers in the Parish Hall from Battery Operated to Manually
Operated – similar to the ones in the Parish Office.
- We will look into the cost of repairing the hand of the statue (Our Lady of Grace) at our Grotto
- Fr Doug will talk with Rhys about the lighting at the Grotto.
- We will explore how we might support Our Lady of the Smile Parish in their fundraising efforts to furnish
their new Church Building.
- With Fr. Doug’s move we will explore whether the inside of the rectory should be painted prior to the arrival
of Fr. Uche
- Given that Fr. Uche is from Nigeria and has no experience with Canada – people, climate and buildings the
Finance Council will have to take an even more active role in maintaining our buildings and property. Fr. Doug
is preparing a manual to help Fr. Uche adjust to Meadow Lake.
- Bishop Stephen Hero has asked that the parish choose four people to assist Fr. Uche in his adjustment to the
parish/cluster and ministry. They will be asked to provide encouragement, support, and guidance so as to help
Fr. Uche succeed in his ministry as Administrator of our parish. Fr. Uche will be enrolled in an online
enculturation course offered by Newman Theological College in the coming Fall and Winter semesters.

Meeting with Bishop Stephen Hero at Waterhen – On Tuesday, our Bishop came to Meadow Lake and picked
me up and we made the drive to Waterhen Lake to meet with members of the parish. After meeting everyone
we listened as parishioners shared with us the history of the parish among the Waterhen People. We also
listened as people shared what is happening in the parish today and how life today is encouraging us to build a
slightly different building than what we previously had. Our building will be a gathering place for the people,
to encounter each other and to worship God together, celebrating the sacraments, those key moments when
God blesses us, making visible his grace, his love and mercy. We then reviewed with Bishop Stephen our
design and asked him for feedback. He thanked the people and encouraged them in their efforts. After
approving our design the next step will be for us to get a technical drawing from a qualified draftsperson.
Following that we will get a sense of our costs to build and to furnish our building. Once we know the costs,
we will work to find funding for the construction of the building and for the furnishing of the building. This will
mark our fundraising stage. When the funds are in place the construction will begin. Please remember us as
we continue our journey of building and rebuilding the community of faith at Waterhen.

Purchase of Our Lady of Peace Statue - After some research I have found that we can purchase a coloured
fiberglass- statue of Our Lady of Peace for $8900.00. The statue of the Sacred Heart will be relocated to the
back corner of the Sanctuary – to the right of the Presider’s Chair. The statue of Our Lady of Peace will replace
it. If you would like to make a donation to help cover the cost of the purchase of the Statue please drop your
donation into an envelope with the word STATUE on the envelope or on the memo line of your cheque. Please
note your name and/or envelope number so you can receive credit for your donation. Thanks in advance for
your generosity.

Scripture Insights – Eleventh Sunday in Ordinary Time - Taken from Source Book for Sundays, Seasons and Weekdays 2023: The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy, LTP Liturgy Training Publications Copyright 2022, 3949 South Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609, pg. 242.

“The Lord is good: his kindness endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations” (Ps 100:5).
These words, from this Sunday’s responsorial psalm, functioned as a mini-creed in Jesus’ day. Variations on
this phrase appear more than a dozen times in the Old Testament. These words acknowledged that, although
disasters (some self-inflicted) had happened to Israel, the nation had always recovered whenever it
recommitted to faith in God.

The primary example of this was the exodus from Egypt, the setting of this Sunday’s first reading. In
earlier days, the Israelites had taken refuge in Egypt. Over time, the Egyptians had reduced Israel to slavery.
God did not forget the promise made to Israel’s ancestors to provide their descendants freedom and security.
God exceeded that promise, in fact, by not only winning Israel’s freedom but in making of Israel a “priestly
people,” God’s own friend and representative to the world.

In Jesus’ day, another disaster had struck Israel. The Romans had conquered Israel. Roman government
and economic policies led to an increase in poverty and its problems: illness, malnutrition, crime, fear, and
untimely death. It was among those so afflicted that Jesus found his special possession. Just as God dreamed
of Israel teaching holiness to the world, so Jesus sent out his closest associates to establish a kingdom that
would share the good news with the world. They cured the sick, fed the poor, forgave sinners, drove out
demons, and raised the dead.

Writing some decades later, Paul could take a step back to see a larger picture. God desired humanity
to share divine life, but so many were unable to receive the gift or rejected it outright. The sacrifice of the
cross confirmed Christ’s preaching and changed human nature by revealing the resurrection and sharing the
Holy Spirit. Christ’s work overcame the fear and confusion that had led so many astray. In this way, Christ
fulfilled God’s dream of making all humanity a special possession and divine friend.

 Offer gratitude to God for the times when you have experienced Jesus’ compassion because you
were troubled, abandoned, and needed guidance. Pause this week when you feel in need of
compassion, and offer a prayer asking for Jesus’ direction.

 Recognizing how Jesus summons us to offer compassion involves us opening ourselves to the world
around us, paying particular attention to the people whose paths we cross and those whom we feel
God is calling us to put ourselves in a place to encounter. We will know where God calls us to act
compassionately as we become fully present every moment of every day.

 The universal call to holiness extends to all who labor for the kingdom. Acts of healing, bringing life,
and cleansing are acts all disciples perform daily. They are acts of compassion. They are actions
through which we as disciples grow in holiness and deepen our relationship with God. For when we
encounter others and respect the fullness of their humanity, we encounter God.

DIOCESAN NEWS & BEYOND

Pope Francis - Pope Francis had surgery last week and continues to recover well.
Doctors released him from hospital on Friday. He is well although rather tired as a result
of his surgery. Many of his upcoming commitments have been cancelled to afford him
the opportunity to recover. Let us continue to pray for the health of our Holy Father.

VOCATION WALK 2023 – The Diocese of Prince Albert invites you to join in a Vocation
Walk from Duck Lake to the St. Laurent Shrine. The walk will take place July 15 from
1:30 to 5:30 followed by Supper at 6:00, Confessions at 7:00 pm and Mass at 8:00 pm.
There will be a Torchlight Procession at 9:30 pm.

The Diocese of Prince Albert Vocations Commission is having a student coloring/poster
contest.  The purpose of this contest is to invite students to create art that promotes
vocations to religious life.  The invitation to participate is open to students from grade 1
to grade 12.  There are four categories: Gr.1-3, Gr. 4-6, Gr.7-9, Gr.10-12. The
regulations and entry form can be found at the following link:
https://www.padiocese.ca/vocations-commission

World Youth Day – Let us continue to pray for all who will gather in Lisbon, Portugal
for World Youth Day. Information video for World Youth Day 2023 in Lisbon:
https://youtu.be/JQZ_VAPZ2ow Please see our website for more information at
https://www.padiocese.ca/world-youth-day-2023