16th Sunday in Ordinary Time July 21, 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  
 
  The Lord is my shepherd: I shall not want.
Psalm 23 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., July 22 – No mass
 
Tues., July 23 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., July 23 – No mass (Fr. Uche will be meeting with his Superior General)
 
Wed., July 24 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - For health & welfare of family & friends by Sandra Senga

Thurs., July 25 – 8:30 am Adoration before mass
 
Thurs., July 25 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Rosaline Salicon by Darcy, Dustin & Jim Thomas & Kelty Esau

Fri., July 26 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - For health & welfare of family & friends by Sandra Senga

Sat., July 27 – 5:00 pm (St Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God

Sat., July 27 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church) - People of God

Sun., July 28 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., July 28 – 3:00 pm (Our Lady of the Smile Waterhen) - People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. Short work bee Wednesday morning, July 24 from 10:00 to 12:00 to clean up our property behind the rectory. Many hands make light work. Please come help if you can.    
2. Fr. Uche’s Superior General from Nigeria will be here in our parish on Sunday, July 28th. We will have a welcome brunch in the hall after mass.

 Sunday Collection – July 14:  Meadow Lake $2003.35   Green Lake $237.55   Children’s Collection $6.00
                                                           
Sunday Church Attendance – July 14- Adults 132  Children  24   Total  156
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for July – for the pastoral care of the sick – We pray that the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick confer to those who receive it and their loved ones the power of the Lord and become ever more a visible sign of compassion and hope for all.
 
Save the Date – The Annual MSP/AMSP Youth Rally will be held at Our Lady of the Assumption in St. Walburg on August 9 and 10, 2024. Registration for the Youth Rally can be made by calling or texting Fr. Peter Nnanga, MSP 306-344-7867 or Germaine Vany, AMSP 306-398-7601. There is no charge for this event. There is an option for older youth (Grades 6+) to stay overnight. Parents/Guardians must accompany their children for the overnight option. Friday starts at 6:00 pm with BBQ, Games, Adoration, Praise & Worship, Campfire & Songs. Saturday program is from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm with Breakfast/ Lunch, Games, Talks, Group Sessions and Celebration of the Eucharist. There are brochures at the back of the church for anyone interested in this event.
 
Scripture Insights – 16th 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. 272.
 
 The prophet Jeremiah’s cry, “Woe to the shepherds,” is a judgment on Israel’s leaders for misleading and scattering the sheep (the people of Israel) in their care. In Jeremiah and Psalm 23, God is the Good Shepherd who feeds his people, protects them, and does not lose one of them. Jeremiah points forward to Christ through his promise that God will “raise up a righteous shoot to David,” a king who will govern with wisdom and justice.
When Jesus views the people as “sheep without a shepherd,” he likewise condemns Israel’s leaders for failing to care for, guide, and protect the people (Mark 6:34; cf. Jeremiah 50:6; Numbers 27:17; 2 Chronicles 18:16). The disciples have just returned from their mission to proclaim the Gospel and to heal. They have attracted so much attention that they don’t even have time to eat, so Jesus tells them to come away to a quiet place to rest (“in verdant pastures he gives me repose”). The crowd discovers where the group has planned to retreat and arrives at their destination first. When Jesus sees the people, he is “moved with pity.” The Greek word here means “to be deeply moved,” doe one’s insides to churn with emotion. Rather than escape the crowds, Jesus takes up the role of their shepherd and teaches them.
In Ephesians, Paul tells of how Christ has united the Israelites, who were heirs of the covenant, with the Gentiles, who were not. In the verse that precedes today’s reading, Paul reminds his Gentile congregation in Ephesus that they once were “strangers to the covenants of promise, without hope and without God in the world” (Ephesians 2:12). They have now been brought near to God through Christ, whose death destroyed the barrier between Jew and Gentile and created one new humanity, at peace with God.
                    

• It can be so difficult sometimes to discern who is a faithful shepherd and who is the one leading the flock astray. Obviously, the abuse crisis in our church has outed more false leaders than we had ever imagined. This, and the efforts to uncover the truth in every corner of our institution, must remain a priority as we journey forward. But there are other, more subtle ways that leaders mislead the flock. Think of the power of social media, and the ability to spread lies so quickly and so convincingly. What are the signs we might look for in a good shepherd, and what are the red flags we can help each other to avoid?

·         In today’s second reading, Paul speaks of the end of divisions between us, and the power of Christ to call Jews and Gentiles alike into the fold. This radical embrace can seem so distant from our modern-day church language that seems to pay an abundance of attention to naming those who are welcome, and shaming those who are not. What walls do we still have up? What might Christ destroy that we have built to divide?

• Many priests and pastors can well relate to the sentiment in this Gospel: that the need for rest and recharging is quite real – and so is the tug of our heartstrings when we see a people in need of a shepherd. Remember here that the final task of the shepherd is to lay down his life for his sheep, but that there is much more life to be laid down when it is well cared for!

 

DIOCESAN NEWS
 
4TH WORLD DAY FOR GRANDPARENTS AND THE ELDERLY will be celebrated on Sunday, July 28. Pope Francis’ message for this occasion has the theme “Do not cast me off in my old age”. His message emphasizes that the loneliness of the elderly is often not perceived as a problem. But the Church is called to build bonds between generations.