20th Sunday in Ordinary Time August 20, 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: olpsecretary2023@gmail.com Pastor Email: olpmlpastor@gmail.com
Facebook: Catholic Church Meadow Lake
Website: https://www.meadowlakecatholicchurch.com/
Address: 504-3rd Ave. East, Meadow Lake, SK S9X 1H5  
 
  Let the peoples praise you, O God, let all the peoples praise you.
Psalm 67 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., Aug. 21 – No mass
 
Tues., Aug. 22 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., Aug. 22 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Sharon Pipip by Martin Bishop

Wed., Aug. 23 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Fr. Doug Jeffrey by Helen Friedrich

Thurs., Aug. 24 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Robert G. Morin by Florence Morin

Fri., Aug. 25 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook)  - Fr. Doug Jeffrey by Martin Bishop

Sat., Aug. 26 – 5:00 pm - (St. Jude’s, Green Lake) - People of God

Sun., Aug. 27 – 10:00 am – (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., Aug. 27 – 3:00 pm (Our Lady of the Smile, Waterhen) - People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. We welcome Fr. Uche to the Meadow Lake Cluster.  May the Spirit of God bless him and guide him as he walks among us.
2. The Pastoral Council will meet in the hall after mass on Tuesday, August 22 and the Finance Council will meet in the hall at 1:00 pm on Wednesday, August 23.

 Sunday Collection – August 13:  Meadow Lake $1341.60   Green Lake – $46.00
                                               
 The Pope’s Prayer Intention for August – For World Youth Day – We pray the World Youth Day in Lisbon will help young people to live and witness the Gospel in their own lives.
 
Purchase of Our Lady of Peace Statue – If you would like to make a donation to help cover the cost of the purchase of the Statue of Our Lady of Peace, 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.  So far, $4250.00 has been donated to cover the cost of the Statue.
 
Looking for Catechism Teachers – We would like to start a catechism program in the fall. Anyone interested in helping with catechism is asked to come to an organizational meeting on August 26th at 10:00 in the Parish Hall.
 
Scripture Insights – Twentieth 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. 308.
 
            In Psalm 67, we see how the Bible has long emphasized every nation’s coming to Israel’s God. Isaiah 56 also speaks of God gathering one day both Israel’s outcast and Gentiles. 
            For Paul, this universal emphasis has become a reality through Jesus. Paul’s problem is no longer the inclusion of Gentiles but of Jews who reject the messianic claim and call of Jesus. What will God do with these whom God has chosen and called first?
            In chapters 9 – 11 in Romans, Paul references various Old Testament stories to argue for Israel’s eventual salvation. First, judging from God’s choice of Isaac and Jacob over the firstborn (Ishmael and Esau), God often works in surprising ways. Second, from the same examples (especially that of the deceitful and unreliable Jacob), the realization of God’s purpose relies less on human reliability and more on God’s faithful persistence. Third, from the stories involving foreign powers, we see that even those who oppose God can be used. Fourth and finally, from prophetic traditions such as Hosea and Isaiah, God’s aim is always the salvation of all, even though there may be temporary punishment or an interim remnant.
            These arguments, especially God’s irrevocable call and emphasis to save all, are repeated in our verses today from Romans 11. God is faithful and generous and will not stop working toward the goal of saving all, including those thought to be rejected or dead.
            We see these dynamics also in Matthew’s story about the Canaanite woman. Jesus first turns down the woman because of her ethnicity and then insults her by calling her a dog. But then he responds to her faith and the story ends with salvation being extended beyond Israel without denying Israel’s priority.
                         

• God’s house of prayer is for all who follow his ways and have faith. No other criteria apply.
• Our welcome as a community of faith must extend to all who seek to know Jesus as the Son of God and find courage in him. Our accountability resides in how we put our welcome into action. It is not ours to judge those who seek Jesus and have faith as the Canaanite woman in the Gospel reading. Would that we open ourselves to letting their faith deepen ours!
• Jesus affirmed the gift of faith of the Canaanite woman and recognized how her faith opened him to healing her daughter. Going forward, may we allow the faith of those often excluded to form our own faith. They reveal Jesus to us, as we can to them.

 
 DIOCESAN NEWS & BEYOND
 
OUR LADY OF LOURDES SHRINE
Come and celebrate the Feast of the Birth of Mary at Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, St. Laurent (north east of Duck Lake, SK) on Friday, September 8th.
Marian Prayer, Rosary and Individual Confessions 6:15 pm, followed at 7:00 with the Celebration of the Eucharist, Closing Procession, and ending with birthday cake and coffee at the Food Booth.
You are invited to bring a live long stemmed rose to present to Mary, or you may purchase roses on site.
For more information contact Celine Perillat at 467-2057 or Rachelle Poirier at 467-2047.