26th Sunday in Ordinary Time September 29, 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 precepts of the Lord are right, and give joy to the heart.
Psalm 19 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., Sept. 30 – No mass
 
Tues., Oct. 1 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., Oct. 1 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Leo Fillion Family Special Intention by Gloria & Bev

Wed., Oct. 2 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Betty Bettcher by Chris & Pat Bencharski

Thurs., Oct. 3 – 8:30 am  Adoration before mass
 
Thurs., Oct. 3 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Leo Fillion Family Special Intention by Gloria & Bev

Fri., Oct. 4 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Anonymous

Sat., Oct. 5 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church) - People of God

Sun., Oct. 6 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., Oct. 6 – 12:30 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. Children’s catechism – We are accepting registrations at the office until Oct. 4 for classes which will begin October 6 after mass.
2. Parish Work Bee Saturday, Oct. 5 from 10 am to 2 pm. Please come help if you can.
3. Parish Family Fun Day Sunday, October 6 after mass. The Knights of Columbus will provide hamburgers and hot dogs. We are asking parishioners to bring potluck salads & desserts.

 
Sunday Collection – Sept. 22:  Meadow Lake $1219.15  Green Lake $139.40  Children’s Collection $12.00
                                                 Garage Sale Proceeds  $2223.25
 
Sunday Church Attendance – Sept. 22 – Adults  123   Children  18  Total  141
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for October – for a shared mission – We pray that the Church continue to sustain in all ways a Synodal lifestyle, as a sign of co-responsibility, promoting the participation, the communion and the mission shared among priests, religious and lay people.
 
Needs of the Church in Canada – Every year, the Bishops of Canada appeal for financial assistance. This collection helps each diocese make its annual contribution to the national Episcopal Conference and to the respective regional episcopal assembly (in the Atlantic, Quebec, Ontario and Western regions). Any additional funds from the collection are at the disposal of the diocese for its own pastoral needs. Contributing to this collection is an act of collaboration with the Bishops in their ministry of teaching, sanctifying and pastoral governance.               Taken from Ordo page 217
 
World Day of Migrants and Refugees – September 29 – A World Day of Migrants and Refugees is observed in many places in solidarity with the World Refugee Day promoted by the United Nations and observed in June since 2001. At the request of several conferences of Bishops, Pope Francis moved the observance to September in 2019. “The phenomenon of migration today is a providential opportunity for the proclamation of the Gospel in the contemporary world. Men and women from various regions of the earth who have not yet encountered Jesus Christ or know him only partially, ask to be received in countries with an ancient Christian tradition. It is necessary to find adequate ways for them to meet and to become acquainted with Jesus Christ and to experience the invaluable gift of salvation.” (Pope Benedict XVI, 2012).      Taken from Ordo page 218
 
Scripture Insights – 26th 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. 340.
 
 In the first reading, we hear how the Lord provided Moses with assistance by bestowing some of the spirit that was on him onto seventy elders. This assistance relieved Moses of some of the burden of leading the people. When Moses’ faithful assistant Joshua sees two people prophesying who weren’t present at the official ceremony where God’s spirit was bestowed, he demands that Moses stop them from prophesying. But Moses tells Joshua that he wishes all God’s people would receive the Spirit and assume prophetic leadership.
 Jesus’ disciples echo Joshua’s concerns. They see someone driving out demons in Jesus’ name, and they try to stop him because he is not one of Jesus’ disciples. But Jesus echoes Moses’ reply. Nobody should be prevented from invoking the power of Jesus’ name to drive out demons wherever they may be.
The next part of Jesus’ instruction turns to the seriousness of either causing a “little one” to sin or allowing persistent sin in one’s life to cause an eternal stumble. He tells them to take anything in their lives that causes them to sin – no matter how precious that thing may be – and to get rid of it so that it cannot lead them away from God. He might have told them to be like David, who in Psalm 19 searches himself carefully and asks God to cleanse him even from unknown faults.
James’ hearers, on the other hand, have ignored Jesus’ instructions. They have clung to their wealth, even though their gold has caused them to commit injustices: they have withheld wages and even committed murder. They should have cast aside their wealth lest it corrupt them and turn them away from God. Instead, James warns them that their condemnation is at hand.
 

• Joshua is concerned that those who are prophesying are not all officially installed, according to the rules and customs of the community. But Moses knows that God often calls us in unconventional ways, and that it is important to be open to the Spirit that does not always follow our rules! There are such inspired prophets among us today – women and young people – who are not “ordained” in the way we might expect, but who still carry a message of hope. Are we open to their message?

·         It is nearly impossible to read this second reading without thinking of all the black and brown bodies that have been unjustly murdered by our prejudice. Many of them, with their hands up in surrender before their assailants attack. Do we hear the cries of their people, begging for God’s new world to usher in ever-swiftly, urgently?
We do what we can to keep unity in our hearts and in our communities. Sometimes, try as we might, we need to decide who or what to distance ourselves from, before it drains us or derails us from the work we are called to do. For some, this means that they have had to put distance between themselves and their family. The weight of that decision can be crushing and isolating: what type of community here is carrying those who have needed to separate themselves from harm’s way?