April 3, 2022 - 5th Sunday of Lent

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 9 am-12:00; Wednesday - Friday 10am—12:00 and 1-4:30 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 has done great things for us; we are filled with joy.” Psalm 126 Refrain
  
April 3, 2022 - Fifth Sunday of Lent
 
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:
 
Pastoral Council Chair:
Doris Beaubien

Mass 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., April 4 – No mass - Anonymous

Tues., April 5 – 9:30am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Norman & Eileen Poitras Family by Roy Shkopich and Linda Poitras

Wed., April 6 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Mike Shkopich Family by Roy Shkopich and Linda Poitras

Thurs., April 7 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Mike Belick Family by Roy Shkopich and Linda Poitras

Fri., April 8 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Josh Delarond Family by Roy Shkopich and Linda Poitras

Sat., April 9 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake) - Anonymous

Sun., April 10 – 10 am (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., April 10 – 12:30 pm (St Jude Parish, Green Lake) - People of God

Sun., April 10 – 12:30 pm (Our Lady of the Smile Parish, Waterhen Lake) - People of God

 
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. 40 Cans for Lent:  The Knights of Columbus are inviting us to think about our neighbour. Throughout the season of Lent each household is asked to contribute one can each day of Lent – hence 40 Cans for Lent. The contributions from our households will be taken to the Door of Hope at Easter. Please bring cans of fruit, vegetables, soups, beans, chili, fish, or stew or anything else that is non-perishable. Let us be mindful of what we have and of the needs of our brothers and sisters. Let us be generous!
2. Way of the Cross – Fridays at 6:30 pm throughout Lent!
3. Opportunities for Confession – Tuesday evening at 6:30 pm, Fr. Doug and Fr. Kendrick; Wednesday evening 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm Fr. Doug

 
Posture for the Communion Procession
While we are going to communion it is our custom to stand, and to remain standing until everyone has received communion AND the Blessed Sacrament is returned to the tabernacle. During the Communion Procession we are to join in the singing of the Communion Hymn. After we have received communion AND AFTER the Blessed Sacrament is returned to the tabernacle by the Priest or the Extraordinary Minister of Communion, we may either sit or kneel and engage in our own personal and private prayer. While the sacred vessels are being purified people may either sit or kneel.
 
The Gospel of St. Luke – This year at our Sunday masses we will be listening to the Gospel of St. Luke. Fr. Doug will present four one-hour sessions on the Gospel – looking at its structure and themes and stories. If you would like to understand the Gospel of St. Luke a little better, please join him for these presentations which will be on Facebook at 7:30 pm. This week we will look more closely at the stories of the Last Supper, the arrest of Jesus, the crucifixion and death and the resurrection and appearances of Jerusalem. The next session is Wednesday, April 6.
 
Development and Peace Collection – This is the Fifth Sunday of Lent and it is Solidarity Sunday. This year’s campaign is entitled People and Planet First and encourages us to live more in communion with the peoples of the Global South. Bishop Stephen Hero writes, “In this Season of Lent when we remember how God’s Son became poor to enrich us with God’s life and a new vision of universal love, it is a ‘favorable time’ to express our deep commitment to our brothers and sisters who are in need.
Thank you for your sacrifices and prayers that bring so much good to our world.”
 
I also want to take this opportunity to thank you for all you do locally and universally. I also want to encourage you to be as generous as you are able in response to the needs of the world.
 
Synod 2021-2023 Information:  The parish synod committee is preparing a synthesis which will be given out to everyone so that we can ‘hear’ what others are saying. The synthesis will also be forwarded to the Diocese as our contribution. Thank you for sharing with us! Please know that you matter, and we have made space for you!  You can follow the diocesan Synod plans here: https://www.padiocese.ca/synod2023. 
 
Sunday Collection – March 27:  Our Lady of Peace:  $660.00; St. Jude Parish: $185.00
 
***Still looking for the person who has Envelope #67! If this is your number can you be in touch with the Parish Office! Thanks!***
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for April – For Health Care Workers
We pray for health care workers who serve the sick and the elderly, especially in the poorest countries; may hey be adequately supported by governments and local communities.

Aid to Ukraine: “Oblates do not leave people, even until the end.”  Fr. Pavlo Vyshkovskyi OMI gives interview from the capital city of Kyiv. Follow this interview from Vatican News. You can listen to the full interview to get an understanding of the Oblate ministry in Ukraine at this time.
Fr. Ken Forster, OMI says that as Russian artillery pounds Ukrainian cities in hopes of softening up resistance, Fr. Pavlo Vyshkovskyi, OMI refuses to entertain the notion of abandoning the faithful entrusted to his care.  The missionary now serves, with two other Oblates assisting him, as the parish priest of St. Nicholas Catholic Church in the capital, Kyiv.
Photo:  Fr. Pavlo Vyshlovskyi OMI with a load of supplies for distribution. By Devin Watkins
 
“Ctrl + Click” to follow link to the Vatican News website and interview.  If you want to support Ukraine through the Oblates send through MAMI.  Please help the Missionary Oblates help the people of Ukraine.  You can donate on-line through our website: www.omilacombe.ca/mami/donations ;   E-transfer to [email protected]. Call our office directly 1-866-432-6264; send a cheque payable to AMMI Lacombe Canada MAMI or bring to Parish Office. Mail to 601 Taylor Street West, Saskatoon, SK S7M 0C9.  Income tax receipts are available for all donations.  To date, Friday, April 1st, $125,000 has been wired over to assist the needy through the ministry of the Oblates.
 
Scripture Insights - Fifth Sunday of Lent:  Taken from Source Book for Sundays, Seasons and Weekdays 2022:  The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy, LTP Liturgy Training Publications Copyright 2020, 3949 South Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609, pg. 146.

As the church approaches the great celebration of salvation through the death and resurrection of Jesus, Scripture raises hopeful images of newness. Isaiah prophesies to a community that had forgotten its identity as “People of God”; repeatedly they had turned away from love of God and neighbor. The Old Testament portrays the exile as God’s just punishment designed to turn the people back to the covenant and to God, their one source of life.

Isaiah assures the exiles in Babylon that that their ever-faithful God has ended their decades of captivity and has begun a dramatic renewal. They will not simply return to the promised land; God plans to create the people anew, “that they might announce my praise.” (Is 43:21). His merciful initiative of “doing something new” (43:19) awaits the re-created people’s proper response: grateful praise. Writing to the Philippians, Paul again calls them to forget “what lies behind” (Phil 3:13). He urges the people to embrace the fullness of life that comes only in Christ.

In the Gospel, John offers a glimpse of that new life: compassion and mercy offered to all, no matter their offense. The woman caught in adultery has no reason to expect forgiveness. In the hands of religious leaders, she can only wait in horror for the inevitable application of the law: death by stoning. But Jesus imagines a new order in which even accusers reflect on and realize their own failures. In this tense scene, in which hearts are hardened against the woman, he creates the conditions for change. What person aware of his or her own sin, could dare to condemn another? Reminded of their own sinfulness, the leaders reluctantly depart. To the woman, Jesus offers no condemnation. He does, however, show her how to embrace the new life God offers: “Go and from now on do not sin anymore” (Jn 8:11).

*Today’s Gospel often gets told as a story of forgiveness. But Jesus does not offer the woman forgiveness. Why? She may not have needed it in this case. The scribes and Pharisees say the woman was caught in adultery. But consider: who knows what happened behind closed doors? Was it really adultery? Or was the woman really a survivor of sexual assault? Jesus turns the issue back on the men and raises the reality of  their sin. “Are you without sin.” Jesus seems to say. “I don’t think so.”

*Once again, a woman is not given the chance to tell her own side of the story. The dialogue recorded in today’s Gospel is between the scribes and Pharisees and Jesus. The topic of conversation involves the woman, yet she is rendered silent until the crowd leaves. Imagine: what might the woman have shared if given the space to speak out?

*Isaiah raves about the Lord who opens a path through the mighty waters. God opens paths in unexpected places.
 
Opportunities for Confessions: Our Lady of Peace Parish – Tuesday, April 5th - 6:30 pm – 7:30 pm (Fr. Doug and Fr. Kendrick available) and Wednesday, April 6 from 5:00 pm – 7:00 pm (Fr. Doug available); St. Jude’s Parish, after mass on April 3; Our Lady of the Smile, Waterhen Lake, after mass on April 10th or you may call the parish office to arrange for an appointment.

DIOCESAN NEWS & BEYOND
 
Diocesan Youth Rally – The Prince Albert Diocesan Youth Ministry team invites the youth of the Diocese to participate in a Youth Rally on April 23, 2022 (a day filled with fun, music, talks, food, faith, and fellowship) featuring Facetoface Ministries.  Youth are welcome to bring a friend.  Cost:  $25 each until April 9th. (after April 9th the cost is $35 each).  Location:  Plaza 88 Event Centre, Prince Albert.  Sponsored by the Bishop’s Appeal. To Register and for Rally information go to:  www.padiocese.ca/news-highlights-events . 
 
The Chrism Mass will be celebrated at 5:00 pm, Tuesday, April 12, 2022 at Sacred Heart Cathedral - 1401-4th Avenue West, Prince Albert, SK.   All are welcome to attend.
If you would like to lend your voice to the Diocesan Choir which will lead the music for this celebration please be in touch with Heidi Epp at the Liturgy Office and plan to be at the Cathedral at 4:00 pm for the practice. Music required will be available at the practice.

 
Journey through Lent Virtual Opportunities for Adults and Families
This year’s Virtual Lenten Bible Study will focus on the Passion reading from Palm Sunday, Apr 10, 2022 (Luke 22.14-23.56). The reading will be reflected on over the six Thursdays from Mar 3 until Apr 7 from 7 - 8:30 p.m. each week.  The evening will begin with Lectio Divina, followed by small group sharing on the reading. These are stand-alone sessions, so if you cannot attend them all but would like to attend a few of them, that would be fine.  Lectio Divina (Latin for “Divine Reading”) is a traditional monastic practice of reading Scripture to promote communion with God and increase knowledge of God’s word. The chosen reading is listened to four times from four different stances: Lectio (Read), Meditatio (Reflect - Think), Oratio (Respond - Pray), and Contemplatio (Rest - Remain in God’s presence).

Family Faith Formation at Home – Video’s will appear on Facebook: A ten-part video series based on the book, Benjamin’s Box, follows Jesus’ way of the cross through a little boy’s eyes. Each clip in this series, created by local catechists, offers a 15–30-minute session, which contains a short reading from the story Benjamin’s Box followed by a Scripture reading, a craft, a challenge, and a prayer. The series can be viewed on Sundays beginning Feb 27 and concluding during the Easter weekend on the  RC Diocese of Prince Albert: Evangelization and Catechesis Facebook page and later on Mondays on the Evangelization and Catechesis webpage on the RC Diocese of PA website. By the end of the series, children with their families will have heard the Easter story and collected items symbolizing key moments of Jesus’ experience during his last days.  If you would like to purchase a copy of the book Benjamin’s Box, contact our Resource Centre at 306-922-4747 extension 229. For the craft supply list go to https://www.padiocese.ca/family-lenten-resources. 
Here is the video schedule:  Sundays during Lent - March 20, 27, April 3 and 10. Holy Thursday - Apr 14; Good Friday - Apr 15; Easter Sunday - Apr 17.  These events are possible due to the generosity of the Bishop’s Annual Appeal supporters. A heartfelt thank you to all who donate.

Deacon Tai Le will be ordained on Friday, June 10th, 2022 at 7 pm at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Prince Albert.  Keep Deacon Tai in your prayers as he continues to prepare for priesthood and for a life of service of God’s People.  https://www.padiocese.ca/news-articles

DEVELOPMENT & PEACE:  This Lent, let’s put people and planet first
This year, Development and Peace — Caritas Canada’s People and Planet First campaign calls you to support our sisters and brothers in the Global South in defending their rights and the planet. Do this by:

1. Donating online at devp.org/give or during the Solidarity Sunday collection April 3, the 5th Sunday of Lent. Your generosity supports 85+ projects in 27 countries!
2. Learning more by reading the Mini-magazine and other resources available at devp.org/lent/resources.
3. Signing the petition for strong laws to control Canadian corporations’ behaviour abroad at devp.org/act.

For more information, contact Michael LeBlanc at 306-205-2334 or [email protected].

Development and Peace: a movement of solidarity - Established in 1967, Development and Peace ― Caritas Canada is the official international solidarity organization of the Catholic Church in Canada.  We partner with organizations in the Global South that promote alternatives to unjust social, political and economic structures and support women in their quest for equality and justice. With the help of our 11,000+ volunteer members, we inform Canadians about the root causes of impoverishment and mobilize them to act for change. Our Lenten campaign, People and Planet First, offers you the opportunity to help protect vulnerable communities and ecosystems from corporate abuse.  To learn more about and to join our movement, visit devp.org.   
 
Week 5: April 3 – Solidarity Sunday - This Lent, give from the heart

This Solidarity Sunday, Development and Peace’s People and Planet First campaign invites you to give from the heart and thanks you warmly for your generosity.

Your donation transforms the lives of some of our most vulnerable sisters and brothers across the world.
In Cambodia, for instance, your solidarity helped our partner DPA establish a community fishery in Srey Packly’s village. She said, “Thank you very much to DPA and to the donors for supporting my family and fellow villagers to have fresh and healthy fish to eat and to improve our livelihoods.”
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Such is the difference you can make by giving to your Share Lent parish collection or at devp.org/give. Thank you for helping us build a world of justice. Read more about these people’s victories in our Mini-magazine at devp.org/lent/resources.
 
Lenten Listening – Reading Scripture In/Through Different Voices:  Join us for this exciting series of Lenten Listening and praying.  To obtain the link, email: [email protected]
How do the ancient holy words speak to us today, especially through the lens of those from different ethnic and racial perspectives?  Join us on Zoom for five Thursdays and one Wednesday in lent. March 10-April 13, 2022, 7:00-8:30pm.  For more information, contact –
The Rev. Matteo Carboni, Humboldt – [email protected]
The Rev. Marie-Louise Ternier, Watrous – [email protected]