8th Sunday in Ordinary Time, February 27, 2022

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 1pm-4:30
Office Phone:  306-236-5122 
Cell Phone: 306-304-7271

Parish Email: olpsecretary@sasktel.net Pastor Email: olpmlpastor@sasktel.net
Facebook: Catholic Church Meadow Lake
Website: https://www.meadowlakecatholicchurch.com/
Address: 504-3rd Ave. East, Meadow Lake, SK S9X 1H5  

“Lord, it is good to give thanks to you.” Psalm 92 Refrain
 
February 27, 2022 - 8th 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:
 
Pastoral Council Chair:
Doris Beaubien

SaskHealth reminds us that all citizens age 5 & older are eligible to receive a Covid19 vaccine and that booster doses of the Covid19 vaccine are available. Getting vaccinated is the best thing we can do to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. Please encourage one another, including your children, to get vaccinated.  Wearing masks, sanitizing, social distancing and limiting the size of gatherings also help. Despite our fatigue of COVID and restrictions, the virus has not gone away. Let us be safe and care for one another.
 
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH
 
Effective March 1, MASKS are NO LONGER REQUIRED when you enter the Church and the Parish Office!

The next Songs at Seven will take place March 3, 2022 at 7 p.m.  

Please exercise caution when you come to the Parish Office/Church as our parking area has a lot of ice.  

The Season of Lent begins with Ash Wednesday Liturgies in the Meadow Lake Cluster – March 2 – 12:30pm – St. Jude’s, Green Lake; March 2 – 6:30pm – Our Lady of Peace, Meadow Lake (live-streamed).  Ashes will be shared with the people of Our Lady of the Smile at the next Sunday liturgy.  
March 4, 2022 - World Day of Prayer will be held at the United Church on Friday at 1:30pm.  
Coming Soon! Our Winter FunDay is set for March 6th!  
Are you making plans for how you will live your Lenten Journey this year?  
 
Mass Intentions 
When there is a funeral, the daily mass will be cancelled.  Check Facebook for the most up-to-date information.  On Tuesday to Friday and on Sunday, the Our Lady of Peace masses will be livestreamed on Facebook.

Mon., Feb 28 – No mass - Personal Intention
Tues., March 1 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Leslie Morgenstern by Marty Bishop
Wed., March 2 – 12:30 (St. Jude Parish, Green Lake) - Personal Intention Catherine Gardiner
Wed., March 2 - 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God
Thurs., March 3 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Personal Intention Catherine Gardiner
Fri., March 4 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Anonymous
Sat., March 5 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake) - Anonymous
Sun., March 5 – 10 am (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake & Facebook) - People of God
Sun., March 5 – 12:30 pm (St Jude Parish, Green Lake) - People of God

Lifting of Covid-19 Restrictions: On February 22, I received a letter from Bishop Stephen Hero, offering guidance following the lifting of restrictions by the Saskatchewan government on February 28. The letter can be seen on the Diocesan website. I am also aware of the comments made by Dr. Gavin Van de Venter, chief of staff at the Meadow Lake Hospital in the Northern Pride. Dr. Van de Venter reminds us that just over 60% of the people in our area are vaccinated.

Beginning March 1st, we will make changes to how we gather and to how we gather to celebrate our faith. The changes will begin to be implemented at the beginning of March and will impact our liturgical celebrations here in the Meadow Lake Cluster:

During the pandemic, by a special dispensation from the Bishop, people were not obliged to take part physically in the Sunday Eucharist. Our commitment to the faith community was satisfied by our participation in the virtual celebrations. Going forward, barring any illness or physical impediments we are obliged to gather with the members of our faith community to hear God’s Word, to receive the Body of Christ and to pray together as God’s people – asking God for help and praising God for all that is. Our obligation to take part in the Sunday celebration begins with our celebrations for the First Sunday of Lent. We will continue to live-stream our liturgies not only for our community members who cannot join us, but for all who are unable to physically take part in the Sunday celebration. While we are no longer required to wear masks, the virus has not gone away. The latest numbers released by the Saskatchewan Government indicate that the number of people in hospital remains very high. In addition, February is on track as one of the worst months for deaths due to Covid-19. I encourage you to wear masks if you can, to minimize the spread of the virus and to safeguard the health and well-being of our brothers and sisters in faith. When you come to the Parish Office, wearing a mask is your choice. For the time being I will continue to welcome you while wearing a mask.
For our liturgical celebrations:
At Our Lady of Peace, the west side of the Church will remain as is, for the comfort of those people who are concerned about their health and well-being, and for those with mobility issues. I will take Communion to them. The remainder of the Church is open for people to sit as they would like.
At St. Jude’s and at Our Lady of the Smile we will provide space for those who feel a need to continue to social distance.
We will continue with our sanitizing practices – hands, spaces etc.
We will have music/singing throughout the liturgy.
Holy Water will be in the fonts. Feel free to use it or not. I will be adding a teaspoon of bleach to the water to minimize the transmission of bacteria.
We will have processions: at the beginning of mass, at the Gospel, at communion and at the end of mass. I will wear a mask during the liturgical processions (except the Gospel Procession) and during the Preparation of the Gifts and the proclamation of the Eucharistic Prayer.
The Sunday collection will continue as is.
The gifts of bread and wine will not be brought up in procession.
At the Sign of Peace, we will greet one another with a word or gesture (a wave or bow).
Both myself and the Extra-Ordinary Minister of Communion will sanitize our hands prior to the distribution of Communion, and we will wear masks during the distribution of Communion.
Only the Body of Christ will be offered during the Communion Rite and only in the hand.
During the Ash Wednesday Liturgy, the ashes will be sprinkled on the head of the faithful.
​During the Holy Thursday Liturgy, we will not have the Washing of the Feet.
During the Good Friday Liturgy, the faithful are asked to bow or genuflect before the cross. Touching the cross is not encouraged.  

WINTERFUN DAY Weather permitting (-15 or warmer), we will have our parish winter party on March 6th from 2:00 pm to 4:00 pm in the parking lot of Our Lady of Peace Parish. Bring your kids and grandkids! Connect and re-connect with parishioners you have not seen for a while! The Knights of Columbus have graciously agreed to take care of the fire and to provide wieners (with buns and toppings) and marshmallows for roasting. We will have some games for people to engage in! Some might want to do something creative with snow! Bring your sticks for roasting hotdogs and marshmallows. Brin your chairs to sit near the fire! Enjoy the music! For those of you who would like a less active/more social day, you can come and visit and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate around the fire! The Parish Hall will be open for those who prefer winter indoors! If you would like to help with a game or some aspect of our WinterFun Day, please be in touch with Fr. Doug! Please follow directions for parking!

Synod 2021-2023 Information:  The responses to our Synod questionnaire are coming in. We look forward to hearing from you. Please return your survey questionnaires by March 6th. You can return them when you come to mass, email them to the parish or drop by the Parish Office when it is open.  The committee will gather the information and prepare 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.

There are numerous opportunities provided by the Diocese and our parish to take part in the Synod. Please do take some time, pick one of the options available to you; share your thoughts and listen to others. If you don’t speak, we cannot hear you! If we don’t listen, voices will be unheard! Please know that you matter, and we would like to make space for you!  You can follow the diocesan Synod plans here: https://www.padiocese.ca/synod2023.
 
Other Upcoming Synod Zoom Sessions available at the Diocesan Level:
· Main Synod Questions (Belonging/Listening/Speaking Out) – March 9th REGISTER HERE
· Missionary Disciples (Sharing Responsibility) – March 23rd REGISTER HERE
 
Each household in the parish is asked to pray our Synod Prayer, every day, from now until the end of March when we submit our thoughts and reflections to the Diocese.

Prayer for the Synod
We stand before you, Holy Spirit, as we gather together in your name.
With You alone to guide us, make Yourself at home in our hearts;
Teach us the way we must go and how we are to pursue it.
We are weak and sinful; do not let us promote disorder.
Do not let ignorance lead us down the wrong path
nor partiality influence our actions.
Let us find in You our unity so that we may journey together to eternal life and
not stray from the way of truth and what is right.
All this we ask of You, who are at work in every place and time,
in the communion of the Father and the Son, forever and ever.  Amen

Green Lake News about the Synod: Could you please return your completed forms to Fr. Doug by March 6th at the latest! Thanks!
 
Sunday Collection – Sunday, Feb 20:  Our Lady of Peace Parish:  $ 652.00; St. Jude Parish: $35.00

Eighth Sunday in Ordinary Time:  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. 104
In today’s first reading we hear several wise sayings of Ben Sira, the author of the Book of Sirach. Each is a metaphor to help us recognize that our secret motives and intentions will be revealed in our words. Whether good or bad, we cannot keep them hidden.
            In the second reading, Paul recalls the words of the prophet Hosea and exclaims, “Where, O death, is your victory?” (1Cor 15:55) This question is rhetorical insofar as it is designed not to elicit an answer but to emphasize a point. He knows without a doubt that death will never be victorious, because God gave us victory over sin and death through the crucified Christ. Earlier in this letter, Paul describes Christ as God’s wisdom (see Cor 1:22-24).
            The Gospel presents Jesus as introducing a parable with the rhetorical query, “Can a blind person lead a blind person?” (Luke 6:39) What follows is a collection of wise sayings about not judging others lest you come under judgment yourself. The teaching follows promises that the poor and disenfranchised will be blessed in God’s Kingdom and that one’s enemies should be loved.
            *Empathy is a key practice called for in today’s Gospel. Don’t judge another, Jesus says. Each of us have made plenty of mistakes. When you see someone fall short, recall the many times you messed up yourself. Practice empathy. None of us are perfect.
            *Jesus poses big questions in today’s Gospel, ones that require deep introspection. It’s easy to glide along on the surface levels of life by staying busy. How do we create space to dig into the truth within? When do we make time to ask the hard questions like: how am I a hypocrite?
            * Our speech is tested like a piece of pottery put in a kiln, says Sirach. How do our internal thoughts align with our external words and actions? Where do we need improvement?
 
DIOCESAN NEWS & BEYOND
 
Living the Lord’s Prayer – a Lenten Retreat offered by Bishop Stephen Hero at St. James’ Parish, Albertville, SK on March 8 & 9. Mass is celebrated at 7:00 pm with Bishop’s talk to follow. Livestreaming is available at the Diocesan Facebook page.
 
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 practise 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; Sundays beginning Feb 27 and will be posted to the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis page on Mondays
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:
His triumphant entry into Jerusalem on a donkey   The last supper Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus’ torture and crucifixion The Resurrection on Easter morning. 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:
Sunday, Feb 27 - Introduction to Lent and Benjamin’s Box 
Sundays during Lent - March 6,13, 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.