Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph December 28, 2025

 
        
       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 MON, TUES, THURS, FRI
OPEN : Wednesday 10:00 AM – 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  
 
   Blessed is everyone who fears the Lord, who walks in his ways.
Psalm 128 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. Dec. 29  – No mass
 
Tues. Dec. 30 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., Dec. 30 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) -  +Wayne Durham by Louis Gratton

Wed., Dec. 31 – 7:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) -  +Yolande Gratton by Louis Gratton

Thurs., Jan. 1 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Therese Christensen by Louis Gratton

Fri., . Jan. 2 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Ed Mourre by Norman & Frances Steier

Sat., Jan. 3 –  7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace)
 
Sun., Jan. 4 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) -  People of God

Sun., Jan. 4  – 12:30 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) -  People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. Catechism  classes will resume January 11, 2026.

  Sunday Collection –  December 21  Meadow Lake  $2414.70   Green Lake  No Mass   Children’s $3.05
                                               
Sunday Church Attendance –    December 21   Adults  85  Children  10  Total  95
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for December – For Christians in areas of conflict– Let us pray that Christians living in areas of war or conflict, especially in the Middle East, might be seeds of peace, reconciliation and hope.
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for January – For prayer with the Word of God – Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church.
 
Farewell Celebration for Bishop Stephen – Jan. 9, 2026 in Prince Albert beginning with mass at 6:00 pm. If anyone is interested in going, please let the office know. We have to register with the diocese.
 
World Day of Peace – January 1 – The World Day of Peace was established by Pope Paul VI in 1968 who asked that “every year, this commemoration be repeated as a hope and as a promise, at the beginning of the calendar which measures and outlines the path of human life in time, that Peace with its just and beneficent equilibrium may dominate the development of events to come.” Each year has a specific theme, chosen by the Holy Father.
                                                            Taken from Ordo page 36
 
The 2025 Bishop’s Annual Appeal – Please support the Bishop’s Annual Appeal. We sometimes need to remind ourselves that God has given us all the resources and we are but stewards of what we have been given. Our parish has been asked to raise $16,489.00 and Green Lake has been asked to raise $1885.00 for this year’s Appeal. Our Lady of Peace parishioners have made 30 pledges so far for a total of $10350.00. The diocese has 1010 pledges for a total of $367024.41.
 
Bishop’s Annual Appeal:
“Planting Seeds of Hope”
October 26 – December 31, 2025
Every gift is greatly appreciated!

 
Scripture Insights – Feast of the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph
Taken from Source Book for Sundays, Seasons and Weekdays 2026: The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy, LTP Liturgy Training Publications Copyright 2025, 3949 South Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609, pg. 42.
 
 In their mutual love and forbearance, in their patience in times of trial, and in their total obedience to God’s will for them, the Holy Family shows us how to live together in peace.
 The Gospel offers a beautiful narrative that reflects the life of the Holy Family. The Son of God entered the human family as a helpless child, cared for by a loving family. Joseph and Mary immediately exercise their role as protectors of their child amid dire circumstances. They become refugees, escaping the tyranny of King Herod, who had ordered the death of their child. Just as the Joseph in the Old Testament went to Egypt to save his family from starvation, so Joseph in the New Testament takes his family to Egypt under God’s inspiration to save them. Once King Herod had died, God brings the Holy Family back from Egypt to safety in Nazareth. Joseph and Mary illustrate the primary role of every parent: to trust in God’s guidance as they care for and protect their child.
 
·         Today’s Gospel reminds us that, although holy indeed, Mary, Joseph, and Jesus experienced challenges in their life together. Fear of death forced the Holy Family to flee to Egypt from Israel. With this, Joseph, Mary, and Jesus were refuges seeking safety and security at a time when Herod wanted to destroy the Christ child.

• Two thousand years later, families around the world still flee their homelands to escape violence, poverty, and death. These immigrants and refuges are the modern-day image of the Holy Family, risking all in hopes of safety and security.
• Do we think of the Holy Family when we see images of children fleeing persecution from the Middle East? Are we willing to see the Holy Family in our brothers and sisters who are victims of racism and violence? Mary, Joseph, and Jesus were aliens and outcasts in their flight to Egypt. We must be willing to encounter and welcome the holy families we meet today.