Fifth Sunday of Easter April 28, 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  
 
   Lord, from you comes my praise in the great congregation.
Psalm 22 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., Apr. 29 – No mass
 
Tues., Apr. 30 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., Apr. 30 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Dan Durocher by Roy Shkopich

Wed., May 1 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Chandler Mysko by Martin Bishop

Thurs., May 2 – 8:30 – 9:30 am Adoration before mass
 
Thurs., May 2 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Clarence Durocher by Roy Shkopich

Fri., May 3 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Mike Shkopich Family by Roy Shkopich

Sat. May 4 – 5:00 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake) - People of God

Sun., May 5 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - People of God

THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. Daily rosary during the month of May – Monday to Friday at 6:00 pm and Sundays before mass.
2. There will be a parish potluck lunch after mass today,  Sunday, April 28.

Sunday Collection – Apr. 21:  Meadow Lake $2168.19  Green Lake $320.00  Children’s Collection $22.55
 
Sunday Church Attendance – Adults 155  Children  25   Total  180
                                               
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for April – for the role of women – We pray that the dignity and immense value of women be recognized in every culture, and for the end of discrimination that they experience in different parts of the world.
 
The Pope’s Prayer Intention for May – for the formation of religious and seminarians – We pray that religious women and men, and seminarians, grow in their own vocations through their human, pastoral, spiritual and community formation, leading them to be credible witnesses to the Gospel.
 
May Devotion to Mary – We will pray the rosary daily (Monday – Friday) at 6:00 pm and before mass on Sundays. During this month of May, let us rediscover her maternal role in each of our lives and come to her with prayers for healing of mind, body and spirit.
 
International Workers’ Day – May 1 - International Workers’ Day is celebrated on May 1 in many countries. This can be a day to recognize the value of human work, defend the dignity of working people, encourage all to be responsible in their work, and celebrate the role that human work has in God’s plan for creation.
 
Parish Pictorial Directories – We were sent 15 extra directories. If anyone would like to purchase any of these directories please call the office. We are selling them for $10 each.
 
Registration for RCIA Classes – Anyone who wishes to register for RCIA in preparation for joining the Church Easter 2025 is asked to contact the office during the month of April. Classes will begin in the first week of May and will be held twice a month – dates and times to be announced before classes commence.
 
 Our Lady of Peace Graduation Scholarship – We are hoping to present scholarships to graduates who want to pursue educational opportunities. We are asking for donations from parishioners to help fund the Scholarship. If you wish to donate to this Scholarship please indicate on your envelope or cheque “Scholarship Fund”. Thank you in advance for your support.
 
Scripture Insights – Fifth Sunday of Easter
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. 182.
 
 Today’s first reading appears near the end of chapter 9 of Acts. The opening verses of this chapter recount Saul’s request for letters of approval from temple officials. These letters would acknowledge Saul’s authority once he reached Damascus, where he intended to persecute followers of Jesus. In verse 3 of this chapter, the first of three accounts of Saul’s conversion begins. (Two other recordings of this experience are found in Acts 22: 3 – 16 and 26: 4 – 23.) Thus, it is now wonder that in today’s pericope, beginning in verse 26, we hear that the disciples were reticent to believe that Saul had become a follower of Jesus. In a few words, the text details how Barnabus intervened and how the Apostles accepted Saul as one who had seen the Lord. Immediately, Saul began to proclaim that Jesus is Lord.
The reading from the First Letter of John reminds us that love expresses itself most perfectly in action. While words are important, the lived expression of our worlds speaks a truth more strongly. Belief in Jesus is identified by our actions, our love for one another.
The Gospel of John presents us with the metaphor of the vine and the branches. Jesus identifies himself as the true vine and speaks of his relationship to the Father. Earlier texts that referred to Israel as the vine, primarily prophetic texts, quite obviously did not speak of the Father. Here, Jesus identifies his Father as the vine grower, or vine dresser, the one who carefully tends to the vine so that it will bear fruit.
                    

• Sometimes it’s hard to recognize when someone is on your side, on the same team. For Saul, who had met Jesus and wanted to be a part of spreading the Gospel, this meant that he was feared, and disbelieved. Have you ever felt misunderstood? What might we do when we feel deterred from belonging? How might our community be open to those we once feared?

·         On its face, it seems so simple: the command to love. Every Scripture reading seems to point us back to that one central value. And yet even our Church rubrics, leaders, and communities can make the radical love of God feel confined by language and law that seems contrary to this core belief. Where does our confidence in God, the tugging on our hearts, deem to be pulling us next?
·         Today’s Gospel about the vine and the branches reminds us that we are all connected. If we disconnect, we die. This means that sometimes we are connected to people we’d rather not be, and yet we are called to recognize that they are loved, essential, held by God, too. How might we heal the brokenness of our polarized Church and world by leaning into this truth?
 
DIOCESAN EVENTS
 
            Prince Albert  Diocese Youth Rally – Saturday, May 4 at St. John Community School in Prince Albert from 9:30 am to 7:00 pm. Open to youth Grade 7 and up. Registration fee is $35.00.  The theme is “May the Faith Be With You!” If anyone is interested you can register online at: www.padiocese.ca/youth-ministry