Fourth Sunday of Advent December 21, 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  
 
  May the Lord come in; he is king of glory .
Psalm 24 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. 22  – No mass
 
Tues. Dec. 23 – 10:00 am Liturgy with Communion at the Lodge
 
Tues., Dec. 23 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) -  +Wayne Durham by Louis Gratton

Wed., Dec. 24 – 3:00 pm (Our Lady of the Smile Waterhen)
 
Wed., Dec. 24 – 8:00 pm (St. Jude’s Green Lake)
 
Wed., Dec. 24 – 10:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) -  +Yolande Gratton by Louis Gratton

Thurs., Dec. 25 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Therese Christensen by Louis Gratton

Fri., . Dec. 26 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Fr. Uche & Nigeria by Finance Council

Sat., Dec. 27 – No mass
 
Sun., Dec. 28 – 10:00 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) -  People of God

Sun., Dec. 28  – 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 14  Meadow Lake  $2103.10   Green Lake  No Mass   Children’s $3.05
                                               
Sunday Church Attendance –    December 14   Adults  79  Children  10  Total  89
 
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.
 
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.
Christmas – So often, Christians mistakenly limit the liturgical purpose of Christmas to the celebration of Jesus’ birthday. Christmas is more than the opportunity to ruminate on the innocence of the child Jesus lying among the sheep and the cattle; it is meant to focus our attention on the wonder of God’s desire to become one with humanity and thus all of creation. The celebration of the incarnation revolves around the awesome truth that God did not simply choose to save the world from afar, but instead God wanted to experience what his creation experiences. God’s glory does not remain hidden, but in fact becomes intermingled with humanity so that our destiny is a sharing in Christ’s divinity.
                                                            Taken from Sourcebook 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 947 pledges for a total of $337704.41.
 
Bishop’s Annual Appeal:
“Planting Seeds of Hope”
October 26 – December 31, 2025
Every gift is greatly appreciated!

 
Scripture Insights – Fourth Sunday of Advent
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. 26.
 
 When the prophet Isaiah declared that a young woman would conceive and bear a son named Emmanuel (“God is with us”), it was a sign to King Ahaz of Judah that he should resist the temptation to ally himself with Assyria. Ahaz tries to politely refuse the Lord’s offer, because he is hoping to join forces with Assyria in order to defend himself from the kings of Syria and the northern kingdom of Israel. The divine sign demonstrates that God is with Ahaz.
 As a descendant of David, Jesus fulfills Israel’s centuries-long hope for a redeemer who would restore Davidic rule, even if he fulfills that hope in an unexpected way. Paul reminds the Christians in Rome that Christ’s resurrection of the dead fulfilled another prophetic promise, this one to the Gentiles, that they too would someday be adopted into God’s household. Paul sought to bring about “the obedience of faith” (Rom 1:5) among all the nations, including even the empire of Rome, the enemy and oppressor of Israel. The title “God is with us” turns out to mean that God is with all of us.
 
·         When we hear of Joseph’s intention to quietly divorce Mary after hearing that she was pregnant, we can be quick to assume that Joseph was embarrassed by the situation. Neighbors and friends were probably talking, and Joseph did not have easy answers to offer. A righteous man and upstanding witness of the Jewish faith, these circumstances could easily destroy Joseph’s reputation and livelihood. By quietly divorcing Mary, Joseph could retain some semblance of normalcy and pride.

• Perhaps, though, Joseph’s plan to divorce Mary was not rooted in embarrassment. Rather, it is not unrealistic to imagine that Joseph had some reservations about being the guardian of the Son of God. Maybe Joseph doubted his abilities as a prospective husband and father and was afraid of the responsibilities, or maybe Joseph thought someone else could do a better job. Assured by the angel, however, Joseph moved past his fears and embraced Mary, Jesus, and the will of God.