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: [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 “Before the Angels I sing your praise, O Lord.” Psalm 138 Refrain February 6, 2022 - 5th 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 has informed 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. Let us be safe and care for one another. If you HAVE NOT been vaccinated and you choose to join us for liturgy, you are EXPOSING YOURSELF TO SERIOUS RISK because of the more infectious omicron variant of the COVID-19 virus. THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH 1. UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE, MASKS ARE REQUIRED WHEN YOU ENTER THE CHURCH & the PARISH OFFICE! Bishop Hero has sent a letter to all clergy in the Diocese reminding us to adhere to all the precautions required by SaskHealth. While there are no new restrictions, he is reminding us that consistent safe practices are required to keep everyone safe. He also reminded us that if we are not adhering to SaskHealth policies we may be subject to fines for our lack of compliance. 2. The next Songs at Seven will take place February 10, 2022 at 7 p.m. 3. Our Parish Office Hours have changed and are as follows: Monday – Office Closed; Tuesday 10:00am-12:00; Wednesday-Friday – 10:00am-12:00 and 1:00pm-4:30. 4. Please exercise caution when you come to the Parish Office/Church as our parking area has a lot of ice 5. Income Tax Receipts are available at the back of the Church or at the Parish Office…those not picked up will be mailed the 3rd week of February. Help us cut down on our mail costs! 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 7 – No mass - Personal Intention Tues., Feb. 8 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Donna Moosomin by Peter Durocher Wed., Feb. 9 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - +Cheryl Opikokew by Peter Durocher Thurs., Feb. 10 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) - Durocher Family by Peter Durocher Fri., Feb. 11 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church & Facebook) Anointing of the Sick - Durocher Family by Peter Durocher Sat., Feb. 12 – 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake) - Anonymous Sun., Feb. 13 – 10 am (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake & Facebook) - People of God Sun., Feb. 14 – 12:30 pm (St Jude Parish, Green Lake) - People of God Sun., Feb. 14 – 3:00 pm (Our Lady of the Smile Parish, Waterhen Lake) - People of God Parish Secretary Needed: Typing skills, familiarity with Microsoft Word, welcoming spirit and confidentiality are essential. Thanks to those folks who have volunteered to help us out. We will organize a schedule soon. We are still looking for someone to fill this position. Anointing of the Sick – On Friday, February 11th at the daily mass (9:30 am) we will celebrate the anointing of the Sick. If you or someone you love would like to receive the Sacrament of the Sick, please come to the liturgy on Friday and we will celebrate the Sacrament. In celebrating the Sacrament on Friday, I am hoping that there will be room to accommodate all who want to celebrate the sacrament and still respect the Covid protocols. In administering the Sacrament, I will come to the individuals rather than have the individuals come up in procession. The sick will remain at their place for the entire liturgy including the distribution of communion. World Day of Prayer for the Sick – February 11, 2022 “Be merciful, even as your Father is merciful” Lk 6:36. The following is a summary of the message of Pope Francis and is taken from: https://www.humandevelopment.va/en/news/2022/world-day-of-the-sick-2022-the-message-of-pope-francis.html#:~:text=The%20text%20has%20been%20published,falls%20on%2011%20February%202022. "Jesus’ invitation to be merciful like the Father - writes the Pope - has particular significance for healthcare workers. I think of all those physicians, nurses, laboratory technicians, the support staff and the caretakers of the sick, as well as the numerous volunteers who donate their precious time to assist those who suffer". People who have made their service a mission. Because your hands, which touch the suffering flesh of Christ, can be a sign of the merciful hands of the Father". The Pontiff recalls "the progress that medical science has made, especially in recent times; new technologies have made it possible to prepare therapies that are of great benefit to the sick; research continues to make a valuable contribution to eliminating old and new pathologies; rehabilitation medicine has greatly expanded its expertise and skills. None of this, however, must make us forget the uniqueness of each patient, his or her dignity and frailties". However, he issues a warning and calls for the patient to always be treated as a person with his own dignity. "None of this, however, must make us forget the uniqueness of each patient, his or her dignity and frailties. Patients are always more important than their diseases, and for this reason, no therapeutic approach can prescind from listening to the patient, his or her history, anxieties and fears. Even when healing is not possible, care can always be given. It is always possible to console, it is always possible to make people sense a closeness that is more interested in the person than in his or her pathology". The Holy Father reaffirms the importance of Catholic healthcare institutions and their commitment to caring for and treating people. "At a time in which the culture of waste is widespread and life is not always acknowledged as worthy of being welcomed and lived, these structures, like “houses of mercy”, can be exemplary in protecting and caring for all life, even the most fragile, from its beginning until its natural end". Finally, he concludes by recalling the indispensable service of the health care ministry, especially in spiritual assistance to the sick, and the commitment that each of us should have in making ourselves close to those who suffer. Because "the ministry of consolation is a task for every baptized person, mindful of the word of Jesus: “I was sick and you visited me” ( Mt 25:36)". Green Lake News about the Synod: The members of St. Jude’s Parish have begun their Synod work. Some will take the Synod process home and will meet with people individually or together (as appropriate), do the work of the Synod and then fill in their sheets and return them to the parish. A summary will be made of the responses and returned to the parish members so we can nurture our life as a community. The information will also be forwarded to the Diocese. Could you please return your completed forms to Fr. Doug by February 18th at the latest! Thanks! Synod 2021-2023 Information This week a letter has been sent out to all parishioners (email/ordinary mail) offering 3 ways to participate in the Synod. The letter highlights the 3 ways you can take part in the Synod at the parish level and encourages everyone to reach out and listen to the voices of everyone. Those of you who would like, can register to take part in a zoom meeting, those of you who would like to meet with folks in your ‘circle of friends’ can do so and fill out your form, and those who would like may simply fill in the form. All forms must be back to the parish office by February 18th. 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! If we cannot hear you, and you are not listened to, our community is the poorer for it. Please know that you matter, and we would like to make space for you if we can! Each household in the parish is asked to pray every day, our Synod Prayer, 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 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) – February 9th REGISTER HERE · Celebration (The Mass, Prayer, Devotions (rosary, pilgrimages etc.)) – February 23rd REGISTER HERE · Main Synod Questions (Belonging/Listening/Speaking Out) – March 9th REGISTER HERE · Missionary Disciples (Sharing Responsibility) – March 23rd REGISTER HERE Sunday Collection – Sunday, Jan. 30: Our Lady of Peace Parish: $850.00; Looking for a WINTERFUN DAY? We are thinking of a having a small winter party. The Knights of Columbus have graciously agreed to take care of the fire and to provide wieners for roasting. We hope to have some games for people to engage in! Some might want to do something creative with snow! We have enough snow for people to work with! 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! More details to come! Furnishing a Room in the Northwest Community Lodge. Goal $12,000.00 - To date, $11,355.00. Knights of Columbus Vocation Endowment Fund – Many thanks to all who were able to contribute to the Knights of Columbus Vocation Endowment Fund. Your generosity is much appreciated. Fifth 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. 84 We have all experienced great days when we feel we could accomplish anything. But imagine that God visits and calls you to serve on your worst day. How would you respond then? In the first reading, Isaiah, a prophet preaching in Jerusalem in 742 BC, is overwhelmed by a heavenly vision of God enthroned, worshiped by seraphim. In the presence of such majesty, he feels unworthy until a seraphim purifies his lips with a burning coal. Only then can he answer God’s call. Around seven centuries later, a band of fishermen experience fewer special effects, but the result will be similar. Along with a bad night at work, Peter (still called Simon) is struck by Jesus’ gracious help just as Isaiah was overwhelmed by God’s blinding glory. Suddenly aware of God’s presence, Peter, like Isaiah, laments that he is not prepared for this meeting. After all, how many of us would like to meet our Savior after failing at our day jobs? But there is no ritual of purification in this story. Instead, Jesus encourages, “Do not be afraid” (Luke 5:10) and says the men will now be fishing for people. Perhaps the most comforting part of this Gospel is that Christ does not give these soon-to-be apostles a glorious makeover before they begin to work with him. He takes them as they are. On our worst days, perhaps we need to keep this in mind: we do not become disciples because we are great people, we become reflections of God’s glorious image in Christ due to our attempt to become disciples. But we begin that journey as disciples who are in many ways unqualified for the job. That is where God’s grace comes in. And that is very Good News. *The overwhelming narrative in today’s Church is that people are leaving in droves. Today’s Gospel paints a different picture of Church, one that may spark hope for us now. The people were pressing in to hear the Word (Lk 5:1). They pressed into the Word. Their bodies leaned forward, a motion that signals, “I don’t want to miss this!” what would it look like if we are all recommitted to pressing in on the Word? *A seraphim touches Isaiah’s mouth with a flaming ember, sparking a divine encounter. After wallowing in his own unworthiness, Isaiah suddenly hears the voice of God calling – and courageously responds. We receive a flaming candle at our baptism, a reminder that we are each commissioned by God to go out and proclaim the Good News. *The miraculous catch of fish occurs in Simon Peter’s boat. An ordinary human being helped create the space for an extraordinary feat. We too are called to be co-creators with God. DIOCESAN NEWS & BEYOND From the Office of Evangelization and Catechesis (thanks to the Bishop’s Annual Appeal): Four events are occurring in February that will be focusing on the Year of Amoris Laetitia Family…particularly relationships and marriage. Pope Francis has dedicated a year to The Joy of Love. In a document of the same title, he invites us to consider the joy and the struggles of love in marriage and the family. There are five goals during this year, three of which we will focus on in our February events! - To spread the content of The Joy of Love: to have people experience that the Gospel of the family is a joy that fills the heart and our whole life” (AL 200). A family that discovers and experiences the joy of having a gift and of being a gift to the Church and the society, “can become a light in the darkness of the world” (AL 66). And today, the world needs that light! - To proclaim that the Sacrament of Marriage is a gift and that it has in itself a transforming power of human love. To this end, it is necessary that Pastors and families walk together in pastoral co-responsibility and complementarity between the different vocations in the Church (cf. AL 203). - To help young people become aware of the truth of love and the gift of self. FOR BETTER OR WORSE: THE GIFT OF SACRAMENTAL MARRIAGE THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 10th from 7:30 - 8:30 pm Presenters Peter and Madeline Oliver are the co-founders of Olive Branch Marriage and Family Ministry have a combination of thirty-six years of pastoral experience & thirteen years of formal education in philosophy, theology & mediation. Our model of accompaniment strives to help individuals and couples discover their path towards resilience. Recently Pope Francis wrote, “The sacrament of marriage is not a social convention, an empty ritual or merely the outward sign of a commitment. The sacrament is a gift.” In this interactive evening presentation, couples will be invited to consider the gift of the sacrament of marriage in the best of times and the worst of times. This evening is for all married couples, whether you have been married for a few years or many. Register HERE.
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Parish BulletinThis bulletin is prepared by the Parish Secretary and the Pastor Archives
February 2025
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