The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary - August 15, 2021

Our Lady of Peace Parish
Also Serving Our Lady of the Smile parish, Waterhen Lake and St. Jude’s Parish, Green Lake

Office Hours For Parish Secretary: Monday - Friday: 2:00 pm - 4:30 pm
Office Hours For Fr. Doug: Tuesday - Friday 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

“Mary is taken up to heaven; the hosts of Angels shout for joy.” (Gospel Acclamation for August 15, 2021)
 
August 15, 2021 - Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
 
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:
Lorraine Thibeault
Pastoral Council Chair:
Doris Beaubien
 
Have you been vaccinated? Getting vaccinated is the best thing we can do to stop the spread of the Coronavirus. If we want to keep people safe and engage each other as we once did, getting vaccinated will help us get there.  Please be aware that if you HAVE NOT been vaccinated and you choose to join us for liturgy, you are EXPOSING YOURSELF TO SERIOUS RISK because of the COVID-19 virus. Vaccinated people may still carry and transmit the virus even though they are not aware of any symptoms. Let us continue to be respectful of the health of one another.
 
THIS WEEK IN THE PARISH

1. Songs at Seven will return this week, Thursday, August 19th at 7:00 pm.
2. Join us for hotdogs and a pop after the masses on August 14th and 15th.
3. Join us at the Grotto for the Litany of the Blessed Mother and the Rosary at 6:00pm on August 15th.
4. Statement from the Permanent Council of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops regarding the Saskatchewan "Catholic TRC Healing Response Appeal"  https://www.padiocese.ca/news-articles 
5. Catholic TRC Healing Response Appeal in English and French
   https://www.padiocese.ca/news-articles
6. Deep cleaning of the parish hall: Men and women from the parish! We need YOU! We want to a do a thorough cleaning of the parish Hall. Can you help? The cleaning will take place on August 23 & 24 (evenings) beginning at 7:00 pm.  If you are able to help, please contact Peggy Calvert at 306-304-8180.  The deep cleaning is in light of using the parish hall for parishioner funeral lunches and parish gatherings, meetings, breakfasts, etc. and not in light of rental for external groups.  
7. Death of Fr. Roque Concepcion’s Sister:  It is with sad heart that we announce the death of Fr. Roque Concepcion’s sister, Helen Concepcion Wilkers, on August 9, 2021 as a result of having contracted Covid19 at the age of 64 years.  She lived in Amsterdam, The Netherlands and had two daughters.  We offer our sincerest sympathies and prayers to all the members of the Concepcion and Wilkers families.  May her soul and the soul of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.

 

Masses and Intentions - When there is a funeral, the daily mass will be cancelled. Tuesday to Friday and Sunday the masses will be livestreamed on Facebook.
Intentions

Mon., Aug. 16 – Fr. Doug’s Day Off - Personal Intention

Tues., Aug. 17 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake & Facebook) - Melissa Scheoppler by Margaret and Ken Alger

Wed., Aug. 18 – 6:30 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake & Facebook) - For rain by Ken & Margaret Alger

Thurs., Aug. 19 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake & Facebook) - +Barry Pethick by Ken and Margaret Alger

Fri., Aug. 20 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake & Facebook) - +Donnie Morin by Margaret and Ken Alger

Sat., Aug. 21 – 9:30 am (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake) - Family by Ken and Margaret Alger

Sat., Aug. 21 - 7:00 pm (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake) - People of God

Sun., Aug. 22 – 10 am (Our Lady of Peace Church, Meadow Lake & Facebook) - People of God

Sun., Aug. 22 - 12:30 pm (St Jude’s Church, Green Lake) - People of God

 
Mark your calendar - In an effort to remember and celebrate the Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, after mass on Saturday, August 14 and Sunday, August 15, we will offer hotdogs and a pop (diet and regular). This is an opportunity to mix and mingle with other parishioners and to share one of summer’s delights!
On Sunday evening, August 15th at 6:00 pm, we will gather at the Grotto and pray the Litany to our Blessed Mother and the Glorious Mysteries of the Rosary. If you are able, please join us as we remember the Feast of the Assumption.
 
St. Jude’s Parish News – On Sunday, August 15th (weather permitting), we will celebrate our Sunday mass at the Cemetery in Green Lake at 12:30pm. Our gathering and our prayer will be in remembrance of the children who died directly and indirectly as a result of the Indian Residential School System. We will have mass at the cemetery followed by a lunch. There will be an opportunity for us to visit and bless the graves of our family and friends. If the weather does not allow us to do this on August 15, we will gather on August 22nd. Please keep these dates in mind as you plan the remaining days of summer.
 
Forming our children as Intentional Disciples of Jesus – We invite you to start thinking about deepening your child’s love for God and the Church by preparing them for the celebration of the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you think your child is ready to celebrate this important sacrament, please contact the Parish Office as we will be preparing for their catechesis this year.
 
Scripture Insights – Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Source Book for Sundays, Seasons and Weekdays 2021:  The Almanac for Pastoral Liturgy, LTP Liturgy Training Publications Copyright 2020, 3949 South Racine Avenue, Chicago, IL 60609, pg. 302. 

For her courageous discipleship, God blessed Mary during her difficult life, and at her death, God assumed her bodily into heaven, where she now enjoys full union with her Lord.  Mary, as one of us, points to what awaits the Church and all disciples who wait in hope for full union with God.  While not in Scripture, Mary’s bodily assumption into heaven is an ancient Church belief.  The solemnity not only celebrates Mary’s assumption, but, as she is the primary symbol of the Church, Mary’s assumption points to the fullness of salvation that will be given to the entire Church with the Lord’s Second Coming.
 
Scripture Insights:  Vigil – As the Israelites traveled through the desert, they carried the Ark of the Covenant, a large, ornately carved chest.  Inside were the stone tablets of the Ten Commandments, a symbol of God’s covenant with them.  A chair rested on top of the ark as a representation of God’s throne, a sign that God dwelled among his people.  After Kind David made Jerusalem the capital of Israel, he brought the ark into the city to signify that God was with his people, blessing and protecting them.
 
Mary is the ark of the new covenant.  As Elizabeth exclaims in Luke 1:42, Mary is blessed because she bears the living God.  Tablets of stone are superseded by flesh and blood.  The woman in today’s Gospel passage declares that there is something special about Jesus that honors and elevates his mother.
 
She was probably startled by Jesus’ invitation that she become blessed herself, not by bearing a son of importance, but by believing and living what Jesus taught.  Mary did.  Mary heard and submitted to God’s Word when the angel announced it to her.  After Jesus’ death and Resurrection, she continued to be obedient to God’s Word.  She gathered with the disciples, awaiting the gift of the Holy Spirit and devoting herself to prayer (Acts 1:14).
 
Our celebration of Mary’s Assumption into heaven is a celebration of eternal life.  Because she kept God’s Word so faithfully, Christ “clothed” his mother “with immortality,” thereby keeping her body from decay.  There was probably a bigger, louder celebration when Mary entered heaven than there was when the ark of the first covenant entered Jerusalem.  We pray that we will hear and observe God’s Word so that we too will be joyously welcomed into eternal life.
 
Scripture Insights:  Day – To picture Mary, still alive and with her son, our Lectionary turns to the Book of Revelation.  In its Biblical context, this passage refers to the nation, Israel, and to the Church, who gave and still gives birth to Christ, the Savior of the world.  We see, however, that the passage applies to Mary too.  Mary, in a literal rather than in a metaphorical sense, gave birth to a son, a son who was “caught up to God and his throne” through his own Resurrection from the dead.
 
Today’s psalm also presents a powerful image of Mary as a new queen leaving her (earthly) home and entering a (heavenly) palace.  Reunion with God is pictured as a marriage.
 
The reading from Luke reminds us of why we honor Mary.  She is the “mother” of our “Lord,” Elizabeth says, and we also learn that Mary is the preeminent disciple when Elizabeth exclaims, “Blessed are you who believed that what was spoken to you by the Lord would be fulfilled.”
 

• Mary heard God’s Word, reflected on it, and allowed it to literally take flesh in her.  Because of her willing cooperation, intimacy with God through Jesus is now a reality for all creation.  Mary was the first to benefit from the intimacy by being bodily assumed into heaven.  In Jesus, we are all called to the same intimacy, as we await the day when we will be united with God for all time.
• Mary fully rejoices in her Lord, who is faithful and keeps Old Testament promises.  God is the mighty one who is always attuned to the needs of the poor, the oppressed, the outcast, and the stranger.  The world’s values are realigned to manifest God’s ways.  Like Mary, we disciples are called to rejoice in the Lord, who does wondrous things for us.

 
PILGRIMAGES AT OUR LADY OF LOURDES SHRINE: 
   1.  August 15 - 7:30 pm Eucharistic Celebration and Candlelight Procession
   2.  September 8 - 7:30 pm Eucharistic Celebration and Candlelight Procession

 
What’s your Catholic IQ?   Last bulletin’s question and answer: The first word of all the Beatitudes is (a) Blessed.  Our word Beatitude comes from the Latin word for “blessed” or “happy.”  It is only an accident that the word can also be read as Be-attitudes, but these are truly attitudes for being.  You can read the Beatitudes in Matthew 5:3-10 and Luke 6:21-23
This week’s question:  Jesus gave his disciples the Beatitudes (a) from the cross on Calvary (b) at the Ascension (c) in the Sermon on the Mount (d) when he cured the ten lepers.

Information from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission - In an effort to understand the Truth and Reconciliation Process, it is my intent to offer excerpts from the various documents that have been published that might help us wrestle with and understand what the Commission is asking of us as Canadians and as Catholics – Dioceses, Parish and Religious Communities.  The following excerpt is taken from: What We Have Learned – Principles of Truth and Reconciliation, 2015

“In its dealing with Aboriginal people, Canada did all these things:
-          Canada asserted control over Aboriginal land.
-          In some locations, Canada negotiated Treaties with First Nations; in others, the land was simply occupied or seized. The negotiation of Treaties, while seemingly honourable and legal, was often marked by fraud and coercion, and Canada was, and remains, slow to implement their provisions and intent.
-          On occasion, Canada forced First Nations to relocate their reserves from agriculturally valuable or resource-rich land onto remote and economically marginal reserves.
-          Without legal authority or foundation, in the 1880s, Canada instituted a “pass system” that was intended to confine First Nations people to their reserves.
-          Canada replaced existing forms of Aboriginal government with relatively powerless band councils whose decisions it could override and whose leaders it could depose.
-          In the process, it disempowered Aboriginal women, who had held significant influence and powerful roles in many First Nations, including the Mohawks, the Carrier, and Tlingit.
-          Canada denied the right to participate fully in Canadian political, economic, and social life to those Aboriginal people who refused to abandon their Aboriginal identity.
-          Canada outlawed Aboriginal spiritual practices, jailed Aboriginal spiritual leaders, and confiscated sacred objects.
-          And, Canada separated children from their parents, sending them to residential schools. This was done not to educate them, but primarily to break their link to their culture and identity. In justifying the government’s residential school policy, Canada’s First Prime Minister, Sir John A. Macdonald, told the House of Commons in 1883:

When the school is on the reserve the child lives with its parents, who are savages; he is surrounded by savages, and though he may learn to read and write, his habits and training and mode of thought are Indian. He is simply a savage who can read and write. It has been strongly pressed on myself, as the head of the Department, that Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.

These measures were part of a coherent policy to eliminate Aboriginal people as distinct peoples and to assimilate them into the Canadian mainstream against their will. Deputy Minister of Indian Affairs Duncan Campbell Scott outlined the goals of that policy in 1920, when he told a parliamentary committee that “our object is to continue until there is not a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic.”

These goals were reiterated in 1969 in the federal government’s Statement of the Government of Canada on Indian Policy (more often referred to as the “White Paper”), which sought to end Indian status and terminate the Treaties that the federal government had negotiated with First Nations.

The Canadian government pursued this policy of cultural genocide because it wished to divest itself of its legal and financial obligations to Aboriginal people and gain control over their land and resources. If every Aboriginal person were “absorbed into the body politic,” there would be no reserves, no Treaties, and no Aboriginal rights. Residential schooling quickly became a central element in the federal government’s Aboriginal policy. When Canada was created as a country in 1867, Canadian churches were already operating a small number of boarding schools for Aboriginal people. As settlement moved westward in the 1870s, Roman Catholic and Protestant missionaries established missions and small boarding schools across the Prairies, in the North, and in British Columbia. Most of these schools received small, per-student grants from the federal government. In 1883, the federal government moved to establish three, large, residential schools for First Nation children in western Canada. In the following years, the system grew dramatically. According to the Indian Affairs annual report for 1930, there were eighty residential schools in operation across the country at that time.

The Indian Residential Schools Settlement Agreement provided compensation to students who attended 139 residential schools and residences.

The federal government has estimated that at least 150,000 First Nation, Métis, and Inuit students passed through the system.

Roman Catholic, Anglican, United, Methodist, and Presbyterian churches were the major denominations involved in the administration of the residential school system. The government’s partnership with the churches remained in place until 1969, and, although most of the schools had closed by the 1980s, the last federally supported residential schools remained in operation until the late 1990s.”
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DIOCESAN NEWS & BEYOND - GROWING IN WISDOM: SEEKING DEEPER GENERATIVITY - This two-year program beginning in September 2021 is an ecumenical program designed for those seeking to engage in their maturing years with wisdom and grace. This is a time in which we can begin as elders to look back on the life we have lived and find openness to new or previously undeveloped inner vistas. It is a time to begin to come to terms with our own mortality and the grace we find in facing this time in our lives with wisdom and satisfaction.  For more information contact Nancy Phillips, program coordinator:  [email protected]  - 204-470-9437.  Register before September 1st.