The latest edition of The Carmelite Review, the newsletter for the Carmelite Province of the Most Pure Heart of Mary, contains articles about Carmelite communities and ministries coping during the pandemic.

A  Blessing of Animals in honour of St. Francis of Assisi will be celebrated on Sunday, October 4th at 1:00 p.m. on the school playground.

Bring your pets, all creatures great and small: four- legged, two- legged, scaled, winged, finned, furred or feathered - Our Lord God made them all!

In response to the recent break-in and theft of the tabernacle in the Cathedral in St. Catharines, the Most Rev. Gerard Bergie, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of Saint Catharines,  has asked the people of the diocese to offer a prayer of reparation on a daily basis for a period of one month, from Monday, September 14, the Feast of the Triumph of the Cross, to Monday, October 12, Thanksgiving Day. See prayer and letter below:

O Most Holy Trinity, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, I adore Thee profoundly. I offer Thee the most precious Body, Blood, Soul and Divinity of Jesus Christ present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges and indifferences by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary I beg the conversion of poor sinners. Amen.
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Très Sainte Trinité, Père, Fils et Saint-Esprit, je Vous adore profondément, et je Vous offre le très précieux Corps, Sang, Âme et Divinité de Jésus-Christ, présent dans tous les Tabernacles de la terre, en réparation des outrages, sacrilèges et indifférences par lesquels Il est Lui-même offensé. Par les mérites infinis de Son très Saint Cœur et du Cœur Immaculé de Marie, je Vous demande la conversion des pauvres pécheurs . Amen.

When schools open up and when things have settled, we will be in touch with last year's Grade 2's, who still need to celebrate their First Holy Communion. We are also in the process of contacting the parents of our Grade 3 children [in schools other than St. Mary and St. Patrick] so we can celebrate First Communion with them also. We have a lot of catching up to do with our Sacraments! So please be patient.

Programming and retreats have resumed at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre. Among this are two workshops that will take place September on life changes and caregiver burnout.

In response to by-laws being passed by regions and municipalities requiring face coverings in public, the diocese has issued a policy effective for all parishes in the Diocese of St. Catharines from July 31 until October 1, 2020. unless extended.

Reposted from the diocesan website:
http://www.saintcd.com/church-reopening-information-for-parishioners/

We look forward to welcoming our Catholic community home again!

Please contact your parish for information about their reopening schedule which will vary across the 44 parishes in the Diocese of St. Catharines. Church opening schedules will depend on each parish’s readiness, including having a team of cleaners and other volunteers, and availability of sanitizing and other PPE.

Since COVID-19 is still a public health threat, Catholics are dispensed from their obligation to attend Sunday Mass.

Many parishes will continue to livestream Masses and other liturgical celebrations. Churches may be open to a maximum capacity of 30%.

Funerals and weddings in churches may be celebrated to a maximum capacity of 30%. Outdoor funeral services are limited to 50 attendees.

Please take appropriate precautions including taking your temperature before leaving home to attend Mass, ensuring proper hygiene especially hand washing. If you have any symptoms that might be COVID-19 related, or if you have been in contact with someone suffering from possible or confirmed COVID-19 symptoms, please remain at home and contact your doctor/public health.

Screening and public health protocols are in place. It is strongly recommended that parishioners over the age of three wear a mask when attending any church service. BYOM.

There will be no Children’s Liturgy of the Word at this time. Crying rooms will be closed.

We are taking precautions to protect the health and safety of everyone who comes into our churches. However, there can be no guarantee of complete protection from infection. There can be risks of contracting viral infection in large gatherings of people.

If you develop COVID-19 symptoms in the days following your attendance at Mass, please phone/email the parish office, in addition to contacting your doctor/public health.

Parish offices remain closed to the public at this time. Parish ministries, meetings and activities are still on hold.

Please address any questions or concerns to your parish, or you may direct them to the Diocesan Catholic Centre at diocese@saintcd.com.

With great joy and with necessary caution, St. Patrick Parish will celebrate its first Mass this Sunday, June 14th at 8:00 a.m. Mass will also be celebrated at 9:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m. and 7:00 p.m. on Sunday. 

We will NOT be ready for this Saturday evening for the 5:00 p.m. Mass. 

Daily Mass will commence on Monday morning at 8:00 a.m. 

IMPORTANT
We need 4+ volunteers to be trained and prepared to assist at each Mass. Several have already reached out! Please let the parish office know if you can volunteer, and at which Mass. A short meeting/training for volunteers will be held in the church on Saturday morning, June 13, 2020 at 11:00 a.m. We need your help in order to make this work smoothly.

There will be COVID-19 guidelines and instructions posted at the main entrance of the church and also volunteers there to assist you. Before Mass begins, you will be given specific instructions.

Please note, if you're over 3 years of age, it is highly recommended and strongly encouraged ( unless for medical reasons) that you wear a face mask to Mass for the protection of others. The church will not be providing masks. Sanitisers are available in the church. There will be limited seating available, so it's first come, first seated. Every third pew will be used. Three persons to a pew, 6 feet apart, unless you live in the same household.

There will be one entrance, the Main Doors. If anyone needs the wheelchair entrance, ring the bell at the wheelchair door, and a volunteer will gladly assist you in.

If you are feeling sick, please stay home. Consider taking your temperature before you leave home. If you have any symptoms that might be COVID-19 related, or if you have been in contact with anyone suffering from COVID-19, or if you have travelled outside the country, please remain at home.

Catholics are still dispensed from their obligation of Sunday Mass attendance at this time. Those who are considered vulnerable or at risk due to underlying health issues, and those who care for them, should remain at home.

Other instructions will be given at Mass.

God bless you all, and it will be a blessing to see you at the Altar again!