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Lent begins with Ash Wednesday February 14 2024. A letter from the Most Reverend Gerard Bergie, D.D., bishop of the diocese of Saint Catharines, reflecting on the season of Lent, is available below. Since 1967, the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops has set aside the Fifth Sunday of Lent as Solidarity Sunday. It has become the occasion for a collection in support of Development and Peace’s Share Lent campaign in each parish - March 17 this year. Development and Peace — Caritas Canada is the official international development organization of the Canadian Catholic Church working with communities in the Global South and mobilising Canadians to build a world of justice and peace. This year's Share Lent theme is "Reaping our rights": acting in solidarity with peasant farmers around the world, who face many challenges when all they want is to live in dignity. A letter of support for Share Lent from the Bishop of Saint Catharines, the Most. Rev. Gerard Bergie, D.D., is attached below.
The CCCB Episcopal Commission for Justice and Peace released its Pastoral Letter on the use of social media titled: “Let Your Speech Always Be Gracious.” The release is timed with the liturgical memorial of Saint Francis de Sales, who was known for his graciousness in speech and who is invoked as a patron saint of writers and publishers. Acknowledging the prominent role social media has come to play at an individual and societal level, this Pastoral Letter considers the benefits and dangers of social media from the perspective of Catholic Social Teaching. It provides tools for moral reflection and self-examination, and suggests seven commitments by which to be guided for a more ethical use of social media:
The letter is available below or can be downloaded from the CCCB website.
The Christmas letter for 2023 from the Most Rev. Gerard Bergie, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of St. Catharines, is available below.
4th Sunday of Advent
Saturday, December 23: 5:00 p.m. Sunday, December 24: 8:00 a.m. / 9:30 a.m. / 11:30 a.m. Christmas Eve - Sunday, December 24 4:00 p.m. Children-Family Mass 6:00 p.m. Adult Choir Mass with Caroling 12:00 a.m. Midnight Mass Christmas Day - Monday, December 25 8:00 a.m. / 9:30 a.m. / 11:30 a.m. Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph Saturday, December 30: 5:00 p.m. Sunday, December 31: 8:00 a.m. / 9:30 a.m. / 11:30 a.m. Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God Sunday, December 31- 5:00 p.m. (New Year's Eve) Monday, January 1, 2024:11:30 a.m. (New Year's Day) There are various single-day workshops, multi-day retreats, and special events this summer at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre (7020 Stanley Avenue). Details, including registration information, are available at https://www.carmelniagara.com/programs.
Offered at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre, a retreat Friday September 15 - Sunday September 17 including times of reflection with the group and times for personal quiet, with a concert Saturday.
Various options are available besides the full three-day retreat. For details see this link. This year this Marian feast falls on Sunday. It is celebrated as a Solemnity by the Order of Carmelites, and so will be celebrated by the Carmelites at Saint Patrick parish at the Sunday Masses; there is also a special celebration Sunday July 16 at 2:00 p.m. at the Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre (7020 Stanley Avenue) by the Carmelite community of Mount Carmel Monastery.
The Permanent Council of the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops released an Open Letter to the Government of Canada and a Message to the Catholic Faithful regarding the federal government expanding the ‘eligibility criteria’ for euthanasia and assisted suicide, i.e., ‘Medical Assistance in Dying’ or ‘MAiD’, to persons whose sole medical condition is mental illness. The bishops remind us to pray for those living with mental health challenges, including mental illnesses, and for those who care for them, that God may strengthen them in hope, and that they may find the support they need from family, healthcare professionals, faith communities, and others. The letters from the CCCB are available in this post.
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February 2024
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