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.

Little Thérèse, a one-woman play on the life of St. Thérèse of Lisieux is being performed June 4, 2023, at 2:00 p.m. at Mount Carmel Spiritual Centre. Admission is a free will offering. Please contact Fr. Chris Kulig at 905-356-4113 extension 4225 for tickets.

From the Catholic Women's League of Saint Patrick Parish:

​Hey everyone we would like to host a table sale…
When…Saturday, May 27th, 7am – 2pm
Where… in St. Patrick’s Parish Hall
What…you purchase a round table from us ($20) and you fill it with whatever you have to sell…the profits are yours!!!
Why…bring the community together and raise a little for our local CWL

We will also be hosting a BBQ that day…so if you don’t want to buy a table come out and support us for lunch!!!  You can set up your Table Friday, May 26th from 6 – 8pm or Saturday at 7am…any questions don’t hesitate to contact Maggie @ 905-246-6212

Contemplative Prayer Niagara (part of Contemplative Outreach Ontario) presents a workshop: Introduction to Contemplative Prayer.

This will take place at the Monastery of Mount Carmel Saturday, July 27, 2023 from 9:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.

The 60th Annual World Day of Prayer for Vocations will be observed this Sunday, April 30, the Fourth Sunday of Easter. Because of the imagery in the passage from the Gospel according to John read on this day, the Fourth Sunday of Easter is popularly known as Good Shepherd Sunday. The purpose of this observance is to take seriously the Lord’s instruction:  “The harvest is abundant but the labourers are few; so ask the master of the harvest to send out labourers for his harvest” (Luke 10:2).

An Easter message from the Most Reverend Gerard Bergie, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of St. Catharines, is available below.

On behalf of Fr. Peter Rowe of the parish of Saint Vincent de Paul, Niagara-on-the-Lake:

THE CATHOLIC AND CULTURAL HERITAGE SITES OF NORTHERN IBERIA AND SOUTHERN FRANCE

Fr. Peter Rowe and Ineke Brinkman invite you to be our travelling companion(s) on pilgrimage in 2023 (the dates: September 9-22)! Included in the itinerary are Fátima and Lourdes, Porto and Braga, Vila Real and Bragança, Leon and Oviedo, Covadonga shrine and Altamira cave, Bilbao and Pamplona, Loyola and Javier, Andorra in the Pyrenées, Montserrat and Manresa, and Gaudí’s Barcelona. 

Package price, with flights (Air Transat), is $4,850 per person based on double occupancy ($1,100 single supplement). To reserve your space, call Ineke (905/684-0888, x1415) or e-mail [[email protected]]

St. Patrick Catholic Elementary School is holding a Kindergarten open house  Monday, February 13, 2023, 9:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Visit the Kindergarten classrooms, meet the staff, and tour the school. Register online at www.niagaracatholic.ca.

Below is a letter from the Most Reverend Gerard Bergie, D.D., Bishop of the Diocese of St. Catharines, on the death of the former Pope, Benedict XVI. A memorial Mass will be celebrated Thursday, January 5, 2023, at 7:00 p.m. in the Cathedral of Saint Catherine of Alexandria.