Full Wednesday

Yesterday was the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.  Under this title  Pope John Paul II declared that Mary is the Patroness of the Americas.  And so this was quite a full day in Holy Family Parish!  We had 2 Advent Masses at Pope John Paul II School.  Since the school is over 700 students - we celebrate 2 masses - with 1/2 of the students and staff at each mass. And Stephanie and I had some time for visits to a couple of the grade 8 classes.  One student had quite a few questions for me.  It seemed each time I answered one question - Jack had 3 more he wanted to ask.  I love these times to just hang out and speak with the young people.
After a Pizza & Salad lunch that the school staff provided, I went to St. Michael's for our weekly Wednesday "Class Mass" that happens in Period 4 (1:00 - 2:15). There are usually 3-4 classes that attend these weekly masses - this was the last one for this semester, and had 4 grade 9 classes.  After Mass I usually have a time of 

"Anything you ever wanted to ask a priest and were afraid to ask, since you thought he might run away, but now he won't - so you can ask!"

These grade 9's have been asking terrific questions - including stuff about priesthood, Illuminati, the Mayan calendar, etc.
To be sure, there is lots of talk in our culture these days about whether the world will end on December 20th, 2012.  I simply reminded the students that Jesus consistently said " ... about that day we know not the day or the hour ..."  

After a stop at Tim Hortons for Tea and coffee for Lydia and Stephanie, I spent some time in the office talking to Stephanie about plans for a new ministry in the parish - aimed at children in grades 3, 4,  and 5.  (Watch for a roll out in the new calendar year!)

Then we both headed to Boston Pizza to have dinner with the Chaplain - Urszula Cybulko - and the team going on the Mission Trip to the Dominican Republic in January.  This was a fundraiser that Boston Pizza does with different charities, with a percentage of the evening's sales being donated to offset the cost of the mission trip and supplies.

After that dinner - Stephanie came back to the church for the Holy Family School - Family Advent Mass, while I went on to St. Margurite d'Youville to help with the sacrament of reconciliation.

A full day in the parish!
Peace

2nd Sunday of Advent

God’s Word always comes to specific human beings in concrete situations. It’s not airy, floating in the clouds. All around the world, as Advent begins, Christians undertake intensified prayer and preparation.  This is how they prepare the way and make the paths straight. There is a collective power in millions turning from the culture’s hype, seeking instead a way of peace, simplicity, and mystery. 

When the stores hang red and green tinsel, Christians drape
their altars and prayer corners with violet. Their energy
comes not from what they can buy, but as the prophet Baruch says, from “rejoicing that God has remembered them.”

In the twenty-first century, we remember Herod, Philip,
and Annas only as villains. The heroes of the story that is
unfolding were unknown in their day: a ragged preacher in
the wilderness named John, a teenaged girl named Mary,
her baffled fiancé, Joseph.



Somewhere in a Toronto hospice for AIDS patients, a first nations parish in Attawapiskat, an orphanage in Malawi, the Word of God continues to be spoken by unique individuals who aren’t famous: through healing touches, compassionate eyes, hearts attuned to Christ’s.




Sharpen Our Hearing
God our generous Father,
you who sent John to awaken the people to the coming of Jesus,
sharpen our hearing, so we too might hear
the unlikely prophets in our midst.
Attune us to your Word, spoken by ordinary people,
by children and teenagers, laborers, artists, and the elderly
so that together we can prepare your way.
Lead us to appreciate all your people
as much as we admire the rich and famous.
We ask this through the same Christ our Lord. Amen.

Advent in 2 minutes

Busted Halo is a website that presents Catholic teachings in different formats - and is involved in different forms of media. They have a radio show on Sirius Satellite radio's Catholic Channel, and Utube Videos.  One of the neat U Tube Video's was featured on the Archdioces of Toronto Blog this week:

I think that focusing on the coming of Christ daily in our lives is a way to see Advent in a new light.  That is what Catherine Ecker (our parish catechist) talked about at the family gathering at the end  of November where people made Advent Wreaths.

     God our caring Father,
     you who gave your beloved Son
     to ransom all people,
     see our human fears
     and love us anyway.
     Guide us through this season
     with quiet, glad anticipation.
     Help us to pay attention
     to the poor and needy,
     and to the lonely among us.
     Give us a spirit of reflection,
     patience with each other,
     and hearts brimming with thanks.
     We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

Advent Peace

Light up for Christ

This evening we had the "Light up for Christ" gathering at Holy Family Parish.  The Knights of Columbus throughout the world celebrate this evening - the first Tuesday evening in December - at 8:00 pm as they light Christmas trees and Nativity Scenes.

This year we blessed a New Nativity Scene that was purchased through the efforts of the Squires and the Squirettes.  This beautiful Nativity scene will be light up each night to be a physical reminder that we need to keep Christ in Christmas in our local community!

After singing and praying and singing some more, we headed inside to enjoy hot chocolate and goodies!  

Peace

Santa, Photos and Advent

Saturday was a busy day for Holy Family Parish!  I was up early to get the greenery for the Advent wreath that we make each year- more on that later!

Then it was off to the church to meet over 35 Edgers and LifeTeen youth for the annual Santa Clause Parade in Town.  We had Squires, Squirettes, and Knights of Columbus take care of the decoration of the float, and the Edge and LifeTeen youth stuck "Keep Christ in Christmas" stickers on the candy we handed out! 

The Holy Family Float this year was just ahead of Santa - great placement - and we were in the middle of the Paramedics and Fire Fighters!  

We are a life-saving group too!!!

While it was cold out there on the float - it was great to be able to see so many people!

After the Parade we had a Photo-Shoot at the parish.  I know - you are thinking - really - a Photo-Shoot??? Why???

Well we were looking for a number of images that we can use on our web site, on brochures, and on a series of prayer cards we are preparing for a new project in the coming year.  Stephanie talked with Rosemary Bolognese - a parishioner who is a photographer and a teacher at one of our schools (St. Nicholas).  We spent the afternoon getting hundreds of images - including some with a casket that Egan's Funeral Home kindly loaned us!

We got images of Deacon Robert, Father Damian, and I in different vestments, as if we were celebrating Mass, presiding at a funeral, as well as the font and altar area, and the gift table.

Then we set up our Advent Wreath in minutes - and took pictures with 1, 2, 3, and all 4 candles lit...

Each week throughout Advent we will be placing Family Resources on line on the parish website:

www.holyfamilybolton.ca

I encourage you to use these neat resources which we get from a Liturgical Publisher in the United States.  

And we still have LifeTeen tonight! And Families for reconciliation tomorrow afternoon!

Peace

Terrific Tuesday

Yesterday we had the Funeral of Victor Carnavale - a faithful parishioner with his wife Josie, a Knight of Columbus and an Usher at the 10 am Mass. Victor was remembered as a man of faith and "Mr. Fix It!"  He worked for Ford Motors, and would fix electrrical problems on cars that came off the assembly line.  In the last 5 weeks he learned that he had cancer - in many places in his body. The funeral rites of our church are powerful and comforting.  I continue to pray for Josie, who met Victor after her first husband, and his first wife had died.  Josie also a son - Gus - in a tragic accident in 1993.

Tuesday has been a full day - and there is still more on my calendar! This morning in period 1 of St. Michael's (8:15-9:35) I spoke to a class of grade 12 students on the Sacrament of Marriage.  I did the same thing in Period 4 (1:00 - 2:15) - both classes are taught by Mr. Brooks - a terrific new religion teacher at St. Michael's. He is the son of a religion teacher I have known (Mary Connor-Brooks) for almost 20 years - since I was an associate pastor at St. Jerome's Parish in Brampton!  My hope is that the students will remember that as a Catholic - they need to come to the church for their marriage - when ever that is in the future!

Then I had a friend drive by with her new Fiat car - Roberta is a consultant with Peel Children's Centre, and was up in Bolton to attend the Caledon Parent Child Centre 25th Anniversary Open House this afternoon!  She often has families that she serves here in Bolton.

After a Baptism interview this afternoon - I have a CCS Board Meeting this evening!  I have to say I have become quite learned in Local Health Integration Networks over the past year and a bit that I have been on the CCS Board. 

Christ the King

Despite the claim that we are a democratic people, we really act as if we are fascinated by monarchy - any Monarchy. When I was in Morocco there were pictures of the King - in every house, restaurant, etc.  The big deal actually was that this king was the first to have his Queen shown / photographed along side him...
Whether its the Queens Diamond Jubilee, William and Kate’s wedding or speculation about a child, Prince Harry’s antics – roalty in general still fascinates and captivates us...

Yet the readings this Sunday speak of a different kind of Kingdom.
I remember years ago working with Grade 12 students at St. Augustine's Secondary School, on a retreat where the first activity was to make "Dream Catcher / Timelines." The idea of dreamcatchers comes from our first nations peoples - who would hang them over their head when they slept... When the Sun rose - mit burned off the nightmares, and the good dreams were caught in order to provide hope and stength when facing adversity... 
Daniel captured his dream,  his vision, not in such a fancy dreamcatcher as the native peoples have, never the less, this dream was of a kingdom that would not pass away, that would not be destroyed, one kingdom that would be everlasting.

Daniel's dream,  his vision,  born out of the Historical reality of his time.  This book in the Hebrew Testament was written only about 150 years before the Birth of Christ - and at the time there were conflicts in the temple about increasingly pagan practises.
Daniel  had a certain eagerness for the kingdom.  Looking forward to that kingdom, to its arrival and to the differences that it would bring.

Jesus – in the encounter with Pilate – is called a title he never sought!  A Kingdom not of this world – but in this world.  "Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice."
To Listen is more than hearing – it does involve hearing - yet so much more. I think it means making a change – from our way to His way so that we belong:  to Jesus; to Christ; to our real King.  When we pray in the Our Father: Thy Kingdom come – it  means also – MY kingdom must go!
Peace