New Dufferin Peel - Grade 7 Initiative

Today our parish team - well really Stephanie and Fr. Sherwin ... with some assistance from Denyse Hinca, Nicholas our organist, and myself - are running a field trip day for the grade 7's from St. Nicholas School.  This is part of Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board's efforts to increase the Catholicity of our schools.  The Board is encouraging School - Parish links in grade 7 (and I think grade 11) so that students will know the history of the Archdiocese of Toronto as well as their local parish history.
Not only will the day offer a time of learning of the history of our parish, its formation, its building, etc., we are also taking some time to practice the new parts of the mass with these students, so that they will be leaders in the school...
A neat day - with a great group of energetic students!


Peace

1st Sunday with the New Roman Missal

Well I think that went well!  Fr. Sherwin and I are mighty relieved.  We both felt that our own reading of the Mass parts beforehand (I had even taken a misselette sized resource with me on holidays!) had been helpful, and I think our parish was as prepared as any!  Good job on you all! Be generous with each other.  There will be a learning curve!
We will need to support each other and encourage each other to use the cards, especially at those 5 places where the changes are significant:

1. "And with your spirit." - This happens 5 times in the mass - including: Opening Greeting, before the Gospel, at the Preface, before the sign of peace, before the final blessing.
2. The entire Nicene Creed! We will pray this creed until the beginning of Lent in February 2012.
3. At the Preparation of the gifts: "May the Lord accept the sacrifice at your hands, for the praise and glory of his name, for our good and the good of all his holy church."
4. Preface Dialogue: Let us give thanks to the Lord our God - then "It is right and just."
5. Before Communion: "Lord, I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof, but only say the word and my soul shall be healed."

We also need to remember to Bow after the person in front of us in the communion procession moves to the side.


Even though the words are new - the important thing to remember is that the Mass is unchanged!  Christ is truely present among us when we gather, in the priest that Presides, in the Word proclaimed, and in the Bread and wine - the Body and Blood of Christ broken and poured out for our salvation.
It will be interesting to watch the evening news - and to see how different newscasts try to report this change in the church's language of prayer in English!


Peace
Fr. Larry

Waiting Wisely for the Bridegroom

The Parable of the Ten Bridesmaids 

Then the kingdom of heaven will be like this. Ten bridesmaids took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish, and five were wise. When the foolish took their lamps, they took no oil with them; but the wise took flasks of oil with their lamps.As the bridegroom was delayed, all of them became drowsy and slept.But at midnight there was a shout, “Look! Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet him.” Then all those bridesmaids got up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish said to the wise, “Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out.” But the wise replied, “No! there will not be enough for you and for us; you had better go to the dealers and buy some for yourselves.” And while they went to buy it, the bridegroom came, and those who were ready went with him into the wedding banquet; and the door was shut. Later the other bridesmaids came also, saying, “Lord, lord, open to us.” But he replied, “Truly I tell you, I do not know you.” Keep awake therefore, for you know neither the day nor the hour.

I always think of the church of St. Maria in Trestevere, in Rome, when I hear this Gospel:


The Church

The Facade

Detail of the Facade

You can see that the lamps of the Bridesmaids on the left (on the right of St. Mary) have their lamps lit, and the Bridesmaids on the right do not - YET interestingly - ALL 10 have have a halo!!!
We need to be ready - but in the end Salvation is God's doing!
I am on Holidays for 2+ weeks - and may or may not post!


Peace

Time Change

So What would you do with an extra hour?
Every year, Canadians receive the coveted gift of 60 more minutes when clocks are rolled back for Daylight Savings Time.
But what if that annual ritual happened once a week?

With the nation poised to gain some time this Sunday, November 6, research group Angus Reid asked Canadians how they would use an extra hour every week — if, by some scientific marvel, they received one. The poll revealed Canadians are divided on how they'd spend a spare hour but most agree the last task they'd use it on is work.  Only three per cent of respondents said they'd channel those 60 extra minutes a week into their day jobs.
Instead, most Canadians wish they could spend more time sleeping and catching up on basic household errands. Twenty-four per cent of survey respondents said they'd use an extra hour to catch up on a mounting list of chores and household errands. But almost as many Canadians would gladly trade their brooms for a bed, with 22 per cent of respondents opting to sleep through an extra hour every week. Relationships emerged as a clear priority in the poll with results suggesting that Canadians would prefer to spend an extra hour socializing rather than exercising.
Only five per cent of survey respondents indicating that they'd spend an hour on community service, maybe we should be urging people to get involved.

Full results of the "Value of an Hour" poll:

• Family and friends – 25 per cent
• Chores and Errands – 24 per cent
• Sleep – 22 per cent
• Exercise – 14 per cent
• Interests and hobbies – 6 per cent
• Community service – 5 per cent
• Work – 3 per cent

Whatever you will do with this 60 minutes - remember to turn your clocks back an hour this Saturday Night before going to bed!

See you at Church!

Peace

Days of the Living and the Dead - Halloween - All Souls

Each Sunday, Week after week, having listened to God’s Word, we profess our beliefs ... In the words of the Apostles creed, tucked into the middle of the last sentence … 

"I believe in the holy spirit, the Holy catholic Church the Communion of Saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the Body, and life everlasting.

If what we Pray is what we believe - We believe in the Communion of Saints - how does it affects our lives ?

These 3 Days are connected & All Saints Day is at the HEART
the day before is Halloween … & the day after … All Souls day

Some of our Current stuff of Halloween is connected to All Saints … and some stuff is not… Like the Name – That is connected.
October 31st is the eve of All the Saints.

Saints – are the holy ones: Holy = Hallowed
(Our Father… HALLOWED be your name)
So it’s the Evening before the day of all the saints
All Hallows day Eve… All Hallows eve… Halloween
This time of year is very much a time of Harvest for us in our northern Hemisphere and there is a connection of the harvest of all the faithful… at the end of time.The earth is going dormant… Like when a person dies…  Our Current Practice of Trick or Treat (Dressing up to appear as one of the spirits) and Giving sweet treats as bribes comes from the Celtic / Druid customs which were part of Ireland / England. These customs spread throughout the world as Irish left Ireland in the mid 1800's during the potato famine. Jack-O-Lanterns are connected to the Druid Fires – Lamps that were used to guide the way. 

                                   [Reflection on Pumpkins: 

Being a good person is like being a pumpkin. God lifts you up, takes you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. He opens you up, touches you deep inside and scoops out all of the yucky stuff – including the seeds of doubt, hate, greed, etc. Then He carves you a bright new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.]

All Saints Day on November 1 is set aside to remember not only the vast array of uncanonized saints—those individuals whose holiness was known only by a few - but also to Remember that we are part of the Communion of Saints.  Canonized saints are only a small minority of those celebrating the direct vision of God. There are many unknown or unnamed Saints - so this is their Day - this is Our Day!!!  In a sense we - the living - are small "s" saints - while those who are with God now in heaven are capital "S" Saints!

November 2, is the Commemoration of the Faithful Departed
To Commemorate means to Remember - Remember before God
We pray for them. I remember my Mother and Grandparents, my aunts and uncles and family friends. This day marks the time to pray for them… particularly a chance to pray during the whole month of November…

Living as if we believe in the communion of saints means that we are among those singing at Funeral, that we are regularly praying for the dead,  and that we are invoking and praying with the Saints, asking their intercession.

Have a blessed - Memorable - November!

Peace