Oshawa Generals

The OHL Playoffs began last week and my Godson's team - the Oshawa Generals are playing the Niagara Ice Dogs in Round One.  The first 2 games were decisive wins for the Ice Dogs, yet the Generals have fought back and have tied the series 2-2. The next game - tonight - will be in St. Catherine's and then Game 6 will be in Oshawa Sunday Evening.
I will be keeping Geoffrey and the team in my prayers - hoping for a good strong game and good sportsmanship.

On the Cusp of Holy Week

Here we are on the edge of Holy Week - preparing to celebrate the Paschal Triduum - the heart of the church's Liturgical year.
On Palm / Passion Sunday we gather hearing the account of Jesus'  triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and then we hear of the abandonment by his disciples, the brutal passion and the suffocating crucifixion & death.

If you had been there on that terrible and frightening evening in the garden, or in the courtyard of Pilate, or standing along the way to the hill of crucifixion, or even looking on at Jesus, tortured, crowned, and pierced with nails as he strangled on the cross, ...
If you had been there, what would you have done?
Would you have stood still while Judas kissed him?
Would you have followed the mob who took Jesus into the courtyard?
Would you have denied knowing him?
What would you have yelled out? "Crucify him!"  or  
"We want Barrabas"?
If you saw Jesus fall three times, would you have come forward to help carry his cross?
Would you have looked down or turned away, lest you be dragged into helping this Jesus?
Honestly, what would you have done for Jesus that day?


Come and walk with Jesus this week. 
Be there with him, for yourself, on Holy Thursday, on Good Friday, and the Easter Vigil. Pray and stay close to him. 
This week you have another chance. 
Peace

Margie Sullivan RIP

Jim and Margie Sullivan - Fall 2011

Sunday Morning I received an email from the husband of a dear friend, work colleague, and distance cousin (she has "Leger's" in her ancestors) letting me know that Margie had died.  Margie was one of the members of the "Chicago Six" who have gotten together for the past 9 years to remember, and be rejuvenated in our Initiation and Church Ministry...

My friends, I sit here at my computer and struggle to tell you that Margie has left us and soared into the next life.
She died at 2:20 this morning. I was with her and her passing was extremely quick. Our 2 daughters and I wept and together exclaimed that this has been such a busy 24 hours with changes in symptoms; hospice equipment and hours of watchfulness as death approached.
Deep in my heart I feel sadness but sitting right next door is relief as her journey was getting more and more difficult.
We together as family thanked God for her gifts of life and wisdom and cheered her on her way.

Peace, Jim

Jim was Margie's husband of almost 45 years - they had hoped she would be able to celebrate that 45th anniversary in June.  It is not to be the case.  All of the surviving "Chicago Six" (we have already decided that we will keep that name!) are making our ways to Virginia to be with Margie's Family for the short wake and funeral Mass on Thursday. 

Margie Sullivan and Fr. Rick Conway - Virginia Beach, 2011

Fr. Rick Conway - a priest of Boston was my mentor when we were all working together in Chicago in 2002 - has known Margie the longest of any of us - and he will be presiding and preaching at the Funeral Mass.


Even as I write these words - tears well up in my eyes.  Margie was part of a North American Forum on the Catechumenate team that presented a week long institute in the Archdiocese of Toronto in 2003.  She stayed after and we enjoyed some personal time - and she also visited with her maid of honor who was then living in the Yonge St. and 401 area.


Margie had been Diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer in 2006 and was a 5+ year survivor.  Another team member wrote 

It was so good to have that time with Margie ... She is suffering through these final months and struggling with her palliative care folk to try to get the balance with pain meds right. It is constantly evolving. Through it all, she retains a kind of fierce grasp of reality and her faith. She spoke simply and directly to both. We talked steadily through an hour and a half. I was unable to pray aloud with her toward the end, ... She did it for both of us, movingly.” On that visit   I drank deeply at the well where Margie had been dipping her bucket for so many years of faithful, full, baptismal living that was uniquely Margie’s.

 Peace

The Feast of St. Joseph - March the 19th is a solemnity.  Joseph is the Husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary - and so the "earthly" father of Jesus.  He is the Parton of the Universal Church, and with the North american Martyrs - is the Co-Patron of Canada.

The earliest Christian records, the Letters of St. Paul make no reference to Jesus' father, and nor does the Gospel of Mark, the first of the Gospels. The first appearance of Joseph is in the gospels of Matthew and Luke, one of which trace Joseph's lineage back to King David.
 Matthew and Luke are also the only Gospels to include the infancy narratives: The Birth of Jesus. In the Gospel of Luke, we hear how Joseph was a Protector of Mary, they travel to Bethlehem in compliance with the requirements of a Roman census. In the Gospel of Matthew, we hear the account of the Angel visiting Joseph and and reassuring him that Mary's Pregnancy is of supernatural means. Matthew is the only Gospel to include the narrative of the Massacre of the Innocents and the Flight into Egypt: following the nativity, Joseph stays in Bethlehem for an unspecified period (perhaps two years) until forced by Herod to take refuge in Egypt; on the death of Herod he brings his family back to Palestine, and settles in Nazareth. After this point there is no further mention of Joseph by name, although the story of Jesus in the Temple, in Jesus' 12th year, includes a reference to "both his parents". Christian tradition represents Mary as a widow during the adult ministry of her son.[Jn. 19:26-27]The gospels describe Joseph as a "tekton" (τέκτων); traditionally the word has been taken to mean "carpenter", though the Greek term evokes an artisan with wood in general, or an artisan in iron or stone. Very little other information on Joseph is given in the Gospels, in which he never speaks.

I often think Joseph gets short shift - look at how many Christmas cards have only an image of Mary with the child Jesus!

For many men with French Canadian heritage - Joseph is almost always included in the name.  Both my father and I have Joseph as our middle names.  Certainly the Oratory of St. Joseph (where recently canonized Canadian - St. André - was porter) on Mount Royal in Montreal has been an influence in Catholicism in Quebec for generations.
Today is also Father's Day in Europe - a wonderful connection to the important role model St. Joseph is for fathers!

A zeppola (plural zeppole, in southern dialects zeppoli) or St. Joseph's Day cake, also called sfinge, and in Rome Bignè di S. Giuseppe, is a pastry typical of Roman, Neapolitan and generally peninsular Italian cuisine. They are also served in Sicily and on the island of Malta. Commonly light-weight, deep-fried dough balls about 2 inches (5.1 cm) in diameter, these doughnuts or fritters are usually topped with powdered sugar and may be filled with custard, jelly, cannoli-style pastry cream or a butter-and-honey mixture. Their consistency ranges from light and puffy, to bread or pasta-like.
Zeppole are traditionally consumed on La Festa di San Giuseppe (Saint Joseph's Day).  In Rome, Naples and Sicily and Malta, these little pastries are sold on many streets and are sometimes gifts on this day. They are also common in communities with people of Canadian-Italian heritage, like us in Bolton!

The custom was popularized in the early 19th century by the Neapolitan baker Pasquale Pintauro.

Peace

Tenebrae - Marylake March 30

On March 30th (at 8:00 pm) the Augustinian Monks at Marylake Shrine are hosting the St. Michael's Choir School Alumni for an evening Service of Tenebrae.  The name Tenebrae is the Latin word for "darkness" or "shadows." This traditional service of prayers, psalms and readings recalls a portion of Christ’s pain and suffering the day of His crucifixion. One of the most conspicuous features of the service is the gradual extinguishing of candles until only a single candle, considered a symbol of our Lord, remains. As it gets darker and darker we can reflect on the great emotional and physical pain that was very real for Jesus that evening. Toward the end of the service, the Christ candle is hidden, typifying the apparent victory of the forces of evil over good. At the very end, a loud noise is made, symbolizing the earthquake at the time of his death (Matthew 27) and his resurrection (Matthew 28:2). At the moment of the earthquake, the temple veil was torn apart, making the Holy of Holies exposed to public view. This is understood to represent God's change toward us with direct access to him, no longer requiring the ceremonial acts of the priests for our forgiveness of sin.  The hidden candle is then restored to its place, symbolizing the triumph of good over evil. By this single light all typically depart the prayer service in silence. 
If you are interested in attending this prayer service - contact Katherine Soares - 416-670-0224 for Tickets which are $20/pp. This is a Fundraiser for the Shrine.
Peace

The Order of Sacraments

If you ever attend a meeting for the Sacrament of Confirmation at Holy Family Parish - you will learn that Confirmation is the Second Sacrament of Initiation.  For years Catherine Ecker, our parish Catechist, has been trying to let one of the Church's seemingly great secrets out of the bag so to speak.  The normative order for the Sacraments of Initiation is: 

• Baptism
• Confirmation
• Eucharist

Even though many people in North America receive these sacraments in a different order (Baptism, Eucharist, Conformation) that does not deny the the normative order!  When we think of a person who comes to faith as an adult - they receive the Sacraments of Initiation in one celebration at the Easter Vigil: They are first Baptized, then they are Anointed in Confirmation, then they come to share in the Eucharist. The normative order.
Originally all three Sacraments were celebrated together at the Easter Vigil in the early church.  It was only as the church grew, and the Bishop could not Baptize and Confirm everyone, that he delegated priests to Baptize, and later he would come and "Confirm" the Baptism.  As the size of the church and the distances needed to travel grew, the period between the Baptism and the Confirmation also grew.  In the Eastern Church - the Bishop kept his connection to Confirmation by blessing the oil used, and delegated the Priest to Baptize, Confirm and give Eucharist at the same time. In the west (Latin) church the Bishop retained the right to Confirm.  This was done before the person would receive the Eucharist.
This was the universal practice of the church up until 1910, when Pope Pius X lowered the age when children could share in the Eucharist - to the age of reason - about the 7th year of life.  Whenever a child is able to determine that the bread of the Eucharist is different from the bread of the dinner table - and that it is the Body of Christ, they are able to receive - share in the Eucharist (Including the precious blood).
Most Bishops in Europe saw that there would be an issue with this lower age for Eucharist and lowered the age for celebrating Confirmation.  In North America there were not changes - until after the second Vatican Council, and the restoration of the   Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults lead to an understanding of the proper order of sacraments for children Baptized in the Catholic Church.


Why all this History?  Yesterday the Holy Father praised the work of a Bishop from Fargo, North Dakota (In the US) for restoring the order of the sacraments.  This has been done (and un-done) in some of the Dioceses of Ontario.  Here is the news article.
What a wonderful news piece to end a week upon!
Peace

A Hockey Week

Another busy week of events in the parish - particularly our parish schools - as they live the Lenten journey!

Two schools have had their annual ShareLife Hockey Game this week.  Thursday afternoon I played on the "Teacher/Parent" team in the Pope John Paul II game.  The student team was pumped up because they had won the Beacon School Championship for Dufferin Peel Catholic District School Board. Despite a kind and generous referee - the teachers lost 6-3. I had a penalty shot - but was not able to cash in!  If I was completely honest I would have to also confess I had a nap in the afternoon to recover!  I am really out of shape!

Today the St. Nicholas Students and Teachers/Parents/Spouses played, and although I could not dress (I had Mass at 10 am) I went behind the bench when I arrived.  The score was 4-2 for the students when I took up my post behind the bench  (without a real good Don Cherry Jacket!) and the final score was 7-7. Divine inspiration - or intervention - not sure but it was a fine game. Each of these games offers students a way to support ShareLife while at the same time having an enjoyable outing & competition. Thanks to the Teachers and Administration who work on the organization, and to the parents who come out and play and support the games. 

At St. Michael's - after a big game on Monday - winning ROPSAA Jr. Boys Hockey, the So Just group lead a "Just Fast" Thursaday night.  The students fasted for 25 hours - and they did some reflecting on issues of social justice issues in the afternoon and evening sessions.  Stephanie was with them as they concluded the evening with a liturgy before sleeping over at the school last night.


As we enter March break, we ramp up our own parish ShareLife campaign.  In the coming weeks we will have a speaker and announcements about the important works of ShareLife.  We will also hear about the matching gift plan available in the Archdiocese. God bless our students, Teachers and families for all that they do to raise awareness and funds for ShareLife!
Peace

Confirmation Sponsors: What the Heck!?!

Last Thursday night I was with the couples preparing for marriage in our parish, mean while in the church there was a gathering of our Confirmation Candidates, their Parents and their Sponsors.
At one part of the evening - the Sponsors are split off - and do some work with Stephanie about what it means to be a sponsor, how to have an ongoing relationship with their teenage candidate, etc.  One of the questions she asks - is how can you help / support your candidate.  In concrete and practical ways... 
One of the Sponsors suggested "buying liquor" for their candidate!
     Really!?!  Buying Liquor?!? 
          And you are model of what!?!
Dear God - if this is what we have in the "Adults" what are we to expect in our youth!?!

On a completely unrelated matter - I am a complete looser ! I weekly buy up to 10 caffeinated beverages from Canada's most popular coffee chop - but I have yet to win a single thing! 
 
My staff has won.  My friends have won.  I have not.  O poor me!
Peace

St. Michael 4 - Our Lady of Mount Carmel - 0

Our St. Michael Secondary School Jr. Boys Hockey Team played in the Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association (ROPSSAA) Hockey Finals on Monday.  The game was supposed to be last Thursday - and was postponed because buses were cancelled that day in Caledon... 
Monday morning at the Powerade Centre in Brampton there was a sea of Blue and Gold in support of the Thunder.  Even the Mascot - Thunderbolt was there!
The game was well played - and the final score was 4-0 for our St. Mike's Thunder.  This is a great achievement for a School in its second year to be the Champions on a Regional level.  The team were able to play as a unit - as a team: St. Paul would say: As The Body.  Each with different talents and gifts, each playing different positions - yet all playing as one Body - the way St. Paul referred to the Church.
Congrats to the Players and the Coaches - and to the entire St. Michael's School Community!
Peace

Oshawa Fighting for the Playoffs

Yesterday I rushed home in the afternoon - after the World day of Prayer service - in order to set my PVR.  Each Friday Night Sports Net Ontario has a Canadian Hockey League game on TV and This weeks game was the Oshawa Generals facing the London Knights.  The London Knights are in first place in their division, and the Generals - Geoffrey's new team - are in 8th place in the Eastern Conference - the last playoff space.  
When I went home after the Edge night - and an Awesome time of Adoration, I watched the game (coughing and hacking - thanks again to Fr. Damian!)

It was a hard fought game - but London certainly had the scoring skates on as they won 7-2.  Geoffrey had his first goal as a General - with a nice shot in the 2nd period.  My Dad also watched the game and texted me this morning: "Geoffrey looked good... he played more aggressively and took more shots from the point."
Geoffrey says that he felt good about his play - and that it was a hard loss.
Peace

World Day of Prayer 2012 - Let Justice Prevail

World Day of Prayer is a worldwide movement of Christian women of many traditions who come together to observe a common day of prayer each year, and who, in many countries, have a continuing relationship in prayer and service.

• It is a movement initiated and carried out by women in more than 170 countries and regions.
• It is a movement symbolized by an annual day of celebration – the first Friday of March – to which all people are welcome.
• It is a movement which brings together women of various races, cultures, and traditions in closer fellowship, understanding, and action throughout the year.

Through World Day of Prayer, women around the world:

• affirm their faith in Jesus Christ
• share their hopes and fears, their joys and sorrows, their opportunities and needs

Through World Day of Prayer, women are encouraged:

• to become aware of the whole world and no longer live in isolation
• to be enriched by the faith experience of Christians of other countries and cultures
• to take up the burdens of other people and pray with and for them
• to become aware of their talents and use them in the service of society

Through World Day of Prayer, women affirm that prayer and action are inseparable and both have immeasurable influence in the world. 

This year's World Day of Prayer service - "Let Justice Prevail" - was written by the women of Malaysia. It is prepared and adapted for use in Canada by the Women's Inter-Church Council of Canada. This year Holy Family parish is the host for this ecumenical prayer service being held this afternoon (always on the first Friday in March). 

Peace.