Easter Joy

Christ is Risen!  Risen indeed! Alleluia 

From an ancient Homily by St. John Chrysostom:

Come all lovers of God, rejoice in the splendor of this feast: enter into the joy of your Lord.
You the first and you the last, receive alike your reward; you rich and you poor, dance together; you sober and you weaklings, celebrate the day; you who have kept the fast and you who have not, rejoice today. The table is richly loaded: enjoy its royal banquet… let no one go away hungry. All of you enjoy the banquet of faith; all of you receive the riches of his goodness.Christ is risen and the angels rejoice. Christ is risen and life is freed. Christ is risen and the tomb is emptied of the dead: for Christ, being risen from the dead, has become the Leader and Reviver of those who had fallen asleep.To Him be glory and power for ever and ever. Amen

 Christ is Risen!  Risen indeed! Alleluia 

Holy Saturday

Some 2000 years ago this was a quiet day.  It was the sabbath.  People spent the time at home, with family, going to the Temple or the Synangogue.  The year Jesus was crucified, it was the Passover.

Today was a busy day at the church!  Last minute cleaning; preparing Baskets with the first foods of Easter, including chocolate, wine, eggs, and meats; Anointing our Elect before they are to receive the Sacraments tonight at the Easter Vigil. Preparing the Font, the Church, and the parish hall for the reception.
This is what marks this day for the church in 2013!

Peace

Holy Thursday

As translated by Vatican Radio, the following is an English rendering of Pope Francis' off-the-cuff homily at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, which the new pontiff decided to celebrate in Rome's Casal del Marmo juvenile detention facility:

“This is moving, Jesus washes the feet of his disciples. Peter understands nothing. He refuses but Jesus explains to him. Jesus, God did this, and He Himself explains it to the disciples.. ‘Do you realize what I have done for you? You call me ‘teacher’ and ‘master,’ and rightly so, for indeed I am. If I, therefore, the master and teacher, have washed your feet, you ought to wash one another’s feet. I have given you a model to follow, so that as I have done for you, you should also do’.

It is the example set by Our Lord, it’s important for Him to wash their feet, because among us the one who is highest up must be at the service of others. This is a symbol, it is a sign – washing your feet means I am at your service. And we are too, among each other, but we don’t have to wash each other’s feet each day. So what does this mean? That we have to help each other…sometimes I would get angry with one someone, but we must let it go and if they ask a favor of do it! 

Help one another. This is what Jesus teaches us. This is what I do. And I do it with my heart. I do this with my heart because it is my duty, as a priest and bishop I must be at your service. But it is a duty that comes from my heart and a duty I love. I love doing it because this is what the Lord has taught me. But you too must help us and help each other, always. And thus in helping each other we will do good for each other. 

Now we will perform the ceremony of the Washing of the Feet and we must each one of us think, Am I really willing to help others? Just think of that. Think that this sign is Christ’s caress, because Jesus came just for this, to serve us, to help us”.

Following the morning (Chrism) Mass in St. Peter's Basilica, with the priests of Rome, Pope Francis visited this Rome-area youth detention center, where he washed the feet of twelve of the detainees. Included in the group were two girls and two Muslims. After washing each person's feet, Francis also kissed them.

Have a Blessed Triduum.

Fr. Larry

Entering Holy Week

As we prepare to enter Holy Week - I thought I would share this picture of our own Cardinal Collins with Pope Francis - taken this past week.  One of the priests from Fr. Damian's time in the seminary sent him this photo!

The Paschal Triduum
The word Paschal comes from our Jewish roots – meaning Passover.  The word Triduum is a Latin word that means “Three Days”.  These three Days are counted:
     sunset Thursday to sunset Friday;
     sunset Friday to sunset Saturday; and
     sunset Saturday to sunset Sunday
The Paschal Triduum is the heart of the Christian faith and we celebrate the life giving mystery of Jesus’ Passion, Death, Resurrection and Ascension to Spirit filled Glory.

On Holy Thursday the Gospel Passage that is proclaimed each year is the mandate of self-sacrificing service in the washing of the feet. We want to invite everyone to have their feet washed. We also invite you to bring food and money (including grocery gift cards)  for those who experience poverty – and these offerings will be brought up during the preparation of the gifts.  (These gifts will be shared with our local food support program: The Exchange)

On Good Friday we gather to "Glory in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ." We will invite everyone to venerate the Cross in the Passion celebration.  We arrive and depart from this liturgy in silence.  Our Youth will have a dramatic Stations of the Cross on Friday Evening at 7:30 pm

On Holy Saturday, we will gather at midday (12:00 noon) to anoint the Elect - those preparing for initiation at the Easter Vigil - and we will bless Baskets with the first food of Easter.  St. Augustine called the Easter Vigil “The Mother of all Vigils” – and this liturgy will begin when it is dark (8:30 p.m.) and we start outside with the Blessing of the new Easter fire.  Fire / Air / Water / Earth.

Easter Sunday Masses - 8:15, 10:00 and 12 Noon.

Peace

Inauguration of the Petrine Ministry

Today is the Solemnity of St. Joseph - the Patron of the Universal Church, (as well as being the principal patron of Canada) It was with this as a backdrop so to speak, that Pope Francis preached his .

The entire Homily can be found here.  I just want to highlight 2 quotes:

Please, I would like to ask all those who have positions of responsibility in economic, political and social life, and all men and women of goodwill: let us be "protectors" of creation, protectors of God’s plan inscribed in nature, protectors of one another and of the environment. Let us not allow omens of destruction and death to accompany the advance of this world! But to be "protectors", we also have to keep watch over ourselves! Let us not forget that hatred, envy and pride defile our lives! Being protectors, then, also means keeping watch over our emotions, over our hearts, because they are the seat of good and evil intentions: intentions that build up and tear down! We must not be afraid of goodness or even tenderness!

And

Today, together with the feast of Saint Joseph, we are celebrating the beginning of the ministry of the new Bishop of Rome, the Successor of Peter, which also involves a certain power. Certainly, Jesus Christ conferred power upon Peter, but what sort of power was it? Jesus’ three questions to Peter about love are followed by three commands: feed my lambs, feed my sheep. Let us never forget that authentic power is service, and that the Pope too, when exercising power, must enter ever more fully into that service which has its radiant culmination on the Cross. He must be inspired by the lowly, concrete and faithful service which marked Saint Joseph and, like him, he must open his arms to protect all of God’s people and embrace with tender affection the whole of humanity, especially the poorest, the weakest, the least important...

Each time I see and hear Pope Francis I am moved. 
Peace 

Papal Coat of Arms

Papal Coat of Arms:
The new Pontiff's papal coat of arms and motto are the same that he used as bishop. The shield has a bright blue background, at the centre top of which is a yellow radiant sun with the IHS christogram on it representing Jesus (it is also the Jesuit logo). The IHS monogram, as well as a cross that pierces the H, are in red with three black nails directly under them. Under that, to the left, is a star representing Mary, Mother of Christ and the Church. To the right of the star is a nard flower representing Joseph, Patron of the Universal Church. With these symbols the Pope demonstrates his love for the Holy Family.

What distinguishes his coat of arms as pontiff is that, instead of the wide-brimmed, red cardinal's hat atop the shield, it is now bears the symbols of papal dignity: the papal mitre and crossed silver and gold keys joined by a red cord.
His motto - “Miserando Atque Eligendo”  (lowly and yet chosen) - is taken from the Venerable Bede's homily on the Gospel account of the call of Matthew. It holds special meaning for the Pope because - when he was only 17 years old, after going to confession on the Feast of St. Matthew in 1953 - he perceived God's mercy in his life and felt the call to the priesthood, following the example of St. Ignatius of Loyola.
The Mass celebrating the Inauguration of Pope Francis' Petrine Ministry (as successor to St. Peter) will begin Tuesday morning with the a number of different parts (all times are local Roman Time - for Toronto time - subtract 5 hours):

• Between 8:45 and 8:50am the Pope will depart the Domus Sanctae Marthae (He is still staying there - not the Papal Apartments!) and start to move through the crowd in the various sections of the piazza—either in the Jeep or the Popemobile—and greet those gathered.
• Mass is planned to begin at 9:30am.
• The Pope, once having entered the Basilica, will head to the Confession (St. Peter’s tomb under the high altar) while trumpets will announce the “Tu es Petrus”. The Pope will venerate the tomb of St. Peter, together with the Patriarchs and Major Archbishops of the Eastern Rite Catholic Churches (ten in number, four of whom are cardinals). He will then be presented with the Pallium, Ring, and Book of the Gospels that were placed at St. Peter’s tomb the night before.
• The Holy Father will then come back up from the Confession to the main floor of the Basilica, from which the procession continues. The “Laudes Regiae” (Christ is King) will be chanted, with some invocations taken from the Vatican II document on the Church, “Lumen Gentium”. In the Litany of Saints are particularly to be noted, after the Apostles, the Holy Roman Pontiffs who have been canonized up to the most recent: St. Pius X. The procession will then make its entrance into the square.
• Concelebrating the Mass with Francis will be all of the Cardinals present in Rome, and two Superior Generals (that of the Order of Friars Minor, Jose Rodriguez Carballo and that of the Jesuits, Adolfo Nicolas Pachon). In total about 180 are expected to concelebrate.

Before the Mass begins there are the rites specific to the beginning of the Bishop of Rome's Petrine Ministry. These include:

• The Imposition of the Pallium: Made of lamb’s wool and sheep’s wool, the Pallium is placed on the Pope's shoulders recalling the Good Shepherd who carries the lost sheep on his shoulders. The Pope’s Pallium has five red crosses while the Metropolitans’ Palliums have five black crosses. The one used by Francis is the same one that Benedict XVI used. It is placed on the Pope’s shoulders by Cardinal proto-deacon Tauran and, after the imposition, there is a prayer recited by Cardinal proto-presbyter Daneels.
• The Fisherman’s Ring: Peter is the fisherman Apostle, called to be a “fisher of people”. The ring is presented to the Pope by Cardinal Deacon Sodano (first of the Order of Bishops). It bears the image of St. Peter with the keys. It was designed by Enrico Manfrini The ring was in the possession of Archbishop Macchi, Pope Paul VI's personal secretary, and then Msgr. Malnati, who proposed it to Pope Francis through Cardinal Re. It is made of silver and gold.
• The “Obedience”: Six cardinals, two from each order, among the first of those present approach the Pope to make an act of obedience. (All of the Cardinal electors already made an act of obedience in the Sistine Chapel at the end of the Conclave.) At the moment of “taking possession” of the Cathedral of Rome—St. John Lateran—it is expected that the act of obedience will be made by representatives of the various members of the People of God.

The Mass will be that of the Solemnity of St. Joseph, which has its own readings (therefore they are not directly related to the rite of the Inauguration of the Pontificate). The Gospel will be proclaimed in Greek, as at the highest solemnities, to show that the universal Church is made up of the great traditions of the East and the West. The Pope will give his homily in Italian, the language of the people of Rome. The Master of Celebrations expects that the ceremony will not last much more than two hours.
Salt and light will cover everything live - starting at 3:50 am Toronto time, and replay at 10 am.  www.saltandlighttv.org

It will be a magnificent day - it is also expected to be a nice weather day as well, sunny and a temperature in the mid 50's F. (A bit of a contrast to the rain that fell in St. Peter's square the night of the election of Pope Francis.)

Peace

Pope Francis

Well here we are 48 hours into the Papacy of Francis - and still being struck by so many of the images and stories that surround this  humble and prayerful man.  His first steps outside of the walls of the Vatican on Thursday morning were to St. Mary Major Basilica  in Rome, where there is the Icon of Mary entitled: Salus Populi Romani (Health of the Roman People or Salvation of the Roman People).  

There is a tradition that this ancient Icon was painted by St. Luke - the author of the Gospel... even if its painter is not known - it is an Icon that the new Pope always visited when he was in Rome as Bishop and Cardinal!

Then he dropped by the Hotel he had stayed at while he was in Rome - before the Conclave started - at which time all of the Cardinal Electors moved into the Hotel Santa Martha - within the walls of the Vatican.

Apparently he settled the bill with his own money!  All of this transport was in a Volkswagen - not the Mercedes Benz Limo that would normally transport the Pope!

Then on the way to the Mass in the afternoon with the Cardinal electors (at which he told them to wear their Black cassocks, not the "showy" red cassocks) he joined the Cardinals on the Bus between the Hotel Santa Martha and the Chapel of St. Paul - where the mass was celebrated!  This picture was taken on a cell phone and was sent out by a Cardinal who was on the bus!  Can you imagine!?!

All very promising signs for our new Pope. On Saturday he will meet the Press / Journalists who have been accredited to the Vatican - almost 6,000 - in the Paul VI Audiance hall, which coincidentally holds 6,000 people!
We are preparing a prayer card which we will have ready for distribution next Sunday - Palm/Passion Sunday - for our parish.
Peace

Habemus Papam - We have a Pope

We had White Smoke around 2:00 and I had just finished saying to Lydia - our secretary that something was up.  The smoke was taking longer than it should have - this was a sign that it might be white!

We had bells that began to ring - the verification that the smoke was really white. 

So we closed the office - and went to the Rectory - and got the Champagne ready.  As we waited I was texting Stephanie - who had attended a funeral this morning - and my Dad.  

Well the announcement came from the Senior cardinal Deacon:

Annuntio vobis gaudium magnum:
 Habemus Papam!
Eminentissimum ac reverendissimum Dominum, 
Dominum Jorge Mario Sanctæ Romanæ Ecclesiæ Cardinalem Bergoglio, 
Qui sibi nomen imposuit Francis I.

In English - 

I announce to you a great joy:
 We have a Pope!
 The most eminent and most reverend Lord, 
Lord Jorge Mario Cardinal of the Holy Roman Church Bergoglio,
 Who takes for himself the name of Francis I

Then, while we waited to see him, I tried searching for information about this Cardinal Archbishop of Buenos Aires - and many of the search engines were slow in responding - the whole world was searching for information on the background of the new Pope! He has served as the Bishop of Buenos Aires since 1998 and became a Cardinal in 2001.  (It is rumored that he was a strong candidate in the Conclave of 2005 that elected Joseph Cardinal Ratzinger!)

We were excited and toasted the New Pope! Champagne and wine! When he came out on the Balcony - you could feel his humility. This is a man who asked that the money for celebrating his elevation to the College of Cardinals should rather be spent on the poor!  Then he asked for people to pray that the Lord would Bless him before he Blessed them - WOW!  

For me it is most powerful that he has chosen the name Francis!  A simple and powerful sign of the kind of man he is - and the Pope he wants to become. Here is a biography the 266th Pope!

Here are the first words of the New Pope:

Brothers and sisters good evening. You all know that the duty of the Conclave was to give a bishop to Rome. It seems that my brother Cardinals have gone almost to the ends of the earth to get him… but here we are. I thank you for the welcome that has come from the diocesan community of Rome.First of all I would like to say a prayer, pray for our Bishop Emeritus Benedict XVI. Let us all pray together for him, that the Lord will bless him and that our Lady will protect him.  Our Father…  Hail Mary…  Glory to the Father…

And now let us begin this journey, the Bishop and the people, this journey of the Church of Rome which presides in charity over all the Churches, a journey of brotherhood in love, of mutual trust. Let us always pray for one another. Let us pray for the whole world that there might be a great sense of brotherhood. My hope is that this journey of the Church that we begin today, together with the help of my Cardinal Vicar, may be fruitful for the evangelization of this beautiful city.

And now I would like to give the blessing. But first I want to ask you a favour. Before the Bishop blesses the people I ask that you would pray to the Lord to bless me – the prayer of the people for their Bishop. Let us say this prayer – your prayer for me – in silence. 

I will now give my blessing to you and to the whole world, to all men and women of good will.

Then the blessing followed 

Brothers and sisters, I am leaving you. Thank you for your welcome. Pray for me and I will be with you again soon... We will see one another soon. Tomorrow I want to go to pray to the Madonna, that she may protect Rome.Good night and sleep well!

Finally - here is the announcement from the the archdiocese of Toronto:

It is with deep gratitude that the Catholic community of the Archdiocese of Toronto in union with our Archbishop, Cardinal Thomas Collins, extends its sincere congratulations and prayers to the new pope chosen to lead our universal Church, His Holiness, Pope Francis I, who was elected earlier today through the prayerful reflection and deliberation of the Cardinal electors of the world under the guidance of the Holy Spirit.

We pray for the spiritual strength, wisdom and humble example of our new Holy Father, the successor of St. Peter. As Catholics united in this apostolic faith in the many diverse parish communities within the Archdiocese of Toronto, we look forward to growing in our witness to Jesus Christ under the leadership of Pope Francis I. Through his ministry of sanctification, teaching and pastoral governance we are confident that as the Successor of St. Peter he will guide the Church for years to come.

We are also grateful for the careful discernment of the College of Cardinals and in particular the participation of Cardinal Collins and the Canadian Cardinals in the election of Pope Francis I.  Their leadership inspired by the Holy Spirit has helped to guide the way forward for the Roman Catholic Church in the years ahead. We pray for the Cardinals as they prepare for the Holy Father’s Inauguration of Petrine Ministry and their return to their respective homes for the coming Holy Week.

Peace in these Awesome times!

Second Scrutiny - Man born Blind

This past Sunday in Catholic parishes throughout the world the Church celebrated the second scrutiny with the elect – in our parish we have five young people who are the elect – they will celebrate Baptism, Confirmation and First Communion at the Easter Vigil.  
A scrutiny is a prayer asking God to strengthen the elect and to heal any weakness or desire to sin.  Before we began Mass - I invited people to reflect in silence on the gift of their faith and how God is calling us to witness to our faith in our homes and community...

In the Scriptures we proclaimed Sunday - from Year A because we had catechumens - contained wonderful images:  

• To be blind - to be able to see: The one blind now sees
• Those with sight are really the ones blind 

I pondered this week the insights of Jerry Galipeau from our parish mission: that my baptism & confirmation are not simply events of the past – but enliven my present reality. That I need to "work out" my experience of nourishment at the Eucharist, lest I become spiritually obese. How are we in a sense blind - when we are stuck "seeing" things only from 1 perspective. I have been thinking about how everyone is ready to offer advice to the cardinals entering the conclave. from their own perspective... especially those looking at the faults of the church.

Let's consider stained glass windows…
They are held together by metallic joints which block the sun’s rays. If you focus only on those joints, you will miss the beauty of the windows. The Church has certainly known dark fault lines that have scarred the beauty of its message - The message of Christ.

We are aware that not all in the Church is as it should be: the personal limitations and even the crimes of Church leaders have at times impeded the faith journey of fellow believers. And the accumulation of centuries of habit and custom can block out the glorious vision Christ proclaims.  Saint Paul: reminds us "We hold a treasure in earthen vessels."

Yet – as undeniably present as those dark lines are, what of the beauty of the stained glass? If we view the Church as a movement - the "raison d'etre"- the cause of the Church is the proclamation of the Reign of God, which is Justice, Peace and Joy in the Holy Spirit.

This Reign was embodied in Christ’s own life: his living, ministry, miracles - like the one in the Gospel Sunday - and in his passion, death and Resurrection which we are preparing for in 2 weeks time...  This Spirit continues to move in all of us - his followers: from the smallest of children to Cardinals included!That's the new sight – the new insight I seek this Lent as I prepare to renew my Baptismal  promises at Easter!

Conclave Announced

Catholic News Service has now announced that the Cardinal electors assembled in Rome will begin voting for the next pope on March 12, 2013.  It has been 25 days since Benedict XVI announced his resignation, and eight days since "Apostolica Sedes Vacans", since the Apostolic See has been Vacant. The decision by the College of Cardinals emerged toward the end of the fifth day of General Congregations, a little more than 24 hours after the last of the 115 electors who will participate in the Conclave arrived in Rome on Thursday (Cardinal Jean-Baptiste Pham Minh Man of Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam).
As you can see in the photo to the right the Sistine Chapel has some serious work done - in order to prepare for the conclave.  Not only are there chimneys installed to burn the ballots after each vote, there is an entire false floor installed to accommodate the electronics necessary to scan and secure the chapel from listening devices. The General Congregations (meetings of all Cardinals - over and under 80) will continue until the start of the conclave. This Sunday, meanwhile, in an unusual move agreed among the College, the Cardinals will each celebrate Sunday Mass in their respective titular churches, the honorary pastorates of which are the source of their prerogative to elect the next bishop of Rome.

March 12th will begin with the Mass Pro Eligendo Pontifice (for the election of the Supreme Pontiff) concelebrated by all the cardinals at mid morning in St Peter's Basilica. Later that afternoon, the Cardinal Electors (those who are under 80 years of age - including Cardinal Collins from Toronto) will gather in the Pauline Chapel, from which they will process to the Sistine Chapel, while the Litany of the Saints is sung.

Following the oath taken by each Cardinal, the traditional "Extra omnes" – "Everybody out" – is sounded, and the chapel's doors are locked.  At that point there is a final reflection on the task ahead for the Cardinals,  and the cardinals have chosen 87-year-old Cardinal Prosper Grech, an expert on the early church fathers, to give this meditation - he is from Malta.

Over the subsequent days, two ballots will be taken each morning and two more in the late afternoon until a cardinal attains the required two-thirds margin (in this instance, 77 votes) and accepts his election. Should the 266th Pope not be chosen after three full voting days, the process is halted for a day of talks and reflection.

Peace

After the Mission - and Reconciliation...

I felt the Parish Mission was just wonderful!  I thought the most wtelling comment someone made was:

"When I read that the mission was going to look at Batism, Confirmation, and Eucharist - I thought there was not much I would learn, I have celebrated all those sacraments!  Well it was just fantastic - and I learned a whole bunch!"

Jerry Galipeau has a Blog: Gotta Sing Gotta Pray  
He posted some pictures and reflections on the Sunday Liturgy here at Holy Family - and the Mission itself!
(For those wondering - all of Jerry's planes took off and landed without incident - and he should now be in Baltimore for the Mid-Atlantic Congress!)

Wednesday Fr. Damian and I celebrated Reconciliation at different times - and in different places - within the parish.  We were busy pretty much all day, with a bit of break in the afternoon!  I felt like this was the perfect complement to the Parish Mission - and it extended the idea of another day of retreat in a sense this week...
It means I have been scrambling to return email messages and phone calls!
Peace

Excited Anticipation

Thursday Morning our St. Michael's Junior Boys Hockey team played in the Region of Peel Secondary School Athletic Association finals against Mount Carmel Secondary School from Mississauga.  They are the team we have played in each of the past 3 years in the finals!  And St. Mike's won with a score of 4-1 !!!
The Senoir Boys Hockey team plays against (you guessed it) Mount Carmel on Monday at the Powerade centre in Brampton. 
(Maybe I'll get our Mission Speaker to come to the game with me!)

Looking forward to the start of our Parish Mission this Evening.  After speaking at each Mass today - Jerry Galipeau will begin the mission this evening at 7:00 pm.
Each evening the mission will be followed by light refreshments in the parish hall at 8 pm.
Focusing on the sacraments of Baptism, Eucharist, and Confirmation, Jerry will help us realize the Power and Potential of the Sacramental Life for us as Catholics.
I hope you will find the Mission both comforting and inspiring!
Peace!

Sede Vacante

With the arrival of 8:00 pm Rome time - 2:00 pm Toronto time - on Thursday, the Apostolic See is Vacant - Apostolica Sedes Vacans.

They have sealed the Pope's Chambers in The Papal Apartments looking onto St. Peter's Square.  This door will not be opened until there is a new pope elected.  

From now on, until we have a Pope, the Eucharistic Prayer will omit a reference to the Holy Father.  We only mention the local Bishop (our own Cardinal Thomas Collins). 
From this point our prayers are focuused on the College of Cardinals who are gathering in Rome. This Sunday we have Prayer Cards as we pray for the election of a new Pope.
Peace