Share Life - 2014 Campaign

“To love God and neighbour is not something abstract, but profoundly concrete: it means seeing in every person the face of the Lord to be served, to serve him concretely."  - Pope Francis

Pope Francis calls us to be generous in our love for each other as we serve one another in need, reflecting the example that Jesus left us to follow. Our charitable challenge to “love God and neighbour”as a community takes on various forms across our archdiocese. Initiatives like out of the cold programs, food banks, and parish visitation programs that minister to elderly, sick and disabled people are examples of outreach that we can actually see, touch and feel.
Our annual ShareLife appeal is an excellent example of how we bring the Gospel to life in our communities, offering an opportunity for us to serve as the hands of Christ, embracing those struggling among us. A contribution to ShareLife is more than a gift of our financial resources; it is a tangible demonstration of the way that we reach out to care for those in need.

Last year, ShareLife agencies provided over 354,000 services to over 96,000 people and assisted countless others in developing countries around the world. In 42 municipalities, in 225 parishes, and in more than 20 languages, those in need received compassionate care as a result of our generosity. Yet with more resources, our agencies can extend their effectiveness even further. Our goal in 2014 is to raise $12.65 million through the ShareLife parish campaign in order to sustain the vital work of these agencies, a goal that can be achieved by all supporting our annual appeal.

Each one of us is called to “love God and neighbour” and to view those who are poor and marginalized as the face of the Lord to be served. How are we living that call each day? The ShareLife campaign provides an opportunity to demonstrate that. This year I hope you will join me as together we work wonders in answering God’s call to serve joyfully through a generous gift to people in need.  Today is Sharelife Sunday.
Please be generous!
Peace

Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang Funeral

Funeral of Bishop 

Joseph Fan Zhongliang

Recently the retired Bishop of Shanghai died.  Andrew Bennet, Canada's Ambassador for Religious Freedom issued this statement:
"I was sincerely saddened to learn of the death of His Excellency Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang, Bishop Emeritus of Shanghai, who died on Sunday at the age of 95. Bishop Fan's life was a testament to religious freedom: he was known as the unofficial leader of the underground Catholic Church in China, and in 2000 he was confirmed as Bishop of Shanghai by Blessed John Paul II. He was a steadfast witness to the Christian faith in China. His position and involvement in the growing underground church movement inspired Chinese officials to sentence him to house arrest for the greater part of the last two decades. On behalf of the Government of Canada and Canadians, I extend my prayers and condolences to the Catholic faithful of the Diocese of Shanghai and to the family and friends of the late Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang."

Canada's Citizenship and Immigration Minister Chris Alexander was honoured to join thousands of Chinese on Saturday, March 22 for the funeral of His Grace, Bishop Joseph Fan Zhongliang.
Bishop Fan, in the words of the homilist, was in jail fully one third of his 97 years, sacrificed continuously for his faith and did not know a single full day of peace. This most principled man of God persevered in the name freedom of worship.
Minister Alexander learned of the Bishop's passing earlier last week whilst in Hong Kong as part of his first international visit as minister. As funeral arrangements were set, the Minister re-arranged his planned itinerary for Shanghai to pay final respects on behalf of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and the Government of Canada.  Chinese authorities allowed for Bishop's Fan's funeral to be a public event, and that it proceeded without incident.
Peace

Hockey - in Lent!

This past September my Godson - Geoffrey Schemitsch - who played with the Owen Sound Attack and the Oshawa Generals of the OHL moved down to Wolfville Nova Scotia to attend Acadia University and play on their Men's University Hockey Team.  The Acadia Axemen - as they are known, have been having a very good season, and Monday night they won the Atlantic University Sports cup - defeating St. Mary's Huskey's in the 4th game of their best of 5 series.  


It was a bittersweet time for Geoffrey - since he was the victim of a viscious hit in game three on Sunday night - which meant he did not dress for game 4. 

The Axmen will be playing now in the CIS (Canadian Interuniversity Sport) championships in Saskatoon next week! 

Keeping Geoffrey in my prayers, and the team in my thoughts these days...
Peace

First Sunday of Lent

On the First Sunday of Lent - we always hear of the Temptation of Jesus in in the desert – this is a familiar Scripture story – we even have an ICON of this which we place at the entrance of the church during the season of Lent.

We have three traditional Lenten Practices – 

Pray / Fast / Give

These practices challenge us to leave behind whatever comes between us and our relationship with God… whatever stops us from living in the freedom of God’s Children.

Lent points us to Easter – and is all about Baptism.  For those preparing for Baptism - Lent is a season of Purification and Enlightenment.  For those of us already Baptized - this season is to help us prepare to renew our Baptismal Promises.  The first question asked at Easter when we renew these promises is: 

Do you reject sin, so as to live in the freedom of God's Children?

As a priest and as a parish team we have been thinking of ways to have a lenten "program" that embraces the entire parish. Often the stuggle with a “Lenten Program” a “Lenten Series”  is that we might be happy with 30 – 40 people - Yet ours is a vast Parish... I pray that we can connect the daily home life in the parish with Sunday.         

Pray / Fast / Give       

So we want to challenge you to see these practices in a new way – so there is an insert in the Bulletin, speaking about this... and it is available on our website: www.holyfamilybolton.ca 

We invite you – Pray / Fast / Give throughout the week - and then come to Mass and Tie a ribbon – on a tree - don’t worry about the colour. The ribbons – will represent our Praying, our Fasting, our Giving. They will represent our shedding all that binds us, and therefore prevents us from living in the freedom of God’s Children.  If you do three practices – you tie 3 ribbons

          Before mass? – after mass? – your choice!

If our Sunday worship is the most important thing which we do each week as Catholics … Then my hope is that this will connect our practices thru the week   with our Worship on Sunday!

Peace

Lent 2014

The liturgical season of Lent is a time of preparation and it can only be understood in relationship to Easter.  The Church invites us to enter into 40 days of preparation so that we may celebrate the great 50 days of Easter. 
The word Lent comes from an old English word meaning Springtime.  In the northern hemisphere this name for the liturgical season that prepares us for Easter is quite appropriate.  Even during the harsh days of March when the weather is unpredictable we do see signs of Spring and know that soon new life will be surrounding us. 
The Church reminds us that Lent has two major purposes: It recalls or prepares for baptism and emphasizes a spirit of penance.  The emphasis on a spirit of penance assists us in preparing to recall our baptismal promises.  For those who will be baptized at the Easter Vigil the spirit of penance is to assist them in preparing for their baptism.  

Every baptized person is called to renew their baptismal promises at the Easter Vigil or Easter Sunday.  The first question we are asked is: Do you reject sin so as the live in the freedom of God’s children? 
In Lent with the help of the Holy Spirit and through the traditional practices of prayer, fasting and almsgiving (using our financial resources to support the work of the Church) we are led to let go of actions, attitudes and behaviours that keep us from living in the freedom of God’s children. 
Each member of our parish, everyone from two to 102 is invited to enter into this time of preparation through prayer, fasting and almsgiving.  Each time you complete a Lenten activity you are invited to tie a ribbon on one of our Lenten trees.  The ribbons are a visible sign of our Lenten practices, a visible sign of our journey to Easter and abundant life with God. 
We shall include suggestions for Lenten activities in the parish bulletin, on Facebook (Holy Family Catholic Church Bolton) and on our website. 
Remember Lent is a time to fast from that which keeps us away from God or prevents us from living in the light of Christ.