Merry Christmas!

There is a Cherokee Legend that says:
When the plants and trees were first made, the Great Mystery - that is how they refer to God, gave a gift to each species. 
But first he set up a contest  - "I want you to stay awake and keep watch over the earth for seven nights," The young trees and plants were so excited - the first night they did not find it difficult to stay awake. However, the second night was not so easy, and just before dawn a few fell asleep. On the third night the trees and plants whispered among themselves in the wind, to keep from dropping off, but it was too much work for some of them. 
Even more fell asleep on the fourth night. By the time the seventh night came, plants still awake were the cedar, the pine, the spruce, the fir, the holly, and the laurel. "What wonderful endurance you have," exclaimed (God) – whoops sorry – the Great Mystery. 
"You shall be given the gift of remaining green forever. You will be the guardians of the forest. Even in the seeming dead of winter, your brother/sister creatures will find life & protection in your branches." Ever since then all the other trees & plants lose their leaves and sleep all winter - while the evergreens stay awake.

Today we celebrate the Birth of the ONE in whom we find life – Jesus, born in Beth’lehem, in hebre that means the House of Bread.
Placed in a Manger - a feeding trough for the animals - this is the one who will become the Bread of Life. 
Wrapped in swaddling clothes - like the lambs who were raised in Bethlehem for use in the sacrifices of the Temple in Jerusalem - for Bethlehm and Jerusalem were like Nobleton and Bolton! And these lambs were wrapped in swaddling clothes when they were born to make sure they had no blemish - for they needed to be free of blemishes to be used in the Temple! As was the Lord - who 33 years later would be offered not in the temple but upon the cross!

Here is our Savior - protection for all – in the harshness of our world, In the darkness of a seeming exile, here & now and in the winter coldness of our Sin – Here is our refuge – Here is our God who comes to us - The Great Mystery – The creator of Heaven and Earth enters into creation – not for God’s sake – for ours!
Here is our Saviour who saves us – for we can’t save ourselves!

New Parish Website!

Our New Parish Website is now Up and Operating!

As part of the Archdiocese of Toronto's Pastoral Plan - Project Connect has been working to bring all parishes in the Archdiocese onto a common website platform. Holy Family Parish has now been able to transition to our new website, and are pleased to bring you this updated website.
We have some neat new features, including events, and you can subscribe to updates as well - using the Sign-up feature!

https://holyfamilybo.archtoronto.org/

2nd Sunday of Advent

"To be parish is to be a place, to be a people, where God’s command to comfort the other is fulfilled."

- Rev. Terrance W. Klein, America Magazine, December 9, 2017

When we think of those who are around us when we gather around the table of the Lord each Sunday - there are many who need comfort:

• Those who are approaching their first Christmas after the death of someone, whom they have dearly loved. 
• Those who come to Christmas to celebrate the Word made flesh, knowing that cancer or some other disease has invaded their own flesh. 
• Those who are, late in life, once again raising children in their home because unless they do their grandchildren will have no nurturing home. 
• Those who, advanced in age, live in fear that this will be their last Christmas in their own home, still able to live life in their own way. 
• Those who struggle to make Christmas something their children will always remember but only add to the mounting worry about bills that cannot be paid. 
• Those who came to this country, desperate to find a new life, and who now live in fear that everything might be lost. 
• Those who want to live in the freedom of Christ but are still held captive by addiction. 
• Those who try to spread holiday cheer and comfort, all the while returning to homes where discord and distrust hold reign. 
• Those who are growing up different than others, in communities where young people are expected to mature in well-worn ways. 
• Those who are alienated from their family and friends, cut off from the faces meant to give them life. 
• Those, who think that they are alone in struggling with unbelief and with questions about their faith. 
• Those who are not here in the parish most Sundays because it has never been a place of comfort for them. 

We hear today in the first reading from the Prophet Isaiah - "Comfort, O comfort my people, says the Lord." This is a command, not a promise! How can we, as a parish, be a place of comfort for all of God's People?

Peace

Busy Times!

It has been months since I have Posted on the Blog - and for that I appologize! The business of life is an excuse that many use for not being at church regularly - and I find myself wanting to offer the same excuse - but it is just that - an excuse. 

Since I last posted there have been some great events and developments in the parish and in my personal life...

At the end of the summer - Julia Coffa - our Youth Minister for almost 2 years returned to University. Her studies are in the field of linguistics.  Best wishes Julia!  

At the beginning of September Eric Luscombe joined our staff as our new Youth Minister. Eric has a degree from Western University in London, in Catholic Studies! (I realize I do not have a Picture of Eric! That will need to be rectified!!!)

At the End of September, St. Michael's Secondary School celebrated their feast day - and a New Stained Glass window was blessed. This window was donated throught he generosity of the Knights of Columbus!

In the beginning of November I travelled to Vancouver to be a part of the National Lturgy Conference. The Presentations at the Conference were by Fr. Michael McGourty, a Priest of the Archdiocese of Toronto, on the Rite of Dedication of a Church and Altar.  Since I had Dedicated St. Michael's Chapel last year, and attended the Re-Dedication of the Cathedral the same day, I found this topic Facinating. I attended the conference in my capacity as the Vice-Chair of the Ontario Liturgical Coference, of which I am a Member at Large. (I was re-elected to another 3 year term as the Vice Chair for the Conference.)

So there is an Advent Update! I will be more mindful of posting Blog updates now! 
Peace

August 10 - Feast of St. Lawrence

In this age of short attention spans and even shorter memory, it is difficult for us to communally maintain the remembrance of someone over a long period of time. This is just where the Church comes to our aid. Over the course of each liturgical year we remember holy women and men from all the ages of the Church. Some saints were venerated very early on, their cult being very large. The cult of a given saint was typically most deeply rooted in the local community to which he/she belonged. So, it is in Rome to this day with the holy deacon, St. Lawrence of Rome. 

Today we remember St. Lawrence, a deacon of Rome, who was a martyr. Deacon Lawrence lived in the third century, his life spanning the years roughly from 225-258. In those early centuries, during which the Church was persecuted, Rome had only seven deacons who served the Roman Church and who worked side-by-side with the Bishop of Rome, the Pope. After Pope Sixtus himself was made a martyr for the faith, the prefect of Rome arrested Lawrence, who, along with the other deacons administered the temporal affairs of the Church. The prefect demanded that Lawrence hand over to him the Church's wealth. St Ambrose, the great bishop of Milan, is the earliest source we have about these events and tells us that Lawrence was given three days by the civil authorities to round up the Church's wealth so that he could turn it over. 

Over the course of the three days, Lawrence worked feverishly to give all that belonged to the the Church to the poor so that there would be nothing left to hand over to the Roman prefect. On the third and final day, Lawrence, heading up a small Christian delegation, went before the prefect and when told one final to time to hand the Church's treasures over, Lawrence did so by presenting the prefect with the Church's poor, crippled, blind, and suffering, saying that these were the Church's true treasures. He is reported to have said, "The Church is truly rich, far richer than you emperor." 

For this act of defiance he was martyred by being grilled on a gridiron. Legend holds that after some time on the grill over the flame, he turned to his executioner and said: "You can turn me over now, I'm done on this side!" Maybe for this reason St. Lawrence is the Patron of Cooks and Comics. We had Ice Cream after Mass for all in attendance! My "Onomastico" - My Name Day!
St. Lawrence - Pray for us!

Peace.

Feast of St. John Vianney

Today is the feast of St. John Vianney - the Curé d'Ars (the parish priest of Ars - a small town in France near Lyon).  Jean Vianney is the Patron saint of Parish Priests. This is also the anniversay of my Baptism - 54 years ago today I was initiated into life in Christ! I thank God for my Parents - for my Godparents - and for the family of faith that has formed and nourished me over the years!

Peace

Mary Magdeline

Today is the feast of St. Mary Magdeline. 

I happened to see this morning this quote 
from Archbishop Fulton Sheen:

Mary Magdalene . . . did not do what you and I would do. She did not pour out the precious perfume drop by drop As if to indicate by the slowness of the giving the generosity of the gift she broke the vessel and gave everything, for love knows no limits.
Immediately the house was filled with perfume. It was almost as if, after the death of that perfume and the breaking of the bottle, there was a resurrection.
Broken things are precious. We eat broken bread because we share in the death of our Lord and his broken life.
Broken flowers give perfume. Broken incense is used in adoration. A broken ship saved Paul and many other passengers on the way to Rome.
Sometimes the only way the good Lord can get into some hearts is to break them.

Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen

Parish Picnic 2017

The weather remained nice for the Parish Picnic at Cold Creek Conservation Area last Sunday!
My drone -"The Flying Father" was able to make some flights - and the little children enjoyed it as much as the big Kid!

Enjoy the video from the picnic!

New Stained Glass Window

There is a new stained glass window at St. Michael Secondary School. This window is through the generosity of our Knights of Columbus Council!

I think St. Michael looks like a modern day SuperHero!

Thank you Knights of Columbus!

In Preparation for the Synod next Year - 2018

LETTER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

TO YOUNG PEOPLE ON THE OCCASION OF THE 

PRESENTATION OF THE PREPARATORY DOCUMENT

OF THE 15th ORDINARY GENERAL ASSEMBLY 

OF THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS

 My Dear Young People,

I am pleased to announce that in October 2018 a Synod of Bishops will take place to treat the topic: “Young People, the Faith and Vocational Discernment.” I wanted you to be the centre of attention, because you are in my heart. Today, the Preparatory Document is being presented, a document which I am also entrusting to you as your “compass” on this synodal journey.

I am reminded of the words which God spoke to Abraham: “Go from your country and your kindred and your father's house to the land that I will show you.” (Gen 12.1). These words are now also addressed to you. They are words of a Father who invites you to “go”, to set out towards a future which is unknown but one which will surely lead to fulfilment, a future towards which He Himself accompanies you. I invite you to hear God's voice resounding in your heart through the breath of the Holy Spirit.

When God said to Abram, “Go!”, what did he want to say? He certainly did not say to distance himself from his family or withdraw from the world. Abram received a compelling invitation, a challenge, to leave everything and go to a new land. What is this “new land” for us today, if not a more just and friendly society which you, young people, deeply desire and wish to build to the very ends of the earth?

But unfortunately, today, “Go!” also has a different meaning, namely, that of abuse of power, injustice and war. Many among you are subjected to the real threat of violence and forced to flee their native land. Their cry goes up to God, like that of Israel, when the people were enslaved and oppressed by Pharaoh (cf. Ex 2:23).

I would also remind you of the words that Jesus once said to the disciples who asked him: “Teacher [...] where are you staying?” He replied, “Come and see” (Jn 1:38). Jesus looks at you and invites you to go with him. Dear young people, have you noticed this look towards you? Have you heard this voice? Have you felt this urge to undertake this journey? I am sure that, despite the noise and confusion seemingly prevalent in the world, this call continues to resonate in the depths of your heart so as to open it to joy in its fullness. This will be possible to the extent that, even with professional guides, you will learn how to undertake a journey of discernment to discover God's plan in your life. Even when the journey is uncertain and you fall, God, rich in mercy, will extend his hand to pick you up.

In Krakow, at the opening of the last World Youth Day, I asked you several times: “Can we change things?” And you shouted: “yes!”. That shout came from your young and youthful hearts, which do not tolerate injustice and cannot bow to a “throw-away culture” nor give in to the globalization of indifference. Listen to the cry arising from your inner selves! Even when you feel, like the prophet Jeremiah, the inexperience of youth, God encourages you to go where He sends you: “Do not be afraid, [...], because I am with you to deliver you” (Jer 1:8).

A better world can be built also as a result of your efforts, your desire to change and your generosity. Do not be afraid to listen to the Spirit who proposes bold choices; do not delay when your conscience asks you to take risks in following the Master. The Church also wishes to listen to your voice, your sensitivities and your faith; even your doubts and your criticism. Make your voice heard, let it resonate in communities and let it be heard by your shepherds of souls. St. Benedict urged the abbots to consult, even the young, before any important decision, because “the Lord often reveals to the younger what is best.” (Rule of St. Benedict, III, 3).

Such is the case, even in the journey of this Synod. My brother bishops and I want even more to “work with you for your joy” (2 Cor 1:24). I entrust you to Mary of Nazareth, a young person like yourselves, whom God beheld lovingly, so she might take your hand and guide you to the joy of fully and generously responding to God’s call with the words: “Here I am” (cf. Lk 1:38).

With paternal affection,

FRANCIS

Given at the Vatican, 13 January 2017

There is a questionaire that Youth are invited to fill out.
it can be found HERE

From "The Price of Sugar" to the cost of no water!

Fr. Christopher Hartly came to our attention through the documentary called the Price of Sugar - a documentary readily available on YouTube that details the abuses of the Haitian Refugees in the Dominican Republic by the Sugar Plantation Owners.

Fr. Hartly came and spoke at St. Michael's School 5 years ago. He had to leave the Dominican Republic because of Death Threats. He is now working in the community of Gode in Ethopia - in a mission there. He sends updates regularly - I am on his email list. 

This letter came in at the beginning of Lent:

When Even the Camels Die of Thirst

Dear Friends of the Mission,

For the last year and a half, not a drop of rain has fallen in Gode and the Somali region of Ethiopia.
Here everything is dying.
It is dramatic to see people arrive at the rickety hospital of Gode, by any means of transport, including carts driven by donkeys, carrying squalid and dying patients.
People arrive with their last breath and sometimes they die within in a few minutes, in the hands of helpless doctors because of the magnitude of the tragedy.
It is so sad and heartbreaking to see the fields devastated by the drought. Here nothing grows, neither corn, nor soybeans, no cereals, here everything is swept away by gusts of wind in giant clouds of dust that soil and clothes it in coats of gray. 
Every morning when I leave the house, before dawn, to celebrate the Holy Eucharist, I see the dead cattle on the roadside… cows, goats, sheep ... The stench is dreadful and the spectacle so terribly sad. 
At this time, all that Gode breathes is death and desolation.
For a few months now, we have had a young English doctor working with us. He spends mornings and afternoons at the public hospital. Thanks to him we are receiving firsthand information on the magnitude of the drama that these people are experiencing. 
Last Thursday, March 2, he warned us that an unusual number of patients were dying (in fact, the first six of them died in the Gode hospital that afternoon), brought from the Afder area, whose capital is Hargele.
We soon learned that the problem was that, because of the desperation to bring water in trucks to the most remote villages, some NGOs had taken water from a dam near the city of Hargele, which was completely polluted and infected.
That same night I loaded the off-road vehicle of the mission with all the medicines that we had at that moment at our disposal and at 5:00 am last Friday I went to Hargele. It was 230 kilometers of terrible road. Before 10 in the morning, I was already in the hospital of the city. I met the medical director and gave him the medicine. It was very sad to hear this man, Abdisalem Mohamed, to tell the tragedy of all those hundreds of people who came every day infected with terminal typhus.
In these days when the whole Church, as a faithful bride of Jesus Christ, accompanies his way of the cross through the countless painful paths of this world, it is not difficult to recognize the face of the passion of Christ in the small macerated bodies of these children.
By mid-morning, I decided that it was imperative to look for the villages from where the sick people arrived, to really understand the problem. What no one had told me was that there was no real roadway to get to those settlements. So, with the 4x4 ready and gritting our teeth, we went trudged those 40 endless and unforgettable kilometers.

We finally arrived drowned in dust from head to toe and scorched with heat. The people immediately swirled around us to tell us about their tragedy. We went to the polluted well and saw the putrid water, that had caused so much death and desolation. 

On the way, we saw many animals that had died of thirst and starvation. People said to us: "Abba (Father), when the camels are dying of thirst is when we do not have much life left." 

I asked to visit the sick who were too seriously ill to be taken to Hargele Hospital. They showed me a cabin in which several sick people lay on the ground.

There were two very young boys in a ragged white nurse robes. I asked them about the symptoms. "Do they have a fever?" I asked. One bowed his head in embarrassment and said, "We do not know because we do not have a thermometer."

I gave them the few medicines we still had and some clean water. We had to return to Gode and we had more than five hours of road. You feel so powerless, so disturbed inside when you see these scenes ... You simply ask "Why?"

Some of our Confirmation Collections will match the Money raised at St. Michael Secondary School and be sent over to Fr. Hartly's Mission.

Pentecost 2017

We invite all parishioners

to wear RED clothing

Sunday June 4th

as we celebrate

the feast of Pentecost.

You probably wear your favorite sports team's colors or logo. Or wear red & white on Canada Day. What about "Christmasy" clothes around Christmas or green on St. Patrick's Day? 
Think of red as being the colour of the Holy Spirit.

Bulgaria & Romania

After Easter I travelled to Romania and Bulgaria for a Holiday.  I travelled with Fr. Scott, and with my Drone! I was able to get some great Drone Flights on my trip - and interestingly in Bulgaria as I was travelling around I saw Billboards advertising the same drone as I have! The Mavic Pro from DJI.

The elevated town of Sighasora was my first flight - since the weather was rainy in Bucharest. 

Holy Thursday – Good Friday Reflections

It is often said that ours is a world that is starved for love. I have come more and more to understand that our God’s deepest desire is that we answer His call to serve.  Serve without discrimination, without judgement, to serve with open expectations, and to not simply be a spectator. It is often much safer to be a spectator.  Yet Simon of Cyrene and Veronica were not spectators.  Whether commanded or compelled, they took a risk.  Yet the God of my understanding has always been a risk taker – his Son, a risk taker – why not me?

In that service his and our blood mingles.   There is fear that comes with this kind of vulnerability.  My heart understands Jesus, in the garden asking God to remove his cup of suffering, yet I’ve learned that courage is fear that has said its prayers.  Continue to show us the way on this road of service Lord. It will be unpredictable and sprinkled with pot holes.  The possibility of betrayal lies at every turn in the road, yet I place my trust in the one who calls me forward to stoop and wash the feet of those who walk the road of life with me. 

And having knelt before your people Lord, I now stand with them as they come forward to adore your cross.  And I see in their eyes the light of discipleship, the pains and crosses that they bear, yet also the hope of your love, a hope in a new tomorrow.

In our service, may our God heal our woundedness so that His light may shine just a little bit more – always just a little bit more. – Amen.

Holy Week

Tuesday Morning we celebrated the Chrism Mass at St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica, and then the priests and Deacons had Lunch in the Arcadian Court. The 3 Oils that were blessed - will be presented at the beginning of the Holy Thursday Mass.

Be sure to come Holy Thursday with donations of non-perishable food or money for those who experience poverty - and ready to have your feet washed.

Good Friday we Gather at 12 Noon or 3 p.m. for the Passion of the Lord.

At 7:30 we gather for the dramatized Stations of the Cross.

Holy Saturday at 12 noon we gather for Midday Prayer - Anointing of the Elect and Blessing of Easter Baskets.

The Easter Vigil begins at 8:30 p.m.  Fire / Air / Water / Earth - All of the Elements give witness to the Glory of Salvation and the Resurrection of the Lord.

Easter Sunday Masses are at 8:15 a.m., 10 a.m. and 12 noon

May you keep this week Holy!

Palm / Passion Sunday

This year on Passion Sunday we listen to the Passion of Christ from St. Matthew's Gospel. (On Good Friday every year we hear the Passion of Christ according to St. John).

The Canadian Artist - William Kurelek - painted a series of 160 paintings - 1 for each verse of the Passion according to St. Matthew. This series was completed in 1963 and is housed permanently in the Niagara Falls Art Gallery and Museum. (Only accessible on Saturdays for visits!) This series also formed the basis for a book "The Passion of Christ" which is now out of print. Here are some visual highlights:

 Jesus is stripped of his Garments

 Jesus was hung between 2 Bandits 

May this week be Holy for you!

Pastor's Remarks

The Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board as a custom of showing a Video to the Trustees at the Monthly Board Meetings. This video is pre-taped remarks by a pastor. I was filmed just before March Break and the video was shown at the March Board Meeting Yesterday.

Kudo's to Mr. James Flaherty for his great skill in editing and getting some images to use with my comments.

You have heard me preach these Questions before:
Why do you believe in God? Why do you believe in Jesus Christ? and Why do I belong to the Catholic Church?

Peace

St. Jerome's Brampton

Our Zone Meeting was at St. Jerome's Parish in Brampton this week - and I had the chance to get the flying father (the drone) up in the air and take some magnificent aerial shots of my first assignment as a priest.

Subscribe to my YouTube Channel (to boost my ego!) and see new Church video's as they are published...
Peace

I have gone and done it!

Well, I have gone and done it! I have opened a YouTube Channel!
I am posting some videos of different churches I have visited. All of this is very new to me ... So be gentle!

Peace

Catholic Christian Outreach - Greta Racco

My name is Greta Racco, and I am a second-year Music student in the Concurrent Education program at Queen’s University in Kingston, Ontario. I was raised Catholic, and was involved in Holy Family Parish’s youth ministry as a teen. My faith went to an even deeper level when I encountered, and became involved with, Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO) on the campus of Queen's University in Kingston last year. I wholeheartedly invited Christ to be at the centre of my life, and allowed the Father’s love to transform me, filling me with a great desire to share the Gospel and His love – a desire that continues to grow in me every day, and fill me with a zeal for mission.

This mission to Comayagua, Honduras will be my first experience of the sort, and I am overjoyed at even the thought of it. I look forward to serving Christ in the people that I will encounter, and evangelizing alongside the Franciscan Friars of the Renewal, whose apostolate I have long been drawn to.

I humbly ask for your prayers that I, along with the other Honduras missionaries, will submit myself completely to the Father’s will, and that He may use me as an instrument for His greater glory. I cannot thank you enough for you prayers and your donations, as my participation in this mission would not be possible without them. Know that you are in my prayers, as well.

Donate by clicking HERE.     We support you Greta!

Peace

World Day of Prayer

http://worlddayofprayer.net/index.html

Each year on the first Friday of March, the Women's Inter Church Council sponsors an ecumenical prayer service in communities throughout the world.
Each year these prayers are written by women from a different country - this year the prayers are written by the womne of the Phillipines - and Holy Family Parish is the hist church for Bolton!
We will gather for prayer at 1:30 and the prayer will be followed by fellowship in the parish hall!

Mardi Gras & Carnival

This evening the Knights of Columbus served up a great feast of Pancakes and Sausages with "Real" Maple Syrop! and even the Knights were learning that this day - Fat Tuesday = Mardi Gras and that Carnival = farewell to meat!

The church shifted earlier today to the colour of Purple for Lent.
We also have the bare trees back for Lent - trees that will be filled with our ribbons marking our Prayer / Fasting / and Giving during Lent. 
Peace

Visit to the Cathedral by Edge

Our Edge group visited the recently restored St. Michael's Cathedral Basilica on Friday evening.  Great tour with the Rector - Fr. Michael Busch. 

Thanks to the Cathedral Staff who kept the building open for us so we could do this Tour after Hours! Here are our Family of Faith dollars at work!

Fr. Michael Waites - Friend and Mentor

Last week I went to Trenton, NJ to visit a priest mentor of mine who has been diagnosed with stage 4 Prostate Cancer. 
Fr. Michael Waites originally grew up in the Philadelphia area, and studied in Toronto and was ordained a priest for Toronto. 
He was the associate Pastor in my home parish – Blessed Trinity - and instilled in me a love for Liturgy – and Big Symbols. He preached at my first Mass.
After 9/11 it was getting harder to travel back and forth across the Border, and his mother was declining – so he was able to transfer to Trenton NJ Diocese. He retired 1.5 years ago, at 70 years of age. He is living in a priest retirement home – a nice place in Lawrenceville, NJ,  called “Villa Vianney”.
Last July he was feeling horrible all of a sudden before celebrating Mass at a parish nearby – and so he eventually went to the Hospital. This was the first time in his life he had been in an ER! 
They found a mass on his Kidney and metastases to lungs… within a week or 2 they had removed the kidney.
He is going thru Chemo now. They did some radiation in the new year – because of mets to the bones – in his neck area.
He still looks like I remember him - and he is a fighter! Please keep him in your prayers. 

Welcome to Ordinary Time

In the last week a long awaited Christmas gift arrived - as we re-entered Ordinary Time. I received my Mavic Pro Drone from DJI.
This had been on order since the beginning of November. 

I was able to fly it a few times this past week and get some great images. 




We are experiencing technical difficulties at this time! but more shots to come soon!