Pentecost 2012

I know its been some time since I posted, sorry about that!
On the Holiday Monday my Dad and a friend he is traveling with to Ireland arrived at the rectory in the late afternoon, and I drove them to the airport.  Then I went up to Alliston for the Annual Priests' Retreat.  Half of the priests go on week one - and the other half go on week two.  I was on week 2 - which was lead by Bishop Michael Miller, the Archbishop  of Vancouver.  He reflected on the priest as sanctifier, prophet, and shepherd.  He also spoke on the promises of Celibacy, Simplicity, and Obedience.  In some ways it did not feel like a real retreat because I still had to travel back to the parish for the celebrations of Confirmation on Tuesday and Wednesday evening.  
Thursday Morning Cardinal Collins updated the priests on the Bill 13 and issues around anti-bullying in the province and the Church's concerns with this current Bill.  Are Catholic School boards being bullied by the Provincial Government?
You can read the full text of the Cardinal's letter here.


The retreat ended Thursday with lunch, and I was back in Bolton in time for Judith Smillie's funeral at Egan's Funeral Home. A poignant and difficult time for all the staff at Egan's as well as for Judith's family.



On Pentecost - I wanted to take pictures before Mass of all the people wearing red!  Way to go folks!  Many of you remembered!  I am already looking forward to next year!


This is a busy week ahead!
Peace!

Judith & Tory

This Morning we learned of the death of Judith, one of the Funeral Directors at Egan Funeral Home.  Along with Paul Egan, Judith was one of the first people I met when I came to Holy Family Parish.  
She was a dignified strong, and courageous woman. Over the last year and a half she has been battling cancer, which was diagnosed after her return from a long anticipated trip to China.  
One of my many memories of Judith is how she would stay in the Church during a funeral liturgy, and as a faithful Anglican she would come forward during the communion procession for a blessing.
I was able to see Judith at Bethel House on Thursday Afternoon, before one of our Confirmation Celebrations.  It was a time of Grace for me.  Her is a portrait that was hanging in her room there:

Judith and Tory - 1984

Usually we speak of cancer as Limiting, but really 

CANCER IS SO LIMITED …

It cannot cripple LOVE

It cannot shatter HOPE

It cannot corrode FAITH

It cannot eat away PEACE

It cannot destroy CONFIDENCE

It cannot kill FRIENDSHIP

It cannot shut out MEMORIES

It cannot silence COURAGE

It cannot invade the SOUL

It cannot reduce ETERNAL LIFE

It cannot quench the SPIRIT

It cannot lessen the

POWER OF THE RESURRECTION

Peace

New Auxiliary Bishop

The Holy Father, Pope Benedict XVI, Friday morning appointed Msgr. Wayne Kirkpatrick, a priest of the Diocese of St. Catharines, Ontario, as auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Toronto. Bishop-designate Kirkpatrick commented on the Papal appointment:
“I am humbled by the confidence placed in me by the Holy Father to serve God’s people as an auxiliary bishop. While it will be difficult to leave the Diocese of St. Catharines, where I have served since my ordination day, I very much look forward to working with Cardinal Collins, the other auxiliary bishops and the vibrant faith community of the Archdiocese of Toronto.”
Cardinal Thomas Collins welcomed the announcement:
“We give thanks for the appointment of Bishop-designate Kirkpatrick. He brings with him many diverse gifts and a wealth of experience from his years of service to the Diocese of St. Catharines. Our thoughts and prayers are with him as he embarks on this new chapter of ministry.”

Msgr. Wayne Kirkpatrick was born June 5, 1957 in St. Catharines, Ontario. He studied at the University of Waterloo, St. Jerome’s College, earning a Bachelor of Arts (Philosophy) before entering St. Augustine’s Seminary in 1980. He completed a Masters of Divinity and was ordained to the priesthood on September 1, 1984. He also studied at St. Paul University in Ottawa, receiving a Licentiate (Masters) in Canon Law in June 1990.
Bishop-designate Kirkpatrick has served the Diocese of St. Catharines in diverse roles since his ordination, including 22 years in diocesan administration, concurrently serving in parish ministry as a pastor for 17 years. He presently serves as moderator of the curia, chancellor and judicial vicar of the diocese, as well as rector of the cathedral. Bishop-designate Kirkpatrick was named a Prelate of Honour by Pope John Paul II in June 1999, a Papal Honour that bestows the title of “Monsignor” on priests recognized for their service to the church. Bishop-designate Kirkpatrick will be ordained as a bishop in St. Catharines at a date to be determined before commencing his duties with the Archdiocese of Toronto. He will join three other auxiliary bishops who currently assist Cardinal Collins in caring for the pastoral needs of the 1.9 million faithful of the Archdiocese of Toronto.

Love as Christ has Loved

Love one another as I have loved you.

So that My Joy may be in you, 

and your Joy may be complete.

We are here as Christians because of the scene in Chapter 10 of the Acts of the Apostles. That took place at Ceasarea Maritima with the Roman Soldier - Cornelius.   The debate among the followers of the way did a gentile have to become a Jew in order to be a  Christian. Peter submits to the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit guides Peter, the first pope; the Holy Spirit guides Pope Benedict - HS Guides the Church – God shows no partiality
No favorites. Jew or Gentile. But that is hard for us to comprehend.
God loves the prostitute on the street corner in Rome as much as the Pope in the Vatican; God loved the Drug dealer – as much as the drug addict; and dare I say God does not love Michael Rafferty any less than God loves Victoria Stafford. God loves the sinner - but not the sin.  Said another way - God hates the Sin - but loves the sinner.
God loves the Rich comfortable home owner, as much as the Unemployed person who is a client at the food bank.

I participated in the Food box Challenge this week – of course I survived: I survived the isolation; the lethargy; I survived the lack of nutrition, lack of choice, and lack of options.
After only 5 days, It ended for me. But it doesn't end for the regular Food Bank user …Challenge you to read: WWW.CCS4U.ORG
So that we will be aware now - so when as a community we can move forward, we as a parish will be ready to help - to serve - to love, as Christ loved.

God loves us perfectly. Because God IS love. We don't love other people because we want to be loved back. We don't serve because we want to be served back. Its not about what we get – it’s about what we give. Christ loved the ones crucifying him, as much as the one at the foot of the cross!

In the rite of Ordination there is a line: "May God who has begun this good work in you - bring it to fulfillment. God began good work in us in baptism. God brings that joy to fulfillment in the Eucharist. At the Table of the Lord we are graced - as friends of the Lord - To Love one another as He has loved us.

Peace

Food Box Challenge - Challenge to Holy Family

Check out the Final Blogs on the CCS Website and you will be impressed!


I want to challenge us as a community of faith - to be ready when the Caledon community is ready to move forward with a Recipe for Resiliencey  we will be ready to step up to the plate and participate.  
You can also contact Kim D'Eri - the manager for poverty reduction partnerships - if you want to volunteer now at CCS and help plan for this upcoming Food Support Program.  Food Bank boxes don't supply healthy solutions for nutrition! That I have learned!
Peace

Food Box Challenge - Day 5 - Hunger is not a Game!

What I have realized this week is that 

Hunger is not a Game!

Because of the Food Box Challenge - I heard this week about a single parent (a regular food bank client) who keeps empty boxes (like granola bars) in the cupboards at home so that if someone comes by and happens to look in them, it doesn't look like the shelves are bare.  This father does the same thing in the fridge with expired condiments ... How we have all been schooled in the game of keeping up appearances ... 


Thursday night we had another confirmation retreat. I was thinking - I won't bring a peanut butter sandwich (I don't want to be eating alone again) so I'll bring my rice and chicken salad. Guess what I forgot to pack??? So there I was - nothing to eat - and then I remembered the 2nd meat pie I had cooked earlier this week (You remember the one - with 42% of my daily saturated fat allowance!)... so I heated it up in the Microwave. The young people at my table thought the pie looked tasty! But they still ate their pizza!


While I have been able to get by this week, a number of my normal routines have changed:

• I did not eat Pizza with the young people, preparing for Confirmation while they were on retreat;
• I did not go out to any restaurants;
• I did not participate in the Tim Horton's Coffee Pool at the office;
• I did not use any drive-thru places, even for a snack or bagel;
• Sometimes I ate late, because I forgot to pack my meal;

All in all - I am aware of how nutritionally poor a Food Box diet is, and how easily I snack on all kinds of things at all kinds of times!



I pray that we as a community will have the courage to commit to a food security program that will allow for fresh vegetables and fruit for those in need.  Eating Peanut Butter sandwiches (even alone) is not a game!

Check out the CCS Website

with my fellow Food Box Challenge

participant's reflections.

Peace

Food Box Challenge - Day 4 - Carbs, Carbs and more Carbs

Greetings All!  I took a nap today!  After a busy morning in the parish with Students from one of our Elementary Schools (its Catholic Education Week!) and a "Carb" rich lunch - I had a nap. 
I heard I was short with people this morning before Mass. 

Tortellini soup and
Fish Sandwich

I was having a bit of a head ache, and I thought - I have some time - so I took it.
Here is the only picture I have of Fr. Damian's Lunch! Ummm looks good... 
Meanwhile I had Tomato Soup (with some of the Rice and KD Noodles) and a "Tuna Casserole" (which was KD Noodles, some of the Cheese sauce pack and my can of Tuna).
Did I tell you that I don't like Tomato soup? I like creamy soups. 

KD & Tuna Casserole

Did I tell you I didn't choose milk, as a purchase or a pantry item? That meant the KD was made with water and oil, not milk and  margarine/butter! It was OK - But again - its the repetitive nature of all this that I am very aware of.... Carbs, Carbs, and more Carbs.  They are filling - but not always healthy.  I am craving veggies - and looking forward to the meal tomorrow that will include some real veggies...


What I was really aware of yesterday, as I was caught in the rain (I have been trying to use my car less) was that I am still going about my life in all kinds of ordinary ways.  In a sense this food box challenge has really only been done as a segmented part of my life. In all other respects I am going about things normally.  I went to the bank and bought foreign currency as a gift for my Dad who is going to Ireland in 2 weeks, I paid my weekly tax on the poor (Lottery Tickets) and went to the Barber. Then I went to the drug store (not the dollar store) for a card for dad, and picked up one of my prescriptions and I only had to pay $3.00 of the $95 cost because of my drug plan. If I was a regular client at the food bank - would I be doing all that?
Would I have waited another few weeks for my hair cut? or would I get someone else to play barber with a clipper from the store?
I certainly wouldn't spend $4.95 on a birthday card!
again and again I realize how blessed I am.

Go to the CCS Website!

Check out the other great reflections 

on the Food Box Challenge Blog.