Category: Feasts and Celebrations

From the Pastor’s Desk – Isaiah

Published October 17, 2021 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

“The righteous one, my servant, shall make many righteous, and bear their iniquities” thus the prophet Isaiah prophesied about the Messiah. He is called an Evangelist of the Old Testament because he foretold a lot about the Saviour. This last line of today’s first reading tells us about the core of Jesus’ mission: to bear our iniquities. Why is
that so important? Because we cannot get rid of our sins on our own. We are unable to live a holy life without the Lord. Jesus, Son of God, came to this world to take upon the cross our iniquities so that we may have eternal life. By this reason, the Church cannot cease to call the faithful to repentance and discontinue administrating the Sacrament of Penance.

This week I would like to highlight two celebrations:

Monday, Feast of Saint Luke, Evangelist. According to the ancient Christian tradition, the author of the third Gospel and the Act of the Apostles was a physician. He was a nonJewish Christian, probably of Greek background. His writing style confirms that he was well educated with significant literary skills. From his Gospel we mostly learn of Jesus’ birth and childhood. He is a patron saint of medical professionals.

Wednesday, Memorial of Saint Margaret Mary Alacoque, Religious. She was a French nun and mystic of The Order of the Visitation of Holy Mary, who promoted the devotion to the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus. In her convent at ParayleMonial, she received several private revelations of Jesus. During one of them Jesus let her rest her head upon His heart and disclosed to her the wonders of His love telling her that He desired to make them known to all mankind and to diffuse the treasures of His goodness, and that He had chosen her for this work. The form of the devotion that
Jesus requested contains reparations for sins on the first Friday of the month by participation in Mass and reception of Holy Communion (now known as First Friday Devotion), Eucharistic Adoration during a holy hour on Thursday (to commemorate Jesus’ agony in the Garden of Gethsemane) and celebration of the Feast of the Sacred Heart. The devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus in forms presented by Margaret was officially approved 75 years later after her death. When her tomb was canonically opened in July 1830, two instantaneous cures were recorded to have taken place. Her incorrupt body rests above the side altar in the Chapel of the Apparitions, located at the Visitation Monastery in ParayleMonial, and many striking blessings have been claimed by pilgrims who have journeyed there from all parts of the world. Her memorial falls on October 16th but in Canada we hold it on October 20th due to the
celebration of the first Canadianborn saint Marguerite d’ Youville.

God bless,
Fr. Peter

Posted In Feasts and Celebrations | From the Pastor's Desk

St. Lawrence the Martyr Novena Prayers

Published August 04, 2021 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

st.lawrence-novena-prayer-sheet Download

Posted In Feasts and Celebrations

Feast of Corpus Christi – A nun, a priest and a pope behind establishing the feast…

Published June 04, 2021 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Corpus Christi Feast –

Solemnity of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ

A nun, a priest and a pope behind establishing the feast…

This feast (a Solemnity is a Feast of the highest rank) was established by Pope Urban IV in the 13th century. There is a quite interesting story behind it. The story involves a nun, a priest and a pope. Before he was elected pope in 1261, Urban was born Jacques Pantaléon in France in a family of humble origin. First he became a priest in Lyon, then a professor of Canon Law (Church’s Law) at Paris, Archdeacon in Liège, Belgium and bishop of Verdun and next patriarch of Jerusalem.

In the context of establishing the Feast of Corpus Christi, it is worth highlighting his stay in the region of Liège. What happened there at that time? Near Liège at the end of the 12th century twin girls were born: Juliana and Agnes. At the age of five they were orphaned and entrusted into the care of Augustinian nuns at the convent of Mont Cornillon. Agnes seems to have died young but Juliana grew to become so learned that she could read the Church Fathers in Latin and eventually became an Augustinian nun. From her early years Juliana had a great devotion to the Eucharist. When Juliana was 16 she had her first vision and then again subsequently several times during her Eucharistic Adoration she also had visions. The Lord made her understand the meaning of what had happened to her: she was asked to plead for instituting a liturgical feast dedicated to the Most Blessed Sacrament in which the faithful would be able to adore the Eucharist so as to increase in faith, to advance in the practice of the virtues, and to make reparation for offences to the Most Holy Sacrament.

After having overcome some obstacles, the feast was established for the Diocese of Liège by its bishop and it was there that idea was introduced to archdeacon Jacques Pantaléon who later became Pope Urban IV. Juliana was canonized and is known as St. Juliana of Liège or of Mont Cornillon or of Cornillon.
In 1263 a German priest, Peter of Prague, while making his pilgrimage to Rome stopped in Bolsena, in the Church of St. Christina, to celebrate Mass. While saying the consecration prayer he doubted Christ being actually present in the consecrated bread and wine. At the moment of his disbelief, blood began trickling from the consecrated host onto the altar and corporal. The priest immediately reported this miracle to the pope who at that time resided nearby in Orvieto. Urban IV sent his emissaries to investigate the miraculous event and ordered to bring the host and the bloodstained corporal to Orvieto. The relics then were placed in the Cathedral of Orvieto, where they remain today.

Inspired by the miracle, Pope Urban IV commissioned a Dominican friar, St. Thomas Aquinas, to compose the Mass and Office for the feast of Corpus Christi. Aquinas’ hymns in honour of the Holy Eucharist, Pange Lingua, Tantum Ergo, Panis Angelicus, and O Salutaris Hostia are the beloved hymns that the Church sings on the feast of Corpus Christi as well as throughout the liturgical year during Exposition and Benediction of the Most Blessed Sacrament and Eucharistic processions.

Posted In Devotions | Feasts and Celebrations | From the Pastor's Desk | Liturgical Celebrations

Beginning of Lent

Published February 17, 2021 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Every year we begin Lent with the imposition of ashes on our heads during Mass on Ash Wednesday. The season of Lent lasts 40 days (not counting the Lenten Sundays) and leads us to the celebrations of the Paschal Mystery of the Lord culminating in the Liturgy of the Easter Vigil.

During Lent we are encouraged to observe the main Lenten works such as prayer, penance, self-denial, fasting and almsgiving. Ash Wednesday is a universal day of fasting and abstinence from meat. According to Canon Law (#1252), by abstinence are bound those who have completed their 14th year
and the law of fasting binds the faithful who are between 18 and 60 years old (the obligation ceases with the beginning of the 60th year). On the day of fasting we can have only one meal and two small amounts of food. Fasting is not a kind of diet to keep our bodies healthy, but it has a profound spiritual meaning: we deprive ourselves of food in order to be more open to prayer, to share more in the suffering of those who are striving and to save money to give to the poor. Fasting is a penitential act intended to open our
hearts to God and our neighbours, means of purification and spiritual liberation and a witness of the depth of our faith. Abstinence, like fasting, is avoidance of something that is good in favour of something that is better. It is not a matter of vegetarianism or veganism. Fasting and abstinence are forms of penance in honour the sacrifice that Christ made for our sake on the Cross.

Posted In Feasts and Celebrations | From the Pastor's Desk | Liturgical Celebrations | Pastoral Notes

Covid 19 – Update

Published March 19, 2020 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

The most recent updates from Bishop Crosby’s office have provided further guidance for all churches in the diocese. Specifically:

Masses and Church Opening

All Masses are cancelled until further notice, AND churches are to be closed at all times. Churches are not permitted to open even for a few hours each day for prayer. St. Lawrence had been open for private prayer up to yesterday. The church is now closed. The parish office can be contacted between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. by phone or email. Email is the preferred method of contact as this can be responded to easily at any time.

Pastors are encouraged to celebrate Mass privately each day for the intentions of their parishioners, for the medical personnel assisting the sick and for and end to the COVID-19 outbreak. Fr. Peter will be celebrating daily Mass privately as suggested.

Prayer at Home

In this time of fasting from the Eucharist, parishioners should be encouraged to pray for other parishioners, and for all those whose lives are being affected by the virus. The Rosary, prayerful reading of the Sacred Scripture and other devotions are recommended.

Funerals

Funeral Masses are not permitted at this time. Private internment at the grave site with immediate family only will be permitted. Funeral Mass can be celebrated once restrictions are lifted.

Confessions

No scheduled confessions are permitted. The sacrament may be celebrated by appointment provided that social distance can be maintained.

Baptisms

It is recommended that Baptisms be postponed until restrictions are lifted.

Communion

The Eucharist is not to be taken to parishioners who are homebound at this time and it is not possible to bring Eucharist to seniors residences or nursing homes.

Scrutinies

His Excelency Bishop Douglas Crosby dispenses all the Elect from the celebration of the Scrutinies.

Posted In Covid-19 | Feasts and Celebrations | Liturgical Celebrations | Mass Time Updates

From the Pastor’s Desk : Epiphany

Published January 06, 2020 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

We observed his star at its rising,
and have come to pay homage to the Lord

The Gospel Acclamation clearly explains why the magi wanted to come to Bethlehem. Their visit has become for the Church a sign of her missionary work. Although the Saviour was born among the people of Israel the good news of salvation was to be spread to all nations.

Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. In the Liturgical Calendar of the Roman Catholic Church this feast is celebrated on January 6th and on the following Sunday the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord is observed. Yet, in some countries including Canada, the Epiphany is held on the first Sunday after January 1st. This solemnity had its origins in the Eastern Christian Tradition and was a celebration of the manifestation of the Incarnation of Jesus Christ. At the beginning, the birth of Christ, the story of the Magi, Christ’s baptism, His divine manifestation, the miracle at the wedding in Cana, and the feeding of the crowds were celebrated in the one festival of the Epiphany. The Epiphany was celebrated before the Church began celebrating the Nativity. Western Christians have traditionally emphasized the “Revelation to the Gentiles”. For us the main idea of the Epiphany is that Jesus came to our world to be our Redeemer and Saviour. We would like Him to be known by all people, because He is the Light of the world. Let us adore Him!