St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish – Hamilton

Where faith builds community | 125 Picton St. E., Hamilton, ON L8L 0C5

Category: From the Pastor’s Desk

From the Pastor’s Desk : Zaccheaus

Published November 07, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Zacchaeus, hurry and come down; for I must stay at your house today

Jesus wanted to be a guest at the chief tax collector’s house. Listening to today’s passage of the Gospel we may be sure that the Lord would like to come to our hearts today and to be accepted with a great love. Each Eucharist is an opportunity for such a special visit of the Lord.

In the month of November, the Church calls upon the faithful throughout the world to remember in a special way the deceased. We know that during each Mass the priest prays in the Eucharistic prayer for our departed brothers and sisters using these or similar words: Remember also our brothers and sisters who have fallen asleep in the hope of the resurrection, and all who have died in your mercy (Second Eucharistic Prayer). Also Masses in our churches are often offered for them. This prayer for the departed expresses our faith in the resurrection, our hope for eternal life and our love for those who have completed their earthly pilgrimage. In our church we are providing a Book of Life where we may write down the names of our deceased loved ones for whom we wish to pray. On Saturday, November 16th, at 10 am there will be celebrated a special Mass for those whose names are written in the Book. Please, use the book to commend your deceased relatives and friends to the prayer of the Church.

This Saturday, November 9th, we observe the Feast of the Dedication of the Lateran Basilica that is the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. Let us keep the Holy Father in our prayers so that he may shepherd the people of God as the Good Shepherd commended.

This week our RCIA course shall begin and the adult candidates for the Sacraments of Christian Initiation will start their faith journey and receive the Sacraments at the proper time. We surround them with our prayers.

God bless,
Fr. Peter

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

From the Pastor’s Desk – All Saints & All Souls

Published October 28, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

The hour of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith


The words of St. Paul from his Second Letter to Timothy remind us of our final destination and prepare us for the mysteries of the first days of November.

Annually, on the first two days of November the Universal Church celebrates All Saints’ and All Souls’ Days. The first feast is officially named the Solemnity of All Saints and it was established first for the local Church in Rome in the 8th century and in the next century it was extended to be celebrated by the Universal Church. On this day we honour all the saints, those formally recognized, those whose names remain unknown, and the baptized of every epoch and nation who enjoy the heavenly glory. The liturgy of this solemnity urges us to raise our eyes towards heaven and inflame our hearts with a desire for holiness. Our Lord wants us to be holy as the Father in heaven is holy, so we should generously respond, as the saints did, to this divine calling for holiness. It is also the First Friday of the month and we honour The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus.

On November 2nd celebrating the Commemoration of All the Faithful Departed we pray for all our sisters and brothers who completed their earthly pilgrimage and are waiting for admittance to God’s glory. It is our duty to remember them and help them with our prayers and self-denials to get in the kingdom of heaven. One day we will be in the same situation asking others for that same spiritual support. This year it is also the first Saturday of the month. Although we will be celebrating a Mass of All Souls’ Day, we will be praying the Act of Consecration to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and the Children’s Rosary after the Mass.

Pope Francis asks the faithful throughout the Church to pray during the month of November for the following intention: “That a spirit of dialogue, encounter, and reconciliation emerge in the Near East, where diverse religious communities share their lives together”.

All holy men and women pray for us!

God bless,
Fr. Peter

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

From the Pastor’s Desk : World Mission Sunday

Published October 20, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Jesus told the disciples a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart – At the very beginning of today’s passage of the Gospel the Lord teaches us to be persistent in prayer. Too often we get discouraged when our prayer seems to be unanswered. However, from the Gospel we learn that when we trust the Lord we will receive what we need. Persistence in prayer expresses our confidence in the Lord.

This Sunday is World Mission Sunday. As per the initiative of Pope Pius XI, the second last Sunday of October is dedicated to the missionary work of the Church. Pope Francis established the month of October in 2019 as an Extraordinary Missionary Month. The Holy Father asked the whole Church to “take up again with renewed fervour the missionary transformation of the Church’s life and pastoral activity”. The faithful throughout the world are invited to support that ministry both spiritually and materially. The collection this Sunday is organized by the Pontifical Missions Society and the collected funds assist some 1,250 mission dioceses under the responsibility of the Congregation for the Evangelization of Peoples. In Canada, as per agreement of the Holy See and the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops, a portion of the contributions will continue assisting six dioceses in Northern Canada until 2020.

This Tuesday, October 22nd, we observe the memorial of Pope Saint John Paul II. During almost 27 years of his pontificate (from October 16th, 1978 until April 5th, 2005) he changed the face of the Church and world. He made trips to 129 countries. He caused the collapse of dictatorships and the fall of communism regimes. He issued 14 encyclical letters and numerous other writings. He promulgated the Code of Cannon Law (Church Law) and the Catechism of the Catholic Church. He canonized 482 people and beatified 1327 people. He established an International World Youth Day and instituted the Feast of Divine Mercy. He was beatified by Pope benedict XVI in 2011 and canonized by Pope Francis in 2014.

Saint John Paul II – pray for us!

God bless,

Fr. Peter

Posted In From the Pastor's Desk | Liturgical Celebrations | Mission and Charitable Works | Pastoral Notes

From the Pastor’s Desk – Our Lady of the Rosary

Published October 07, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Increase our faith – the Apostles asked Jesus. They understood how important their faith was. Today when we listen to the Gospel we may reflect on how we treat our faith. Is it our primary focus or rather is it a secondary concern or an afterthought? Does my faith have a real influence on my life or rather does my life affect my faith? These and similar questions may help us to treat our faith seriously.

A few days ago, we began the month of October; a Marian month dedicated in a special way to Our Lady of The Holy Rosary. Every day numerous people throughout the world pray the Rosary. According to pious tradition, in 1214 the Rosary was given to Saint Dominic, the founder of the Dominican Order, through an apparition of the Blessed Virgin. Through the influence of Pope Leo XIII, often called the Rosary Pope, this simple prayer was spread widely. He issued 12 encyclical and 5 apostolic letters on the Rosary, instituted the custom of daily Rosary prayer in the month of October and added the invocation Queen of the Most Holy Rosary to the Litany of Loreto. Pope St. John Paul II in 2002 recommended an additional set called the Luminous Mysteries to the 15 Rosary mysteries, so now we have 20 mysteries of the Rosary.

In keeping with this theme, this Monday we observe the memorial of Our Lady of the Rosary. In 1571, Pope Pius V established the feast of Our Lady of Victory to commemorate the victory over the Ottoman navy at the Battle of Lepanto. 2 years later, Pope Gregory XIII changed the title of the feast to the feast of the Holy Rosary. In 1716, Pope Clement XI extended the feast to the universal Church and in 1960, Pope St. John XXIII changed the title to the feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.

On Friday, October 11th, we hold the memorial of Saint John XXIII, Pope. His pontificate, which lasted less than 5 years, presented him as a true image of the Good Shepherd. He summoned the Second Vatican Council and was called the Good Pope. John XXIII died on June 3rd, 1963 and was canonized on April 27th, 2014 along with Pope John Paul II. His liturgical memorial is held on the day when the first session of the Second Vatican Council was opened.

Finally, Today we welcome in our parish the Heralds of the Gospel!

Our Lady of the Rosary – pray for us!

God Bless

Fr. Peter

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

From the Pastor’s Desk : Preparing for the coming year

Published September 09, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

You are just, O Lord, and your judgement is right – thus the Entrance Antiphon reminds us of the Lord’s righteousness. We walk in a new pastoral year with confidence in the Lord and with refreshed eagerness. During last 14 months in our parish many good things have been accomplished and initiatives undertaken both material and spiritual: new liturgical books, vestments and vessels, new lights in the church, air conditioning, new sidewalks, the children’s liturgy, preparation for First Communion, a series of talks about our faith, the Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament on Thursdays, First Friday and Saturday devotions, and the annual celebration of our patron saint. Also five adults received the Sacraments of Christian Initiation at the Easter Vigil.

Each year brings new challenges and opportunities. This year I would like to continue the good initiatives we have already begun and to undertake new ones. First of all, I wish us to live the course of the liturgical year and in that way to experience and treasure the beauty of the liturgical celebrations (memorials, feasts and solemnities of the Blessed Virgin and Saints) . Secondly, in 2020 we will hold the 130th anniversary of our parish.

I would like to invite everyone to get involved in making our parish flourish. To get preparations for the next year underway, I invite parishioners to attend a parish pastoral meeting on Thursday, September 19th at 7:30 pm in the parish hall. Before we begin discussing what we may do this year we are invited to pray during the Adoration and Mass on that evening. It is truly important to entrust to the Lord what we are going to do so that the Holy Spirit may guide us.

This Thursday, September 12th, we will observe the memorial of The Most Holy Name of Mary. On Saturday, September 14th, we will hold the feast of The Exaltation of the Holy Cross. Both of the celebrations are connected with interesting events: The Battle of Vienna in 1683 and the finding of the Holy Cross in the 4th century.

Mary, Holy Mother of God – pray for us!

God bless,
Fr. Peter

Posted In Formation and Education | From the Pastor's Desk | Liturgical Celebrations | upcoming

From the Pastor’s Desk: Happy Canada Day!

Published July 02, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Today we celebrate the 13th Sunday in Ordinary Time. St. Paul in his Letter to the Galatians reminds us that the whole law is summed up in a single commandment, “You shall love your neighbour as yourself”. May we act according to the love Jesus taught us!

On Canada Day we pray for the prosperity of our home and native land!

Pope Francis asks the faithful throughout the world to pray for the following intention in the month of July: “That those who administer justice may work with integrity, and that the injustice which prevails in the world may not have the last word”.

This Tuesday July 2nd after Mass at 7pm we will have a talk by Sister Consolata. Sister Consolata is a Polish Pallottine nun who is visiting our Parish to share with us her life story and to tell us how God has been working in her life. She was born together with her twin sister in 1946 in a German camp. However, they were separated as infants and it wasn’t until 50 years later that she discovered that she was a twin. This is an amazing story. Now Sister Consolata is overseeing the construction of a senior residence in Cracow near the Shrine of Divine Mercy; a project of the Pallottine Sisters. Everyone is invited to come hear her amazing story.

This week we celebrate the first Thursday, Friday and Saturday of the month with Masses respectively at 7 pm, 9 am and 10 am to honour Jesus – The Eternal High Priest, the Most Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary.

Happy Canada Day and summer holidays!

God bless,
Fr. Peter

Posted In From the Pastor's Desk | Pastoral Notes | upcoming