Category: Liturgical Celebrations

From the Pastor’s Desk – Holy Trinity Sunday

Published June 16, 2022 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

“O most Holy Trinity, undivided unity; Holy God, mighty God, God immortal be adored.”

This traditional hymn reminds us of the very mystery of our faith: the belief in the Holy Trinity. Everyday we begin our prayers with the sign of the cross saying the Holy Names of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. The Church keeps offering prayers to the Father through the Son in the Holy Spirit. St. Ignatius of Loyola in his Spiritual Exercises wrote that the principle and foundation of our faith is one fundamental truth: “Man was created to praise, do reverence and serve God”. Yet, that is impossible unless we come to know God. Religious ignorance makes many people either go astray or reject the faith. This is a serious reason why a solid catechesis is to be in the core of the teaching of the Church. Today’s Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity encourages us to come closer to the Lord in both ways: by authentic worship and solid knowledge.

This Monday, June 13th, we observe a memorial of Saint Anthony of Padua, Priest and Doctor of the Church. Anthony was born in 1195 in Lisbon, Portugal. He entered the Augustinian community of Canons Regular of the Order of the Holy Cross and was ordained priest. Having been inspirated by some Franciscan friars who had come to Portugal to preach the word of God, he obtained permission from Church authorities and joined a new Franciscan Order. As a Franciscan friar, Anthony became famous for his powerful preaching, expert knowledge of scripture, and undying love and devotion to the poor and the sick. He died in Padua, Italy in 1231 and very soon canonized. Anthony is one of the most known saints throughout the Universal Church and his statues may be found almost everywhere including our church. There are also many stories and legends about St. Anthony.

The Little Flowers of St. Francis of Assisi contains this story about St. Anthony:
“St. Anthony tries preaching to the heretics at Rimini but they refuse to listen. So instead, he goes to the ocean and preaches to the fish. The fish all swim in and assemble with their heads out of the water, intent on learning what St. Anthony has to teach. The people of the city, including the heretics, learn of this and being astounded by the miracle, prostrate themselves at the feet of St. Anthony. He eloquently preaches to them all, strengthens them in faith, comforts them, and they all depart rejoicing.”
St. Anthony of Padua – pray for us!

God bless,
Fr. Peter

Posted In From the Pastor's Desk | Liturgical Celebrations

From the Pastor’s Desk – Palm Sunday and Holy week

Published April 10, 2022 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Hosanna, Hosanna, Hosanna in the highest – Today we are reminded of the crowds gathered almost 2000 years ago in Jerusalem and, united in spirit with the faithful throughout the world, with palm branches we greet Jesus entering the City of David. Palm Sunday always recalls two important events: Jesus’ solemn entrance to Jerusalem and His Passion and Death. The same people who greeted Jesus as a King of Israel not much later cried out to Pontius Pilate: Crucify Him! Therefore, today in the liturgy we begin with the procession with palms and solemn, joyful hymns. Then we read the Passion of the Lord. With Palm Sunday we enter Holy Week, the most important week in the entire liturgical year. This Monday Bishop Douglas Crosby, Bishop of Hamilton, along with Bishop Wayne Lobsinger, Auxiliary Bishop of Hamilton, his priests, both diocesan and religious, will consecrate Holy Oils during the Chrism Mass. The Holy Oils will be distributed to all the parishes within the diocese and are to be used to administer the Sacraments of Baptism, of Confirmation, of the Sick and of Holy Orders. We are invited to attend the Chrism Mass at 2 pm in our Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King to show our unity with the Bishop. During the Chrism Mass the priests present in the Basilica will renew the promises they made on the day of Priestly Ordination.

This Thursday we begin, with the Lord’s Supper Mass, the period of the greatest importance of the whole liturgical year; The Easter (Paschal) Triduum. Since the very beginning of the Church, it has been one feast extended from Holy Thursday evening up to the Vespers (the evening prayer) of Easter Sunday. The faithful throughout the world are greatly encouraged to attend all the days of The Triduum so that they may experience all the mysteries the Church lives and be bestowed with all the graces and indulgences prescribed to those who attend the celebrations. During the Lord’s Supper Mass we thank the Lord for the precious gift of the Eucharist. This day we also thank the Lord for our priests who celebrate daily Masses. Our attendance at the Lord’s Supper Mass is a sign of our appreciation to our pastors. We extend our thanksgiving with the Adoration of the Most Blessed Sacrament following the Mass. On Good Friday we are united with our suffering Lord and His Death on the cross. In the evening we pray the Stations of the Cross and we begin the Novena to Divine Mercy. Good Friday is, for the faithful throughout the entire Church, a day of fasting and abstinence from meat. On Holy Saturday we remain in silence in union with Jesus’ time in the Sepulchre. The Easter (Paschal) Vigil, which is to be celebrated at night, belongs to Easter Sunday. This Easter Vigil is the most important Mass in the whole liturgical year. By keeping vigil during this Holy Night of the Resurrection, we express our longing for the coming of the Morning Star who never sets, Jesus Christ who, coming back from death’s domain, has shed his peaceful light on humanity and lives and reigns forever and ever.

I would like to invite and encourage everyone to participate in all the celebrations of the Holy Week. Let us come together to pray, reflect on the most significant mysteries of our faith!

God bless,

Fr. Peter

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

From the Pastor’s Desk – First Sunday of Lent

Published March 08, 2022 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Today we observe the 1st Sunday of Lent. Each year the Liturgy of the Word at the beginning of the first week of Lent tells us about Jesus fasting in the desert. He spent 40 days there being tempted by the devil. In St. Luke’s account which we read this year, Jesus, responding to the devil’s second temptation stated: “Worship the Lord your God, and serve only Him”. This response from Jesus reminds us of what we are to do first of all. Our priority is to serve the Lord, to give Him glory and praise. Other duties and responsibilities are secondary. If we try to change that order we always go astray. Today’s Gospel account helps us to refresh our minds and hearts in order to reset our priority.

The number of 40 is a symbolic number in Scripture and due to its biblical meaning the Church has chosen to observe the Lenten season for 40 days. In the Bible, the flood at the time of Noah lasted 40 days, Moses remained 40 days on the Mount of Sinai before he received the Ten Commandments (Decalogue), and the Prophet Elijah made a trip to the Mount of Horeb through 40 days. All of those biblical episodes were of great importance and served the people as a preparation time for the mission given them by God. The chosen people, by prayer, fasting, and sacrifice became capable of fulfilling the will of God. Yet, when we look carefully at the calendar, we may say that Lent does not last precisely 40 days because from March 2 nd (Ash Wednesday) to Easter Sunday (April 17 th ) there are 46 days. That mathematics is correct but according to the ancient Christian tradition the Church does not fast on Sundays because each Sunday is a feast of the Resurrection of the Lord. During Lent we have 6 Sundays, so deducting 6 from 46 gives us exactly 40.

God bless,
Fr. Peter

Posted In From the Pastor's Desk | Liturgical Celebrations

From the Pastor’s Desk : Christmas 2021

Published December 24, 2021 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

“Today is born our Saviour, Christ the Lord” – the refrain that we sing during the midnight Mass on Christmas Day reminds us each year of the good news announced first to the shepherds at the holy night of the Nativity of the Lord. Following in the spirit the shepherds, we are heading to church to once again listen to the angelic message, to greet the Baby Jesus, Mary and Joseph, to look at the crib and to draw the precious gifts of love, joy and peace from the Newborn.

I would like to wish all our parishioners, visitors and benefactors an abundance of God’s blessings. May the splendour of the Holy Night of the Nativity of the Lord dispel every darkness of sin and sadness and make our hearts and homes glowing with the radiant joy and love offered to us by the newborn Saviour! May Baby Jesus find a dwelling place in our hearts and homes!

Since this year we celebrate the Feast of the Holy Family right after Christmas, we also pray for the intentions of our families. Let us imitate the Holy Family of Nazareth and make our families united in love and peace!

This Christmas season is not only an opportunity for me to share my best wishes, but also for expressing my gratefulness to all who keep supporting our Parish by prayers, commitment, engagement, time, talents, work and donations of any kind.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

God bless,

Fr. Peter

Posted In From the Pastor's Desk | Liturgical 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.