Category: Liturgical Celebrations

From the Pastor’s Desk : Christmas Greetings

Published December 31, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Venite, adoremus Dominum!

“And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host,
praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favours!” When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let us go now to Bethlehem and see this thing that has taken place, which the Lord has made known to us”
(Luke 2:13-15)

May the Newborn bestow upon you His gracious gifts of love, joy and
peace, and may the splendour of this holy night dispel any darkness of
sadness and sin, so that we may now sing along with Mary, Joseph, the
Angels and Shepherds: “Gloria in excelsis Deo et in terra pax hominibus
bonae voluntatis” ,

and in eternity: “Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus”!

With my best wishes,
Father Peter Jurzyk
Pastor of St. Lawrence the Martyr Parish

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

From the Pastor’s Desk : Third Week of Advent

Published December 15, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

Rejoice in the Lord always;
again, I say, rejoice.
Indeed, the Lord is near

These words serve as the Entrance Antiphon on the 3rd Sunday of Advent. This Sunday is called Gaudete Sunday (Sunday of joy), and its name is taken from the first word of the Entrance Antiphon in Latin (Gaudete = Rejoice). During the season of Advent, we use the colour purple for liturgical vestments, but this Sunday pink (rose) colour may be used. Similarly, on our Advent wreath one candle may be pink. This colour symbolizes joy. The liturgy of the 3rd Sunday of Advent emphasizes doubled joy. We should be joyful because the Feast of the Nativity of the Lord is near and additionally, we ought to remember the joyous anticipation of the Lord’s second coming.

This Tuesday, December 17th, we begin the second part of Advent that is dedicated directly to the mystery of the Nativity of the Lord. The last eight days of Advent are to prepare us for Christmas. The liturgical texts present to us the events described in Scripture that foretold and preceded the birth of the Saviour. We wish to mark the beginning of that part of Advent with a Mass celebrated at 7 pm and a special celebration to follow. Everyone is welcome!

The word ‘antiphon’ comes from Greek and means ‘sounding against, responsive sound, singing opposite, alternate chant’. An antiphon consists of one or more psalm verses or sentences from Holy Scripture and gives the key to the liturgical and mystical meaning of the feast on which it occurs. During each Mass there are two antiphons: one for the Entrance and one for Communion. They can be sung or simply recited. Usually we do not hear them because they are replaced by Entrance and Communion hymns. During weekday Masses we can hear an antiphon especially before the Communion.

Let us rejoice because our Lord is near!

God bless,
Fr. Peter

Posted In From the Pastor's Desk | Liturgical Celebrations

From the Pastor’s Desk : They cannot die any more

Published November 10, 2019 / by St. Lawrence Hamilton

In today’s passage of the Gospel Jesus tells us whom we shall be after accomplishing this earthly pilgrimage: “Indeed they cannot die any more, because they are like Angels and are sons and daughters of God, being children of the resurrection”. This term ‘children of the resurrection’ tunes us to our final destination that is heaven. It takes on greater importance in the month of November when traditionally we pray with a higher commitment for our deceased brothers and sisters. This prayer for the dead in the Church has been kept alive since Early Christianity. The Church, as a good mother, remembers her departed sons and daughters during each Mass. Every Eucharistic Prayer contains a prayer for the dead, for example – in the Third Eucharistic Prayer the priest says: “To our departed brothers and sisters and to all who were pleasing to you at their passing from this life, give kind admittance to your Kingdom”. Why should we pray for the dead and why is this prayer so important? The answer is pretty simple: while being on this world we may pray for ourselves, for the living and for the dead; yet, when our earthly pilgrimage is over we cannot help ourselves anymore and we need to rely on the prayers offered by our living brothers and sisters. Prayer for the dead helps our loved ones and expresses our spiritual charity and mercy for them and also confirms our faith in the resurrection and life eternal.

On Monday, November 11th, we observe the memorial of St. Martin of Tour and simultaneously Remembrance Day that is a memorial of the members of the armed forces who have died in the line of duty. There will be an additional Mass in our church at 9 am.

On Saturday, November 16th, there will be a memorial Mass celebrated at 10 am for the deceased whose names are written in our Book of Life. Please, write down the names of your loved ones and come for the Mass to pray for them.

As you might see, the renovation of the confessional has been completed so that we may use it for the Sacrament of Reconciliation. In our church Confessions are heard on Sundays from 10:30 am, on Thursdays during the Adoration from 6:15 pm and anytime upon request. I would like to express my special appreciation for having done this renovation.

May the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace!

God bless,
Fr. Peter

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

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 : 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