“Baptism, the Eucharist, and the sacrament of Confirmation together constitute the “sacraments of Christian initiation,” whose unity must be safeguarded. It must be explained to the faithful that the reception of the sacrament of Confirmation is necessary for the completion of baptismal grace. For “by the sacrament of Confirmation, [the baptized] are more perfectly bound to the Church and are enriched with a special strength of the Holy Spirit. Hence they are, as true witnesses of Christ, more strictly obliged to spread and defend the faith by word and deed.” …(CCCH cf.# 1285 )

The past months has flown by with Holy Week, Easter being a distant memory and First Eucharist and Confirmation being recent ones. Congratulations to of our grade 8 who received the Sacrament of confirmation On May 18. We welcomed Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI to Saint Lawrence The Martyr parish for the celebrations. Congratulations and God’s blessings.  The Christian Community and I hope that you will be courageous and faithful in your witness to Jesus, and to the truth of His Church, as you receive this final Sacrament of Initiation into the life of the Catholic Church!

Fr. Heinner, OMI

Our warm welcome to Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI who presided the Sacrament of Confirmation on Thursday, May 5 at 7:00pm.

Congratulations to the students from St. Lawrence Catholic School, who are receiving the sacrament! This is a very important step in your life. By asking for the anointing of Confirmation, you are making a binding commitment to embrace the most important commandment: to love God and to love your neighbor as you love yourself. We encourage you to participate in the life of your family of faith. Join us for Sunday Mass, learn about God, serve
others and witness what your friendship with God really means.

Thank you to parents, Confirmation Team and teachers from our Catholic School for your dedication and witness to our young people in the process of preparation.

GivingTuesday is a National Giving Day:
Most people know about Black Friday and Cyber Monday …now GivingTuesday is coming to Canada on December 1, 2015.

It is a new Canadian movement for giving and volunteering, taking place each year after Cyber Monday. The “Opening day of the giving season,” it is a day where charities, companies and individuals join together to share commitments, rally for favourite causes and think about others.
Please consider your donation to St. Lawrence. Thank You!
[su_button url=”http://givingtuesday.ca/partners/st-lawrence-the-martyr-parish-hamilton-on” target=”blank” background=”#108fc8″ color=”#ffffff” size=”5″]Donate[/su_button]

The Video was produced by Storm Harding, a graduate of Mohawk College’s Broadcast – Television and Communications Program.
Silent Storm Media

On Sunday June 21, 2015 our community of faith gathered to celebrate a significant moment in the life of the parish as marked 125 years of St. Lawrence Parish’s ministry to the North End of Hamilton.

The walls of this beautiful building have witnessed so much. Just imagine how many children have been welcomed here to the life of faith through the Sacrament of Baptism, how many couples have said “I do” at their weddings, how many people’s lives have been celebrated here as we’ve said our final goodbye to them at funerals. If only these walls could talk! There is certainly so much to be grateful for and so much to appreciate in this place “Where Faith Builds Community.”

PICTURES from the Anniversary Mass:

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This anniversary celebration is not only about remembering the past, but also about imagining the future and moving forward to new beginnings. We need the courage to embrace a new vision, to do things differently, to imagine this parish alive and welcoming, a place where newcomers can make a spiritual home. We are looking forward to creating a plan for welcoming new parishioners, developing parish goals for all age groups, and promoting stewardship—all in keeping with the Parish Mission Statement: “We are called to grow as disciples of Jesus Christ by actively embracing our Baptismal commitment. We gather as a family of faith at the Eucharist. Through our experience of shared faith we strive to build a welcoming community.”

PICTURES from the Anniversary Dinner:

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PRAYER FOR THE RENEWAL OF OUR PARISH:

Heavenly Father, You have gathered us together as a parish to be Your visible life in our world. Here we unite in worship, proclaim Your word, celebrate the Eucharist, and are sent forth to share Your love and make disciples. Lord, we take your Great Commission seriously and long for our parish to be so on-fire that we draw people to You. Help us in that endeavor, as we strive to work together—ordained, religious and laity. Please make our parish amazing, through Your power and Your grace. Amen.

Dear Parents,
It is our hope that “Chosen” will not only offer your child a thorough knowledge and understanding of the Catholic Faith, but will also win over their heart at this critical time in their life. The program has been carefully designed to address and answer your child’s fundamental questions about life, and to challenge him or her to embrace a life of faith.
Let’s face it—our world is full of distractions and detours that can easily set a young person on the wrong path. Nothing can take the place of a strong faith in God. It is our faith that gives us our identity and our direction in life. The Church recognizes that you, as parents, are the primary educators of your children in matters of faith and morals – and “Chosen” offers you a unique opportunity to join your child as he or she journeys through the Catholic faith.
We invite you to watch a twenty-minute video “Chosen Parent’s Session” that was shown at the Parent Information Session. This powerful and inspiring message to Confirmation parents features Chosen author Chris Stefanick and presenter Fr. Mike Schmitz. It is available at ConfirmationStudy.com/teachers.
Thank you for your time and interest in this important stage of your child’s spiritual development.