The past couple of years of ministry and the experience of The Amazing Parish conference confirmed for us a need for A Real Leadership Team as a priority for the ministry and pastoral life in our parish of St Lawrence. It’s important to remember that a parish leadership team is not the same as a parish council. And it is not the parish office staff, or the people who do bookkeeping, reception and other administrative functions. It is the group of leaders who the pastors will rely on to help him with strategic and operational decisions and implementation.

In the coming days we will be calling some of parishioners who passionate about the parish and its renewal to step up to this leadership vocation. We will begin with forming the pastoral team from the perspective of building trust, mastering conflict, achieving commitment, embracing accountability and focusing on results. This will give us a great start in the process of building “amazing” leadership team for our parish of St Lawrence. Please keep us in prayer!

Our parish Mission Statement reminds us that “faith builds community”. Celebrating the patron of our parish is certainly an opportunity to embrace who we are as the faith community. Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 am followed by a procession to the Statue of St. Lawrence. Come join us in celebration of our Patron Saint’s Feast Day. Enjoy great conversation, snacks and refreshments.

Enjoy this video from last year’s celebration: St. Lawrence Feast Day 2013

St. Lawrence will turn 125 next year. On Sunday June 21, 2015, we’ll celebrate mass with His Excellency Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI, followed by an Anniversary Dinner (details, incl. cost, to follow).

Tickets for the dinner will be limited, but we’re now taking “early-bird” ticket reservations to help us in our planning… will YOU be there? Spread the word, gather your friends and family and reserve your place today for a guaranteed ticket to the event. Early-bird Deadline: Monday June 30th, 2014.

For reservations, a sign-up sheet will be available at the entrance of the church, call us and leave a detailed message at (905) 529-3921 or email us at stlawrencehamilton@gmail.com
(*Event will be subject to cancellation if interest for tickets is low)

“We are living in the second Advent of the world’s history. Eugene de Mazenod was a man of Advent, a man of the Coming. He not only looked forward to that Coming, he dedicated his whole life to preparing for it, one of those apostles who prepared the modern age, our age. (…)The Church gives us this great Bishop and Founder of the Oblates of Mary Immaculate as an example of heroic faith, hope and charity.” Pope John Paul II during Saint Eugene de Mazenod Canonization Celebration – December 3, 1995 – Rome, Italy

Oblates around the world, including the Oblates ministering in this parish: Fr. Tony and Fr. Jay; in our diocese: Fr. Hanh Van Tran, OMI (Pastor of Our Lady of Vietnam and Holy Family), Fr. Neil Haight, OMI (retired) and, of course, Bishop Douglas Crosby, OMI; and all the faithful mark May 21 as the celebration of the life and legacy of St. Eugene de Mazenod the founder of the OMI Congregation. Please join us for the Mass on Wednesday, May 21 at 8:15am