Around St. Mary's This Week (22 May 2022)

CATHOLIC WOMEN’S LEAGUE

Bake Sale on Saturday, June 4th from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Donations of baked good can be dropped off after 1pm on Friday June 3rd in the church hall. All donations are appreciated!

Diaper Drive: This year’s diaper drive was a great success. Thank you all for your donations of diapers, wipes & cash all was greatly appreciated by the Womens/Children shelter.

CELEBRATING CONFIRMATION

At 7:00 p.m. on May 24th, 26th and 31st we will celebrate Confirmation with our young people.

Candidates and sponsors are reminded to arrive for 6:40 p.m. You are asked to pray for the young people, their sponsors and families.

Living the Gospel through ShareLife

Our parishioners’ support of ShareLife is making a difference in the lives of those in need. Thus far we have raised $65,103 toward our goal of $110,000.

The final ShareLife Sunday of the year is June 5. Please give generously through the parish or at sharelife.org.

You CAN Work Wonders!

CELEBRATING THE GIFT OF YEARS!

It has been three years since we have been able to hold a meeting during the month of June which is considered Seniors’ Month. All adults in the second half of life are invited to join us on Wednesday, June 15th from 2:00 – 4:00 p.m. There will be refreshments, time to renew friendships, meet new people, music, door prizes and an opportunity to share ideas for programs and events.

WEDDING ANNIVERSARIES

Living and Celebrating the Sacrament of Marriage

The married couples in our parish are a sign to us of God’s faithfulness and through their witness we are strengthened.

If you celebrated a wedding anniversary in May we shall pray with you and share in your joy at all Sunday (Saturday evening) Masses on May 28th and 29th. Please join us in thanking God for the gift of the married couples in our midst.

MINISTRY WITH MATURING ADULTS

VON SMART (Seniors Maintaining Active Roles Together) Exercise Program is held on Tuesday mornings. For details regarding the program and registration please call: 705 737 5044 ext. 221.

Christian Meditation is an ancient form of contemplative prayer rooted in the Christian tradition. This group meets weekly. Our next session will be on Tuesday, May 24th. We will meet online via Zoom. If you are interested in learning more about this form of prayer or have questions please contact Catherine Ecker. (cecker@archtoronto.org or 705 728 2985 ext. 115) All are welcome.

The Next Chapter Network is a faith-based support network for women who are widowed. The network encourages and empowers widows to move forward into a positive future. This group is not a bereavement support group and is not intended to replace the Bereavement Support Group at St. Mary’s Church. The next meeting will be on Monday, June 13th at 7:00 p.m. in St. Joseph’s Room. If you have any questions please contact Catherine Ecker (705 728 2985 ext. 115 or email cecker@archtoronto.org)

SHARING IN HOLY COMMUNION: A Sign of our Communion with God and Union with Others

Throughout the Easter season a number of our young people will begin to share in Holy Communion. They and their parents have been preparing for months. It is valuable for us to review the Church’s directives on sharing in Holy Communion.

Our sharing in Holy Communion is a profoundly public personal act. We process forward to share in Holy Communion. It is most definitely a holy union with Jesus and with our brothers and sisters in Christ. There is nothing private about the Communion procession.

In 2011, the Canadian Bishops instructed that our common sign of reverence before sharing in Holy Communion be a bow of the head. The ritual does not expect anyone to genuflect, kneel or make the sign of the cross before or after receiving Holy Communion.

At the time of Holy Communion when the person in front of you has received Holy Communion and you are in the front of the procession, you bow your head, the Minister of the Body of Christ will say, “The Body of Christ”, you reply, “Amen”.

It is important to note that the only appropriate response is Amen. The Church expects that Amen is said in a voice that can be heard by the Minister of Holy Communion.

After saying Amen the Minister of Communion places the host in your hand. You step to the side, put the host in your mouth and return to your place.

The Communion procession is a time of communal prayer. We sing the Communion hymn as an outward sign of our unity. We sit or kneel for silent prayer when the priest sits down after Communion.

ALTAR SERVERS

If you are interested in serving at Sunday (Saturday evening) Mass we invite you to attend on one of the following information/training meetings:

Saturday, May 28th at 10:00 a.m. OR Monday, May 30th at 6:15 p.m.

If you have questions, please contact David Murdoch at dmurdoch@archtoronto.org or call 705 728 2985 ext. 101 and leave a message.