Around St. Mary's This Week (25 July 2021)....

Praying for the Sick

St. James reminds us of our calling to pray for those in need and for the sick. As the baptized we all share in the ministry of prayer. If you have a family member who is sick please let us know and we shall add their name to our prayer list which is posted in the gathering space of the church. The list will be updated weekly.

Sincere thanks to Doug Adams of Adams Funeral Home and Cremation Services Limited, 445 St. Vincent Street, Barrie for providing the plaque which is used for our prayer list for the sick.

Ministry to the Hospitalized

If you or a family member are hospitalized please contact the parish so you or they may receive a pastoral visit. 

MINISTRY WITH MATURING ADULTS

Christian Meditation meets weekly, online. The next session is on Tuesday, July 27 at 10:30 a.m. This ancient form of Christian contemplative prayer invites us into a time of sacred silence. All are welcome. If you are new to Christian Meditation and would like some information or if you would like the link to the meeting please email Catherine Ecker (cecker@archtoronto.org).

YOUTH MINISTRY: WALKING WITH THE CANADIAN MARTYRS PILGRIMAGE

We are very excited to be offering our first ever Walking Pilgrimage from St. John's Church in Waubaushene to St. Ann's Church in Penetang.  Our young people are invited to join us on Saturday, August 14th, 2021 beginning at 8:30 a.m. and concluding at 7:00 p.m.  This pilgrimage is “Walking with the Canadian Martyrs” and is for those going into Grade 7 through to post-secondary.

Along the way, we will highlight the lives of some of the Canadian martyrs who died for the Faith on the very ground we tread. In this way, we want the youth to realize that Canadian soil is holy ground, given to us by God to enrich. God has given us a distinct call as Canadian Catholics to radically share the light of Christ with those who are deprived of it, even when the surrounding culture is shy to take up the Faith, misunderstands it, or even persecutes it.

The cost of the pilgrimage is $15 per pilgrim, which covers snacks and water along the way, as well as dinner. We will attend Mass at 5:00 p.m. at St. Ann's Church in Penetang and dinner will follow Mass.  Please fill out the Google Form below as soon as possible as there are limited spaces allowed.https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSfJ4cchEbgKpqdD_ne5RvQ5_OtzTiiYzOQylZiPs2flP6eT1A/viewform?usp=sf_link

RADIO PROGRAM - Debbie Windsor has been running her own radio program out of Saskatoon called “People with Disabilities Speak Out” for the past 1.5 years.  Download the CFCR 90.5FM app or listen at CFCR.ca. every Thursday at 8pm.  Debbie interviews people who have a severe disability like herself and phone interviews with politicians and experts on disabilities.

Celebrating World Day of Grandparents and the Elderly

On January 31, 2021, Pope Francis decided to institute throughout the Church the celebration of World Day for Grandparents and the Elderly. It will be held every year on the fourth Sunday in July near the liturgical memory of Saints Joachim and Anne, grandparents of Jesus. Pope Francis said, "It is important for grandparents to meet their grandchildren and for grandchildren to meet their grandparents."

You may find a prayer for the World Day of Prayer for Grandparents and the Elderly here http://www.laityfamilylife.va/content/dam/laityfamilylife/Anziani/KitPastorale/EN/EN_Preghiera.pdf

We thank God for the faithful presence and witness of the many grandparents and elderly parishioners.

EVERY CHILD MATTERS All powerful God, We pray for the children who died in residential schools throughout Canada and for all those who continue on a journey through the darkness, that there may be healing founded on truth and that the Spirit will inspire our ongoing commitment to reconciliation. God, through the presence and power of the Holy Spirit, continue to offer us correction so that your grace might change and transform us in our weakness and repentance. Give us humility to listen when others reveal how we have failed and courage to love others as ourselves, mindful of your love for the weakest and most vulnerable among us.  Through Christ our Lord. Amen.   Thank you for your donation of new shoes.  We have shipped over 100 pairs of shoes to the Archdiocese of Grouard -McLennan (northwestern part of Alberta) for distribution among the Indigenous community.   Recommended Resources: We are called to learn more about the history and legacy of the residential schools. Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada: Calls to Action  http://trc.ca/assets/pdf/Calls_to_Action_English2.pdf We Were Children National Film Board available online through the National Film Board or CBC Gem Colonization Road a CBC documentary https://gem.cbc.ca/media/firsthand/season-2/episode-9/38e815a-00b9abca4fc Archdiocese of Toronto: https://www.archtoronto.org/en/offices-and-ministries/sub-sites/residential-schools/home/

Receiving Holy Communion

A Sign of our Communion with God and Union with Others

Throughout the summer weeks of Ordinary Time children in our parish will share in Holy Communion for the first time.  The children will sit with their families and participate fully in the entire celebration of Mass.  It is always good for those of us who come to the table each week to pause and recall the proper way to share in Holy Communion.

At the time of the Communion procession when the person in front of you has received Holy Communion and you are in the front of the procession you will bow your head, the Minister of the Body of Christ will say, “The Body of Christ”, you will 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 you will receive the Body of Christ, step to the side and consume the host immediately. The General Instruction of the Roman Missal indicates that when standing before the Minister of Communion the faithful should make a simple bow of the head. (par. 160).  This common sign of reverence is made once, before receiving the Body of Christ.  The Blessed Sacrament is being reverenced. When the priest sits down after Communion we sit or kneel for silent prayer.