Around St. Mary's This Week (May 23, 2021)
Lord, send out your Spirit and renew the face of the earth! Psalm 104
Feast of Pentecost - Each year, 50 days after we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection from the dead we celebrate Pentecost. After Jesus’ resurrection the disciples were fearful as they gathered behind closed doors. The Holy Spirit empowered the disciples and the message they proclaimed was heard by all who had come to Jerusalem. At Baptism and Confirmation, we receive the same Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit will empower us to be witnesses to all people. We pray:
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful
And kindle in us the fire of your love.
Send forth your Spirit and we shall be created
And you shall renew the face of the earth. Amen.
Celebrating Pentecost at Home
The Holy Spirit is often depicted as flames of fire. On Pentecost Sunday as you gather for a family meal you are invited to wear something red. There are many different shades of red, may this vibrant colour and the different shades be a visual reminder of the diversity of our God given gifts and talent.
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Ministry with Maturing Adults Free Webinar! The Office of Formation for Discipleship is offering a webinar on Saturday, June 5 from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m. with Sr. Janet Schaeffler, OP, on, “Prescription for COVID: A Daily Dose of Faith, Hope and Love.” These unprecedented times have been upsetting, unfair and challenging for maturing adults. We need our daily dose of faith, hope and love to fight off the fear, gloom and dread. As we reflect on what helped us through this past year, we discover that it was – and continues to be – the strength of the Gospel, which provides us with answers to the trauma and fears of the pandemic. All men and women in the second half of life (50+), including volunteers, parish leaders, parish staff and priests are welcome to join this webinar. To register, please visit: http://bit.ly/MAW-RegisterJune2021. If you have any questions, please contact Ella Okonkwo at: 416-934-3400 ext. 523 or formation@archtoronto.org
Christian Meditation meets weekly, online. The next session is on Tuesday, May 25th at 2:00 p.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. An Introduction to Christian Meditation
Christian Meditation is not a new form of prayer. Learning to meditate takes time and practice. It is a prayer form that focuses on God and becoming silent in God’s presence. If you would like to learn more about Christian Meditation you are invited to an introductory session on Wednesday, May 26th at 7:30 p.m. We will meet online from 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. All are welcome. Please register by emailing Catherine Ecker cecker@archtoronto.org and you will receive a link to the session. |
MINISTRY
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Prayer for Ordinary Time On Monday, May 24th we enter the season of Ordinary Time. The white or gold vestments of Easter are put aside and we embrace green vestments. Green reminds us of life. This span of Ordinary Time extends to November 21st when we celebrate the Solemnity of Christ the King. A Prayer for Ordinary Time God of wisdom and love, source of all good, send your Spirit to teach us your truth and guide our actions in your way of peace. We ask this through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God for ever and ever. Amen
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Families Waiting to Celebrate a Sacrament
We invite you to pray in an intentional way for families preparing for Baptism, for our young people waiting to be confirmed and for all families preparing their children to begin to share in Holy Communion.
Gracious God,
I pray for the families waiting to celebrate
a sacrament. I ask for your blessing upon them.
Jesus, Mary and Joseph
pray for our families.
We are Called to Pray!
During this stage of the pandemic many people are suffering, our hospitals are over capacity and our front-line workers in the hospital, long term care facilities and nursing homes are exhausted. During the month of May, Monday through Friday you are invited to come together in prayer virtually at 3:00 p.m. to pray the rosary for those affected by Covid and all health care professionals.
This week we will pray the Rosary online at 3:00 p.m. Tuesday May 25th to Friday May 28th. For those joining online the Zoom link will open at 2:50 p.m. and no one will be admitted after 3:00 p.m. as the leaders will be praying. You may find the link on our website. If you have questions please email Catherine Ecker at cecker@archtoronto.org or call 705 728 2985 ext. 115 and leave a message.
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Our Parish goal is $100,000 To-date we have collected $36 053.00 Please make your sacrificial gift through the parish office or sharelife.org.
A VIRTUAL EVENT HOSTED BY SHARELIFE ShareLife Speaker Series: Caring for our Mental Health Thursday, May 27th at 7:00 P.M. Struggles with mental health, anxiety and depression have increased drastically during the pandemic. Elizabeth Pierce, Executive Direction of Catholic Family Services of Durham – a ShareLife-funded agency – will present strategies for coping during these difficult times. These tools will be applicable for children, youth and adults. Following the 25-minute presentation, Elizabeth will answer your questions about mental health. Please visit:
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THE SOCIETY OF ST. VINCENT DE PAUL We are grateful to those who have continued to support our ministry during this pandemic, however, our funds are at a record low of $16,700. If you are able to donate please see the following options: 1). By cheque: made payable to “St. Vincent de Paul, St Mary's Conference.” You can mail it to St. Mary's Church, 65 Amelia Street, Barrie, ON. L4M 1M7 or drop it in the mail slot at the parish office. 2). By E-transfer: ssvpoffice@gmail.com Please include your full name and mailing address in the message section so a receipt can be issued at the end of the year. Thank you for your support |
