Hello St Clare,

It seems to be a quiet time and so I have a chance to write a slightly different message.

I will take this opportunity to explain priestly ministry in general. When you come to church, you hope to meet a priest who will administer the sacraments. You don’t wonder much what kind of priests you will meet. Why would you? All priests will do similar parish tasks, but we might be very different from each other beyond our personalities and character.

There are basically two types of priests: diocesan and religious:

A diocesan priest Is formed and ordained for a very specific diocese -- for example, the diocese of Vancouver which is actually called Archdiocese as it represents all the dioceses in BC Province. The diocesan priest is governed by the rules of his diocese and under the supervision of his bishop. An example of diocesan priest that you all know and love very much, is our former pastor here, Fr. Craig Scott.

A religious priest (like me) is formed and ordained for no specific diocese. The religious priest is available to work in any diocese and church in the world, wherever there is a need. The religious priest is following the rule of his religious community or Order under the guidance of his religious Superior. Such priest will also follow a local bishop while serving a parish of his diocese. In other words, I have two bosses: my own Superior in Poland and my local bishop!

As a religious priest, I belong to a religious community called Salvatorians and I follow the rule written by Blessed Fr. Francis Jordan who founded our community in Rome in 1881.

A religious priest combines two ways of life into one vocation -- monastic life and priestly life. That is why we take vows of: chastity, poverty and obedience first followed by the ordination as priests.

You may recognize religious priests by type or color of their habit. That said, this is not common for clergy to wear cassock or habit in Canada. However, it is universal that we would have two or three letters after our last name to indicate the religious order we belong to. These letters are abbreviated from the full Latin name of our community. I am Salvatorian and our initial is SDS (Societas Divini Salvatoris- Society of the Divine Saviour). You may recognize also SJ for Jesuits, OMI for Oblates, OP for Dominicans. Our local bishop, Archbishop J. Michael Miller is also from a religious community, the Congregation of St. Basil, abbreviated CSB.

I hope you found this week's message both informative and interesting!

Fr. Maciej

BEWARE OF SCAM EMAIL

There is a scam email going around in Fr. Maciej's name saying that he would like you to handle a request discreetly, asking for cash or gift cards. THIS IS A SCAM. UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES WILL FR. MACIEJ ASK YOU TO BUY GIFT CARDS OR GIVE HIM CASH. If you receive one of these, please delete it immediately.

PARISH OFFICE HOURS

Monday to Friday

9am to 12pm

1pm to 3pm

The parish office is closed on statutory holidays.

Tax receipts for donations made online through the Archdiocese of Vancouver will be sent by the Archdiocese directly to donors via email. This also applies to Project Advance online donations.

After January 29, envelopes may be picked up in the parish office during office hours.

Assigning of envelopes is computerized, based on envelopes usage in the last year. If you were not assigned envelopes and would like one, please contact the parish office at request@stclare.ca or 604-941-4800. We will gladly arrange a box for you.

NEW FOR 2023!!! Donors who are on monthly Pre-Authorized Payment through the parish have been assigned SECOND COLLECTIONS ONLY envelopes. These will also be available for pick up in the church lobby.

Thank you to our Parishioners and friends for your generous contributions towards our Advent Tree this year. You made it possible for us to support several groups (that included seniors, parents, teens, children, & babies) with gifts & grocery cards that would help them through this Christmas Season.

Thank you to our Prayer Shawl Ladies who provided over 600 beautiful pieces of hand-knitted and crocheted items (including scarves/hats/mitts/wraps/blankets & dolls for adults, children, & babies).

Thank you to St. Clare of Assisi Knights of Columbus who generously donated winter jackets for Children & Youth in the Tri-City area.

We are very grateful to all our volunteers who generously gave their time to help sort and wrap gifts for our recipients – Thank you

Just as Jesus called the first apostles, He calls each of us to follow Him, too. Not everyone is called to leave their business or family behind, but we are expected to put God first in everything. In gratitude to God, we should give our first and best of everything to Him: our time in daily prayer, our talent in participating in one of our parish ministries and our treasure to support the financial needs of our parish mission.

Copyright © 2022 Archdiocese of St. Louis

SUNDAY MASSES

Saturday (Mass of Anticipation)  5:00pm

Sunday  8:30am, 11:00am and 5:00pm

        6:30pm (Spanish)

DAILY MASSES 

Monday through Saturday at 9:00am

Morning Office/Breviary at 8:30am from Monday through Saturday. Everyone is welcome to join in.

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LIVESTREAMING SCHEDULE

We will continue to live stream our masses on both FACEBOOK (Link) and on YOUTUBE (Link) as follows:

Daily Masses Monday through Friday at 9:00am

Weekend Mass at 5:00pm on Saturdays

All of these are posted on YouTube and Facebook and can be watched either live or after the livestreaming has ended. If you haven't already, please subscribe to our YouTube page and don't forget to "Like Us". These simple moves makes us easier to find on the web.

You can participate in all of our online masses by clicking on the links provided above or by going to our website, www.stclare.ca and clicking on the link provided.

We have connected a very limited number of sound receivers to our sound system for people with serious difficulty in hearing. These can be used with either our headphones or your own personal headphones. If you are interested, please call the office at 604-941-4800 or email stclareofassisi@shaw.ca These are the same ones that we had in the hall.

Please contact the parish office to make arrangements for

baptisms, weddings, funerals and other Sacraments.

Monday through Saturday

8:45am (before morning Mass)

9:30am (after morning Mass, until last penitent)

No registration or appointment is necessary.



Confessions are heard in the Children's Room (by the washrooms on the east side of the church) NOT in the confessional.

ADORATION CHAPEL

The Adoration Chapel is accessible 7 days a week. Entrance to the Adoration Chapel is open between 8am and 6pm.  

Pre-Authorized Payments

We offer a Pre-Authorized Payment (PAP) plan which you can sign up for by completing the form at Pre-Authorized Form and returning it with a void cheque to the parish office. Pre-authorized payments are withdrawn directly from your bank account on the 1st day of the month.

Please remember to sign the back as it is invalid without a signature. You may seal the completed form in an envelope marked Pre-Authorized Payment and drop it in the donation box located in the church, mail it or bring it to the parish office. The form must be in the office by the 20th of the month in order for it to be effective on the following 1st of the month.

Donations at Church

If you wish to continue to make your donation at mass, please note that we will not be passing around the collection baskets at this time. Please leave your donation to the church in one of the boxes at the back of the church either when you enter or when you leave. If you would like a box of Sunday envelopes, contact the parish office.

Second Collections - When there is a Second Collection, a collection box at the back of the church will be specifically labeled for the that collection. The next Second Collection is on the weekend of February 5 for BC Catholic.

UKRAINIAN SUPPORT - We will continue to leave a donation box beside the Ukrainian flag in the lobby as they will need continued support. If you have any loose change or bills please consider making a donation. Thank you.

ADVERTISERS IN OUR BULLETIN

There is an advertiser section at the bottom of today's bulletin. Please support these businesses as they support your parish. Clicking on their ad will take you to their web page.

If you are interested in advertising your company in our bulletin, please contact the office at stclareofassisi@shaw.ca or call 604-941-4800.

Food for Thought . . . and for the Soul

"The Calling of St Matthew" by Michelangelo Merisi Caravaggio (1599-1600) in Contararelli Chapel, Rome

In this great painting by Caravaggio (1600) the figure of Jesus has arm outstretched just prior to pointing and saying "Follow me!" According to the three synoptic gospel accounts, Levi rose and followed him. In the painting, Christ (on the right, behind Peter) points to Levi, the tax-collector (the bearded man wearing a beret, who also appears in the two other Matthew paintings in the chapel) - and calls upon him to become the apostle Matthew.

But is the bearded figure in the middle tax collector Levi/Matthew saying "Who, me?" or, in an alternative interpretation, is he actually pointing to the young man at the end, head slumped, coins in front of him, so possibly Matthew, indicating "You mean him?" In this latter view that bearded one could be Peter?

Whichever interpretation you accept, the power of this silent but dramatic narrative lies in its capture of the exact split-second when Christ's summons hangs in the air, when his listeners are still shocked and when Levi himself is caught in suspended indecision. In another second, he will rise up, become Matthew the apostle and follow Christ out of the room. Whatever opinion we choose, the painting instructs us to follow Christ. How do you answer that call? Caravaggio chose to paint this scene when St Matthew is in-between his new life as an Apostle and his old life as a tax collector? Where am I in my life? Betwixt and between? Or am I answering Jesus positively, as Matthew did?

For information on the Knights of Columbus please visit our websites: kofc.org and kofcbc.org

If you are interested in becoming a Knight please email Mike at knights@stclare.ca or call him at 604 760 9035.

YOU CAN BUY YOUR TICKETS ONLINE!

By pressing the PURCHASE ONLINE button, a portion of the proceeds will return to our council.

You are invited to attend a fraternity gathering taking place every last Saturday morning of the month at 10am (Sept - June) in the St. Clare of Assisi Parish Centre. Contact: Carmen Moorhouse at carmenmoorhouse@gmail.com for more info. 

“Come and See”…observe…listen…share…participate if comfortable, and enjoy the Word of God in The Holy Bible. Open to all…no, little or a lot of experience but looking to spend time understanding Gods Plan for you as revealed in the Bible by the Holy Spirit. Check it out; Come and See. 

Contact Matthew biblemondaystc@gmail.com, 6047542762. 

“Come and See”…check it out…enjoy conversation as if on a walk with Jesus 

and the Apostles. All informal, flowing, open, friendly, and using a verse, or a 

Psalm, or a chapter, or a Book of the Bible to start the conversation each week.

Come and listen, or talk, and simply enjoy good conversation about your Faith.

Contact Matthew bibleportage@gmail.com, 6047542762

The Legion of Mary Praesidium, Mary Mother of the Church, is now meeting in person every Thursday from 9:45am to 11am at St. Francis Room of the Parish Centre.

To join as active or auxiliary member, please call Ofelia Estrada at (604)240-9101 or Lourdes Cabael at (778)986-7516.

If you wish to book a Mass Intention please email the office at stclareofassisi@shaw.ca giving the name of the person, whether it is for a living or deceased person, who it is from and if you have any preferences for the day of the week, a weekend mass or specific date. We will try to book your mass intention as close to the request as possible.  Please note that there may be rare, unforeseen situations when your scheduled date may be changed without notice.

The suggested offering for a mass intention is $10 and can be brought to the office, mailed to 1320 Johnson Street, Coquitlam, V3B 4T5 or dropped in the collection box in the church. Please DO NOT use a collection envelope but put it in a regular envelope clearly marked for what it is for. This offering will go to the priest who says the mass, not to the church.

If you are unable to use email, mass intentions may be phoned in at 604-941-4800.

We are able to accept multiple Mass intentions on Fridays. For all other days, we can book one Mass intention only.

Please pray for the sick of our Parish

Noah Zanatta, Loni Cain, Brendan Pace, Gracienda Ramos, Brian Stewart, Catherine Dunne, Lucy Chase, Doreen Allyen, Tyson Ward, Nora Arroyal, Christopher Brown, Joan McDonald, Annabella Cirko, Frank Matchett, Kelly Durkin, Jason Kendall, Bill Clendinning, Chris Mah, Lydia Guzman, Angelo Visentin, June Cross, Katelyn Boudewyn, Karen Morris, Ramon Montecillo, Janice Caine, Nadine Classen, Leanne Theiss, Sierra Osborne, Sebastien Robillard, Sandra Diersch, Lori Dennis, Mazoe Kaufman, Cindy Mazerolle-Kass, Anna Figura, Ed Garcia, Viray Family, Walter Banke, Etheen Lowry, Elizabeth Teixeira, Reema Ferreira, Terry McDonald, Andrew De Boda, Hari Vijay, Peggy Maas, Chad Galitzky, Al Trotter, Pat Dizy, Brett Lawrence, Norman Schuster, Brenda Haines, John Bergen, Laud Vidal, Rick Empey, Dan Arseneault, Addie Jamieson, Jean-Yves Duret, Valerie Ng and all recipients of St. Clare’s Prayer Shawls.

The Poor Clare sisters are praying for our parish and would be happy to take your personal prayer requests by mail or telephone. For vocation inquiries, send an email to callclaremissbc@telus.net

Winter Gamefest is an opportunity for fun for the whole family to enjoy a game night with other families and friends. Games will include old favorites like UNO or checkers but will also have a wide variety of other games like CodeNames, Quirkle, Coup and many others.

Tickets can be purchased at the door ($10 per person or $30 per family). Prizes, food and free babysitting will be available on site. We would love to see each and every one of you for an evening of laughter and community! 

The Mardi Gras Gala 'Auction & Fundraiser' in support of Domestic Abuse Services - Our Lady of Good Counsel Society is being held on February 18, 2023 at Anvil Centre New Westminster. For more info/buy tickets: (604)585-6688 or visit www.MardiGras2023.ca.

If you are interested in joining us or would like to know more about Mothers Prayers, please contact Thelma Rose at (604) 464-3383 or by email at glenthel@shaw.ca

For more information, please visit: www.mothersprayers.org or https://stclare.ca/parish-life/faith-formation/mothers-prayer/