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St. Leonard Catholic Church
Manotick, Ont
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Monthly E-Newsletter for Feb 2016
Receive God's Mercy This Lent
This month marks the start of Lent with Ash Wednesday on Feb 10th. During this Year of Mercy we are called to "live Lent more intensely", "go to Confession" and "travel through the Holy Doors". (source; Misericordiae Vultus). Many opportunities are available here in the Parish to receive God's mercy. They include joining in the pre-Lent supper and presentation this Saturday evening, participating in the Alpha program, signing on to the online FORMED program, attending week day Masses, making a good confession at the Lenten Reconciliation service and entering fully into all of the Holy Week services. And don't forget to enter the Holy Doors down at the Notre Dame Cathedral. Easter is coming. It's time to prepare!
If you know someone who might benefit from this E-Newsletter, please forward it to them.
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Pastor's Message
Greetings from Nigeria!
These are some of the pictures I took during my visit home and to Umuoji orphanage. At the orphanage I met some of the staff and presented some items to them that would help meet the needs of the children. One year of school fees for ten children were paid in their various schools. They were very happy and send their sincere gratitude to all the children and parents and parishioners of St. Leonard for their love and contributions to them. Pope Francis always asks us to make difference in the live of others. This is a beautiful way of making a difference in the lives of these children!
My family and I celebrated our mother's 79th birthday on the 15th of January. I had the
baptism of my second cousin on the 9th of January, the same day I visited the orphanage. On 30th of January I baptized my niece, my brother's child. I had the privilege of attending many activities within this period of rest, for example, the dedication of one of the parishes in my town of Umuoji (Our Lady of Seven Sorrows), funerals, and the Priests meeting in the Archdiocese of Onitsha where the Archbishop focused on the need to put into practice the call of the Holy Father Pope Francis on the Year of Mercy.
As we begin Lent this month let us try our level best to show mercy to others starting with our families and bring the good news to the poor. My love and prayers to all the Parishioners of St. Leonards. Mom and my family send their regards.
God Bless, Father Titus
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Alpha Program Starts Feb 17th
Alpha is an introductory course on Christianity that is presented in a format that is simple, straight forward and provides ample opportunity for questions and dialogue.
A typical evening consists of refreshments, a short talk about the Christian faith, and small group discussion.
Alpha is for everyone; no question is out of bounds and you are free to discuss as much or as little as you wish. If you have been to Alpha before come explore your faith from another place in your faith journey and help someone else to find meaning in their life. Everyone is welcome. Ask a friend to come with you. Think about who you would like to invite. Then invite them.
The course runs once a week for 9 weeks starting Wednesday, Feb 17th, 2016 and ending April 12th, 2016. There is also an optional Saturday morning session on March 19th.
You are invited to the Alpha Introductory evening on Wednesday, February 17th at 7:00 pm. This is a wonderful way to find out what Alpha is all about, without any obligation to attend the course.
For more information and to register please visit the
FORMED: Catholic Faith Formation On-line
New Program on Prayer is now available on the FORMED site. In 6 video sessions, Prayer: Finding Intimacy with God captures the secret to opening our hearts and minds to Scripture as the means to hear from God and then respond in conversation, basking in His presence and resolving to live in and through His love. All Parishioners have access to this online program.
If you have not already registered please do so by visiting the St. Leonard's website FORMED page. New content is continuing to be added, so return as often as you wish to discover more.
Encountering Jesus at the Door of Mercy
In this Year of Mercy all Catholics are encouraged to make a pilgrimage to the Door of Mercy located in their respective diocese. In the Ottawa Archdiocese the Door of Mercy is located at Notre Dame Cathedral. It is the left front door closest to Guigues St.
The Door of Mercy will be accessible Monday, 11:30 a.m. - 5:00 p.m., Tuesday - Friday, 10:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. and on Saturday & Sunday for the Masses.
If you're thinking I don't know how to make a pilgrimage to the Doors of Mercy, CCO
and the Companions of the Cross
came up with a small guide for you to prepare your heart to encounter Jesus and his mercy at the Doors of Mercy. You can find it here
as well as other resources at yearofmercy.ca.
Become a Catholic at the Easter Vigil on March 26th
If you are interested in becoming a Catholic or completing your initiation by celebrating Confirmation and/or First Communion as an adult, we'd love to hear from you!
Please introduce yourself to Father Titus; he'd be happy to tell you more about the process or contact [email protected].
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Community News
Social Action Update
Social Action Ministry supports Shepherd's of Good Hope in various ways. Another request has been made for COFFEE MUGS. I know most of us have more mugs than we need, so pls consider wrapping up clean mugs and leaving them in the designated box in the front lobby.
The collection will take place during the month of February.
For those parishioners that wish to volunteer at Shepherds of Good Hope,aside from organized dates (yet to be determined with SAM)please feel free to contact SoGH directly. You can email: Sue Alcott at [email protected]
Please remember to tell Sue that you are from St. Leonard's Parish.
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What's on in February
Feb 6th
Pre-Lenten Supper and Presentation: Mercy; An Encounter with God
Saturday, February 6 following the 4:30 Mass, (5:30) come to the parish hall for a simple supper of soup and bread, and prepare for the Lenten season with a short presentation by André Regnier, founder of the Catholic Christian Outreach (CCO). Free will offering-proceeds will go to a local charity. Brought to you by the Pastoral Council.
Please sign up today so that we know how much soup to prepare!
Sign-up sheet at the back of church, parish office, or by email to
[email protected].
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Feb. 3 Knights of Columbus Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 6
Warm up to Lent: A pre-Lenten supper and presentation after the 4:30 p.m. Mass
Feb. 10 Ash Wednesday - Beginning of Lent - Mass 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 11 Baptismal Preparation Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 14 Blessing of Engaged Couples at Sunday Mass 9:00 a.m.
Feb. 16 Pastoral Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 17 Alpha Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 23 Alpha Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 24 C.W.L. Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Feb. 27 Confirmation Session 4 6:30 p.m.
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After the 9 am and 11 am Sunday masses in February coffee will be served in the Parish Hall. Click on the Parish Calendar for a full listing of upcoming meetings and events.
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Update on the St. Leonard Website
Timely information and resources
Here are some of the new capabilities that are available from St. Leonard's:
The St. Leonard's Mobile App
C
hurches are perhaps not known for cutting edge technology like mobile apps and Facebook. St.Leonard Parish is different.
Introducing the St. Leonard mobile app. Download and install from Apple/Google to receive handy push notifications of events and other timely information at St.Leonard Parish. Install it on iPhones, iPads, Android devices. Simply search "St.Leonard Parish Manotick" at your favourite app store.
Some of the our mobile features:
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Send voice regarding prayer requests directly to Father Titus
- See and get involved with the many community events at St.Leonard Parish. We really do have a lot of fun.
- Keep up to date with daily mass videos and recordings
- Use your phone to access handy forms and church contacts
- Learn about community Points of Interest around us.
- Subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
- Get Push notifications of school bus cancellations and important church events.
- Prayer wall. Place your prayer request on the community prayer wall.
- Participate and engage in various church events held throughout the year.
- Weekly parish announcements
Don't forget to check out the St.Leonard Facebook page and "Like" or "Share" with your friends.
Link of the Month
Each month we highlight a link to online sources that can help us better understand and live our C
hristian faith. If you are looking for a great
message to share with young adults check out http://bulldogcatholic.org/homilies-archive. Father Michael Schmitz, director of Youth and Young Adult Ministry for the Diocese of Duluth as well as the chaplain for the Newman Center at the University of Minnesota-Duluth records weekly homilies and they are available on this site. They are geared towards young people but they have good content for everyone.
If you have been forwarded this newsletter and would like to be part of our mailing list click the button below.
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