St. Leonard Catholic Church
Manotick, Ont

"Where we celebrate God's love"


Monthly E-Newsletter for Jan 2016  

St. Leonard's Facebook Page: Another new way to stay in touch

In December we launched another new way to stay in touch with what is going on in the Parish; the St. Leonard's Facebook page. See details below. Our goal with the Weekly Church Bulletin, the Website, the E-Newsletter and now our Facebook page is to provide you with a communication medium that best suits your style of communication. In all of this, our goal is to foster strong communications so as to build a vibrant and engaged Catholic community.  
If you know someone who might benefit from this E-Newsletter, please forward it to them.  
Pastor's Message

New Beginnings and New Resolutions!
Let me begin by wishing you all a Happy New Year! The first day of the year is a time for new beginnings and new resolutions. What are your New Years' resolutions? Do any of them involve your faith and getting closer to Jesus?
 
Pope Francis asks that, this year in particular, we focus on the receiving and the giving of mercy and continue our New Evangelization efforts. We receive mercy when we allow Jesus into our lives and go to Him for forgiveness. We give mercy when we love all whom we meet and are quick to forgive the trespasses of others. When we receive God's mercy, as an example through a good confession, our hearts are filled with a joyful enthusiasm and we are eager to share the good news of the Son of God coming among His people. Thus, it can be said that evangelization starts with the great gift of mercy.
 
This past Sunday we celebrated the Feast of the Holy Family. The family life of Jesus, Mary and Joseph provide a role model for all Catholic families. Let the love that was so obvious in the Holy Family be part of your family and may the love of our Heavenly Father fill our hearts with forgiveness. My prayer for you this year is that your family be united, faithful, and strong and that the love and mercy shared within our families have a powerful impact on the way we live out God's love in our St. Leonard's community. God Bless! Father Titus
 
Growing your Faith 
Adult Faith Formation Survey Results (Dec 2015)

Respondents very interested or somewhat interested in attending 
1) Basic Christianity courses such as Alpha                     71.3% 
2) Catholic theology courses such as Symbolon              71.4% 
3) Evangelization courses such as Discovery                  42.8%

In addition, 81.8 % of respondents indicated that they were aware of the free availability of the online program Symbolon/FORMED for Catholic Faith Formation.
As a result of your survey responses the Adult Faith Formation Team is offering the Alpha program starting in February and will continue to offer the Symbolon/FORMED program online through to the end of June. 

January Bible Series Hosted by CWL  
 
T he St. Leonard`s Catholic Women`s League is sponsoring a bible study on the Holy Mother (The Truth from Sacred scripture) on Jan. 11 th, 18 th and 25 th in St. Leonard`s Church from 7 p.m. - 9 p.m. for all Catholics in our diocese. The guest speaker is David Mulcair, whom many of you may know from his bible sessions at Blessed Sacrament (Genesis to Jesus Series) and the Basilica (The Bible and the Virgin Mary Series). The intention is to provide Catholics the opportunity to reflect on the scriptural foundation of our devotion to the Holy Mother.
Come prepared to integrate knowledge you have gained through the years as it is presented from a different perspective. In preparation for the sessions, David asks us to:

*  View several times at home, the YouTube video The Blessed Virgin Mary In Sacred Scripture - The TRUTH as our introduction.
Bring to the sessions, a Catholic Bible ( e.g. RSVCE, NAB ), pen and paper, and a readiness to explore ideas.

Please attend one or all of our sessions:
Jan. 11: The Ark of the New Covenant, Jan. 18: Mother Crowned In Glory, Jan. 25: The Queen Assumed Into Heaven 
If you have any questions, please contact Geills Kaluza geills2000@yahoo.com

It's Time to Sign Up for Alpha! Program starts Feb 17th

What is Alpha? Alpha is a program of 10 interactive sessions designed to present the Gospel and the essentials of Christian faith in a dynamic way that reaches the hearts of all men and women. Alpha is an opportunity to explore the meaning of life in an informal, fun and friendly environment.

What Happens at Alpha? A typical evening consists of food, a short talk about the Christian faith, and small group discussion.

Who is Alpha For?
Alpha is for everyone; no question is out of bounds and you are free to discuss as much or as little as you wish. We don't assume any background knowledge of or
belief in Christianity and everyone is welcome.

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
Alpha at St. Leonard's webpage.

New Content on FORMED: Catholic Faith Formation On-line
 
 
Every parishioner has 24/7 access to the best Catholic faith formation content on any device; personal computer, tablet, or smart phone. This month three new programs have been added;
1) Opening the Word, Year C: A program offering prayer and insights for the Sunday Scriptural lessons in Year C (this year's Mass readings). Featuring a variety of experienced presenters the 55 videos are designed to facilitate thought and discussion for personal faith formation or in the context of a group meeting. Personal Prayer Journals and a Group Leader's Guide are also available to make the most of these Sunday readings.
2) The Bible and the Virgin Mary: A dynamic twelve-part video series that beautifully explains the Catholic truths about Our Lady showing how she has been a part of God's plan to bring salvation to the world since the beginning of time. In addition to explanation of dogmas, answers to common objections, and demonstration of Mary's presence in the Old and New Testaments, this study discusses Church-approved Marian apparitions that play an important role in Catholic Tradition. 
 
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.    
 
Becoming Catholic

RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults): 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 barrygauthier@rogers.com. 
    
Christmas Activities 

Amor Dei ( The Love of God) Provides Christmas Hampers for the Needy
Once again this Christmas, volunteers from Amor Dei were busy organizing Christmas gifts and food hampers to go out to needy families in the community. Working in conjunction with Manotick Outreach, Amor Dei was able to bring a little bit of Christmas joy to 16 families. Throughout the year Amor Dei coordinates with the Manotick Food Cupboard to keep the food bank stocked and available for those in need. As well, when special requests come in for help with bills or other necessities our Amor Dei coordinator, Deltra Van Dongen, works with the other Manotick Churches to facilitate a response. All of your support, financial and otherwise, are greatly appreciated at Christmas and throughout the whole year!

Church Decked out for Christmas!

Once again this year the Church was beautifully transformed the week before Christmas to welcome the arrival of baby Jesus. Claudia Ressler, our Liturgical Environment co-ordinator, wanted to extend a big thank you to all parishioners who so generously donated money for our Christmas decorations. Many blessings!

The Spirit of Christmas!

Lots of joyful activities occurred around the parish as St. Leonard's parishioners showed their Christmas spirit and engaged in community building activities. In the pictures below we see the St. Leonard's float decked out for the Manotick Christmas parade, the team from the Knights setting up the Nativity scene, all the wonderful helpers who brought together the Victorian Tea and Penny Sale and the children who put on this years wonderful Christmas Pageant. After the Pageant, Father Titus is pictured receiving a "large" cheque from the children of St. Leonard's to share with the needy children in his home parish in Nigeria.



    Community News
Parishioners Participate in Climate Change Rally

Thousand of Catholics rallied on Parliament Hill last month calling for "real action" from world lea ders in advance of the Paris Summit on Climate Change. Our Development and Peace representative, Carroll Woods. and her family pictured at right participated in the rally and Carroll was interviewed by the Catholic Register. Check out the article for more details.  

Thank You from the Social Action Committee

I would like to thank everyone that supported the Social Action Ministry this year! SAM kicked off with a well-attended Lenten supper with Fr Geoff speaking about Social Justice, with proceeds going toward Amor Dei/food bank.
 
A group of volunteers, including many students, helped at the Shepherd's of Good Hope  several times over the year - organizing their huge storage area,  preparing meals and serving the clients. I know it caused everyone to reflect on how fortunate we are and how much those that use the services appreciated it. On December 5th, we had over 40 enthusiastic volunteers at SGH!!
 
Thanks your support, we were able to collect much needed cereal for the children in Whale Cove, Nunavut that attend Catholic Mission after school. They will be surprised shortly after Christmas with as delivery of some toys, puzzles, books, and toiletry items arrive!! 
 
Thank you for your generosity.  Look for SAM events in 2016!!   We focus on supporting those in need locally and domestically!!
To volunteer or to provide suggestions & feedback, pls contact Susan Killeen Ramsay  e: fagan55@hotmail.com 
 
CWL Clothing Drive for St. Joe's Centre for Women

Kindly go through your closets for winter clothing you no longer need and give it to someone who does. From Jan. 1 - 14, 2016 the CWL will collect clothing donations for St. Joe's Centre for Women. Last year parishioners contributed coats, boots, and sweaters - enough to send to St. Vincent de Paul too. Please put your donations in a green garbage bag, label it St. Joe's Shelter, and place near the pews in the parish hall. Thank you for your
generosity.
 

CWL New Member Blessing
On January 3 at the 11:00 Mass, Father Titus will bless the new members of the CWL. If you have considered joining the CWL, it is not too late. You are always welcome. CWL undertakes a variety of spiritual and material projects throughout the year. There may be one right for you. Contact Dianne Hendrick at 613 425-1478 for information about CWL activities.
What's on in January  

Staying Involved Helps Grow Our Faith! 
                
Jan.  1  10:00 am Mass (Feast Day of Mary, Mother of God)
Jan.  6   7:00 pm Pastoral Council Meeting
Jan. 11  7:00 pm CWL Bible Study: The Ark of the New     Covenant
Jan. 13  7:00 pm Knights of Columbus Meeting
Jan. 18  7:00 pm CWL Bible Study: Mother Crowned In Glory 
Jan. 24  2:00 pm Ecumenical service for the week of Prayer for Christian Unity . Reception to follow in the Church hall. 
Jan. 25 7:00 pm CWL Bible Study:The Queen Assumed Into Heaven
Jan. 26  6:30 p.m.  Confirmation Session # 3
Jan. 30   10:00 a.m.  Confirmation Session # 3 
 
 
After the 9 am and 11 am Sunday masses in January coffee will be served in the Parish Hall. Click on the Parish Calendar for a full listing of upcoming meetings and events.
 
Update on the St. Leonard Website
Timely information and resources
 
Announcing the St. Leonard's Facebook Page: Good news!  St.Leonard's Church now has a Facebook page.  Facebook will be another tool for communication and quick reference - upcoming events, parish announcements; quick communication. 
 
The Facebook page will also serve as a way for folks outside St.Leonard's to learn more about us - our church; our faith; our participation in community events.  Going to church is fun and we all know this but many outside do not.  Facebook will be a way that they can 'look in the windows' and see what's going on. We'll be posting just about anything and everything of interest.
 
We encourage everyone with Facebook accounts to visit, "Like" and  "Share" the page.  We welcome anyone who would like to help be administrators.  It's very easy.  

Link of the Month
 
Each month we will highlight a link to online sources that can help us better understand and live our Christian faith. The Knights of Columbus offers a monthly online magazine called Columbia which offers regular insights into our Catholic faith and in particular how we can live out our faith with our families. As an example this past month Columbia offered short article entitled Mom and Dad: Primary Teachers of the Faith.  
 
If you have been forwarded this newsletter and would like to be part of our mailing list click the button below.