St. Leonard Catholic Church
Manotick, Ont
Monthly E-Newsletter for January 2017
Thank you for subscribing to the St. Leonard's monthly E-Newsletter. Happy New Year! May 2017 be a year of great spiritual growth for our Community!

If you know someone who might benefit from this E-Newsletter, please forward it to them. 

Pastor's Message
New Year's Resolution: To Live a Christ Centered Life
 
For some, this Christmas may just have been a happy celebration of the 2016th Birthday of Jesus. For some it may have resulted in an encounter with Jesus, the Son of God or a re-encounter with the promised Messiah and our Saviour. Which was it for you? Did you encounter Jesus our Saviour this Christmas?  If so, let's resolve this year to take a big step in our discipleship journey and place Christ at the center of our life.
How do we move to a Christ centered life? These two circles represent two kinds of lives. On the left a life without Jesus Christ in my life; self is in the center and on the throne and Christ (the cross) is outside. On the right a life entrusted to Christ; Christ is in the center and on the throne and self yields to Christ. Receiving Christ involves turning to God from self (repentance) and trusting God to come into our lives to forgive us our sins and make us what he wants us to be. For me personally, I put Christ at the center of my life when I recognize that His Kingdom lives in me. For others it is by adhering to His commandments and following His example of love in all that they do. For all of us it is a choice that we must make of our own free will; become Christ centered or remain self centered.
 
Once we place Christ at the center of our lives, here are some tips to keep His presence Growing in 2017:
Go to God in prayer daily.
Read God's word daily.
Obey God moment by moment.
Witness for Christ by your life and your words.
Trust God for every detail of your life.
Holy Spirit- Allow Him to control your daily life and witness 
                   and above all else be strengthened by the grace of the Sacraments.

I will be thinking about all of you this month as I return home to visit my family in Nigeria. If you would like to Discover or Rediscover the core gospel message, I encourage you to sign-up for the upcoming Alpha program. May the joy of Christmas remain with you throughout the whole year and may 2017 be a great year for the growth of disciples at St. Leonard. God bless! Father Titus
Daily Reflections for 2017 from Dynamic Catholic

Matthew Kelly and other leading Catholic voices of our time share brief and powerful words that will challenge you to think, reflect, pray, and live with passion and purpose. Sign up to receive daily inspiration directly to your inbox.
Growing your Faith 
Alpha: An Opportunity for Discovery Begins February 8, 2017 
 
The dates for our next Alpha program at St. Leonard are Wednesday evenings from Feb 8th through April 12th, 2017. This 12 week program that has been attended by over 26 million people world wide is recognized as one of the best ways to Discover the meaning of life and the core gospel message of the Risen Lord. Check out a testimonial video and take a big step in your journey of discipleship by signing up for this program today. Besides, it is a great way to meet other people on the journey to a Christ centered life and it can be a lot of fun. For further information and to register for the course please visit the St. Leonard's website

 
FORMED: Resources for January 2017- Listen to the Gospel

No Time to Read the Bible? Listen on FORMED! Now you can experience the Gospel the way the early Christians did-by listening -anytime, anywhere! The award-winning Truth and Life Dramatized Audio Bible is now available on FORMED. All of the books of the New Testament are available.
Listen Now!




The Book                        The Movie                                               Audio
Sacraments and              Saint Barbara                         From Atheism to Catholicism  
Scripture                                                                                   


If you are new to FORMED, to get ongoing FREE ACCESS to all programs and downloadable PDF guides, movies and e-books please
visit the St. Leonard website for detailed sign-up instructions.   
Christmas Activities
Victorian Tea and Penny Sale
The St. Leonard's Victorian Tea and Penny Sale was held in early December and was a great success.  There was a large crowd, young and old alike who enjoyed the delicious homemade sandwiches and desserts while deciding which of the large number of gifts they would like to try to win.  Proceeds are going to the Nigerian Orphanage fund.  Many thanks to the volunteers, donors, and those who filled the hall!

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. The St. Leonard's Christmas pageant, pictured above, gets better every year. Congrats to all those involved! In the pictures below we see all the wonderful helpers who brought together the Victorian Tea and Penny Sale, the St. Leonard's float decked out for the Manotick Christmas parade, and the team from the Knights setting up the Nativity scene. And of course, the joy of Christmas would not be complete without the volunteers of Amor Dei reaching out to the needy in our community through their Christmas hamper program.


Nigerian Orphanage Cheque Presentation

On Sunday Dec 11th at the 9:00 am Mass, on behalf of all the Children in the parish and with the support of the CWL, Geills Kaluza and her son Nelson presented Fr. Titus with a cheque  for $2,401.80 to support the children in the orphanage in his home village. Father will be visiting Nigeria in January and will buy food and supplies for the children as well as paying the tuition for some that cannot afford to go to school. Father expressed his thanks "from the very bottom of his heart" for all that supported this wonderful act of charity.
Serving Others Helps Disciples Grow!

Ushers for the Sunday @9:00 and 11:00 am Mass
-Help parishioners and visitors to a seat and take up the collection, contact [email protected]

Collection Counters, Tuesday Mornings
Count the weekend collection and prepare a summary report for the Parish, contact
Susan Streng at  [email protected]

What's on in January    
Tues. Jan. 10  Confirmation Session 3     6:30 p.m.
Wed. Jan. 11  Knights of Columbus Meeting    7:00 p.m.
Sat. Jan. 14  Confirmation Session 3     10:00 a.m.
Wed. Jan. 25   CWL Meeting     7:00 p.m.
Tues. Jan. 31  Confirmation Session 4     10:00 a.m.
 

Save the Date: Our Lenten Supper this year scheduled for Saturday, Mar 4th, 2017,  will feature the Most Reverend Christian Riesbeck, Auxiliary Bishop of Ottawa, speaking on the theme of "From Maintenance to Mission." 

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.
 
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Update on St. Leonard Communications

New Website for St. Leonard

St. Leonard's has moved to a new state-of-the-art website design and new service provider (Sharefaith) to offer the best website experience possible to our visitors. Check it out at http://www.stleonardsparish.ca

Mobile App Update

The St. Leonard's Parish Mobile App is so very handy in many ways. It is a tool for gathering our Parish information in one concise location-your smartphone, iPad or tablet.

Events- Wondering about upcoming special events to be held at the Parish? Want to get involved with the many events but how many of us say this: "When does it start?, What are they?, Can invite friends?, I know it was written in the bulletin somewhere, but where?"
   Most Parish special events will be posted in the app complete with a description and start/finish times. There are driving directions and contact information if you need more information.
 
   Messages - St.Leonard's Parish sends out push notifications to remind of special events and happenings at the church such as special bake sales or collections for donations. Receive timely reminders of these events so you can plan and contribute. The messages can be found on your app for quick reference.


The St.Leonard Parish app is easy to install from Apple iTunes and Google Play stores.
 
Facebook
 
Don't have a smart phone or tablet? Like us on Facebook. Special events and reminders are posted continually on the St.Leonard Facebook page BUT you have to LIKE the page.   Do it now - go to the St.Leonard Facebook page and LIKE the page. SHARE with your friends!