St. Leonard Catholic Church
Manotick, Ont
Monthly E-Newsletter for May 2016
The Month of Mary and the Pentecost  
 
Thank you for subscribing to the St. Leonard's monthly E-Newsletter. This month we celebrate the month of Mary, the mother of the Church and on May 15th we celebrate the great feast of the Pentecost which marked the beginning of the Holy Catholic Church.

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

Pastor's Message
Saved for What?
Last month I talked about the death of Jesus on the cross and what it saved us from. His sacrifice on Good Friday saved us from death by giving us the promise of eternal life. And when he rose from the dead on Easter Sunday, he proved definitively His and our victory over death. You know what Jesus saved you from but do you know what he saved you for?
 
We can start be being grateful and the best way we can show our gratitude to God is by making our lives count. As St. Peter says in 1 Peter 4:10 "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms" (NIV). You were given spiritual gifts, abilities, education, and relationships for a reason - to help other people and tell them about Jesus. As Rick Warren says "God saved you so He can use you."
 
If you want to make your life count and to be the most use to God, the best advice I can give to you is to lead with compassion and love, for only what comes from the heart reaches the heart of people. As Father Raniero Cantalamessa, preacher to the Papal Household, recently said "the gospel of love can only be proclaimed through love."
God Bless! Father Titus   
Growing your Faith 

New from FORMED: From Nothing to Cosmos - God and Science 

Fr. Robert Spitzer, S.J., PH.D., dispenses with the contemporary statement, "Science has proven God does not exist." And then goes on to show evidence of God's existence from science, philosophy, medicine, the transcendentals and metaphysical proofs. Fr. Spitzer is at once, entertaining and overflowing with pertinent information.
 

E very St. Leonard parishioner has 24/7 access to the best Catholic content on any device; personal computer, tablet, or smart phone. To register now for FORMED go to our web page announcement and sign-up. New content is continuing to be added, so return as often as you wish to discover more. 
 

    Community News
The Alpha Program

Many thanks to all who participated in the 10 weeks of the Alpha Program. The program wrapped up on April 12th with a final session on the importance of getting involved in your local Church and a celebratory wine and cheese reception. We are hoping to run Alpha again after Christmas this year. We plan to utilize a new set of Alpha videos repackaged for today's audience. Nicky Gumbel and two new presenters, Toby Flint and Gemma Hunt, walk through the basics of the Christian faith in a way that everyone can relate to. The episodes will feature inspiring stories and interviews from all around the world, as well as visual illustrations and motion graphics. Here is a link to a teaser on the new set of videos and stay tuned for future announcements of dates and times.

First Communion at St. Leonard

What a joyful Spring it is when we get to see so many of our are children receiving the Blessed Sacrament for the first time! A special thanks to all of the parents for preparing their children for their big day and to Elisabeth Murphy and Sue Doucet for coordinating all of the activities that go into First Communion.

Here are two groups from the total of eighty five children receiving First Communion this Spring. Pictured at left are Owen S., Blake P., Dax M., Sally T., Nicholas P.
and altar servers Aurel and Hannah.
Pictured below are Jayden G., Travis U., Adam M., Carter  H., Noah M., Cadence P., Scotia S., Chloe T., Maya  R., Clare  M., Grace D, Sophia  M.  and  altar servers Hugh, Gillian, Tom, Eric.  
 

St. Leonard's at the New Evangelization Summit

St. Leonard was well represented at the New Evangelization Summit on the weekend of April 15th and 16th. Four of our parishioners joined over 5000 ordained and lay leaders from across North America and received inspiration, encouragement, training and practical wisdom and how Catholics can effectively evangelize. Pictured are Barry Gauthier, Judy Wood and Daniel Giguere. Susan Lamarre was also in attendance.  
 
Liturgical Environment Committee Spring Bake Sale

The Liturgical Environment Committee would like to thank all those who helped make their Spring Bake Sale a great success. Through your generous contributions of delicious baked goodies and donations, all your purchases and the dedicated help at the sales tables they were able to raise $ 1,274.55 in total! Thank you so much for your commitment to the beautification of our church.

Fr. Lukose Celebrates 25th Anniversary of Ordination 


A large number of St. Leonard's parishioners attended activities at St. Barnard churc
h on the weekend of April 23rd and 24th  to mark the 25th anniversary of ordination of of our former pastor (2002-2004) Father  Lukose Kochupurackal. At the main Mass on the 23rd a choir from St. Leonard's consisting of Don and Daisy Langdon, Marc and Judy Wood, Sue and Michel Doucet and Janet Ward performed the song "When it's all been Said and Done" and dedicated it to Father Lukose on his big day. For those of you that might be wondering, Father Titus will celebrate 25 years as a priest on July 3rd 2018. 
What's on in May   

CWL Holy Door Pilgrimage Saturday May 28th

On Saturday May 28th, you will have an opportunity to experience the Holy Door at Notre Dame Cathedral downtown. We are planning to car pool from the church at 10:30 on Saturday May 28th, prepare to pass through the doors around 11am and remain for upwards to an hour. Afterwards, those that wish to share lunch together, can remain  (restaurant TBD)  and those that do not want lunch are free to remain at the church or continue on with their day.
 
In order to fully understand what this Holy Door Pilgrimage entails a pamphlet is available on the website (Link to pamphlet:  http://www.catholicottawa.ca ) that summarizes this information and includes the texts of the necessary prayers as well as the Jubilee of Mercy Prayer by Pope Francis. It may be downloaded and freely used by parishes and individuals.
 
If you are interested in joining us, pls email Susan Killeen Ramsay at  [email protected] 
           
May 1st  11:00 a.m.  First Communion celebration
May 4th  7:00 p.m.  Pastoral Council Meeting
May 12th MARCH FOR LIFE 2016: Parliament Hill, Details & further info: http://www.marchforlife.ca/ 
May 25   7:00 p.m. CWL Meeting
May 29   2:30 p.m    Confirmation celebration at Notre Dame Basilica
   
 

After the 9 am and 11 am Sunday masses in May coffee will be served in the Parish Hall. Click on the Parish Calendar for a full listing of upcoming meetings and events.
 
Update on St. Leonard Communications
Timely information and resources

Here are some of the new capabilities that are available from St. Leonard's in addition to the E-Newsletter, the Website, and the weekly Bulletin.

Mobile App Minute

Some of our mobile app feature include:

* Send voice regarding prayer requests directly to Father Titus  

* See and get involved with the many community events at St.Leonard Parish

* 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
* 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

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!

Link of the Month
 
Each month we highlight a link to online sources that can help us better understand and live our Christian Faith. Catholic-link is a website that provides videos and comments for Catholics who are engaged in evangelizing whether it be to your family and friends or to the world. The initiative seeks to be an appealing and innovative resource for those that are spreading the Gospel, especially with youth. Check out the site and sign up for their newsletter.

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