Pastor's Message for May 1st

Be Prepared to Accompany People on Their Journey

Over Lent and during the Easter Season I have been talking about the 4 Stages in "Sharing the Good News". Today I would like to talk about Stage 4: Accompanying seekers on their journey to a personal relationship with Christ. If you have established trust and responded to a person’s openness by sharing the good news of the gospel and the difference that Christ has made in your life, it is time to ask the person to take the next step and move deeper into discovering what this can mean for them and to ultimately provide them with an opportunity to encounter Christ.

Depending on the reaction of the person and the situation, this next step can take many forms. You can end your discussion by praying together. You can invite them out for a coffee to continue the discussion. You can offer to share a good Christian book, movie, video, or daily devotional. Inviting them come to the Parish and join you at a course such as Alpha is always a good idea. If they are not a Catholic, your end goal may be to have them join the RCIA program to become Baptized and/or Confirmed in our Church. And if they are Catholic, perhaps some gentle encouragement to “get right with God” by attending the sacrament of Reconciliation is in order.

As I mentioned earlier the goal is to have them discover Christ and ultimately to place Christ at the center of their lives. Since the Holy Eucharist or the Mass is the source and summit of our Christian life, whether or not people are coming to Mass provides a good measure of success. As Bishop Robert Barron says “You draw people at all kinds of levels in different ways, and I think you measure success relatively at different stages, but getting them to come to Mass and enter more deeply into the life of the Church is the ultimate aim of it all.”

 

In my own personal experience, many people that I was looking to share the good news with were not actually seekers and were openly rejecting what I thought I had to offer. Through painful experience what I discovered is what they really wanted, in the first instance, was my friendship. Only with that bond securely in place did they trust me enough to cautiously take the next step in their journey to faith.

Jesus said to “come and see” and they came to follow Him.

Who are you called to accompany right now?

God bless, Father Titus

But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). The events of Mary's life on earth were punctuated with supernatural joys and deep sorrows, yet, throughout it all, she maintained a steady peace of heart. This month, in which we celebrate the Blessed Virgin Mary as Mother of the Church, may we let go of our desire to be in control, and, like Mary, ponder the works of God in our hearts with peace and humility. 

The American Bible Society has created a new resource that will help all of us re-immerse ourselves in the living Word of God. The series of 5-minute video segments offers a refresher course on the Bible's big picture. 

On April 9, the Vatican released the latest  Apostolic Exhortation  from  Pope Francis :  Gaudete et exsultate : On the  call  to  holiness  in today's world . In his third Apostolic Exhortation (following  Evangelii gaudium  and  Amoris laetitia ) Pope Francis reflects on the call to holiness, and how we can respond to that call in the modern world. Pope Francis reminds us that being holy is an attainable goal and is, in fact, the source of our greatest joy. In his usual pastoral and witty style, Pope Francis addresses false interpretations of holiness, provides a fresh look at the Beatitudes, and gives you practical ways to apply Jesus’ words to your daily life.

Be encouraged by Pope Francis today as you respond to God’s invitation to fulfill your unique mission in the world. Available from the Vatican website.

Financial Update for 2017

For 2017 our overall income increased by $10,000 and our expenses decreased by $2,000. This resulted in a surplus of $13,000 for the year. Offerings were up by 8% ($19,000) against a stated goal of 20%. For 2018 we are maintaining our goal of a 20% increase in overall revenues and our therefore asking parishioners to consider a 10% increase in their annual giving. if you not already done so, please consider signing up as a Pre-Authorized Donation (PAD) giver. We now have 85 PAD givers and would like to see that number grow to 100 families. Click here to sign up to be a PAD giver.

This past month has seen plenty of activity for Development and Peace - Caritas Canada on the National Level. Firstly, the Canadian Council of Bishops has been looking into a claim that a large number of partners of D&P were not following Catholic moral teachings in their practices. As of this newsletter, the best information I have is that to date, the majority of these alleged partners have never worked with Development and Peace. We still await the findings of the final report. Development and Peace always expects it's partners to abide by the values of the Catholic Church in protecting all human life, from conception to natural death. 

Response to concerns regarding partners:

"These letters from Serge Langlois, Development and Peace are a reiteration of the organizations commitment to ensuring their partners follow Catholic values in their practices, specifically, abortion and contraception. Following an investigation, any partners that break that trust will be de-funded immediately." For further details view  Letters to Members,  Questions and Answers

A letter from Joe Gunn, printed in the Prairie Messenger outlines the history of recent similar claims.

Secondly, there was news on Earth Day, April 22, that Caritas International has decided to divest from fossil fuels. I have included here a video from Cardinal Tagle, the President of Caritas Internationalis asking Catholics to sign a pledge that to protect the poor by protecting the climate, since the poor are most vulnerable and most harshly affected by climate change.   You can click on this link to sign the pledge.

Thirdly, we were visited at our parish last month by Tara Hurford the new animator for Development and Peace in Eastern and Northern Ontario, who spoke to us after Mass. She was very happy to visit with us and looks forward to working together in the future. She shared her experiences with D&P as a student and as an employee. She has also shared her contact information if you have any questions or concerns regarding D&P. You may send her an email here to request a phone call: [email protected]

Finally, but by no means lastly - D&P- Caritas Canada thanks you for your Share Lent donations and your continued support and prayers. Because of your generosity, $2,189.55  was collected in our parish last month. This sum will help support the lives of our sisters and brothers in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Middle East. Thank you for continuing to pray for all those who are working to build a world of peace and justice. 

In the words of Pope Francis, "Peace is not merely the absence of war, but the Presence of Justice". May God continue to bestow His peace on our parish.

Carroll Woods, Development and Peace representative for St. Leonard

May 1st Youth Ministry Meeting 7:00 p.m.  

May 2 Pastoral Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.

May 5 Confirmation Retreat 1 p.m. – 4 p.m.

May 8 Confirmation Reconciliation 6:30 p.m.

May 9 Knights of Columbus Meeting 7:00 p.m.

May 15 Women’s Bible Study 7:00 p.m.

May 16 Trip to Israel Meeting 7:00 p.m.

May 22 Women’s Bible Study 7:00 p.m.

May 23 CWL Potluck Meeting 7:00 p.m.

May 29 Women’s Bible Study 7:00 p.m.

Dear Parishioners we are very interested in your feedback. If have any comments and/or suggestions as it relates to any of our Parish activities, including the E-Newsletter, please  click here. If you would like a direct response to your suggestion, please include your email address.

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