St. Leonard Catholic Parish
M
anotick, Ont
"Celebrating 50 Years as a Catholic Community
"
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Monthly E-Newsletter for Sept 1st
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Welcome to the St. Leonard monthly E-Newsletter. It's all about community this month. Check out Father's priorities for the year in his monthly message, plan on attending Father's Silver Jubilee on Sept. 22nd, read about the opening of the new St. Leonard's Church in 1981 and consider getting more involved in our community by volunteering for one of our many ministries.
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Pastor's Message for Sept 1st
Focus on Community
September is a time for new beginnings.
As this beautiful summer draws to a close, our thoughts return to school, to structured work routines, and preparations for the coming of fall. It is also the time I look forward to welcoming all of you back to continue our mission to “grow disciples.” This year, as you know, we will emphasize the development of community at St. Leonard.
This summer, our pilgrimage to the Holy Land, the veneration of the relic of St. Leonard, and our Parish Potluck Luncheon evidenced the great joy that comes from Christian community. One might ask, “What is Christian community?” A response is found in Acts 2:42,
“They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.”
Christian community binds us together in love for Jesus and each other. It sees all united in learning from, and following, Christ. It brings joy, strength, and encouragement to live our lives as committed disciples of Christ. This year, as we celebrate our 50
th
anniversary, Christian community will be the central focus for our Parish.
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Discipleship and Evangelization
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I would like to share a few thoughts on how we will build Community into our Parish Plan. As you may recall, our Plan had four major focus areas: worship, discipleship (evangelization), fellowship (service) and stewardship. We have made great progress in these areas over the last number of years. This, to a large degree, is a result of the excellent work of the many volunteers who have come forward. Thank you so much for your service!
There remains much more to do, however. Let’s consider how we can apply “community” to the established focus areas for the coming year.
1. Worship
Our goal is to make every Sunday matter by making it meaningful and transformative for as many people as possible. This year, I envision three things that can support the ongoing development of our worshiping community:
- Update and extend our Children’s Liturgy Program to encourage greater attendance by young parents
- Continue to invest in resources for our Youth Program and Youth Mass so we can establish a vibrant youth community
- Provide an inviting and comfortable overflow environment with good quality audio and visual presentation for the large number of people that attend Mass at Christmas, Easter, and other special occasions.
2. Discipleship and Evangelization
Our goal is to help every parishioner increase their personal faith in Jesus, and in turn, reach out to new people to bring them into a relationship with Christ through our community. To that end, we will continue to focus on faith formation through our online program for adults (FORMED). The very source of our faith is the Sacrament of Communion and I look forward to a 4-week parish wide course,
The Mystery of the Eucharist
, scheduled for this fall. Additionally, we will expand our online community through our Website, E-Newsletter, Mobile App, and Facebook capabilities, so all who encounter the Parish Community can stay connected to it.
3. Fellowship and Ministry
To love and to serve is the essence of community. The success of our Coffee Sunday is a wonderful example of how fellowship draws us closer together. Over 150 volunteers in our many ministries share their love, time, and talents - with parishioners and strangers alike - throughout the year. To make it easier for individuals to volunteer, we will establish a system whereby ministry heads with a need for additional support, can utilize an online system to request additional resources to which parishioners can respond directly to the need.
On the weekend of October 13, we will celebrate the 50
th
anniversary of St. Leonard Parish. Let’s use this as an opportunity to remember and to rejoice in the great community God has blessed us with, here on the shores of the Rideau River.
4. Stewardship
You have been most generous in giving your time, talent, and treasure. We are on track to meeting our financial goals established in March. This has enabled us to maintain existing services and facilities, while at the same time, investing in new programs for faith formation and for our youth. This summer we modernized our heating system, and this fall we will begin the renovation of the Parish Hall. This renovation will make the hall more welcoming and comfortable for community events and children’s liturgy. With the new audio/video equipment, we will provide an overflow capacity for our Christmas and Easter Masses. Not all of the funding is currently available to finalize this project but my hope, is through your generosity, we would be to able see all of this completed prior to Christmas this year.
As you can see, I am very excited about the opportunities for our St. Leonard community as we celebrate our 50
th
anniversary. We are called to be a member of the community of the Christian faithful with Christ at its center. My hope and prayer are that you will be instilled with a spirit of love and actively join us in this community.
May God bless you and those you love.
Father Titus
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Fr. Titus' Silver Jubilee Sept. 22
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Father Titus continues to encourage us to come together as a community and what better way than to help him celebrate his 25th year of priesthood on Saturday, September 22nd in the Parish Hall after the 4:30 pm Mass (from 6-8 pm). As he also enjoys a home-cooked meal, we are asking for donations of hot or cold dishes to be shared with him and your fellow parishioners. Suggestions for hot dishes: lasagna, chicken wings, baked beans, meatballs, etc. Suggestions for cold dishes: veggie platter or salad, caesar or spinach salad, pasta salad, etc. If you are able to donate please contact the following or sign up on the sheet at the back of the church. We would appreciate it if you are able to let us know by
September 9th.
Thank you for your generosity. Contact- Judy Wood 692-3667 or email
[email protected]
/
or Charles Slade 613 692-1936, email
[email protected]
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Stewardship-
Supporting Community through Time, Talent and Treasure
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Get Involved in our Community! Volunteer!
The best way to get involved in our community is by becoming a volunteer. You will meet new people, grow in your faith and all while serving those in need and your Parish. Church volunteers become stronger disciples and all disciples love to serve. Check out Father Titus's brief
video message
on becoming a volunteer.
This year we are introducing a new and simpler way for you to find out about all of the Ministry opportunities that are available to you. Visit our
Get Involved/Volunteer
web page, check out the Ministries and complete the short form indicating your areas of interest. Your service is a wonderful gift to the community.
In addition to our ongoing needs for support across all of our Ministries we currently have a pressing need for volunteers in the following areas:
- Altar Linens cleaning
- Sacristan (11:00 am Sunday, 7:00 pm Sunday)
- Lector (7:00 pm Sunday)
- Marketer/Promoter for all St. Leonard youth related activities
Please consider these needs as you discern how you might best get involved.
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FORMED Resources for Sept
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Prayer is the foundation of a lived relationship with God. St. Paul tells us that our prayer must be characterized by "thanksgiving" (Colossians 4:2). While it may be tempting to focus on the ways in which we can love God through our works, in prayer we are invited to contemplate that "we love, because he first loved us" (1 John 4:19), and to be filled with thanksgiving for God's showering of mercy and affection on us.
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f 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.
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Pope Francis: Letter to the People of God
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Pope Francis has responded to new reports of clerical sexual abuse and the ecclesial cover-up of abuse. In an impassioned letter addressed to the whole People of God, he calls on the Church to be close to victims in solidarity, and to join in acts of prayer and fasting in penance for such "atrocities".
Read the full letter here.
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Message from Bishop Barron
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"In light of the recent scandals, I know many people are wondering whether they should remain in the Catholic Church. And I totally get that; the outrage is warranted.
But in this time of crisis, I beg you not to flee, but to fight--not violently, with the weapons of the world, but with the weapons of the Spirit. We need you."
Watch the Video.
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Celebrating 50 Years of Community
Reprint from
The Presence
Sept 15, 1981
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Welcome to St. Leonard's, Manotick
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by Jane and Loan Brownrigg
Hallelujah, Glory to God,Thank you, Lord and YIPPEE!!!!!!!
We did it!
The hopes and dreams of many people became a reality on June 21 when St. Leonard;s Roman Catholic Church, located on Long Island, Manotick, was officially opened by Archbishop J.A.Plourde at a warm and moving Sunday afternoon ceremony.
How do you build a new Church in these days of cynicism?
Well, first of all you have to have a lot of gall;then you have to have parishioners like Ted and Wilma Steinhaus, who will balance precariously from scaffolding while they paint the high ceilings in the Church the night before the official opening; people like Gary Layman and Rich Lachelle who will give hundreds of hours of volunteer work and who will laughingly tell you of all the "terrible" things that will go wrong the day of the Blessing. You have to have successful businessman who aren't afraid to get paint in their hair and get covered with dust, grime, and sweat, like Mike Calhan, Mike Campbell, Bob Barrow, and Pat McBane. You have to have hard workers like Frank Vingerhoets, Ken Pederson, Tom O'Malley, Basil Tomlinson, Des McEvoy, Percy MacDonald who will paint confessionals, build bulletin boards, dust pews vacuum rugs over and over again, hang pictures.
You have to have ladies like Joan Johnston, Marie McEvoy, Margaret MCCormick, who will wash altar linens, shine incense burners, arrange flowers, talk people into making a "good" donation. You have to have all the other ladies who work away in their quiet manner, kidding each other, laughing, praying "just one more little favour, God, please", talking their kids and husbands into doing "just one more little job, dear, please." You have to have the host of unknown workers whose names will not appear in a newspaper article, but who will willingly give of their time, energy and talents because they love God and their fellow man. Their name is written on God's Heart in indelible ink.
It was a happy occasion when Parish Priest, Father Jim Whalen, welcomed everyone to the beautiful new Church for the opening ceremonies. Colonel Michael Calnan, Chairman of the Building Committee had tears in his eyes as he welcomed guests and parishioners to the service. Also on the welcoming committee were Patrick McBane, Chairman of the St. Leonard's Community Council; Michael Campbell, Past Chairman; Margaret McMormick, Parish Treasurer; and Bob Barrow, also a Past Chairman.
Following the ceremony, a reception was held in the Church basement hall organized by Mary Ann McBane. Marjorie Toner was the Parish photographer; Joe Valdares was the jack-of-all trades who looked after Public Relations and Joan Johnston was in charge of the beautiful floral arrangements.
Clergymen from many area religious denominations joined in the colourful ceremony which included Mass, concelebrated by the Archbishop, Father Whelan and the Regional Vicar Father Mike Minvielle of Metcalfe.
The choir was under the direction of Charles Dion with Marilyn Nicoll at the organ. The Altar boys were Patrick Campbell, Mark McEvoy and Joe Brownrigg. David Craig and the Parish youth were in charge of parking. This was a family affair. The perseverance, work, prayers and sacrifice of many people brought this dream to a reality.
The contractors for the were Settlement Construction and the designer was Ross Valiant. The building was contributed at a cost of $220,000. The Church proper, which seats 400 people, is built in the shape of a cross. The basement assembly hall holds 250-300 people and is suitable for a daycare centre. The Church has several special design features for the handicapped. There are ramps as well as stairs, a room at the back for wheelchairs and people on crutches, and there are washroom facilities to accommodate the disabled. There is a crying room, an office and a kitchen. The building is constructed of red brick. The bell for the Church comes from the old St. John's school and was donated by John O'Brien. It is over one hundred years old.
The beautiful organ was donated by the Ambler Brothers of Manotick, who belong to a different faith but who strongly believe in closer communion among all Christians. The Anglican, United, Presbyterian and Pentecostal Churches in the area all contributed to the building of the new Church. The ecumenical spirit is alive in Manotick. Hurrah! Local organizations such as the Royal Canadian Legion and the Kiwanis and Lions Clubs also contributed to the new Parish. How's that for the Brotherhood of Man?
St. Leonard's community is one of three communities within St. John, the Evangelist, Parish in Osgoode; St. John's established in 1854 (150 families); St. Brigid's on the River Road, established in 1858 (125 families) and St. Leonard's, Manotick, which was first established in St. Leonard's School on October 13, 1968 (350 families).
The Parish has been served by the Oblates, Sacred Heart Fathers and Diocesan Priests over the years. A vote of appreciation and love goes out to all of them from the Parishioners.
There are many people to thank-- The Diocese, for giving the Building Committee the go-ahead and lending us the initial money, the community, the people of the Parish. the contractors, our Parish Priest, the Chairman of the Building Committee, and the Chairman of the Parish Council, who deserve to be beatified, the Committee itself--oh, so very many. But, most importantly of all..... Thank you God..... Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.
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Wed, Sept. 5 Parish Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Tues. Sept. 11 Pilgrimage to Greece Information Night 7:00 p.m.
Wed. Sept. 12 Knights of Columbus Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Tues.Sept. 18 Finance Council Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Sat. Sept. 22 Celebrating Fr. Titus’ 25th year of Priestly Ordination 4:30 p.m.
Tues. Sept. 25 First Communion Info Night 7:00 p.m.
Wed. Sept. 26 CWL Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Sun. Sept. 30 First Communion Welcoming Mass 9 a.m. and 11 a.m.
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After the 9 am and 11 am Sunday masses in Sept 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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Coming in November: The Mystery of the Eucharist
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Starting on Thursday, Nov 1st, and running for 4 Thursday evenings we will be holding a video and discussion based course called
PRESENCE: THE MYSTERY OF THE EUCHARIST
. With beautiful film-making and powerful teaching, the
PRESENCE
series will move your heart and give you plenty to discuss as we consider the very source and summit of our faith.
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Mobile Application
Stay up to date on what is going on at St. Leonard through the St. Leonard through the St. Leonard Parish app.
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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!
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Parishioner Feedback: We Love Your Input!
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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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St. Leonard Parish
www.stleonardsparish.ca
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