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CATHOLIC FAMILY OF
PARISHES IN NORFOLK
St. Mary, Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs,
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, and St. Cecilia
Website: www.catholicfamilyparishesnorfolk.dol.ca
Facebook: www.facebook.com/stbstcstmolqm
Pastoral Team
To reach a staff member, call your Parish Office and use the extension provided
Rev. Alan Dufraimont, Pastor [email protected] ext: 222 Rev.Olivet Okoro, ext: 223
Rev. Frank Murphy, Migrant Ministry, (Retired) Ian Duckworth, Family & Youth Minister [email protected] ext: 227 Kathryn Heemskerk, Pastoral Minister [email protected] ext: 224
Deacon Andy Alway [email protected] Deacon Dave Callaghan [email protected] ext: 237
Deacon John Doomernik [email protected] Deacon Gerard Van Schyndel [email protected] ext: 236
Deacon Frank Chowhan (Retired)
Parish Team
Debbie Drinkwater, Administration Manager [email protected] ext: 240 Rick Hobbins, Coordinator of Property and Maintenance and Custodian-St. Mary
[email protected] ext: 249 Mary Zylstra, Finance Secretary [email protected] ext: 241
Barb Balog, Office Secretary [email protected] ext: 0 Laurie Smith, Bulletin Editor and Scheduling Coordinator [email protected] ext:225
Judy Wilkie, St. Bernard Custodian Bill Hasilo, Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs, Custodian
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
St. Bernard of Clairvaux, Waterford 519 443-8607 St. Joseph, Simcoe 519 426-0820
École Sainte-Marie, Simcoe 519 426-4775
St. Frances Cabrini, Delhi 519 582-2470 Holy Trinity Catholic High School, Simcoe 519 429-3600
St. Cecilia, Port Dover 519 583-0224
Parish Offices
Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs &
St. Bernard 110 Adams Avenue, Delhi, ON N4B 1P7
Tuesday & Thursday 8:30 am-12:00 noon
1:00 pm-4:30 pm PHONE/FAX (519) 582-1312
St. Mary & St. Cecilia 211 Union Street
Simcoe, ON N3Y 2B3 Wednesday & Thursday
8:30 am-12:00 noon 1:00 pm -4:30 pm
PHONE/FAX (519) 426-0887 [email protected]
SUNDAY EUCHARIST
Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs 110 Adams Ave., Delhi
Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm Sunday at 11:00 am
St. Mary 211 Union St., Simcoe
Saturday Vigil at 5:00 pm Sunday at 11:00 am
St. Bernard of Clairvaux 165 Thompson Rd, Waterford
Sunday at 9:00 am Spanish Mass Sunday at 7:00 pm
Easter Sunday to November 1
St. Cecilia 17 Lynn Park Ave.
Port Dover Sunday at 9:00 am
SACRAMENT OF
RECONCILIATION
St. Mary & Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs
Every Saturday 4:00 pm-4:30 pm St. Cecilia & St. Bernard
of Clairvaux Every Sunday 8:15 am or by
appointment
OUR MISSION STATEMENT
“We are a Eucharistic community forming faith-filled disciples of Jesus in loving service of God and neighbour
for salvation”
Palm Sunday—April 5—10, 2020
All masses and church activities are cancelled, please go to our website
www.catholicfamilyparishesnorfolk.dol.ca for detailed cancellations.
Outreach Resources The diocese has a webpage that will be continually updated with resources for the faithful http://dol.ca/outreach. Join us in the newly added “House of Prayer” initiative. Please promote this page to your parishioners and others to help them find online Masses, Catholic publications and activities for families, children and youth.
From the desk of Father Olivet: Today is Palm Sunday, the beginning of Holy Week. Happy to know we are still among the living, all by the grace of God. May his name be praised. As Covid-19 rages, we are not yet able as usual to gather as a family for our most cherished Sacrifice; the Eucharistic celebration. I know how much you love and miss the Mass and other Sacrament, especially in this season of special grace.
I know there are questions on the lips of many, such as; where is our Almighty God? Why did he allow our celebrations, our Lenten season and Easter preparations to be so suddenly and badly interrupted in this manner? The world is grounded, the church where we worship him is under lock and key, community life is halted, people are dying, food and medical supplies are dwindling, and we are ordered to keep a distance from relatives and friends. What is happening?
Some Christians are worried; is the world ending? And they cry out like Jesus; "Eloi Eloi lama sabachthani", my God, my God, why have you forsaken me. (Matt. 27.46). Even people who did not profess any faith before, are also calling on God for answers and help. Well, one thing is clear, Covid-19 did not create the world and it cannot end the world. As it came, so shall it go. The world is in God's hand. This is just one world event according to the book of Ecclesiastes 3;1, "there is an appointed time for everything". As we go through this crisis time, the time for God's healing mercy will follow soon. God has not abandoned us. So stay alive and strong to experience his healing mercy.
As it is at the moment, many do not know what to do or what to expect next, so what do we do as we wait for this unfailing healing mercy of God? Isaiah gives us the answer in today's first reading. He says; "The Lord God has given me the tongue..., that I may know how to sustain with a word those that are weary". By this he means we should thank God we are still alive, and then use our tongues, our telephones, laptops, and computers to reach out and speak words of hope and encouragement to people. So many are lonely, confused, discouraged and are losing hope, they need us to revive and give them new life. We call, pray with them and laugh with them. We should also pray for those infected, and all the sick. Reach out too to the researchers, doctors, nurses etc, if we know any to encourage and thank them for the work they are doing. So for Isaiah, as long as we are still alive and have a voice, we can do a lot in helping our brothers and sisters to keep hanging on. So let us get going. God who gave us voice will use our voices to work his miracle to save life.
This too surely will pass away and we shall be alive to tell the story. God bless and keep all of us. Amen. HAPPY PALM SUNDAY.
We Commend to your Prayers:
We pray for all the sick of our Parishes: Daphne Jarman, Nikki Buckborough, Laurens Maissan, Ruth Lampman, George DeBlock, Paul VanLondersele, Edward McCarthy and Archie Crombez.
We pray for all the faithful departed including: Jim Terdi;, Agnes Caerels; Senabe Wray; Jeanne Schooley; Karen Smit; Maria Fatima Dias; and Georgette Decleir.
Prayer Line: 519 426-0788 ~ [email protected] or 519 582-243l
From the desk of Deacon Gerard:
Accompanying Our Lord During Holy Week. Today is Palm Sunday and we begin the most solemn week of the liturgical year. Once called the ‘Great Week ‘,
nowadays we know it as ‘Holy Week’. During this week we will witness the total self-giving of Jesus. St. Paul describes it as his ‘kenosis’ or ‘self-emptying’ by which Jesus made himself entirely receptive to divine will. “He emptied himself, taking the form of a slave.” Our liturgy this week invites us to follow Jesus every step of the way. Beginning with the self-emptying of ourselves, of our humanity and of our sinfulness, so that we can humbly walk with Jesus obedient to our Father’s will.
Every year Christians witness the redemptive meaning of Jesus' suffering and death, and God’s message of joyful hope seen in Jesus’ triumphant Resurrection. Sounds like it is the same each year, but it is not. Every year is different because we are not the same people, we were a year ago. The burdens we carry, the sins we bear, the paths we walk, the world we live in, the lives we are leading, are not the same. This week as we accompany Jesus in faith, love and humility we need to empty ourselves and let God’s imaginative power fill us with His will, love and hope. Rejoice in Our Lord, Dcn. Gerard
Development and Peace Share Lent Collection – an update on the situation
During these uncertain times because of the COVID-19 crisis, Development and Peace has made the decision to cancel or postpone all of its in-person meetings and events across Canada. Lent is a vital time of year for the organization, and so we invite you to participate to our virtual Share Lent campaign and act in solidarity with our partners in the Global South and the most vulnerable populations that will be all the more affected by this pandemic. This Lent, give from the heart. Donate to Development and Peace today by making a DIRECT donation:
1) Online: devp.org/give 2) By phone: 1-888 664-3387 3) By mail : 1425 Rene-Levesque Blvd W, 3rd floor, Montreal, QC, H3G 1T7
Thank you for your generosity.
Development and Peace/Caritas Canada CATHOLIC SOCIAL TEACHING
Did you know . . . that work expresses our personal dignity and should develop us as persons, sharing in the development of God’s creation, and that all people have a right to productive work, to just remuneration and benefits and to a family wage?
Did you know . . . that all people have a right to organize and join labour unions or employers’ associations, and that to express their dignity as workers, there should be various ways for workers to have a share in management, profits and ownership? Did you know . . . that in our present computer age with corporate downsizing that governments, companies, labour unions and other bodies must develop ways for unskilled workers to learn new technologies and devise alternative forms of stable employment?
St. Vincent de Paul
St. Vincent de Paul is in need of FOOD, non perishable foods, for our food banks so we can continue in this difficult time to meet the needs of those who have less than we. We are collecting this for our four parishes and the Food Banks they organize. We have two DROP OFF places. St. Mary's Church, boxes for the food are behind the church and hall, at the door between the church and school, north side. Our Lady, Queen of Martyrs boxes are in the Car Port between the church and office. DROP OFF will be only WEDNESDAYS in April, from 11:00 am to 2:00 pm. DROP OFF's April 8, 15, 22, 29. The first drop off at both parishes on April 1, 2020 was a great success. Thanks to all who donated.
Holy Week at home For decades, Liturgical Press and St. John’s Abbey in Collegeville, Minnesota have provided exceptional resources for Catholics across the globe. On Friday, they released a simple pastoral resource that I ask you to circulate throughout your parish community. Please go to our website to open the PDF . https://catholicfamilyparishesnorfolk.dol.ca/ These prayers are not intended to replace the liturgies of Holy Week. Rather, they are intended to assist families, as the Domestic Church, to honour the cycle of the Triduum from their homes while public celebration is not possible. The text is neither approved or mandated by any particular body. Consequently, members of your assembly are free to adapt as they see fit. In our hunger for the sacraments, I am confident that many will find strength in the food provided here. I am grateful for all that you are doing to celebrate the Paschal Mystery, in ways big and small.
The Sanctuary Lamp will burn in all 4 churches in The Catholic Family of Parishes
in Norfolk for the intentions all our parishioners.
Palm Sunday
All Masses and intentions are cancelled.
TODAY’S READINGS Gospel at the Procession with Palms — Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-11). First Reading — In spite of my sufferings I am not disgraced. I am not put to shame (Isaiah 50:4-7). Psalm — My God, my God, why have you abandoned me? (Psalm 22). Second Reading — Christ emptied himself, and God filled this emptiness with exaltation (Philippians 2:6-11). Gospel — The account of Christ’s passion according to Matthew (Matthew 26:14 — 27:66 [27:11-54]).
HOSANNA!
“Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord; hosanna in the highest” (Matthew 21:9). With these words the Church enters the holiest of weeks, commemorating the passion, death, and resurrection of Christ. When the people of Jerusalem cried out with their “hosannas,” they were using an ancient Hebrew shout of acclamation that meant “Pray, save us.” The king to whom they were shouting eventually would save them, but in a way that would be far from what they expected. Salvation would come from the wood of the cross as Jesus hung there to bring freedom from sin and life through death, opening the gates of heaven for all who put their faith and trust in him.
THE CROSS We should glory in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ,
in whom is our salvation, life and resurrection, through whom we are saved and delivered.
HOLY WEEK AND THE PASCHAL TRIDUUM
“The days of Jesus’ life-giving death and glorious resurrection are approaching, the hour he triumphed over Satan’s pride, the time we celebrate the great event of our redemption” (Preface of the Lord’s Passion II, Sacramentary). Thus the Church begins the one week of the year that we formally designate as “Holy.” Simple rituals can link the domestic church to parish church and Church universal. Enthrone Sunday’s palms where you pray, behind the family crucifix, even as part of front door decorations: “Christ reigns here,” they proclaim; “all are welcome!” During the first three days of Holy Week, ready Easter clothes, prepare festal foods, clean the house, beautify the yard. Late Holy Thursday afternoon, share Lent’s final meal before the Lord’s Supper Mass. Pitcher, bowl, and towel make a fitting centerpiece; perhaps conclude the meal by washing each other’s feet. On Good Friday, observe the paschal fast from food—from TV and computer, too! Then come to Holy Saturday’s Vigil with mind clear, stomach empty, and heart full of “holy anticipation” that bursts into living flame when the new fire is kindled.
Palm Sunday of the Passion of the Lord
April 5, 2020 God greatly exalted [Christ]
and bestowed on him the name which is above every name.
— Philippians 2:9
April 9, 2020 – THURSDAY OF HOLY WEEK (Holy Thursday)
When Jesus goes to wash Peter’s feet, Peter is appalled: a master is typically washed by the servants, not the other way around! Jesus insists this is necessary for those who desire communion with God. Each of us needs to see ourselves as needing to be cared for, as well as offering care. So, while you consider whose feet you might be called to wash (and whom you might be called to serve in the world), you might also consider those you might resist allowing to wash (and serve) you. Being permitted to care for others gives us much life, but when we refuse the care of others we deny them that same dignity and life. Jesus, you washed the feet of your followers to show us how those who serve must also be willing to be served. Reveal to us how we object, as Peter did, to receiving care from others. May our service always be grounded in the humility to be served. Amen.
April 10, 2020 – FRIDAY OF THE PASSION OF THE LORD (Good Friday)
We enter into life by our embrace of death – and we do this in different ways .
This is the heart of our faith: we embrace death to find new life. It feels easier to avoid death but, in so doing, we miss out on the life of the Resurrection that follows. We need to recognize the different ways we behave in response to death, and we see some examples in the Passion reading. Judas betrays; Peter denies; Pilate becomes complicit in Jesus’ suffering; those who do not understand Jesus call for His death; the soldiers profit off of Jesus’ torture. Mary the Mother of Jesus, Mary the wife of Clopas, Mary Magdalene, and John stand with Him and witness; another soldier offers a drink; Joseph and Nicodemus ask for Jesus’ body, and prepare their friend for burial. Each person must respond to the dying; the way they do will frame the choices they make in response to rising. Everyone grieves and encounters suffering differently. Each of these people, and each of us, will have to make our way through the grief, if we are to find the risen Jesus. Suffering Jesus, we rarely know how to suffer well or to find all the ways through hurt. Teach us to follow you bravely through suffering and death, being gentle with ourselves and others, that we might follow you through to the Resurrection that awaits on the other side of every death. Amen.
