Fr. Garry LaBoucane, a Métis Elder and Oblate priest ministering in Vancouver, B.C. shares with St. Joseph’s Parish:

“Let the Indigenous voices be heard…Anything that is said or written about Indigenous people needs the voices of Indigenous peoples. Nothing should be done without the voices of the people….The Body of Christ is badly wounded…Francis reminded those who read his book that God always heads for the margins of life, and we all know Jesus did this repeatedly in word and in action…

The dream that God had and has is a dream that God shared with all peoples, and continues to do so. My ancestors were nomadic, and I follow their example. This is the longest time I’ve ever stayed in one place. So I’m nomadic. My ancestors lived in tents. The significance of that is that it’s important for us to be able to move, from one position or one place to another, and not to take an immoveable stance in life. My own people, the Cree people, the Blackfoot people, and the people here in these territories, they always welcome the stranger. In our language: come on in! So, it’s an invitation to talk, to share, to learn. Unfortunately, when the strangers first came to this part of the world, they walked into the house and they took over everything, and they changed the way of life. I think what we can learn from this hard event is that it’s better that we camp together, we move together. It’s better to return to the dream God has for us.”

To see Fr. Garry speak via video recording, please register for the Liturgy of the Word available via Zoom on Sunday, June 6th at 10:30 a.m.

Questions & Answers: Indian Residential Schools and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate 

The following questions and answers regarding Indian residential schools and the role of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate are provided by OMI Lacombe Canada, the Province that administers St. Joseph’s Parish. Please see the Questions & Answers document here.

Upcoming Gatherings

• Sunday Liturgy of the Word on June 6, 2021 at 10:30 a.m. Register here.
• Gathering for Prayer and Reflection with Holy Canadian Martyrs Parish and the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate on Wednesday, June 9, at 7:00 p.m. Register here.

Liturgical Resources

• Body and Blood of Christ – June 6 2021 – Liturgy of the Word for use at home
• READINGS FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST – 2021
• READINGS FOR CHILDREN – Body and Blood of Christ
• Body and Blood of Christ – 2021 – Prayers of the Faithful
• Mission Prayer

Parish Update

Registration for Weekday Masses

Weekday Masses are celebrated every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at noon.  We are adding a Tuesday noon Mass to accommodate more people. The maximum capacity according to current  provincial restrictions is 10 people, including the presider. Online Registration is required. Please access the registration page here.

Stay tuned for Information on the Upcoming AGM scheduled for Sunday, June 13, 2021 at 1:30 p.m. via Zoom. 

On Tuesday, June 8th, information will be posted to the Parish site for our upcoming AGM. Registered parishioners will also receive this via email.

World Refugee Day June 20th Special Collection for the work of the St. Joe’s Refugee Outreach Committee (ROC)

As an outcome of the Advent Learning Series at St. Joe’s, the Parish Pastoral Council has designated that a special collection for the ROC ministry be taken up on the weekend of June 20^th, World Refugee Day 2021.  World Refugee Day recognizes the plight of 80 million people worldwide who have had to flee their homelands. This year’s theme, posted on the UNHCR website is: The Power of Inclusion – Together We Heal, Learn and Shine. ROC members are pleased to be contributing to the reflection and other liturgical tasks on June 20^th.

The ROC is grateful for PPC’s affirmation of our work, building on the foundation of support that has been extended by St Joe’s and parishioners for over 30 years. That history has been researched by two students and their faculty advisors at the University of Ottawa and may be available as a publication by mid-2022.

While we are fostering action globally on behalf of refugees, we share in the awakening of our responsibilities as governmental and religious institutions in recognizing past and present injustices towards the Indigenous people of Canada and advancing the unfinished work that the Truth and Reconciliation Commission set out a decade ago.

St. Joe’s Women’s Centre Collecting School Supplies

It is school supplies season once again! We are asking for donations of individual school supplies or school bags filled with supplies for students in either elementary or high school. You can choose if you want to buy for a girl or a boy. We are requesting that the school supplies be dropped off no later than Aug. 13th, as we will be distributing the supplies during the last week of August. For drop-offs at the Women’s Centre, our hours are from Monday to Friday, 9:30 am to 3:30 pm. You also have the option of leaving the school supplies at the front desk of the Parish Office. Thank you very much for all your support!

For more information please contact: Jane Tenthorey, Program Coordinator, St. Joe’s Women’s Centre. Tel.: 613-231-6722 E-mail: Jane.T@st-josephs.ca

Catholic Settler Responsibility and Indigenous Ecoactivism

Dialogue with panelists (featuring Archbishop Bolen, Deacon Nahanee and Elder Maria Campbell). Zoom online, Wed. June 9, 2:30pm. Free. Hosted by Global Catholic Climate Movement Canada. For more information see: https://stmcollege.ca/store/event/transforming-the-troubling-legacyof-terra-nullius-catholic-settler-responsibility-and-indigenous-ecoactivism/

Lectio Divina — Change in Time

This Sunday, June 6th, Lectio Divina will follow immediately after the Sunday Liturgy of the Word, which ends at approximately 11:30 a.m. For Lectio Divina, please use this Zoom link:  https://us02web.zoom.us/j/2906781332?pwd=VWUvMUtXVlFzUjlSME9velZHRWcrZz09

Friday evening meditation continues

During this latest lockdown join us each Friday evening at 7PM on Zoom. Use this  link.

Sunday Offerings for May 30, 2021: $6,326.

Thank you for your generosity. We are grateful for your support during the pandemic, especially as our expenses continue. If you would like to continue giving in this period, you can mail in your offering envelopes/cheques to the parish front office, donate through Canada Helps or call us at 613-233-4095, ext. 251 to donate through credit card.

Vocation Reflection: “Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ”
By Margot Lavoie – Oblate Associate

“Today, we are cast into grief for these children whose remains were discovered in Kamloop’s Residential Schools cemetery, and for their families, we groan under the weight of COVID, we feel helpless before the anger, the greed, and the hunger for power within our society. The load is heavy, but we are still called to witness LOVE, HOPE, and JOY. We can do it because we are not loners; we are the Body of Christ – We are never alone.”

Read the reflection here (published on Friday June 4): https://omilacombe.ca/become-an-oblate/