Joan O’Connell offers a reflection for this weekend in the Season of Creation. Joan shares:
“Children and young people are leading the way in the fight against climate change. Is the Gospel telling us that when we welcome these children, we are welcoming Jesus and his Father who sent him? Might this be God’s way of telling us that their wisdom can direct us towards a better, sustainable future? Dominant society has not listened to wisdom voices and in fact has often disparaged them – indigenous peoples, women, young people, marginalized people, the poor. Jesus directs us to the children telling us that that is where God resides. If we really want to hear his voice, we should intentionally listen to theirs rather than just give them the usual lip service by calling them our future yet again.”
Full text version: Reflection for the 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time 2021
Liturgical Resources
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 19 2021 – Liturgy of the Word for use at home
READINGS FOR THE TWENTY-FIFTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – 2021
READINGS FOR CHILDREN – 25th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021
Twenty-Fifth Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 – Prayers of the Faithful
2021-Season of Creation-Short-Guide
Parish Update
A Call from the Parish Finance Council
The Parish Finance Council is looking for parishioners who are interested in serving on the Council. It is a permanent advisory body to the Pastor and the St. Joseph’s Parish Pastoral Council, responsible for ensuring they are well-informed in all their decision-making with respect to financial matters.
Members serve for 2-year renewable terms and are selected from among the parishioners, based on their experience in financial management to the extent possible. Accounting credentials and experience on boards of corporate bodies or associations or management teams where financial issues are considered as part of management’s deliberations are assets.
The Council generally meets on a monthly basis with a break during the summer. Additional details about the Council and its members may be found in its Terms of Reference posted on the Parish website. If interested, please email: cadam@st-josephs.ca and your message will be forwarded to John Mark Keyes, Chair of the PFC.
Furniture Available for Free
Two parishioners are offering items of furniture free of charge for anyone who may need them and can pick them up. These include:
1 single bed with mattress cover; maple wood head board; 2 bedroom bureau – 4 drawers – dark wood; 1 bedroom bureau- 4 drawers – light wood;1 side table dark wood (3 ft. 51/2 X 17 1/2 inches) dark wood (used for laptop); 2 TV stand with action for PVR/DVD and lower cupboard for DVD’s, CD’s, etc .; 1 dark wood expanding table and four chairs; 1 chest freezer;
Arm Chair of solid construction on wooden feet, undamaged: 25 inches high, 35 inches deep, with curving arms and two full cushions for back and seat, all upholstered and covered with pale-green slipcovers.
If interested, please contact the Parish Front Office: 613-233-4095, ext. 251.
Dinner Under the Stars
Please join the St. Joe’s Women’s Centre for a dinner under the stars! We are excited to share this fundraising event with you. Take an evening to enjoy a dinner for two in a beautiful rooftop setting. Dinner includes appetizers, a choice of a delicious main course (steak, salmon or vegetarian option), and dessert. The evening includes live entertainment and a special gift for each table. You are invited to join us either September 24th or 25th, 2021. For more information and to purchase tickets, please click here.
The Creation of the Archdiocesan Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Peoples Relations Committee — A Message from Archbishop Marcel
“National Day for Truth and Reconciliation” and “Orange Shirt Day: Every Child Matters”: September 30th is “National Day for Truth and Reconciliation”. It is also “Orange Shirt Day” which seeks to remember the children and families who died while in the school system or who were negatively affected by the Residential School System.
On Orange Shirt Day we remember the Indigenous school children who were sent to Residential Schools and learn more about the history of the residential school system and its effects on the lives of Indigenous peoples. Wearing an orange shirt is a visible way to show support and solidarity with Indigenous Peoples on September 30th .
For several months we have been working in partnership with local Indigenous Catholic leaders on forming an archdiocesan committee. I am pleased to announce we have formalized the creation of our Archdiocesan Indigenous and Non-Indigenous Peoples Relations Committee. Details about its membership, mandate and resources will be on our webpage in a section dedicated to this committee. Information and updates will be posted there for sharing.
Rebuilding Community — a Living with Christ Webinar
This four-part series is designed for people in the pew who are looking forward to getting together again with friends and turning to God in common worship. The first one, scheduled for Sept. 29, is called Rebuilding Community and features a conversation between Gatineau Archbishop Paul-André Durocher and Novalis author and Managing Editor Anne Louise Mahoney on how we can start to find ways to overcome the lasting impact of the pandemic. For more information on the entire series, click here.
Season of Creation Week Three
Reflecting on the Sunday Readings – September 19 – Peacemaking as Home-Building
Wisdom 2: 12, 17-20; James 3:16-4:3; Mark 9:30-37
- ‘Peace’ is at the heart of the Christian gospel. We live in a fractured world, where relationships between people, nature and God are deeply broken. In Christ, God comes to bring ‘peace’, not only spiritually through the forgiveness of sins, but to restore all these damaged and broken relationships.
- James reminds us that “… wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere. Peacemakers who sow in peace reap a harvest of righteousness.” How can we, as a Christian community, be peacemakers both globally and locally, particularly in a context of inequality and unsustainable lifestyle choices?
- In Mark 9:36-37, Jesus tells us that in welcoming children we welcome God himself. Today, many children and young people suffer from climate anxiety and despair about the future. Can we welcome the Father by listening more effectively to the voices of young people and changing our attitudes and behaviour in response?
Practical ideas regarding renewable energies –
- Perfect for summer and autumn months: walk and bike to your local library, pharmacy, church or to visit a friend! Bonus: get those muscles moving! Endorphins are happy side effects that may result from such activity.
- Mark your calendar: WALK OR BIKE to church on Oct. 2-3 mass with your fellow parishioners (and all throughout diocese) and make it a new practice. (Or take public transit).
- Reduce heat in home or raise air conditioning temperature, especially while you’re away. Use fans instead of air conditioning.
Mark your calendars –
- Saturday/Sunday, October 2-3 – Bike or Walk to Church Sunday (see above).
- Monday, October 4 at 7:00 p.m. – Mass for St. Francis of Assisi Feast Day and the Closing of the Season of Creation. A bilingual Mass will be celebrated by Msgr. Kevin Maloney. In person and livestreamed. Holy Redeemer Church, 44 Rothesay, Kanata, Info: creationcare@archottawa.ca.
A training opportunity for faith leaders
Ottawa Public Health (OPH) seeks to contribute to the improved well-being of the population through the use of supportive environments that enhances mental health where residents live, learn, play and work. One of the ways that OPH does this is through the facilitation of fostering resilient communities by working directly with faith leaders in various Ottawa communities.
This training was developed following the Fall 2020 faith leader needs assessment which identified a need for mental health and suicide prevention training.
The faith leader training is free and is open to all faith leaders in the broader Ottawa region. Learning will be conducted in a presentation format with a duration of 1.5hrs and the opportunity of registering to participate in a fully subsidized LivingWorks START training. LivingWorks is a 90-minute self-taught course that trains individuals on how to support those experiencing a mental health crisis. For more information on LivingWorks, please visit here. If you are interested in participating or would like more information, please contact Sarah Hafez at sarah.hafez@ottawa.ca.
Sunday Offerings for September 12, 2021: $6,028
Thank you for your generosity! If you are attending Mass, please leave your offerings in the donation table near the entrance.
