Dear St. Joe’s parishioners,
On this third Sunday of Advent, parishioner Mark McCormick offers us a reflection in which he shares: “In Advent on this joyful Sunday we share with Mary the mission of bringing Christ into our world. Because life on the surface is choppy, full of distraction, sometimes horrifying, we can miss what is really going on beneath all. The ongoing mission of God is unfolding and coming into being before our eyes. Like Mary, may we continue to say yes, to our mission- in all our evident humility and poverty. May we rest today and find joy in our unbreakable connection to God, who is deep within and who loves us.”
We are sharing the video of the reflection below, as well as the full-text version (Mark-McCormick-Advent-3 ) or you can hear the complete reflection in-person at Mass this weekend.
Reflection for Children by Parishioner Joey Ozamiz
Liturgical Resources
Third Sunday of Advent – December 13 2020 – Liturgy of the Word for use at home
READINGS FOR THE THIRD SUNDAY OF ADVENT
READINGS FOR CHILDREN – Third Sunday of Advent
Third Sunday of Advent – Prayers of the Faithful
Parish Update:
What to Expect When you Attend Christmas Masses
We know that some of our parishioners will be back to Mass for the first time since spring this Christmas. We are excited to see you again. Mass does look different from what you were accustomed to at St. Joe’s prior to the pandemic. We invite you to read this document on what you can expect: What to expect when you attend mass on Christmas Eve & Christmas Day
A New Christmas Eve Mass to be Offered at 9:00 p.m.:
We are happy to see that there has been much interest in attending Christmas Masses at St. Joseph’s. As both the 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Christmas Eve Masses are at full capacity, we have added a 9 p.m. Mass for December 24th. You are invited to register for this Mass, if you would like to attend Christmas Eve. Please note that we will have a cantor, rather than a choir at 9 p.m. To register online for the 9 p.m. Christmas Eve Mass or for Christmas Day Mass, please click here.
A New Day-Time Advent Penitential Service:
Several parishioners indicated that in light of the early darkness this time of year, they would prefer to attend a day-time penitential service. We have added one to our schedule. We are now offering a penitential service on Friday, December 18, 2020 at both 12:00 Noon and at 7:00 p.m. All are welcome. For our complete Advent/Christmas schedule, please click here.
The Advent Community Learning Series Continues
Thank you to the Refugee Outreach Committee of St. Joseph’s Parish for hosting an insightful and moving Advent Zoom session on December 10th. You can view the video recording of the full session or read more about the two upcoming sessions here.
Service of Nine Lessons and Carols
Join us on Sunday, December 20, 2020 at 3:45 p.m. for a Service of Nine Lessons and Carols, including an organ Prelude and Postlude. The choir will sing from the loft. We will hold a collection to support the social justice work of the St. Joe’s Supper Table. All are welcome.
Memorial Poinsettias for Christmas
Parishioners are invited to consider donating a poinsettia in memory of a loved one to help decorate our church this Christmas. The suggested donation is $20. If you purchase your own poinsettia, please bring it to our front office on weekdays or to church on weekends after December 15th. This is to ensure that the flowers are still healthy for our Christmas Masses. If you would like to offer a donation towards the purchase of a poinsettia for a loved one, you can visit the front office in person (Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. or phone in your credit card information: 613-233-4095, ext. 251). We will include the names of loved ones both on our website, as well as on cards displayed with the flowers in the church.
Adventus Film Screening on Tuesday, December 15 at 8:00 p.m.
A 35-minute film with a handful of theologians and practitioners offering their thoughts on Advent, a season of being remade in the dark. See demo: https://www.theworkofthepeople.com/adventus . For more information on the screening and discussion to follow on Tuesday, December 15 at 8: p.m., please contact St. Joe’s parishioner and Supper Table volunteer Chaplain Rick Gariepy: rick.gariepy@gmail.com. Rick will provide participants with the Zoom access link.
Supper Table Christmas Catalogue:
Christmas orders from the Supper Table catalogue close on December 14th. We are now out of most jams, with the exception of strawberry. Thank you for all who have helped the Supper Table by participating in this fundraising effort. To date, the Supper Table has raised more than $2,000 through this initiative. To see the catalogue, please click here.
Upcoming Weekday Noon Masses
- December 16: Louis Gazzola — Requested by Nancy Keyes
- December 17: Judith Elston (ill) — Requested by Marie and Judith Cyr
- December 18: Michael Healy — Requested by Helen Zettel
Sunday Offering for December 6, 2020: $6,465. Thank you for your continued generosity! If you are attending Mass this weekend and would like to make a donation, you will find a Sunday offering basket near the main entrance of the church. You can leave your donation here at either the beginning or the end of Mass. If you are not yet returning to St. Joe’s for Mass this weekend or will be away, please consider using Canada Helps. You may choose the Parish fund of your choice through this form: http://www.st-josephs.ca/about/donations/. You can also read more about the donation of securities here.
Oblate Vocations Reflection by Fr. Susau Jesu OMI:
“The Oblate vocation is a call to be a voice in the wilderness of our confused world as was John. But Oblates are to be more concerned with salvation than judgement which was the witness of Jesus. In this way we will disappoint some and delight others. But the more that we are seeking God and the kingdom we will taste in this life joy of which is to come. Above all the Oblate vocation is to stand with people in the wilderness and not against them.” To see the full reflection, please visit: https://omilacombe.ca/become-an-oblate/
Peace,
Chris
..
Christopher Adam
email: cadam@st-josephs.ca
