Raphael Amato’s reflection and a parish update on the 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time

Raphael Amato offers the reflection for the Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time. In it, he shares:

“How will we find our way forward when the known guideposts that lit our path no longer shine? Where do we go when it seems as if darkness is all around us and it feels that God is nowhere to be seen? Or God’s name is being used to sow division and distrust.

There is a hidden invitation in Jesus’s words; that is to be attentive and to choose to focus on what is essential, to be more attentive to my call as a Christian, as a follower of Jesus to be a healing and active presence in this world.

While things are falling apart, it seems that there is a tendency to turn in on ourselves or to be positive and be solution focused.  I see this in my work a lot, where people are proud because they are solution focused and not problem focused. Rather than just to find solutions too quickly,  I think that we are being called to ensure that each person is heard — not to jump ahead and divide who is right and wrong. Being positive does not mean painting a rosy picture and denying the pain and suffering, but rather believing that we have the capacity to rise together and choose how we want to move forward.

The first action I believe is to read the signs collectively, and to listen to each person — to share their read of what is occurring.

Each small action has a collective impact; it is not just the policy makers, or governments or experts that need to solve this. We need to decide to be in the middle of this and show how we can walk through this by developing a collective wisdom that entails a listening to the earth, the animals around us and to all living things.”

Liturgical Resources

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time – November 14 2021 – Liturgy of the Word for use at home

READINGS FOR THE THIRTY-THIRD SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – 2021

READINGS FOR CHILDREN – 33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time – 2021

Thirty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time 2021 – Prayers of the Faithful

Pope Francis – Message for the World Day of the Poor – November 14 2021

Parish Update

Remembering Jill Lamont

A longtime St. Joe’s parishioner, Jill Lamont, died this week. She dedicated a lot of time to our parish, particularly to coordinating the count of the Sunday collections and volunteering in the Supper Table. She will be very missed. Her funeral will be on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 10:00 a.m.  in our church. Please keep her family in your prayers.

Remembering Brian Kerr

Longtime St. Joe’s parishioner Brian Kerr died this month. His presence will be very much missed in our community. His funeral will be held on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 10:00 a.m. in our church. Please keep Brian’s family in your prayers.

Remembering Jordan Bishop

Jordan Bishop, a St. Joe’s parishioner, Canon lawyer and a longtime promoter of social justice initiatives in the Catholic Church died this month. Please see Jordan’s obituary in the Ottawa Citizen and please keep his family in your prayers.

An evening with Kateri Native Ministry at St. Joe’s

The Parish is hosting an evening gathering with Donna Naughton, Executive Director of Kateri Native Ministry, on Thursday, November 18, 2021 at 7:30 p.m. in our church. We will have the opportunity to listen and to learn about Kateri Native Ministry’s work in the area of healing and Reconciliation. In particular, we will learn about the Kendaasawin Program, which brings Indigenous awareness to communities and individuals, and supports healing through an embrace of both Traditional and Christian heritages. For more information on this evening, to register and to read about the Parish’s new fundraising campaign in support of Kateri, please click here.

Congregational singing returns to St. Joe’s

After more than 18 months, congregational singing returns to St. Joseph’s Church this weekend! We were awaiting instructions on this from the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall. This week, parishes in our region have been given the go-ahead to once again invite parishioners to sing. Mask wearing and physical distancing are both still required. We’re excited to welcome greater participation from the faithful at our liturgical celebrations — in keeping with our mission to encourage full, conscious and active participation of the laity.

Development and Peace – People and Planet First education and action campaign

In Honduras and Cambodia, organizations supported by Development and Peace-Caritas Canada are raising the voices of communities oppressed by a model of economic development that violates their rights. The Honduran Center for the Promotion of Community Development trains environmental leaders to defend natural resources, the environment and human rights. In Cambodia, Development and Partnership in Action’s mission is, in part, to enable communities affected by extractive industries to gain advocacy skills so they can organize and defend their rights.
We can support these partners by recognizing the role we play in an unjust global system and taking action to change it. This year, the action highlighted by Development and Peace’s People and Planet First campaign is about holding Canadian companies accountable for their operations abroad.

On the weekends of November 20-21 and November 27-28, you will have the opportunity after Mass to sign a parliamentary petition to the federal government seeking to ensure that Canada and Canadian corporations are not complicit in any violations of the rights of the people and the planet while operating abroad. See the wording of the petition here.

Frank Martin’s Mass for Double Choir — St. Joseph’s Parish, November 14th, 3 p.m.

Duruflé’s Requiem at St. Joseph’s Parish — November 21st, 3 p.m.

Pastoral Care for those in Vulnerable Situations

Pastoral care can be valuable for all people, including those in vulnerable situations. Join us for a panel discussion with individuals who have significant expertise in offering pastoral care to those who are often ignored or hidden to us. This conversation will touch on experiences and tools that can benefit all those who are involved in pastoral care. Join the Ottawa Pastoral Care Training Program on Tuesday, November 16, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. via Zoom. For more information on this evening, please see the PDF brochure here: Fall 2021.Con Ed Brochure

Reminder — Crafts from the Holy Land sold this weekend

This weekend, St. Joseph’s Parish will welcome our special guest Sebastien Cardinal’s team representing the group “Handicraft Holy Land Christians.” They will have many unique hand-carved olive wood religious art pieces made by families in Bethlehem available for purchase after every Mass. Please consider supporting Palestinian Christians this weekend through a purchase of these items.

Vocation Reflection: “Let’s Start In Our Catholic Schools”
By Serena Shaw – Vocation Team – Oblate Associate

“And while it may seem to be counterintuitive to talk about other vocations besides the priestly one when we are seeing less and less young men joining the priesthood, I feel that by helping our young people think about their future in a different way, we may actually increase vocations to religious life. The path that we discern is not only about ourselves, but about our families and the broader community. Let us create a vocation culture in our communities, and let’s start in our Catholic schools.”
Read the reflection here.

“Looking to the Laity” — A Conversation hosted by St. Basil’s Parish

Featuring: Anne Louise Mahoney, editor with Mary Ross, Anne Galla, John Power and Maria Constantini

Join us for a conversation on how lay women and lay men are ready to share their gifts with the Church to continue Christ’s mission. Sunday, November 14, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. via Zoom.  (Meeting ID: 894 2064 2706. Passcode: 354244)

Sunday offerings for November 7, 2021: $5,465

Thank you for your generosity!

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