Dear St. Joe’s parishioners,

This weekend’s reflection is offered by parishioner Roshene Lawson. In her exploration of the call to forgiveness and Christian reconciliation, Roshene shares: “When you think about it, God really is a brilliant psychologist. God recognizes the need for forgiveness and reconciliation for our souls. Anger, hate, resentment – all emotions coming out of a space of darkness — do not make us better people. They make us bitter people. They make us sick. They are emotions that are toxic to our souls. Hate and revenge only lead to more of the same.”

For Roshene’s full video reflection, please see below, read it here in full-text format (Roshene Lawson – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time ) or come hear it in person at Mass this weekend.

Liturgical Resources

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – September 13 2020 – Liturgy of the Word for use at home

READINGS FOR THE 24TH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME

READINGS FOR CHILDREN – 24th Sunday in Ordinary Time

24th Sunday in Ordinary Time – 2020 – Prayers of the Faithful

Mission Prayer

Parish Update:

• Annual General Meeting on Sunday, October 4th, 2020 at 1:00 p.m., in the church. Registration for our Parish AGM is now open. If you would like to attend in person, please complete the registration form here. If you are attending in person, the same physical distancing applied during Mass will apply for the AGM. The pews and surfaces in the church will be sanitized after the end of 11:30 a.m. Mass, and the doors for the AGM will open at 12:45 p.m. If you are attending 11:30 a.m. Mass that Sunday, we will ask you at the end of the liturgy to wait in the Parish garden or in the parking lot for about 15 minutes, while we sanitize. We would also like to take this opportunity to share with you how we plan to make the AGM accessible for those who may not be able to attend in person. One week before the AGM, we will publish the AGM Report on our website, which will include detailed written updates from Parish Pastoral Council, several ministries, the Pastor, the Executive Director and the Treasurer. Additionally, we will video record the in-person AGM and will upload the recording to YouTube, sharing the link with our parishioners. If you were not able to attend, you will still be able to watch the full recording online after the AGM. While we considered livestreaming the AGM, our wifi strength in the church hinders us from offering reliable video coverage. As such, a video recording seems to be the better option. If, after having read the written AGM report, you would like to ask a question, we will provide an email address where this can be sent. We will then address your question during the AGM. Thank you for your patience as we try to make the AGM and the information provided available to as many parishioners as possible.
• Parish Pastoral Council is seeking to fill a Member-at-Large position. Nominations are accepted until September 15, 2020. Please see here.
• Wednesday afternoon Christian Meditation with Chaplain Rick Gariepy has resumed in person: Join Chaplain Rick on Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. for meditation in the Sacristy Library. As well, Meditation sessions on Monday at 9:30 a.m. and on Friday at 7:00 p.m. continue as well. These are held in the church. Please enter through 151 Laurier Avenue East.
• A new school year has started and so too has a new season of our University Mass and Young Adult Ministry. University Mass is held every Sunday at 7PM from September to late April. If you would like to be added to the Young Adult E-mail list to receive updates on events and activities send an email to Andrew at apump@st-josephs.ca.
• Registration for St. Joseph’s Confirmation Preparation is now open. You can register your child on our website at www.st-josephs.ca/sacraments/confirmation and follow the link to the registration page. Confirmation is open to any child between grades 6 and 12 and classes will begin on Nov. 1^st and last for 7 weeks.
• Sunday Offering for September 6, 2020: $5,027. 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/.
• Thank you to the Ottawa Christian Reformed Campus Chaplaincy for their donation to our church of $1,000. The OCRCC continues to rent office space from us and we’re happy to have them as our partner in the university community.
• Novalis is presenting a webinar next week (Sept. 17) on Mass: Celebrating at a Distance: Join a discussion on how to have rich Sunday liturgies during a time of social distancing. Liturgist and award-winning author Glenn Byer reflects on ways to deepen our experience of Eucharist whether we are present in Church or at home. Perfect for both those responsible for liturgy and those attending. Date: Thurs., September 17, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. Registration is free. Please register here.
• A Message from the Provincial of OMI Lacombe Canada: 
  • Hello Everyone: We need your help! Many people have hopes of influencing our Canadian government as parliamentarians dig into the work of planning an economic recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. For the Love of Creation has launched a Parliamentary Petition calling on the Government of Canada to:
    • • commit to reducing Canadian greenhouse gas emissions to 60% below 2005 levels by 2030, and invest in a just transition;
    • • honour the rights of Indigenous Peoples;
    • • commit equal support for climate change adaptation and mitigation measures in the Global South; and
    • • respond to the COVID-19 pandemic in the Global South.
  • Please sign the petition today! Open for signatures until October 6th.
    • https://petitions.ourcommons.ca/en/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2712
    • https://petitions.noscommunes.ca/fr/Petition/Details?Petition=e-2712
    • Pope Francis has also drawn a correlation between the pandemic and justice for the poor and the earth in his Message to the faithful for the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation on Sept 1st: “A Jubilee is a time to restore the original harmony of creation and to heal strained human relationships. It invites us to re-establish equitable societal relationships, restoring their freedom and goods to all and forgiving one another’s debts. Policy, legislation and investment must be focused on the common good and guarantee that global social and environmental goals are met.” We need over 5000 signatures by October 6th to be a credible voice to parliament. Please sign and encourage your networks to do so as well. This petition and For the Love of Creation is endorsed by the Global Catholic Climate Movement – Canada, Caritas Canada Development and Peace, the Canadian Religious Conference, Citizens for Public Justice, Centre Oblat – A Voice for Justice, and many others. —Thank you, Fr. Ken Thorson, OMI.
• Read Fr. Richard’s Beaudette’s reflection entitled Bless the Lord here: https://omilacombe.ca/bless-the-lord
• Development and Peace’s upcoming education campaign “Recovering Together”: Since we cannot meet in person this fall we are hosting a national webinar for the launch of our new campaign this Saturday at 3 pm. We know that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted us in many ways here in Canada. The impacts are especially devastating for our sisters and brothers in the Global South. The pandemic is worsening poverty, hunger, conflict and gender inequality. We may be in different boats, but we’re all sailing the same troubled sea. A shared problem requires shared solutions; it requires solidarity. That’s why our new campaign is about 𝙍𝙚𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙏𝙤𝙜𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧. Official online launch on Sat., 𝗦𝗲𝗽. 𝟭𝟮 @ 𝟯 𝗽.𝗺. (𝗘𝗮𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿𝗻) . Watch this short video to learn more about the work of Development and Peace during the pandemic. In our diocese, the Archbishop is supporting a collection for Development and Peace for COVID-19 recovery on Sunday, November 15th. We will hold a diocesan webinar later this fall to do some planning around this. But for now, hope to see you Saturday!

One of our challenges this fall will be to explore how to continue to walk together as a community here at St. Joe’s when many of our parishioners are not yet able to return to Mass and when some of our ministries and programs remain on hold. What does community look like in this time of pandemic? Please stay tuned for more on this discussion.

Have a great weekend,

Chris

..
Christopher Adam
email: cadam@st-josephs.ca