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Our Lady of Lourdes Church
173 Lourdes Street
Waterloo, Ontario N2L 1N5
519519519-886886-0342
519-886886-0349 (fax)
[email protected]
2015 Easter Message
Dear friends in Christ:
At the beginning of our 40 day Lenten journey, we were marked with ashes in the Sign of the Cross – a
stark reminder that we are going to die, all of us, sooner or later. Now, at the Easter celebrations, those
ashes are washed away when we are “soaked” with the same Easter water with which The Elect are
baptized! Death no longer has a claim on us. We know that God has the last word – and God’s word for
us is the same as His word for Jesus, who was crucified, died and laid in the tomb. LIVE! And so we
do; WE LIVE – IN HIM!
WE LIVE! WE LIVE IN HIM! And that is what we celebrate this Easter and every Easter! It is why
we “pull out all the stops” – the Easter fire, the huge Easter candle (Christ our light!), the many
Scripture readings that point us to LIFE, the Easter water (Baptism – new life), the incense, the bells,
the flowers – all of our senses are inundated because this message is so very important! BECAUSE HE
LIVES – WE LIVE! WE LIVE FULLY NOW, and we enjoy the blessed promise that WE WILL LIVE
ETERNALLY WITH HIM THEN! This is the hope that keeps us focused every day.
So, how do we choose to live? Like Him, we choose to live for others; that is the ideal toward which
we strive each day, every day, one day at a time! It is what our Lenten discipline has helped us practice.
It is expressed in the many small sacrifices we accepted, culminating, perhaps, in our Share Lent
offering which supports the unknown poor in faraway places, waiting, longing for, our solidarity and
support!
Together now, united in Him, we set out on 50 days of joyous Easter celebration – celebrating LIFE and
self-giving LOVE. During these days, our FAITH in Jesus Christ can deepen, our HOPE in the fullness
of life with Him can become ever more convinced, and our LOVE for one another, especially those in
particular need, can increase!
HAPPY EASTER!
Bishop of Hamilton
PARISH PRIEST:
PASTORAL ASSOCIATE:
IN RESIDENCE:
ADMINISTRATIVE ASSISTANT:
Rev. Edward (Ted) Hughes
S. Barbara Meinzinger SSND
Deacon Miles Schell (Chaplain, Grand Valley Inst. for Women)
Bette Honsinger
(Monday to Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.)
SUNDAY MASSES:
Saturday 7:00 p.m.
Sunday 8:00 a.m., 9:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.
Sunday 3:00 p.m. Vietnamese Martyrs Community
Rev. Hanh Van Tran, O.M.I.
Deacon Phong Hoang
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM:
By appointment – please phone the parish office
SACRAMENT OF PENANCE:
Wednesday, 7:45 to 8:15 a.m.
Saturday, 11:00 a.m. to noon
SACRAMENT OF MARRIAGE:
By appointment – please phone the parish office
BLESSING OF EXPECTANT PARENTS: Last Sunday of each month after all Masses
ST. VINCENT DE PAUL:
Church door collections – last Sunday of each month
__________________________________________________________________________________
Announced Mass intentions for the week of April 5 to 11, 2015
** Monday ................... NO MASS TODAY
Tuesday ......................... 8:30 a.m. ....... Gloria Porras – Jerry & Margie Meyer
Beechwood Manor.... 10:00 a.m. ....... Ellen Hilhorst – Carol Anne Schmuck
Wednesday .................... 8:30 a.m. ....... John & Anna Miller – Wendy & Frank Miller
Thursday ....................... 8:30 a.m. ....... Nick & Katarina Schuster – Kathy & Bill Steffler & Family
Friday ............................ 8:30 a.m. ....... Robert & Bernice Bould – Marg & Carlo Perrotta & Family
Offertory collection for Sunday, March 29, 2015: $9,858.50
DIOCESAN WEDDING ANNIVERSARY MASS: Are you celebrating your 25th, 40th, 50th, 60th,
or 60+ wedding anniversary in the year 2015? On Sunday, June 7, at 1:30 pm., Bishop Douglas Crosby
will celebrate the Diocesan Wedding Anniversary Mass at the Cathedral Basilica of Christ the King in
Hamilton. (Space allows room for anniversary couples only – those married 60 years or more may
bring 1 guest if assistance is required). Please register by May 1 to be sure your name is included in the
program. Details are available on the poster in the lobby of the church or go to
www.hamiltondiocese.com.
Budget Review
Cumulative financial objective – 13 weeks @ $7,500 .......................... $97,500.00
Actual weekly contributions .................................................................. 91,586.50
Over (under) objective ........................................................................... (5,913.50)
** No morning Mass on Monday, April 6 **
__________________________________________________________________________________
THE RESURRECTION OF THE LORD
APRIL 5, 2015
BAPTISM: During the month of March, the following children became members of God’s family in
the sacrament of baptism: Evelynn Grace Read and Annika Jane Victoria Suits.
FIRST COMMUNION CELEBRATIONS:
Sunday, May 31, 11:00 a.m. ........... Holy Rosary School
Sunday, June 7, 11:00 a.m. ............. Our Lady of Lourdes School
CONFIRMATION: The sacrament of Confirmation will be celebrated on Saturday, April 25 at
4:30 p.m. Bishop Gary Gordon, Bishop of the Diocese of Victoria, will be the conferring bishop.
Please pray for these young people that they will be open to the guidance of the Holy Spirit throughout
their lives.
MARRIAGE: We already have three weddings booked for 2016. This is an opportune time for
couples considering marriage in 2016 to make an appointment with Fr. Ted. Please call the parish
office.
RECEPTION INTO THE CATHOLIC FAITH: An invitation is extended to anyone who has been
baptized in another Christian faith or not been baptized, and considering taking a faith step toward full
initiation and participation in the Roman Catholic Church, to call the parish office and arrange a
meeting with Fr. Ted.
2015 CLERGY APPOINTMENTS: Bishop Douglas Crosby has announced the new clergy
appointments which will be, for the most part, effective June 24. A complete list can be found at
http://hamiltondiocese.com/news/2015/March/2015-clergy-appointments.
SHUT-INS: If you know of anyone in the parish who is unable to come to Sunday liturgy and would
like to receive Holy Communion at home, please contact S. Barbara at the parish office.
An Easter Table Blessing
O Lord,
you are our light and salvation.
You are the stronghold of our lives.
The brightness of the resurrection of Christ
has shattered the darkness of our world
and made our faces glow with new life
he has bestowed through the Holy Spirit.
As we share these Easter gifts of food and drink,
grant that we may dwell in your presence
all the days of our lives
and one day behold your beauty in heaven,
where you live and reign as one God,
forever and ever. Amen.
From “These Thy Gifts: A Collection of Simple Meal Prayers”
by Mark G. Boyer.
SENIORS’ SOCIAL GROUP will
resume Tuesday, April 7 at 1:30 p.m.
All seniors welcome.
NEW CURRICULUM: Do you have
questions concerning the new
directives from the Ministry of
Education for family life programs in
our Catholic schools? Join us at St.
Francis of Assisi Parish, Kitchener, on
Wednesday, April 8, when Dee
Sproule, a chaplain with the Waterloo
Catholic District School Board, will
speak to us on the present program and
how the new program will be
implemented in our Catholic schools.
Everyone welcome! Prayer service at
7:00 p.m., speaker at 7:30 p.m.
Sponsored by St. Francis CWL. For
more info, contact Barbara at 519-7448955 or [email protected]
HOSPITAL VISITATION: To be assured of a visit from S. Barbara or Fr. Ted during your hospital
stay, please phone the parish office and inform us that you are going to be a patient. If it is an emergency,
a call from a family member or friend would be appreciated.
TIME FOR TWO – GROWING IN LOVE: Do you ever wish you had more time as a couple? Are
you surprised at how fast the days and months fly by? Do you wish you could take some time as a
couple? Then this is the weekend for you! Rediscover the spark that was there on your wedding day!
Rediscover the best friend you have had since you were married! Give yourselves a private weekend
away and discover each other anew This may well be the most valuable two days you will spend together
as a couple – enrich your love and knowledge of each other!! The Marriage Encounter/Enrichment
weekend will be held on April 11/12 at the St. Ignatius Retreat Centre in Deemerton, Ontario. Contact the
Family Ministry Office: 905-528-7988 ext. 2249 or [email protected]. Information
and on line registration can be found on our website at www.hamiltondiocese.com.
Easter Greetings from the Pastor
Blessings on all who have come together for our celebrations of the Passion, Death and
Resurrection of Our Lord! Whether you are with us each week or on special occasions, are
joining us for the first time or are of other faith traditions – welcome! We recognize how the
Divine Presence touches each of our lives and we strive to reflect that Presence in our
celebrations.
On Holy Thursday evening we celebrated Jesus as our companion (with bread). He is the one
who nourishes us, sits down at table with us, speaks with us, journeys with us. He washes our
feet and asks us to imitate him in being servant and companion to others.
On Good Friday we met our Lord who is compassion. By his suffering he reminds us that he
understands and chooses to walk with us in our struggles, fears and the times of our passion.
Compassion also reflects the reality of passivity – how each of us will have times in our lives
when cannot provide for ourselves, when we let others take care of us, when we are led. We
join our lives to the passion of the Saviour when we venerate the holy cross and acknowledge
our journey with him in our times of weakness.
On Easter Day we greet the Lord who is our comfort and confidence (with strength and with
faith). When we are weak, he is our strength. When we stumble in our faith, he is solid in
believing in us. Easter isn’t just about our rising from the dead as did Jesus. It is about our
living each day carrying God’s comfort to those in need and walking in faith beyond that which
the world can provide for us.
May we recognize Jesus who is with us now – our companion, the
compassionate one, the one who offers us comfort and confidence each
day of our lives.
Easter blessings on you and your loved ones.
Fr. Ted