SUNDAY MASSES Saturday 5:00 pm, Sunday 8:30 am, 10:30 am, 6:30 pm. WEEKDAY MASSES Tuesday 6:30 pm Wednesday to Friday 10:00 am

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1 Come as you are, and you will be loved. Responding to the call of Jesus, we will transform the world. SUNDAY MASSES Saturday 5:00 pm, Sunday 8:30 am, 10:30 am, 6:30 pm WEEKDAY MASSES Tuesday 6:30 pm Wednesday to Friday 10:00 am CONFESSION Saturdays~11:00 am to 12:00 pm or by appointment OFFICE HOURS Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and 1:00 to 4:30 pm. 777 Valetta St., London, ON N6H 2Y9 PH. # (519) FAX # (519) hfparish@dol.ca WEBSITE:

2 CONTENTS November 2018 A WORD FROM FR. BOB ALPHA A Testimony by Hélène Malcolm SACRAMENTAL UPDATE Daniel Pettipas, Coordinator of Pastoral Ministries CATHOLIC CHRISTIAN FUNERALS The Bereavement Team MEET OUR SEMINARIANS Fr. Peter UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF THE BIBLE Highlights S.S.V.P. UPDATE Virginia Walker, President FINANCIAL REPORT Give Point & Financial Summary SENIORS CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON Save the Date I wonder, Lord, were I a tree, what might you do with me? What if I were rooted more deeply, securely, in my faith, in your word, in your truth? What if I, like a tree, stood quite still, patiently accepting the world as it is, day by day, just a day at a time? What if I bowed, like a tree, with no complaint, to all the seasons' changes, the way to live, endure and grow? What if I, like a tree, braved the cold 'til spring came 'round?' stood in the rain 'til soaked by your grace? weathered the sun 'til warmed by your love? let go my leaves, one by one, giving back to you what you gave to me? I wonder, Lord, were I a tree, what might you do with me in autumn? Would you paint me with your glory? Dress me in fine splendor, cloaked in many colors to rival Joseph's coat? You might, Lord, you just might do this - were I more like a tree... And so I wonder, I wonder and I pray: were I a tree, Lord, what might you do with me? Amen. Posted: 19 Oct A Concord Pastor Comments FAMILY MATTERS is a monthly publication. DATES TO REMEMBER K. of C. Selling Christmas Cards and S.S.V.P Giving Trees the weekends of Nov. 24 th /25 th & Dec. 1 st /2 nd Advent begins Dec. 1 st & 2 nd Senior s Christmas Luncheon Tuesday, December 11 at 12 noon FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

3 A Word from Fr. Bob We continue our preaching series, Generous Living, responding to one of the five ways that parishioners, and not necessarily guests, offer their intentional support to Holy Family. This series focuses on our monetary giving to the parish. I have always thought of myself as a generous financial supporter of the parish, any parish where I have served over the years. And I always had in my mind offering about 10% of my income. But this year, after some reading and prayer, I have come to recognize that I had not given the first 10% of my income directly to God, through the parish. I have given portions, at times, generous portions to other charitable organizations or needs. I am ashamed that this very real and recent challenge of God to me, the biblical teaching, has largely been overlooked. Starting with my October paycheque, I decided to give the Lord my first 10%. If there are other charities to consider, then they will get my second best effort. What portion of your income does God get from you, upfront? Lord, grow my faith and trust in you! Our fall Alpha is quickly coming to its conclusion. There have been too many blessings to count. When we surrender our lives and our heart, He is never outdone in generosity. Our next Alpha begins on February 7 th, following a Come and See Alpha event on the previous Thursday, January 24 th. Need new eyes and a new heart? Try Alpha! Registration is open now online and through Alpha flyers. Beginning the First Sunday in Advent, prayer teams will be available following each weekend liturgy. It is an opportunity to ask for special intentions for others and to ask the Lord for blessings for yourself. You will find a group of two or three waiting to receive you after Mass, at the front of the church, near the tabernacle. Let God s blessings fall on us! FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

4 Another great Alpha Retreat and another day of an outpouring of God s grace. The day was busy, nonetheless, a day of joy and peace. Our childcare team had a busy day too. They had games and crafts planned for over 20 children who were in their care from 8:30 am in the morning. The Connect groups are up and running and the members are excited about the value of these groups. Helene Malcolm shared her Faith Journey at her last meeting and here is an abridged version. MY FAITH JOURNEY I have always felt I was privileged to be born into a Catholic family, a practicing Catholic family. I am one of 16 children. Every Sunday we attended Mass as a family, which meant that Dad had to make two trips to church to get us all there. On many Sunday evenings we would usually attend Benediction and Adoration. We prayed the Rosary every evening as a family. In a nutshell, I was a typical cradle Catholic. (I will fast forward) Jer, a good Catholic, and I got married. We gave birth to four beautiful children. We raised our children with the same religious faith that we were raised in. Little did I know the many challenges I was going to have to face, and have to face alone! At the age of 51, Jer passed away suddenly in his sleep. Although our children were of university and marriage age, this new challenge was very difficult for them also. How could this happen? When Jer died, a part of me also died. Although I continued to go to Sunday Mass, I found I could no longer pray the way I used to. I didn t think that God was listening anyway. Eventually I began to realize that Jer wasn t mine to keep. He was God s child to do with as He pleased. God s ways are not my ways; God s timing is not my timing. After about a year and half of grieving, and with encouragement from my children I attended Bereavement groups. Actually, that is where I met Alex, and four years later married him. My faith journey continued. Alex taught me so much about my faith. He was always so filled with gratitude when he prayed. Mostly he would just converse with God. To this day, I love my conversations with my Father and with Jesus; even though I wish I could hear them speaking back to me. However, life was clearly to bring me more tribulations. On February 11, 2017, Alex was admitted to hospital with congestive heart failure. We loved him so much and God knew our hearts. The surgery was successful. However, Alex got a hospital acquired infection and he passed away on May 1, My faith journey now took another turn. I needed help; help that only my Heavenly Father could give me. It was at the same time, October 2017, that our parish was offering another Alpha. Loretta contacted me to be a table helper, and I accepted. Perhaps it was all in the timing, but that was a powerful experience for me. For the first time in my life, I connected with the Holy Spirit. You see, throughout my entire faith journey, I was taught and grew to know and love Jesus and His Father. However the Holy Spirit was just the third person in the Trinity that I knew so little about. This is now the third Alpha I have attended as a table host and helper. Listening, with not just my mind but with an open heart to the videos and to the guests at my table has helped me so much. I have a new love for the words in Scripture. I talk about the Bible more openly with family and friends; even those present in my support groups at Hospice. What a way to connect with people and I am discovering that more people are open to accept and share God s word. I have, since then, participated in Why Catholic and Missionary Discipleship study groups and I continue to participate in the Cursillo movement too. At the beginning of my testimony, I talked about being a cradle Catholic and just accepting my faith as such. Not anymore! I have a strong desire to want to learn more about my faith. I want to share it with others; Catholics and non-catholics. Even though I have lost two soul mates, I feel more complete than I ever felt because I know that my Father will never abandon me. My heart feels much love for Jesus and the Holy Spirit as they lead me daily to the Father. And I feel the need to connect and share that love with others. FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

5 We are less than a month into our new Blessed: First Reconciliation/ First Communion program here at Holy Family Parish, which has been a whirlwind experience for the children, parents, and leaders as we all navigate unchartered terrain in the area of parent accompanied catechesis. This past weekend we all got to share in the first signs that our new approach might actually earn it s title, Blessed, as we celebrated the First Reconciliation of approximately 45 young people. Something really nice about First Reconciliation at Holy Family, is that our celebrations host just over 20 families each as opposed to having all 100 families present at once. Because we are offering Blessed twice a year our average group size is about children. Having two celebrations, one on Saturday and one on Sunday, allows us to have really manageable group sizes. Two major benefits to a smaller group size is that the celebrations are very peaceful; not crowded; there are no need for line ups; the atmosphere remains prayerful; and parents have more of an opportunity to receive the sacrament themselves. Ana Maria, one of our children s catechists had this to say: Our parish was blessed this past weekend when near to 50 families participated in the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Parents presented their children to the priests for the sacrament and some of these parents gave a good example to their children because they also received the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Some parents even said how good it felt to receive this sacrament. May God continue to bless the families of our parish. It is truly a miracle and a great witness when families have the opportunity to encounter Jesus Christ in the sacraments, together. One way that we are making it easier for families to journey alongside one another, is to offer concurrent children and parent sessions. It is always nerve racking to be in room full of adults to talk about sin; but, it has been paying off. Kristen, one of our table leaders shared her experience: Watching and listening to parents as their faith re-ignites and they discover a deeper, more meaningful appreciation of the sacraments has been very positive. It appears to be an absolute joy for the parents to be able to participate along this journey with their children and grow in their faith together as a family. I am honoured to participate in this experience with the families! We are using a program called Forgiven for the parent sessions, and it has been able to shine a new light on the sacrament of reconciliation for parents who may have not been to the sacrament in quite a few years. A quote that stood out to me from this engaging video series is from Ricardo Sanchez: The devil knows your name but calls you by your sin, God knows your sin but calls you by your name. This shift of emphasis from a God who is obsessed with what we have done wrong to an image of God who is obsessed with us, makes it easier for all of us to approach the sacrament trusting that God will forgive us for anything! I think that this new perspective is also partially responsible for the parent s willingness to receive the sacrament alongside their children. For all that is happening so far this semester, I am eternally grateful to the Holy Spirit, first and foremost, and then to our amazing volunteer leaders, and priests who made our first occasion of First Reconciliation an amazing success! FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

6 As most of us know, our Catholic tradition has many moving liturgies which we celebrate well. The Funeral Liturgy is no exception it is so powerful and so full of meaning. For the Funeral Liturgies we follow the Order of Christian Funerals, published in 1990 by the Canadian Catholic Bishops In the face of death, the Church confidently proclaims that God has created each person for eternal life and Jesus, by his death, and resurrection, has broken the chains of sin and death that bound humanity. #1 Full celebration of a Christian Funeral consists of three main rites: The vigil for the deceased (first gathering to pray) The funeral liturgy (a funeral Mass or Liturgy of the Word) The rite of committal, normally celebrated at the body s resting place The Church has always expressed a belief that the body should be treated with great respect as a temple of the Holy Spirit. This is shown through the prayers and gestures used in the liturgy. Yes, Catholics can be cremated! The great respect the Church has for the bodies of its deceased should also be evident in the way the cremated remains are treated after cremation. This means that they should be put into a worthy container and all who handle them should treat these remains with care and reverence in the way they are transported and where they are placed. Scattering cremated remains on the sea, in the air, on the ground, or keeping them in the homes of relatives does not display appropriate reverence and the Church does not offer a prayer service when that kind of disposal has been chosen. Taken from information from the CCCB Recently I spoke with Dora Johnston about the role of the Bereavement Team here at Holy Family Parish. Dora has been part of the Bereavement Team for 10 years and has seen many changes in their role. Heather: Dora, what does this ministry mean to you? Catholic Christian Funerals by Heather Cushing, Pastoral Minister Dora: The fulfillment of my faith; walking alongside parishioners and families; showing love and compassion to those who are mourning; journeying with them during a difficult time that many have never walked before. Heather: How has this ministry changed since you first started? Dora: We began accompanying the families of our deceased by contacting them after the funeral and sending cards for the first year after their loss and by working with the Pastor to host the annual Mass of Remembrance for those parishioners who have died during the past year. Heather: And now? Dora: Since Fr. Bob s invitation to expand our missionary service, we do so much more. Eight of us are broken into teams of two. Each team takes a week on where we are available to serve at funerals that take place during that particular week. Once the parish or pastor receives a call from either the funeral home or the family that someone has died, Fr. Bob lets Heather know who has died, when he or Fr. Peter is available to preside at the funeral and usually when the priest will be available to meet with the family. Heather then connects with the funeral home or family to speak about a time for the funeral, what type of funeral the family is looking for and advises them of the time proposed for a meeting with the family. Heather then calls the Bereavement Team pair on call to share details with them. The Bereavement Team members and the priest presiding, if it is to include Mass, meet with the family to plan the funeral liturgy. It is at this time that the fine details are discussed. Learning about the loved one through the stories the families share is a time of great joy and often laughter. The priest gathers some information at this FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

7 meeting which helps him to choose an appropriate Gospel reading, and some personal stories to share in his homily. The Bereavement Team also uses these stories when they prepare the Vigil Prayers which they lead the in afternoon or evening before the funeral liturgy. We review with the family all the elements of the Mass, how to choose readings, share where they can include other family members, a favourite piece of music they would like and how the funeral liturgy will unfold, as well as our role. We are present before the funeral Mass begins, ensuring everything in the Church is prepared. We let them know we will be present to meet them and the body or cremated remains of their loved one on the morning of the funeral. We also let them know that we will meet them at the cemetery to lead the Committal prayers. Heather: Do families ask lots of questions? Dora: Sometimes. Often they want to know about Vigil Prayers; why we offer them; if they are necessary and what time it is best to offer them. We tell them that Vigil Prayers are part of the liturgy; praying for the dead is particularly important. So is asking the Lord for comfort. If families are uncomfortable or simply do not want Vigil Prayers, we respect their decision. If they want Vigil Prayers we suggest that the intended start time be at the very beginning of the visitation or even 15 minutes before. Often once visitation has started it is hard to gather folks together. If the time of prayers is announced in the obituary, those who want to join in them will plan to be present and those who do not wish to participate will visit later. Sometimes families will ask why they can t have a priest at the cemetery. We explain that Fr. Bob has provided us with all the training we need to lead these prayers. We let them know that we are continuing the funeral liturgy, seeing it to completion. We also let them know that we will be following them for the first year with cards, phone calls or visits as they wish. Most families are very comfortable with our role and are especially grateful to see familiar faces, have someone they know help them with their questions, someone who knows what they are doing. Heather: What is the most difficult part of this journey? Dora: Most often the Committal prayers. For the families, this is the last time they have an earthly connection with their loved one and it is difficult for them to leave them at the cemetery. It is hard for us too as we have bonded with these families. Heather: Dora, can non-catholics have a funeral Mass. Dora: Let me begin by saying that we celebrate in death what we celebrate in life. For Catholics, who celebrate the Eucharist every week, a Funeral Mass is right and appropriate. And we welcome non-catholics to consider having a Funeral Service without Mass. It is possible to have this service either at the funeral home or at Holy Family Parish. Heather: Dora, what if a family does not want to bury the cremated remains right away? Dora: We always try to encourage families to bury the loved one s remains as soon as possible. We explain that it helps bring closure to this part of their grieving. On occasion families plan burial in another place and have to find an appropriate time when other family members can join them, we ask them to call us to let us know when this burial has taken place. Heather: What if rather than donating to a specific Charity, I want to ask for donations to Holy Family Parish. Is this possible? Dora: For sure, the parish has special envelopes we can provide for this purpose. Many active and longtime parishioners want this. Their parish family has cared for them so well over the years that they want to ensure it can help others. Thanks Dora, this is really helpful information. We should also let families know that they can preplan their funeral liturgy anytime they want. We keep it on file until we need it. FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

8 WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING AT HOLY FAMILY THIS YEAR? I am attending the Alpha program at Holy Family this year, and will help out at weekend Mass from time to time. TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOURSELF. A warm hello to all the faithful at Holy Family Parish! My name is Rob Greene. I'm 56 years old and I'm from the WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU'VE LEARNED DURING YOUR TIME AT THE SEMINARY? One Diocese of my seminary of St. professors, Catharines. Dr. I'm Fox, entering taught me my how fourth to play year squash here last at year. St. Though Peter's I learned Seminary, a lot studying Theo II. of philosophy from WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE ENTERING THE SEMINARY? I was an auto mechanic and worked in many places in the St. Catharines area. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING AT HOLY FAMILY THIS YEAR? I love being a part of Holy Family. Last year I had a great time with Alpha and the RCIA and this year I'm a table leader for the Confirmation candidates preparation program. WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU'VE LEARNED DURING YOUR TIME AT THE SEMINARY? Being a seminarian has its challenges but the rewards of nurturing my relationship with God and being able to serve in His presence is the greatest gift. TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF. My name is Robin Mendonça and I study for the diocese of Hamilton. I spent most of my life in Cambridge, Ontario with my family. I recently completed my internship in Milton, Ontario in a busy parish and was happy to come back to the Seminary for my 4th Theology year. WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE ENTERING THE SEMINARY? Before coming to St. Peter's Seminary in 2014, I worked full-time in management consulting in Toronto. I went to school at Wilfrid Laurier University and graduated with a degree in Economics. WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING AT HOLY FAMILY THIS YEAR? This year I am visiting and bringing Communion to parishioners who are home-bound. In addition, I will be attending Mass and helping wherever there is a need. WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU'VE LEARNED DURING YOUR TIME AT THE SEMINARY? I've learned the importance of fraternity, building relationships and taking the time to get to know my brother seminarians. I find this crucial because having good friends both among priests and the laity plays a big role in fulfilling priestly ministry joyfully. Prayer for Vocations God of Love, You show your favour and grace us through baptism. Bless us with the courage to carry out the mission of Jesus. Grant us open and generous hearts to see the needs of others and to respond with compassion. May the church be blessed with women and men who are dedicated to you through marriage, the single life, the diaconate, priesthood, and the consecrated life. It is in Christ and through Christ that we offer ourselves to you now and forever. Amen. FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

9 TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF. Hi! I'm Daniel Naim. I am 28 years old and was born in Hungary but lived in Paris (Ontario) for most of my life. I'm studying for the Hamilton Diocese and am in Theology 2 here at St. Peter's Seminary. WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE ENTERING THE SEMINARY? I earned a degree in Environment and Resource Studies from the University of Waterloo before entering the seminary WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING AT HOLY FAMILY THIS YEAR? I am attending the Alpha program at Holy Family this year, and will help out at weekend Mass from time to time. WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU'VE LEARNED DURING YOUR TIME AT THE SEMINARY? One of my seminary professors, Dr. Fox, taught me how to play squash last year. Though I learned a lot of philosophy from Dr. Fox in the classroom, squash is definitely up there for most interesting :) TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF. My name is Steve Eckert. I was born and raised in Huron-Perth on a dairy farm. I have two brothers and three sisters. My mother and father have since passed away. I enjoy sports, reading, and traveling. I'm in my last year of studies at the seminary, studying for the Diocese of London. WHAT DID YOU DO BEFORE ENTERING THE SEMINARY? I farmed for a while after going to school to study agriculture. I had a renewal in my faith while on a mission trip. Then I joined the Knights of Columbus and enjoyed the fellowship and charity events. Discerning a call to the priesthood, I entered the seminary in WHAT WILL YOU BE DOING AT HOLY FAMILY THIS YEAR? This fall, I am happy to be taking part in Alpha at Holy Family Parish. Thank you for your warm welcome! WHAT'S THE MOST INTERESTING THING YOU'VE LEARNED DURING YOUR TIME AT THE SEMINARY? Anything and everything that I learned in a course that I took with Fr. Peter while he was teaching at the seminary! (OK, so Steve didn't actually answer that question so I felt free to answer that one somewhat honestly for him! - Fr. Peter) FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

10 The Society of St. Vincent de Paul ~ S.S.V.P. by Virginia Walker, President November 18 th is the World Day of the Poor as proclaimed by Pope Francis. The Society of Saint Vincent de Paul invites you to help the less fortunate by giving SSVP a helping hand. Consider becoming a Vincentian contact Virginia Walker, (519) ; ; vwalker47@execulink.com; volunteer in our Thrift Store - call ; offer financial help by supporting our Giving Tree for Christmas; most importantly, pray for us in our work with the poor. Further details available at our London website stvincentstore@gmail.com ST. VINCENT DE PAUL CHRISTMAS PROGRAM The Giving Trees will be in the Narthex from November 24 th to December 2 nd. Please take an envelope and return with either cash or cheque made payable to Holy Family S.V.D.P. The money will be used to bring a brighter and happier Christmas to our poor. Thank you for your ongoing generosity. Knight's of Columbus will be selling Christmas Cards after Mass during the weekends of Nov. 17/18, 24/25, and Dec. 1/2 in the Mother of Peace Room. SENIOR S CHRISTMAS LUNCHEON Tuesday, December 11 th at 12 noon in the All Saints Hall Join us for a turkey luncheon with all the fixin s hosted by the Knights of Columbus and Catholic Women s League. followed by Christmas caroling with our staff. The Cherryhill Bus starts its run at 11:00 a.m. The Knights of Columbus 3 rd Annual Elimination Draw Saturday, February 2 nd, :30 11:00 pm in the All Saints Hall This year s country-themed evening includes a night of Dining and Live Entertainment featuring our very own Pete Doiron. Grand Prizes of $1000, $200 and $100 and over $2200 in total prizes will be awarded. Tickets are $20/person; includes draw, dinner and entertainment; on sale after Mass during the weekends of Nov. 17/18, 24/25, Dec. 1/2, Jan. 5/6, 12/13, and 19/20. in the Mother of Peace Room. FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

11 This eight-part study provides the easiest way to understand the Bible. Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible makes the complex simple. It helps you uncover the story woven throughout Scripture so that you can get the big picture of the Bible and understand what it is all about. The Bible is a story about the Father s unfailing love for you - a love that you are now called to share with others. You will: Make sense of the Bible and see how it relates to your everyday life Discover the remarkable connections between the Old and New Testaments See how the sacraments, the Church and our entire Catholic Faith is rooted in Scripture Experience community and make new friends. Holy Family Parish will begin Unlocking the Mystery of the Bible on Mondays starting January 21 st, 2019 at 7:00 pm in the All Saints Hall. Deadline for sign up is January 13th. For questions please contact Gertrud gertrud.holyfamily@gmail.com Gertrud Hocke Discipleship Groups Coordinator UNLOCKING THE MYSTERY OF THE BIBLE Mondays at 7:00 p.m. from January 21 st to March 11 th, 2019 at Holy Family Parish in the All Saints Hall Participant s Name: Address: City: Phone: Postal Code: Cost : $25.00 (cheques made payable to HOLY FAMILY PARISH ) FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

12 We are excited to announce that on the weekend of November 24/25, we will be introducing our new electronic giving method: GivePoint. Holy Family Parish will be the first Catholic Church in Canada to employ GivePoint. By now, some of you may have read the pamphlets highlighting the many features available with GivePoint. We thought it would be a good idea to expand on this to help our parishioners appreciate what GivePoint will bring to Holy Family Parish. Why GivePoint? 1. When speaking to our parishioners, one theme seems to be universal in today s economic environment. Very few people carry cash and very seldom use a cheque. Most transactions are completed using plastic. GivePoint is a system that allows parishioners/visitors/guests to financially support our parish mission using their preferred method of support. GivePoint provides a secure, efficient and convenient method where debit and credit cards can be used just as you would for your online purchases or at your favourite coffee shop. 2. The three GivePoint terminals at Holy Family Parish will allow you to manage how much you want to donate to various collections within the parish. Before or after mass on weekends or even during the week these terminals will offer fast, secure and convenient opportunities for contributing to our collective success. 3. Holy Family Parish s GivePoint terminals allows for multiple donation opportunities. a. Baptisms/First Reconciliation & First Communion/Confirmation: We often see families that are looking for ways to contribute but do not carry appropriate amounts of cash and probably don t have a cheque. b. Funerals: GivePoint will allow direct donations in memory of a deceased loved one who received their spiritual support through Holy Family Parish. c. GivePoint allows the parish to create campaigns. These campaigns are fundraising initiatives that the parish can create in order to fund various projects, such as larger church improvement projects, or perhaps funding a new ministry that needs some support. All of this will help communicate to the parish our commitment to use your money for extra things that you are interested in supporting. FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

13 4. GivePoint allows for a secure online presence where you can manage your charitable donations, and even allow you to download and print off your income tax receipt. 5. As an added bonus. If you use a rewards credit card your donation will qualify for rewards. (based on your credit card agreement) 6. If you currently use church envelopes GivePoint provides an excellent alternative and gives you total control. The ongoing success of GivePoint will allow us, over time, to reduce our reliance on envelopes and eventually save on a significant annual expense. What if you currently use pre-authorized debit transactions: If you feel that GivePoint is for you then switching is simple. You will reap all of the benefits and be able to monitor your activity online and make any changes directly without having to go through the parish office. With GivePoint, you are in control and you decide how much you want to donate on a monthly basis to the General Offertory, Missions, or the Church and Property Improvement Fund all from your home computer or phone! As we move forward, there are going to be some growing pains, and we are aware of that. We do believe that this learning curve will be worth the investment, time and effort for you and for your parish. With anything, there are some costs that go with our new system.. One additional cost is that each transaction made will have a fee of 2.7% + $0.25. We therefore ask folks that if you do consider switching to GivePoint that you would consider increasing your donation by the fee amount in order to offset the costs of the unit. We will still offer our pre-authorized option for those that prefer to stay on that. Your generosity is greatly appreciated! On November 24/25 we will have various staff and Finance Council members present in order to assist first time users with the machine. Questions? Comments? Concerns? Please direct all of these to Jozef Maka at jmaka@dol.ca. God bless! FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

14 The 4 th Sunday of Advent 5:00 PM Saturday, December 22 nd 8:30 AM and 10:30 AM on Sunday, December 23 rd (NOTE: No 6:30 PM. Mass) Christmas Eve Mon., Dec. 24 th 4:30 PM 6:30 PM 8:30 PM 10:30 PM The Feast of the Holy Family Dec. 29 th & 30 th 5:00 PM 8:30 AM 10:30 AM 6:30 PM Christmas Day Tues., Dec. 25 th 8:30 AM 10:30 AM The Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God Dec. 31 st & Jan. 1 st 5:00 PM 10:00 AM Note one Mass on January 1 st Saturday, Dec. 1 st, 8 th, 15 th, 22 nd from 11:00 AM 12:00 PM Tuesday, Dec. 18 th from 7:00 8:30 PM after the 6:30 PM Mass Wednesday, Dec. 19 th from 10:30AM 12:30 PM after the 10:00 AM Mass and from 3:30 PM 5:30 PM FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

15 PARISH STAFF (OFFICE: ; JOZEF MAKA (ext n # 224) FR. BOB REMARK (ext n #228) LORETTA WILSON (Volunteer) Business Manager ~ jmaka@dol.ca Pastor ~ rremark@dol.ca Alpha Coordinator ~ hfpalpha@gmail.com KELLY WILSON (ext n # 201) FR. PETER AMSZEJ (ext n #226) GERTRUD HOCKE (Volunteer) Secretary/Receptionist ~ kwilson@dol.ca Parochial Vicar ~ pamszej@dol.ca Discipleship Groups Coordinator gertrud.holyfamily@gmail.com LISA WRIGHT (ext n # 222) DANIEL PETTIPAS (ext n #258) Secretary ~ lwright@dol.ca Coordinator or of Pastoral Ministries DEACON TOM MACLEOD ANNE SANDERSON (ext n # 229) dpettipas@dol.ca tmacleod@dol.ca Bookkeeper ~ asanderson@dol.ca HEATHER CUSHING (ext n #260) DEACON HENRY KLING (semi-retired) STEVE BALDINELLI (ext n # 261) Pastoral Minister ~ hcushing@dol.ca DEACON GEORGE SEBOK (semi-retired) Building & Property Coordinator sbaldinelli@dol.ca If you are interested in THE SACRAMENTS OF BAPTISM OR MATRIMONY at Holy Family Parish, please note that in addition to preparation, we require that you connect with us a minimum of 3 months in advance of your hoped for date of baptism and one year prior to your desired wedding date. For more information about BAPTISM, contact Lisa: lwright@dol.ca or ext n # 222. For more information about MARRIAGE, contact Kelly: kwilson@dol.ca or ext n # 201. For FUNERALS OR FUNERAL PRE-PLANNING, contact Heather: hcushing@dol.ca or ext n # 260 or Kelly: kwilson@dol.ca or ext n # 201. Do you need a PASTORAL REFERENCE LETTER? We need to know you continuously for one year before providing one. Please contact Kelly: kwilson@dol.ca or ext n # 201 to begin this process. If you are NEW TO THE PARISH, please introduce yourself to one of our parish staff. If you would like TO REGISTER, go to FAMILY MATTERS NOVEMBER

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