Family Matters April 2018 Welcome to our Parish! HOLY FAMILY PARISH 777 Valetta St., London, ON N6H 2Y9 WEBSITE: www.holyfamilylondon.ca PH. # (519) 472-0057 FAX # (519) 472-4758 EMAIL: hfparish@dol.ca OFFICE HOURS Monday to Friday 9:00 am to 12:00 noon and 1:00 to 4:30 pm. 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
Family Matters is a monthly publication. CONTENTS April 2018 A WORD FROM FR. BOB Easter Message 2018 Feel free to contact us with a story or witness talk, along with pictures by sending it to us at hfparish@dol.ca ALPHA A Transformational Experience NEW HIRE A Note from Jozef Maka 2018 PIG PALOOZA ARE YOU INTERSTED IN THE CATHOLIC FAITH? An Easter Promise If we had but the eyes to see God s face in every cloud. If we but had the ears to hear His voice above the crowd. If we could feel His gentle touch In every springtime breeze And find a haven in His arms Neath sheltering, leafy tree. If we could just lift up our hearts Like flowers to the sun And trust His Easter promise And pray, thy will be done, We d find the peace we re seeking, The kind no one can give, The peace that comes from knowing He died so we might live! FAMILY MATTERS APRIL 2018 2
A Word from Fr. Bob It is wonderful for us to celebrate this great feast every year. But what does it really mean for us? How does the resurrection of Jesus affect the decisions that we make every day? Let s look to the gospel of Mark and the account of the resurrection, for some answers. Actually, there are two endings to Mark s gospel. Check it out! The following excerpt is taken from the text we heard today: As they [Mary Magdalene, Mary the Mother of James, and Salome] entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you. So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid (Mark 16.4-8). The three women were told by the young man (a messenger of God) that Jesus had been raised from the dead. Furthermore, he commands them to go and tell this wonderful news to Peter and to the disciples. And what did they do: they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. What?!! They said nothing to anyone about the resurrection of Jesus? Why not? Why do you think that they said nothing? Here is the key: they had not yet encountered the risen Lord, themselves. Until they had really met him and were filled with the Holy Spirit, they would not, they could not, be witnesses to Jesus resurrection and the power of his life working in and through them. And this is absolutely true for each of us. We will never be able to (cont d ) FAMILY MATTERS APRIL 2018 3
be effective witnesses to the power of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit, unless we have ourselves met, encountered, the risen Lord speaking with us and inviting us into a life-giving relationship with him. As many times as we have heard the invitation to go and make disciples, it is impossible to do it without the power of the Spirit working in us. Otherwise, like in the gospel reading for today, the three people who heard from angels that Jesus was risen, were only afraid and overwhelmed. They were as yet, failures as disciples. In our own day, after most of us have been catechised across fifty years of Catholic education and parish catechesis about the truth of Jesus risen from the dead, and the power of the gospel to change our lives, we are mostly failures at being disciples. We believe with our heads and not our hearts. We are a very intelligent people, as we like to think of ourselves, but our lives do not attract others to want to live as inspired Christians, to live like us. All of us have what we believe to be substantial reasons why following Jesus in the Church is against what God would really have us do. I have some struggles too. Lack of making room for substantial roles in the Church for women; the perception of how the Church does not welcome the LGBT community, our family members and friends; sexual abuse by clergy; etc. These are some of the reasons why all of us have been hurt. But while we bandage our wounds, which we must do, we would be remiss at ignoring how the Church could be for us, an avenue of encountering Jesus and the Holy Spirit in real and tangible ways. Would not our own transformation in Christ, also lead to transformation in our parish and in the community around us? Only one person at a time. Our commitment to the Divine Renovation of Holy Family Parish, is hope for the transformation of individuals and of our parish culture. I believe that Holy Family Parish can be a real leaven for change in ourselves, in our families, and in our community. Hopefully, all of us are open to transformation in Christ. Alpha is a transformative process which facilitates the possibility of a real encounter with the risen Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Alpha has touched the lives of hundreds of people here at Holy Family already. Our parish culture is already showing signs of a more welcoming embrace than we have ever had before. Won t you consider Alpha? Won t you invite your loved ones, including young adults, to participate? Help your faith to grow from the head to the heart. Come and encounter the risen Lord in a personal and transformative way! Then, proclaiming the Good News of Jesus will come as natural to us as breathing! Come, Holy Spirit! FAMILY MATTERS APRIL 2018 4
SPRING SESSION Sunday, April 15, 2018 to Sunday, June 24, 2018 12:15 p.m. 2:30 p.m. To register go to www.holyfamilylondon.ca or drop by the parish to fill out a registration. Everyone is welcome! "Someone in my Alpha group said once he had always been a lukewarm Christian. I will plagiarize that, as it is a pretty accurate description of the type of Christian I was prior to Alpha. I have always believed in God, Jesus, have attended church on and off, but I must admit that I had drifted away from my faith over the few months leading to Alpha. In 11 months, my husband and I lost three babies (early pregnancy), due to unexplainable hematomas between the membranes. The last loss left me with a rare, life-threatening complication associated with unexpected hemorrhagic episodes, leading to a trial treatment over the course of 4 months in the hopes of avoiding a more drastic measure, such as a hysterectomy. While I kept on thinking over and over that there are so many people with far more serious problems (and of course there are), after all I have a healthy, sweet 5-year-old boy, a loving husband, and I am otherwise very healthy, I felt betrayed and defeated by my body. I was angry, lost, and unfaithful. How could history repeat itself three times? How could I carry pregnancies for a few weeks with hematomas, as if I was a time ticking bomb to try and keep my babies at all costs (taking time off work, quitting gym, not picking my son up, etc.), and still lose them after a few weeks? How could I be left with such a rare, lifethreatening complication after our last loss? What had I done so wrong to deserve such a fate? What kind of God would let these things happen to me and my family? I stopped praying all together. I just kept thinking positively (or tried to), as I got treated for the condition, trying to focus on returning to my normal life. My transformation started halfway into my treatment in early December 2017, when I gave into a friend s invitation to attend a local protestant Church. Last summer I went to a social function of that Church, and met the pastor s wife, who kept asking my friend about me. She is one of those people with a very vibrant, positive personality, and so somehow I thought that seeing her again at the church could lift my spirit up. At the service, one of the songs repeatedly said Jesus knows your needs; put your life in Jesus hands Holy! Did those words ever touch me? I say that was the first time I noticed that God knocked on the door of my heart to try and come in. In early January, my first time back in church after our last loss in the Fall of 2017, I ran into a friend, who invited me to Alpha. I was rather skeptical about it we are a busy little family (like everybody else), always running around, trying to recover from the emotional burden our losses had left us, and so committing to something for 3 months was not that appealing. However, something told me to go to the introductory dinner just to check things out (second knock ). At the introductory dinner I felt as though Nicky Gumbel was speaking to me, as if the video had been customized to corroborate with all my questions, and so I had to attend Alpha to find out the answers. (cont d) FAMILY MATTERS APRIL 2018 5
The first four weeks, I heard the same bible verses and parables both at Alpha and Church, as if God was using all these amazing people around me to speak to me Himself. I heard about forgiveness, true love, faith, comfort in Jesus, as if God was outside my broken heart, repetitively knocking on its door, trying to come in and comfort me. It was amazing! I remember two moments very clearly: God loves us unconditionally, and will always offer you a helping hand for as long as you seek Him ; and the parable of the prodigal son (a father will always give you a helping hand and celebrate you, because he loves you unconditionally). I have no doubt; God was knocking on the door of my heart, trying to speak to me. The most amazing moment through this journey was at the Alpha retreat on Saturday. During the weeks preceding the retreat I felt as though my door was just ajar. At the retreat, that door became wide open, and I felt intense love and peace, as if God had invaded my heart to comfort me with unconditional love, letting me know that I had never been alone. It had been so long since I had felt such a sense of peace. Words that I write here will never be enough to truly explain how feeling embraced and cared for by our Lord feels like. Jesus, through Alpha, has taught me to forgive myself, to accept God s plans for me and my family, to trust in God from deep inside me. I now read the bible every day. I pray every day. Alpha has been food for my soul. I have been sleeping better. I feel less anxious about things. I am so thankful to God. God has been so wonderful to me. Alpha was one the best experiences I have ever gone through and I feel as though I am reborn in my faith, as if I am a converted Christian once again. The LORD has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. (Psalm 126:3) was never so true. Thank you, Lord!" The parish will shortly Job Posting be looking to hire a Coordinator of Parish Ministries, to oversee all of the parish s pastoral ministries. We have been looking to fill this role for some time and we will begin the process of finding a suitable candidate for this position. Please keep an eye out for the job posting. If you have any questions or comments regarding the position, please contact Jozef Maka (jmaka@dol.ca) for more details! Join us here h on our beautiful parish grounds! Back by popular demand - Appin Catering! We will have pork, corn on the cob, potato salad, baked beans, coleslaw, rolls, soft drinks and water. Once again, Pete Doiron will be our spectacular entertainer. To help cover costs, tickets will be: $10.00 per person over 12 years of age $5.00 per person between ages 8 yrs. up to 12 yrs. No charge for persons under 8 yrs. of age Tickets will be available at the parish before the end of June! Everyone is welcome to share in this fun Holy Family Parish family event! FAMILY MATTERS APRIL 2018 6
PARISH STAFF (OFFICE 519-472-0057; EMAIL: hfparish@dol.ca) FR. BOB REMARK (ext n #228) JOZEF MAKA (ext n # 224) Pastor Business Manager FR. SEEJO JOHN (ext n #226) Parochial Vicar DEACON TOM MACLEOD (ext n #264) DEACON HENRY KLING DEACON GEORGE SEBOK HEATHER CUSHING (ext n #260) Pastoral Minister PETE DOIRON (ext n #258) Pastoral Worker /Sacramental Preparation of Children SHEILA O BRIEN (ext n # 222) KELLY WILSON (ext n # 201) Secretaries ANNE SANDERSON (ext n # 229) Bookkeeper STEVE BALDINELLI (ext n # 261) Building & Property Coordinator ARE YOU INTERESTED IN THE CATHOLIC FAITH? If you are an adult who has never been baptized, or baptized in another Christian tradition, the R.C.I.A. (Rite of Christian Initiation of Adults) offers an opportunity for you to learn what Catholics believe and how we seek to live our faith as disciples of Jesus Christ. In April 2018, The Christian Initiation Team at Holy Family Parish will begin a series of eight sessions designed to share with others the fruits of the Catholic faith and the fellowship of our faith community. As others inspire and discern about joining us in our faith, Catholic sponsors are required to accompany them on this part of their faith journey. The value of your personal witness and encouragement cannot be underestimated. Please consider becoming a sponsor in the initiation process. Currently there is a need for sponsors who can speak Mandarin. Sessions be held on Wednesday evenings at 7:00 p.m. The first session is on Wednesday, April 18, 2018 in the Mother of Peace Room. Please contact us if you require any further information: Delia Waldock deliawaldock@gmail.com (519) 204-2079 Sheila O Brien sobrien@dol.ca (519) 472-0057 ext n # 222 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 for baptism and one year prior to your desired wedding date. For more information about BAPTISM, contact Sheila: sobrien@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 Wilson, to begin this process. FAMILY If you MATTERS are NEW TO - MARCH THE PARISH, 2018 please introduce yourself to one of our parish staff. 7 If you would like TO REGISTER, go to www.holyfamilylondon.ca FAMILY MATTERS APRIL 2018 7