Indeed, you will drink my cup.
(Matthew 20.20-28)
BISHOP’S MESSAGE
Message to the Clergy, Religious Communities, and Catholic Faithful of the Diocese of Pembroke
July 14, 2023
Dear Brother Priests and Deacons,
Members of Religious Communities,
and Catholic Faithful,
On June 26, the first day of a planned short vacation, I received an unexpected call from the Apostolic Nuncio to Canada, His Excellency Archbishop Ivan Jurković. He informed me that Pope Francis had appointed me as the new Archbishop of Moncton. This news came as a great surprise, considering my relatively short time as the shepherd of the Diocese of Pembroke, which spans only three years. On that day, I recognized that the Lord, in His divine providence, had been mysteriously preparing me for this significant turning point in my life. Allow me to share an excerpt from the beginning of the first reading, which I read on June 26: “The Lord said to Abram, ‘Leave your country, your relatives, and your father’s house, and go to the land I will show you.’ “(Read more…)
FROM THE DIOCESE
Pastoral Appointments
The Most Reverend Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R. announces the following pastoral appointments:
- Reverend Tim Moyle, while remaining pastor of Saint Anne Parish, Mattawa, becomes administrator of Paroisse Saint-Thomas-d’Aquin, Astorville, Paroisse Sainte-Bernadette, Bonfield and Sacred Heart Parish, Corbeil.
- Reverend Réal Ouellette resigns as administrator of Astorville, Bonfield and Corbeil due to reasons of health. Father Ouellette will be in residence at St. James Parish, Eganville and continue to assist with pastoral ministry in the diocese.
Appointment of Archbishop-Designate Guy Desrochers, C.Ss.R, as Archbishop of Moncton, New Brunswick
His Holiness Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Valéry Vienneau as Archbishop of Moncton and has appointed Most Reverend Guy Desrochers, currently Bishop of Pembroke, as his successor. (Read more…)
Summer Office Hours
The Diocesan Offices will be open from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and will close at noon every Friday from July 4th to September 1st inclusively.
Pilgrimage to Shrine of St. Ann in Cormac
On Sunday, July 30th with Archbishop-Elect Guy Desrochers. The three day triduum is led by Fr. Réal Ouellette; the theme of the Pilgrimage will be “Living a Daily Life with the Holy Trinity.” The principal Pilgrimage Mass will be celebrated at 11 a.m. with Archbishop-Designate Guy Desrochers presiding. Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament and Benediction will occur at 1 p.m. Area priests will be assisting with Confessions and the blessing with St. Ann’s oil. Religious articles, St. Ann’s Mass League memberships, and information, please visit https://cormacpilgrimage.com/.
Walk The Opeongo Line, July 27-30, 2023
Join pilgrims from ages 7-77 in this life changing, 4-day journey from Our Lady of Fatima, Renfrew to St. Ann’s Shrine, Cormac. This will be our 5th year making the 67km walk! It’s an experience that merits many blessings and many wonderful memories. For more information and to register, visit: Pilgrimage to St. Ann’s Shrine – 2023 Pilgrimage (walktheopeongoline.org)
FROM THE CCCB
5,000 Canadian Youth Join Pope Francis in Portugal for WYD – Wednesday, July 19 2023
More than 5,000 Canadian Youth are making their way to Lisbon, Portugal to be with Pope Francis, from 2 to 6 August 2023. The Holy Father will join more than one million young people for World Youth Day (WYD), an international gathering of youth, organized by the Catholic Church. The first international World Youth Day was held in 1986, and the event was hosted by Canada in 2002, with Pope Saint John Paul II making the pilgrimage to Toronto. (Read more…)
Episcopal Resignation and Appointment for the Archdiocese of Moncton
His Holiness Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Most Reverend Valéry Vienneau as Archbishop of Moncton and has appointed Most Reverend Guy Desrochers, currently Bishop of Pembroke, as his successor. (Read more…)
Canadian and U.S. Bishops’ Conferences Welcome Holy See’s Announcement of North American Delegates to the October 2023 Synod of Bishops
OTTAWA – The Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB) and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) welcomed the news from the Holy See’s General Secretariat of the Synod of the delegates appointed for the XVI Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops to be held this October. The two episcopal conferences serve as the coordinating entities for the North American region for the Synod, which is themed, For a Synodal Church: Communion, Participation, and Mission. The first session of the Synod will be held at the Vatican on 4-29 October 2023, and the second session is scheduled to be held in October 2024. (Read more…)
TRUTH AND RECONCILIATION
Rights of Indigenous Peoples
Indigenous peoples have the right to participate in decision-making in matters which would affect their rights, through representatives chosen by themselves in accordance with their own procedures, as well as to maintain and develop their own indigenous decision-making institutions.
Article 18 – United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
THE EVANGELIZATION TEAM
Starflower Member Shares Experience
“Bishop Guy had asked us all to pray for the renewal for our Diocese a few years ago. So on our holidays a friend and I decided to make a tour of the cemeteries, asking the Holy Souls there for special prayers for the coming of the Holy Spirit in a new way for this renewal. We went to any cemetery we came across. She drove and I read from Highways of Destiny and Lift up Your Hearts. We lunched, went to the outdoor privies and chatted happily. One time as we were standing in the middle of the graveyard, we had the experience of the very thin line that divides us, realizing the Holy Souls are really attentive and listening to all of us.
Love in St. Columbkille – A fellow Starflower”
New Evangelization Initiatives
Missionary evangelization, wrote Pope John Paul II, is “the primary service which the Church can render to every individual and to all humanity” (Redemptoris Missio, §2).
From the very start, the diocesan evangelization team recognized prayer as the core foundation for evangelization and missionary transformation of the diocese. As a result, they initiated the Blessed Catherine’s Star Flowers initiative, which now has over 300 participants dedicated to interceding for the missionary efforts within the diocese. This initiative provides parishioners with valuable resources such as booklets and litanies of the patron saints of parishes, fostering unity and devotion among the participants. For more information on the Blessed Catherine’s Star Flowers, please contact Greg and Mary Doyle.
Factors Leading to Christian Conversion
By Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work
As we evangelize, our aim is to lead people to Christ. So one fundamental question to ask ourselves is: What brings people to Christ? Although there is no singular answer to this question since the journey to faith and conversion is a deeply personal and unique experience, there are a number of factors that are commonly associated with conversion. These include: (Read more…)
VOCATIONS
1st Thursday Holy Hours to Pray for Vocations
On August 3rd, 6:30-7:30 p.m. at Our Lady of Fatima Parish, Renfrew – “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore, pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest” (Mt. 9:37-38). The Holy Hour will consist of Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament, Sacred Music, a reflection by Fr. Murray, a Rosary for vocations, and time for silent prayer. These Holy Hours are open to everyone, not just those considering a priestly vocation. For more information and details please visit Pembroke Vocations.
MARRIAGE, FAMILY, YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS
Theology on Tap – BARRY’S BAY
Presentations will begin again in September.
PARISH EVENTS
St. Patrick Annual Supper and Bazaar
St. Patrick Annual Supper and Bazaar will take place on Sunday, September 24th from 1-6 p.m. at the DACA Center. Visitor’s Mass at 12 noon at St. Patrick Church.
THE HOLY SEE
Pope’s Prayer Intention for August 2023
For World Youth Day – We pray the World Youth Day in Lisbon will help young people to live and witness the Gospel in their own lives.
OTHER CATHOLIC EVENTS
2023 Catholic Family Retreat – August 5, 6 & 7!
Calling all Catholic Families! The 2023 Catholic Family Retreat will be hosted on Saturday, August 5th, Sunday, August 6th, and Monday, August 7th at Sacred Way Farm (745 Kells Road, Powassan, Ontario) with Retreat Leaders Ken & Janelle Yasinski! Join us for prayer, worship, Adoration, family games, activities and inspiring talks. Optional camping on site is available too. For more information, a complete itinerary of the weekend events, and to register your family, please visit: https://holynamestalphonsus.com/familyretreat. The 2023 Catholic Family Retreat is proudly presented by Holy Name of Jesus Church, North Bay, St. Alphonsus Liguori Church, Callander and Sacred Way Ministries.
Annual Pilgrimage, Sunday August 13th
For the 66th time, and the first since the pandemic, Our Lady of Knock Shrine at St. Malachy’s Church in Mayo, Quebec, will be holding a pilgrimage to honour Our Lady’s apparition at Knock, County Mayo, Ireland on August 21, 1879. The Eucharist will be celebrated in English by Monsignor Paul-André Durocher, Archbishop of Gatineau, assisted by Father Greg Murray of Saint Malachy’s Parish. Info: http://stmalachyolv.com Contact: Mrs. Ellen Butler 819-986-3860; Mrs. Virginia Sellers 819-281-6490. mayopilgrimage@gmail.com.
149th Annual Pilgrimage – Ste-Anne-de-Beaupré and Our Lady of the Cape from August 12-13, 2023
Buses will depart from the Dioceses of Ottawa-Cornwall, Gatineau, Pembroke, Mont-Laurier/St-Jérôme and Kingston August 12, 2023. Weekend celebrant: Archbishop-Designate Guy Desrochers. For departure locations, cost and other information, please contact Mike Budge at 613 224-8110 or mike.budge@bell.net.
Marian Pilgrimage
Father Réal Ouellette has the great pleasure and honour of accompanying a Marian Pilgrimage to Lourdes (France), Compostela (Spain), and Fatima and Lisbon (Portugal) from October 25th to November 6th 2023. For more info: https://spiritours.com/en/product/france-spain-portugal-acn/.