Beware the yeast of the Pharisees and Herod.
(Mark 8.14-21)
FROM THE DIOCESE
Family Day
Please note that the Diocesan Offices will be closed on Monday, February 21st, and will reopen on Tuesday, February 22nd at 8:30 a.m.
Permanent Diaconate – Retirement Notice
Reverend Deacon Michael Doherty, an incardinate permanent deacon of the Archdiocese of Ottawa-Cornwall, has retired, and concluded his ministry at St. John Chrysostom Parish, Arnprior in January 2022. Deacon Michael has been serving in his ministry in Arnprior since 2007. Deacon Michael and his wife Sharon will be relocating to Kanata to be closer to family and friends. It is with heartfelt thanks to Deacon Michael for his dedication and utilizing his gifts in witnessing the Gospel to others. We wish Deacon Michael and Sharon all the best with the continued assurance of our prayers for them and their families.
Message from the Synodal path committee
We would like to thank everyone who has filled out the questionnaire for the Synod so far. For those who plan to respond in the days to come, we have provided some explanations for the first three questions.
- How can we, the faithful and our Christian communities, be more open to evangelization? (Mission)
It is common for Catholics to be uncomfortable with the word evangelization and its practice. We don’t see ourselves evangelizing others. Although evangelizing is simply sharing God’s love with our whole life, many Catholics see it as proselytism (recruiting members for an organization). Specifically, the question asks how we can become less averse to evangelization and more open to it. How can we desire more to call those who do not know God to believe that He is a God of love, compassion, and mercy?
- How can we, the faithful and our Christian communities, better respond to the universal call to holiness through a greater love for God and for one another? (Communion)
Simply put this question asks how we can be better Christians by having, and showing, more love for God and one another. Among other things, how can we be attentive to the needs of the people around us and respond to them?
- How can the priests, deacons, religious and all the faithful be mobilized to evangelize? (Participation)
Another way to phrase this question would be: What do you think could motivate all Catholics in the diocese to become more involved in spreading God’s love to those who do not know him?
Please join in large numbers to answer questions from the Synod.
Pierre Alain Giffard, Coordinator of the Synodal path
The Synod’s Questions
The Synod’s questions can now be answered on our website at https://pembrokediocese.com/article/you-can-now-answer-the-synods-questions-online/.
Ecclesia
Then next issue of Ecclesia is due to come out in early May. The deadline for the submission of articles is March 25th. Please send all submissions to heather@pappin.com.
COVID-19
Ontario to End COVID Proof of Vaccination March 1st
Please see the following link regarding the recent news on Ontario COVID restrictions: Ontario to end COVID proof of vaccination March 1, mask mandate to remain in place | Globalnews.ca.
THE EVANGELIZATION TEAM
10 Ways to Evangelize
Check out this article suggested by Fr. Joseph O’Malley on 10 ways to evangelize – It’s easier than you think: 10 Ways to Evangelize: It’s Easier than You Think – FOCUS (focusequip.org).
Six Unique Features of Missional Parishes
By Pierre-Alain Giffard, Director of Pastoral Work
“Success is nothing more than a few disciplines practiced every day”, said Jim Rohn, an entrepreneur and personal development coach. In the context of our parishes, a question arises: What pastoral disciplines should we practice to make disciples? (Read more…)
DEVELOPMENT & PEACE
A message from the Pembroke Diocesan Council of Development and Peace Caritas Canada.
Hello everyone,
In one of our last meeting with the Development and Peace Diocesan Council, there were some very important questions raised about Development and Peace, how it operates, and its role with respect to the Church. After reading through the minutes, I thought this might provide a good opportunity to reflect on the mission of D&P and its core values. In so doing I hope to respond to these questions but also offer an invitation into a vibrant movement of solidarity.
D&P’s mission is two-fold: “to support partners in the Global South in the pursuit of alternatives to unjust social, political and economic structures” and to “educate the Canadian population about the causes of impoverishment of peoples and mobilize actions for change“. Unlike other charities, we’re not just “giving a person a fish”, we’re examining how our actions in the Global North have poisoned their water and killed their fish. (Forgive the metaphor!) So, we have a team of educators/mobilizers, not just fundraisers.
It is important to emphasize that we are not only doing charity, we are doing solidarity. That means thinking and acting in terms of community. That means mobilizing people here in Canada to relieve some of the forces that produce and maintain poverty for people in the Global South.
And this posture is in line with the deepest principles of Catholic Social Teaching. To quote Pope Francis:
“Solidarity is a work that means much more than some acts of sporadic generosity. It is to think and act in terms of community, of the priority of the life of all over the appropriation of goods by a few. It is also to fight against the structural causes of poverty, inequality, lack of work, land, and housing, the denial of social and labour rights. It is to confront the destructive effects of the empire of money: forced displacements, painful emigrations, the traffic of persons, drugs, war, violence, and all those realities that many of you suffer and that we are called to transform. Solidarity, understood in the deepest sense, is a way of making history, and this is what popular movements do.” Pope Francis, World Meeting of Popular Movements, 2014.
D&P is the official organization of the Catholic Church in Canada tasked with building up this deeper solidarity. But what’s compelling is that D&P isn’t an organization ‘out there’, primarily, rather D&P is the members. It is a movement of lay people attempting to build real solidarity. What members decide to do to participate in D&P’s mission is up to them. Staff people are available to help them make that happen. Staff can’t vote in our Orientation Assembly for example, because the direction of the movement is member-led, not staff-led.
When it comes to the financial side of things, I would encourage everyone to look at the annual report D&P released for our last fiscal year. There you can see how the funding is distributed. But I think it is important to have a sense of this overall mission when considering how funding is being used. annual_report_2019_2020_en.pdf (devp.org)
I also wanted to add in a word about government funding and D&P. D&P is an organization of the Canadian Catholic Church and evidently is invested in mobilizing Canadians and in influencing governance here (as in the example of our petition for mHREDD legislation). While access to government funding is always going to be part of development work at this stage in history, D&P does not allow its mandate to be set by the government. Our focus is an international network of solidarity, and this mandate is set by D&P membership. This approach is eminently Catholic and is at bottom aligned with Catholic Social Teaching.
As a Diocesan Council in Pembroke, we can also work together to realize D&P’s mission in our diocese and consider what that will look like going forward. Maybe that means hosting an event with a D&P partner as a speaker. Maybe it is organizing a Catholic presence at a rally for justice causes we support. We are limited only by our creativity!
If you’ve made it this far into this message, thank you for reading! I hope I’ve gone some way towards elucidating the mission of D&P and responding to some of the concerns that were raised in our last meeting.
If you are interested in joining the Diocesan Council or in acting as a D&P Parish Representative, please contact Catherine Wheeler at catwheeler27@gmail.com or contact me directly at kirish@devp.org.
Blessings,
Kiegan Irish
Animator, Eastern and Nothern Ontario
T. 613 738-9644, ext. 224 | kirish@devp.org
DEVELOPMENT AND PEACE – CARITAS CANADA
96 Empress Avenue Ottawa, ON K1R 7G3 | devp.org
FROM THE CCCB
2022 Meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America – Thursday, February 10, 2022
Bishops from Canada, the United States and Latin America met by videoconference, 7-8 February 2022, for the Meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America. Held every second year, the meeting was hosted this time by the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops (CCCB). The meeting aims to foster relations and discussions between the Bishops of America.
Joint Statement – 2022 Meeting of the Bishops of the Church in America (PDF)
Death of The Most Reverend Remi J. De Room bishop Emeritus of Victoria – Wednesday, February 9, 2022
The Most Reverend Remi J. De Roo, Bishop Emeritus of Victoria, died on Tuesday, 1 February 2022, at the age of 97. (Read more…)
MARRIAGE, FAMILY, YOUTH & YOUNG ADULTS
NET Ministries – New Podcast
NET Ministries of Canada is launching a new podcast called Youth Ministry 101 where you can learn tips, tricks and hear stories to help reach youth in your life, parish, or youth group! The podcast launched on January 18th, and a new episode will come out every two weeks until summer 2022! Search NET Canada on YouTube, Spotify, Apple Podcasts or Google Podcasts. For more information visit www.netcanada.ca or email communications@netcanada.ca.
Four Redemptorist online seminars on Youth, Young adult and Family Ministry
Fr. Santo Arrigo C.Ss.R., a Redemptorist priest in Toronto, Canada has been working with Ignite Ministry – a ministry of the Redemptorists with young people. This past year, they have been hosting a series called, “NETWORK”, inviting parishes to journey in developing and enhancing programming with young people in youth, young adult and family ministry. They initially invited parishes served by the Redemptorists across Canada and will now host four online seminars, to anyone interested, on topics that pertain to ministry with young people in parishes and other pastoral settings under the following topics:
- Prayer and Worship: Gathered and Nurtured in Christ
- Pastoral Care: Bringing Together Hands and Heart
You are invited to participate in one or more of the sessions based on your interest or involvement in ministry with young people. The sessions are on Saturday mornings from 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. ET and are “stand alone sessions”. As these are “stand alone” sessions. There is no fee for participating in these seminars, as well as no cap on enrollment. The Presenters are Fr. Santo Arrigo C.Ss.R., and Dr. Anne Walsh D.Min.
As many programs have been paused due to COVID-19, this might be a good time to provide enrichment for leaders and volunteers for the sake of future programming in youth, young adult and family and children ministry.
The third session, “Prayer and Worship” is Saturday, February 19th. To register for this and other sessions, click: https://bit.ly/NETWORK-Winter-Seminars. For more information about Ignite Ministry and Network, please visit our website at www.ignite-canada.ca. May this opportunity will be of benefit for you, your volunteers and your ministry!
Separated and Divorced Catholics
By My Side Ministry for separated and divorced Catholics will be held virtually via zoom this spring. This is a program offering spiritual friendship and healing for separated and divorced Catholics. The program is designed to help individuals navigate through the stress of separation and divorce from a Catholic faith exploration perspective. Classes begin March 26, 2022, 2 hours/ week for both ladies and men separately and runs for 6 weeks. The cost is $40. All class details, dates, times and registration form can be found at www.bymyside.ca or by emailing Mary Jane Manley mj@bymyside.ca or by calling 613 294-1308. This ministry has been running every spring for the past 7 years and have had over 120 amazing women and men participate. Participants often mention how they gain a greater perspective on how the treasures and wisdom of our Catholic faith can give them a sense of renewed hope for their future.
PARISH EVENTS
Latin Mass
A Latin Mass according to the Roman Missal of 1962 is offered at St. Columbkille Cathedral at 9 a.m. on March 5th. This is basically the same form of the Liturgy which nourished the faith of many Catholics for centuries. English translations of the entire Mass are provided.
OTHER CATHOLIC EVENTS
2022 Lift Jesus Higher Rally
This is an annual event for Youth and Adults that focuses on evangelizing through uplifting music, testimonials, reflections, Divine Mercy celebration and Eucharistic Adoration. Whether you are coming for the first time or the twenty-ninth time, the Lift Jesus Higher Rally will open the door for God’s graces and blessings to flow into your life. It will be a day of compelling talks, spirit-filled praise and worship, and much more. 2022 Lift Jesus Higher Rally will be streamed live on YouTube from Michigan, March 5th. No Registration Required. https://www.ljhr.ca/.
OTHER
Stations of the Cross
The Pembroke Regional Hospital is looking for a set of Stations of the Cross for its new chapel. If you are aware of a set of Stations, perhaps from a closed church, please contact Michel Godbout at the hospital: michel.godbout@pemreghos.org.