A sincere welcome to those who are new among us. We hope you find a warm and welcoming faith-home with us. Please introduce yourself after Mass and call the Rectory to register.

BAPTISM OF THE LORD (A) JANUARY 09, 2005

THE CHRISTMAS SEASON "COMES TO A CLOSE" THIS SUNDAY :
After this Sunday, when we celebrate the Baptism of the Lord, we are back into "Ordinary Time". It won't be for long, because Easter is rather early this year (March 27). That means that Lent with its purple starts early too: February 9.

Our thanks to those who contributed to making the Advent-Christmas season with its celebrations significant for our ongoing faith journey.

SPECIAL NATIONAL COLLECTION CALLED BY THE CANADIAN BISHOPS:
There are several ways in which we can express our solidarity with and support for the people in Southeast Asia . The relief effort called for is immense. As church we have our own relief agency in the form of Development and Peace. That is why its national collection is highly recommended. Over the years it has developed great expertise in reaching the weakest and most vulnerable in difficult situations.

There is no special envelope for this collection. Please use a plain white envelope and write your church envelope number on it (for income tax receipt purposes). Cheques should be made out in the usual way to either Our Lady of Victory or St. Malachy. We pass what is collected on to Development and Peace.

SOME WELCOME DONATIONS JUST BEFORE CHRISTMAS: THANK YOU:
Our own O.L.V. Society gave us a cheque of $1200. - the result of the hard work done especially at the Christmas Tea. The Knights of Columbus in turn included us among the beneficiaries of their bingo profits with a cheque of $1300. Many thanks to all those who contributed to making these donations possible.

SOME ADDITIONAL READING ADDED TO THE BULLETIN:
Rowan Williams, the Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Anglican Church, shares with us his faith-reflections on the events in South-East Asia . It is not easy reading, but it contains some helpful perspectives. It provides food for thought and could easily lead to a good conversation with others, and above all with God.

On the other side you find a little article from the Prairie Messenger by Connie Schultz. Yes, by now we are beyond the Christmas season, but what she writes makes a lot of sense when it is a matter of who is supposed to keep Christ in Christmas.

QUITE A CHALLENGE : THE MOVE FROM THE PRACTICE OF PREPARING FOR SACRAMENTS TO THE PRACTICE OF FORMATION TO THE CHRISTIAN LIFE!"
When do you start your first communion or confirmation preparation program?" A good question. It is also an unsettling question. Why? Because preparing for sacraments in isolation does not accomplish much. Ideally, the celebration of sacraments is part of a large mosaic; it is only in the context of that larger mosaic, the Christian life, that the sacraments make sense; apart from that larger mosaic they don't amount to much; they are not much more than a momentary blip. Unfortunately, that seems to be the situation we are in today. Many of us have lost the sense of the larger mosaic. Yes, we still ask for the sacraments, at least for once, but we do not have much of a clue when it comes to appreciating them for the role they are meant to play in the larger reality of the christian life.

That is what is behind the bishop's summons in the diocesan catechetical project ( Discovering Jesus Christ: the Path to Freedom): "We must now have the humble courage to journey from the practice of preparing for the sacraments to the practice of forming to the Christian life." It ain't easy! How to make that switch? There will be a fair amount of groping...Hopefully, the Spirit will guide us.

ANY CANDIDATES FOR FIRST COMMUNION?:
Please register now as we plan to start our journey to the Table of the Lord on January 29.

ELECTIONS FOR 2 WARDENS FOR ST. MALACHY: NEXT SATURDAY:
Our thanks to Claire Butler and Anne Price for their service to St. Malachy. Their 3-year term is up.

Four candidates have been nominated to fill the two vacant positions. That means that we need to have an election. It will take place after next Saturday's Mass.

You will be asked to elect two from the following candidates: Alvin Butler, Claire Butler, Peter Cameron, and Sandra Pearson.

PLEASE PRAY for Marvin Green, Jacqueline Matte, James Miller and Marcel Villeneuve who died recently. May they rest in the peace of Christ.

BIBLE STUDY:
Monday, January 10, 7:00 p.m. consisting of 15 minutes on the homily of January 9 and a look at the next Sunday's readings.

LITURGY MEETING : Thursday, January 13, 7:15 p.m.

CEREAL BAR COLLECTION:
next Sunday at O.L.V. These Cereal bars are donated to Buckingham Elementary School to be given to children who come to school hungry.

O.L.V. SUNDAY ENVELOPES:
Please do not use your 2004 envelopes. Your donations may accidently be credited to someone else, because the envelope numbers for 2004 and 2005 are not the same in some cases.

FOR INCOME TAX RECEIPTS - O.L.V.:
Please drop a self-addressed envelope in the collection basket.