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.

FOURTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME (A) JANUARY 30, 2005

SANCTUARY LAMP - O.L.V.:
January 30-February 26, for the special intentions of Margaret Dorion.

SANCTUARY LAMP - ST. MALACHY:
January 29-February 11, for the special intentions of Veronica Smith

SOME FAITH-REFLECTIONS ON THE INDIAN OCEAN TSUNAMI DISASTER:
Together with the bulletin you find two brief reflections on the Tsunami disaster, one from the Christian Century and another from The Tablet. Not easy reading, but worth to be wrestled with.

NEXT SUNDAY'S 9:00 A.M. MASS: ITS BEGINNING A BIT DIFFERENT:
Coming into church on Sundays, signing ourselves with water from the baptismal font, and starting the Mass are very routine activities for us. So routine, in fact, that we easily overlook how significant these ordinary activities really are. That is why we plan to elaborate and unpack them a little to make us take notice. It will imply, by way of exception, a different way of handling the first part of the Mass.

Why do we do this? It has to do with the fact that our parish has 11 of our younger members getting ready to make their first communion in the Easter season. That does not simply concern them and their immediate families. It concerns us as a parish too. In fact, these younger members of our parish are getting ready to join us at the Table of the Lord around which we gather every Sunday. They are going to make the journey from the baptismal font to the Table of the Lord. It basically means that we want to include them in what we normally do on Sunday. So the parish community is very much involved in what these candidates will be experiencing in the next four months.

We could give expression to that by having the candidates in our midst as they begin their journey. Together with them we will reflect on and pay close attention to what we are actually doing in faith when we come together for Sunday Mass. Of course, we won't be doing anything that is not really part of the Mass; what we normally do we will do a bit more deliberately. It is hoped that, as a result, our candidates and we ourselves may be more aware of how faith-filled the ordinary activities are.

The way we plan to handle that first part of the Mass will not make the Mass longer; we will make some adjustments that will make the Mass end at pretty much the same time as usual. We count very much on your understanding and cooperation with this initiative.

LENT IS ON THE WAY:
ASH WEDNESDAY SERVICE AT O.L.V.: TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 7:00 P.M.
Easter is early this year: March 27. That means that the 40-day Lenten journey to Easter begins earlier too: Wednesday, February 9. Marking the beginning of the Lenten journey with the Ash Wednesday Service is important.

As you know I also serve St. Aloysius Church in Gatineau . So I had to decide where and when to have the Ash Wednesday Service, as I can only be at one place at a time. I drew straws and the result is that St. Aloysius will have their service on Wednesday evening, while O.L.V. will have theirs on Tuesday evening. I am sure you will understand and that you will be there in great numbers on Tuesday evening for the Ash Wednesday Service to mark the beginning of Lent.

DISCOVERING JESUS CHRIST: THE PATH TO FREEDOM (8):
On page 7 the diocesan catechetical project document begins to outline what sort of catechesis is called for in our time. What it says there is interesting, fascinating even, but also scary. Why? Because it is so different from the way I was brought up as a Catholic and the way the Catholic faith was handed on to me. The document does not say that it was wrong; all it suggests is that it is no longer adequate for our time. In some instances it may still work, but in many it does not work any more. There is enough evidence of that.

The document speaks of a catechesis of the journey. With that it plays on a favourite theme found in the Bible; it is while "being on the road" that persons like Abraham and Sarah, Moses and his people, the prophets, the disciples of Emmaus, Paul, Philip..., and Jesus himself "of no fixed address" encounter others who journey with them for a while and who have that unique ability to tune in on what the "journeyers" are experiencing and struggling with. And in the conversation a word is said or a gesture is posed that serves as a beacon of light that enables them to get on with life with a sense of purpose and hope.

The sort of catechesis called for today must take people's life experiences seriously. It must be attentive to what makes people tick, to what people are passionate about, to what people are struggling with or have questions about. As Vatican II teaches: "The joys and the hopes, the griefs and the anxieties of the people of our time, especially those who are poor or in any way afflicted, are also the joys and the hopes, the griefs and anxieties of the followers of Christ. Nothing genuinely human fails to raise an echo in their hearts." On that journey of life followers of Jesus Christ have His Gospel as their luggage from which they may be able to draw a word or a deed that works as bread that still people's hunger or as water that quenches peoples' thirst.

CONGRATULATIONS to Olva Raby and Eileen Jeffrey who are celebrating birthdays this week.

CONGRATULATIONS to Alvin Butler and Claire Butler who were elected as new wardens at St. Malachy's. Thanks also to Peter Cameron and Sandra Pearson who allowed their names to stand for election.

RAFFLE:
Tickets are now on sale at O.L.V. for a painting donated by Jeannine Cressey. The drawing will take place at the St. Patrick's Tea.

ST. PATRICK'S TEA:
O.L.V. Society is looking for a convenor for the tea, which takes place on Thursday, March 17. If you can help, please call Evelyn at 986-2477.

ARTISTS:
A group of artists meet in the O.L.V. basement every Monday, 7:00-9:00 p.m. Some painting experience is preferable as there is no teacher. Cost is $2.00 per evening.